Sarah Dessen Q&A!

Today we are lucky enough to have a Q&A with Sarah Dessen. She's super nice and though she won't admit it, gave awesome answers.

-Who pwns everything?

Oprah. Or maybe Ben Lee. He's an Australian singer and I love him. Or Taylor Kitsch from Friday Night Lights.

-If someone suddenly threw a wad of twenty thousand dollars at you, what would you do?

I'd have to give some to charity because I would feel guilty otherwise. I would save some maybe five thousand because my father taught me to save. I'd shop and have a nice dinner. If it belonged to someone though, I'd give it back since I'm a strong believer in karma.

-If 'they' decided to make a movie of your life, which actress would you want to play you?

I'm the biggest celebrity freak and I've completely blanked out. Kristen Bell because I love Veronica Mars or Mandy Moore because I just love her.

-What's the most random question you can think of? Answer it.

What's my favorite snack food?

Fritos

-Can you do the Time Warp again?

I cannot though I know what it is. Admittedly I've never been to the Rocky Horror Picture Show and am not even sure I've seen the whole movie.

-When writing some authors plan every detail and others just dive into the book, so are you an outliner or a diver (or a mix)?

I have a general idea and a skeleton before I start. If I outlined everything, I would have to stick with it because I'm a control freak.

-Why hasn't Jason grown up? When will he? (Referring to the Jason in both The Truth About Forever and Along for the Ride)

I wanted to believe that he had changed. Though the book is about people changing, so maybe he just can't change. He represented Auden before she changed, so he couldn't change in Along for the Ride. Maybe he'll change in college.

Sarah Dessen Tomorrow!

We're eagerly anticipating our Sarah Dessen Post-Prom tomorrow (June 26th) and hope you'll join us! There will be performances by Generation, M.O.B., All At Once, and Matt Keilson. All gearing up for the woman of the evening, bestselling author Sarah Dessen in honor of her newest book, Along for the Ride! 

Books & Books

265 Aragon Ave.

Coral Gables, FL

The bands will begin at 7 and Sarah Dessen will begin at 8.

Here's a little about Along for the Ride, which is now a bestseller!:

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live. A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend. In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect in Along for the Ride(Viking Children’s Books, $19.99).

So, wear your nicest dress (or not, it's not required) and join us with an incredible author for questions answered, books being signed, music, dancing, and anything else you'd like to have. Hope to see you there!

-The YAthenaeum Team

Along for the Ride Contest Winners!

We've sorted through our magical hat of names and picked the two winners who will each be receiving Advanced Reading Copies of Sarah Dessen's Along For the Ride. And the lucky winners are:

Emma & Paradox!

Thanks to everyone who entered, hope to see you all on the 26th for Sarah's visit to Books & Books!

-The YAthenaeum Team

Happy Birthday Sarah! (And a special contest)

This Contest is Closed

If you didn't know, it's Sarah Dessen's birthday today and what better way to celebrate than a contest for an ARC of Along for the Ride!

We have two extra and who better to give them to than our readers.

There's a catch though. You have to send us a story somehow including the following three topics:

• Bicycle(s)
• Birthday(s)
• Sarah Dessen

BUT there's more, you only have 200 words to work with and they can't just be randomly thrown in there, it has to make some sort of sense!

.:Rules:.

• E-mail your story to yathenaeum@yahoo.com or leave it in a comment below.
• Story must include the topics listed above.
• It must be no more than 200 words.
• Include an e-mail or someway for us to contact you if you leave a comment. If we have no way to contact you, the entry is invalid.
• Your entry must be received by June 12th at 6:00pm est. (Contest extended to June 16th at 6:00pm)
  

.:Prize:.

Two entrants will each receive

• (1) ARC of Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen.

Good luck! We can't wait to read your entries! And don't forget, Sarah Dessen will be at Books & Books on June 26th at 8:oopm for an event you don't want to miss!

-The YAthenaeum Team

In the Line Up Contest!

Think your band is ready for the Teen Band Jam Night lineup?

Then, enter our In the Lineup Contest!

On June 26th, none other than Sarah Dessen will be at the Books & Books in Coral Gables in honor of her new book Along for the Ride. And we thought, what better way to make this event the best than to have a Teen Band Jam Night? So, we're having one. (There will be more details about the event in the weeks ahead, stay tuned!)

But there's more! There's a spot left in our Teen Band line up and it could be yours!

.:Rules:.

• E-mail an audio link of your band performing to yathenaeum@yahoo.com.
• The band members must be 18 years old or younger.
• Your band must be able to perform on June 26th. The event starts at 8, but plan you may need to get there early. Exact time will be given if/when you win.
• Deadline for entries is Sunday, June 21st at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
• Winning band will be picked, based on the link provided, by Books & Books and The YAthenaeum Team.

.:Prizes:

• One lucky band will be chosen to perform at Teen Band Jam Night.

-The YAthenaeum Team

This Week in YA- October 25, 2008

Random things:

• In honor of John Green's birthday, the Nerdfighters banded together in order to get John Green to New York Times bestseller status and they did! Paper Towns will be #5 on the list. Congrats John! We all agree it's completely deserved.
• The 2008 Teens' Top Ten has been announced. Congrats to all the authors!
• Sarah Dessen posted the cover for her new book, Along for the Ride, that comes out next year on her blog.

Movie News:

• The movie based on the first three books in Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak series that is coming out sometime in the next year will have it's trailer premiered on the big screen with the Twilight movie on November 21.
• Paper Towns by John Green has been optioned by the same producers and studio that made Juno.

Books that came out in the past week:

• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
  
• Twilight (Mass Market) by Stephenie Meyer
• Bogus to Bubbly: An Insider’s Guide to the World of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Books that come out in the next week:

• October 28: The Twilight Companion: The Unauthorized Guide to the Series by Lois H. Gresh
  
• October 28: Headlong by Kathe Koja
  
• October 28: Guardian by Julius Lester
  
• October 28: Everything Beautiful in the World by Lisa Levchuk

-The YAthenaeum Team