Don't forget to write...

The Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit is a web ring of YA authors. Check these posts for the latest releases!

Melissa Walker has worked as ELLEgirl Features Editor and Seventeen Prom Editor. She is the author of Small Town Sinners, the Violet on the Runway series, and Lovestruck Summer. Melissa manages the daily e-newsletter iheartdaily.com and handles blogging for readergirlz.com.

UNBREAK MY HEART is in stores now!

Summer will be the season for Melissa Walker fans to fall in love all over again. Unbreak My Heart is told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clementine Williams’s heart and the summer that healed it. Inspired by Melissa’s own experience sailing with her family as a teen, this is the perfect beach read for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti.

Usually Clem would dread the idea of spending an entire summer sailing with her family—two parents, one annoying little sister, and no internet, all on one tiny boat; however, right now escaping her life on land sounds pretty good. Clem did something bad during her sophomore year, even though she didn’t mean to. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and thought that he was falling for her too. Now the school year is over, the truth is out and he’s been excused while she’s been exiled, leaving her with no friends and zero social life.

When she and her family set sail the last thing Clem is looking for is another romance, but perhaps it found her anyway. His name is James. He’s cute, funny, and best of all, doesn’t know anything about her past. He and his dad are sailing the same route as Clem and her family for the summer and he's just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem's walls and unbreak her broken heart?

I snagged an advance copy of this book, and here’s what I say on the back cover! “A raw, real, and ultimately heartwarming discovery of what it means to be a true friend. Walker gets it exactly right.” It’s true! And now a few words from Melissa:

Jenn: What’s your favorite gizmo advertising your book?

Melissa: I made a soundtrack for the book, and it inspired this giveaway from Bloomsbury (yay!)

Jenn: How does this book fit in with your others? Is it part of a series, unrelated but the same sort of book, or a real departure?

Melissa: Unbreak My Heart is a standalone book, but I like to think that all of my main characters are at a contemplative turning point, and that's certainly true for Clem.

Jenn: What’s the weirdest thing you were doing or the weirdest place you were when you came up with part of this book?

Melissa: I was listening to an old mix tape from a very inappropriate boy for a lot of the writing process. It helped.

Jenn: What good books have you read lately?

Melissa: I loved Boy21 by Matthew Quick and 10 Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) by Sarah Mlynowski. Both great in different ways!

Jenn: What’s next for you?

Melissa: I have a letter in Dear Teen Me, an anthology of YA authors writing letters to their teen selves, which is out in late October. And I've got another book in the works for 2013, but I'm keeping mum for now.

Jenn: Thanks so much for stopping by, Melissa. I hope everyone loves this book as much as I did!

Visit Melissa's web site at melissacwalker.com for the latest on her books, friend her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

Up next week, Elana Johnson will be touring on the Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit!

Fan of Jennifer Crusie?

Why, yes. Yes I am!

"Fans of Jennifer Crusie have found a new author to watch." Discover Catherine McKenzie!

This is what a Facebook ad tells me at least two days out of three when I log on to my account over there. I notice it--I'm always going to notice when someone gets compared to Jennifer Crusie! I have clicked on it. I have followed the link to the book purchase page on Amazon. I haven't bought the book, though. And maybe that's the point.

In all the news of Facebook becoming a publicly owned company this week, I was more interested in the revelation that General Motors pulled their huge advertising account because it wasn't effective. See, I have advertised on Facebook too. I bought an ad for The One That I Want when it debuted last Christmas, and my publisher has advertised Forget You. The reason I thought this was a good idea was that when I'm on Facebook, I sometimes click on ads for books like the Catherine McKenzie example. But now I'm inclined to side with GM: Facebook advertising isn't effective for my books.

How do I know?

I have been conducting a survey of my readers. You can still take it here. Anybody can stumble upon it and answer the questions...but because the links to it are posted on my web site and social media accounts, I figure most people taking it are readers who have bought one of my books--maybe more than one--and liked my work enough to follow or friend me. This is the best kind of reader, the kind I want more of. In the survey, I was trying to figure out how I attracted the attention of those people in the first place so I could do it again for the debut of Such a Rush in *gasp* 45 days.

Question 2 asks, "How did you hear about me in the first place?" As possible answers, I list everything I can think of. 308 people have taken the survey so far, and though there are some clear winners, every possible answer has gotten at least a few votes, except two. Receiving zero votes: "Facebook" and "online ad"--despite all that advertising I did! This was the most surprising thing I found in the survey.

Another question asks how you receive news about my books, and Facebook is a very popular answer to that question. But that's a separate issue. According to my results, social media sites are a great way for me to keep in touch with current readers, but they are an abysmal way to interest new people. And I think this is reflected in my own behavior regarding Catherine McKenzie. I looked, I clicked, but I didn't buy. There just wasn't enough information and context to motivate me to make a purchase.

What do you make of all this? Do you click on Facebook ads or ignore them, and why do you suppose that is?

I am learning a lot from the survey. But the most important thing I've learned so far is how informative a survey is! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to give me this feedback.

I never re-read my books unless I absolutely have to. I would find awkward sentences that would make my skin crawl but that I would not have the power to do anything about. This way lies madness. And perhaps more importantly, I have a new book to write. I always try to stay in that book rather than getting distracted.

However, right now I am very, very tempted to re-read The Boys Next Door and its sequel, Endless Summer (both are in one volume called Endless Summer), because the action starts a few days before Memorial Day, a.k.a. next week, and lasts until the Fourth of July. In those books, I tried to re-create a really fun time from my teenage-hood. Nothing in the world is as exciting as getting out of school and hanging around with adorable boys on a lake when you are almost sixteen.

Well...maybe this is as exciting. I love these books because they reflect the beautiful lake where I really grew up, and because the main character is more like me than any other character I've ever written (possibly I am the only one who finds her endearing), and because I got the nicest editorial comment on The Boys Next Door that I have ever gotten on a book. This was so important to me because the book got off to a rocky start. My editor then, Michelle Nagler, who heartbreakingly left Simon & Schuster right after this to become the editorial director of Bloomsbury Children's (so let's not feel too bad for her), did not like any of my ideas for follow-ups to Major Crush. We went around and around about it, and finally she told me to take the love triangle from one book idea and put it in the setting for another book idea, the lake where I grew up. I was a little miffed by this time, so I just wrote the book the way I wanted. I put in jokes that made me laugh out loud in Starbucks, but I figured nobody else would think they were funny. And Lori...I felt about Lori like Jane Austen felt about Emma: "I am going to take a character whom no one but myself will much like." In the end, I had a book that made me smile when I thought about it, and I figured that might have to be enough.

So imagine how thrilled I was when I saw the first line of Michelle's revision letter: "I am so in love with the BOYS NEXT DOOR--both of them." And then--

Okay, pause to giggle. As I am looking through my files for this stuff, I see that it has been so long ago that the rubber bands around my manuscripts have rotted, and...I have a copy of The Boys Next Door saved on floppy disk! Isn't that adorkable?

--and then, at the bottom of what is now page 196, she wrote the nicest thing an editor has ever said to me.



I have thought for a long time about cutting out this comment and framing it. Maybe now I will.

Literary agent Rachelle Gardner blogged recently in 7 Bad Habits of Successful Authors, "It’s a well-known fact that all writers think they can’t write. One book in, six books in, 47 books in... every writer is convinced, over and over again, that it was a fluke, they’re not a writer, they’ve lost it, they can’t possibly do this again." Guilty. In fact, I'm having quite a time keeping my footing and my cool as I write the current book, which is also set at this same time of year. So it's doubly tempting to put it aside and re-read a book I really wrote for myself. I may have doubts about my writing most of the time, but at least in this one case, in my tale of young love in my old hometown, I feel like I got it right.

The Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit is a web ring of YA authors. Check these posts for the latest releases!

Jessi Kirby is the author of Moonglass, published in May 2011 by Simon and Schuster. She is also a wife, mom, English teacher and former librarian, beach bum, runner, and lover of Contemporary YA, strong coffee, and dark chocolate.

IN HONOR is in stores now!

Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn's celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.

Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn's last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn's best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn't seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn. . . and ruggedly good looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn--but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

I was lucky enough to snag a little interview with Jessi...

Jenn: How does this book fit in with your others? Is it part of a series, unrelated but the same sort of book, or a real departure?

Jessi: In Honor is a standalone contemporary, completely unrelated to Moonglass, but there is one Moonglass character who has a little cameo in it.

Jenn: What’s the weirdest thing you were doing or the weirdest place you were when you came up with part of this book?

Jessi: I often come up with ideas in the shower or while I’m doing the dishes, which I guess qualifies as weird!

Jenn: What good books have you read lately?

Jessi: Ooh, I love this question! I just recently read Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler and The Story of Us by Deb Caletti. Both were excellent!

Jenn: What’s next for you?

Jessi: Right now I’m revising my third novel, Golden, which will be out in 2013. After that, it’s book #4, which is still in the percolating stage right now.

Jenn: Thanks so much for stopping by. In Honor sounds fantastic. Happy release week!

Visit Jessi's web site at www.jessikirby.com for the latest on her books, friend her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

Up next on the Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit, Melissa Walker will be touring at the end of May!

The date of my book signing at Barnes & Noble Patton Creek in Birmingham has changed to RELEASE DAY for Such a Rush, July 10 from 5-7 pm. Please plan to stop by on your way home from work, camp, practice, or whatever you're up to this summer. I would love to meet you!

In the past couple of days I've been to a couple of meetings for parents of new middle schoolers. The principals and teachers have repeatedly assured us that it will be okay and we should not worry ourselves sick.

I have to say, I'm not worried. In part, this is because my son's middle school seems awesome, with excited and engaged teachers. In part, it's because I remember my middle school years so fondly. It's an age when you're old enough to know what your interests are and how to pursue them--sometimes beyond what your parents can help you with--but you're young enough that your afternoons aren't so filled with homework and work and extracurriculars and your social life that you don't have time for yourself.

At this age, I spent whole days on nothing but me. I guess it wasn't until 9th grade that I started arranging music for whole marching bands--that's another story--but in middle school I painted, I wrote, and above all, I read. I would spend entire days reading. I would read books I liked over and over and over, which is why I am flattered but not particularly surprised when readers tell me they've read my books ten times (Endless Summer, usually). That kind of free time is luxurious and delicious and particular to being twelve.

As I am writing this, there was just a big BANG from my son's room. He was supposed to have gone to bed and NOT READ half an hour ago, but obviously he has dropped The Hunt for Red October, which he has hardly put down since I checked it out for him today, or something else has fallen off his bunk bed in his trek down the ladder to retrieve the forbidden tome. Whatevs. If his nocturnal reading habits remain what he gets in the most trouble for, middle school will be fun, and I'll take it.

All I want to do is write novels. I don’t want to talk about them, market them, design them, make them, edit them, or sell them. And ten years ago, that would have been fine with everybody.

However, as we all know, the internet has changed the game. Some authors are designing, making, editing, and selling their own books. The rest of us still have to talk about them and market them, or we’ll get left behind.

Because of this, I’m curious about how things look on your end. I want to know which things I’m doing actually touch you as a reader, and when I’m spinning my wheels. Would you help me by filling out this survey? There are 10 questions. I am not collecting any info on you personally, just on what you think. I appreciate your help!

Click here to take survey

I have sold three more romantic comedies to Simon Pulse! The announcement on publishersmarketplace.com probably says it best:

"Jennifer Echols's untitled trilogy of romantic comedies, about high school students selected by their class for the senior superlative Who's Who categories like Biggest Flirt and Most Likely to Succeed, and how the labels change the way they view themselves and alter the course of their lives, to Annette Pollert at Simon Pulse, in a very nice deal, in a three-book deal, for publication beginning in early summer 2014, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency (World English)."

Unlike my previous five romantic comedies for Simon Pulse, these won't be part of the official Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies line--they're their own series. And though it's hard to say with the publication dates so far away, we're thinking they will be published in May 2014, December 2014, and August 2015.

Hooray, more to write! I love writing romantic dramas like Such a Rush and the book I'm cooking up now, but I would feel a hole in my heart if I didn't have the chance to write YA romantic comedies again. I'm looking forward to these!

By popular demand, I finally have Such a Rush bookmarks! If you'd like one, send a ***self-addressed stamped envelope*** to Jennifer Echols, PO Box 190032, Birmingham, AL 35219, and tell me how many you want. I'll send you up to six if you promise to give them to your friends. If you'd like more for your bookstore or library, please e-mail me at echolsjenn at yahoo dot com.

I don't get out much, as we've established. A ten-year-old child and lots of deadlines prevent me from traveling to conferences and book fairs. But I do have some events scheduled for the year. If you're in the area, I would love to meet you! Just please don't ask me where the bathroom is. At least, not loudly.

A week from tomorrow--that's Saturday, April 14, from 4 to 6 p.m.--I'll be signing my books in Birmingham at the Barnes & Noble at Patton Creek, which is the shopping center behind the Galleria. Directions are here. At 5, Luther Dickinson from the North Mississippi Allstars is going to play leading up to their concert at WorkPlay, so you can come see me and listen to some great blues at the same time, and maybe nobody will even hear you when you ask me where the bathroom is.

Such a Rush, my HARDBACK DEBUT OMG, will be in stores on July 10, and I'll be signing copies hot off the presses from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, again at the Barnes & Noble at Patton Creek in Birmingham.

Switching sides of the country for a moment, I'm attending the Romance Writers of America national convention, as usual, this time in Anaheim, CA. If you're registered for the conference, please come see me & my buddy Rosemary Clement-Moore give a presentation on using regional flair in writing YA. But whether you're registered or not, everyone is welcome at the "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing, which is a seriously spectacular booksigning with 500 authors in attendance. Deets are here, but closer to time there will also be a list posted of all the authors who will be there, and if you're a romance fan you will not believe your luck. It will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25.

And finally, back in Birmingham, I'll be attending the Romance Readers Luncheon thrown by my local chapter of RWA, Southern Magic, on November 3 starting at 11 p.m. We're so excited that the keynote speaker is mega-superstar bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon. You can register here.

Hmmm, I guess that might not sound like much to you, and I have only one book coming out this year, so why am I so busy? I'm very happy to report that I'm writing like a mad woman. In 2013 I have another YA drama coming out, along with my first two adult romances, all from Simon & Schuster. I also have some happy news to report soon--maybe I will be able to tell you if you come see me a week from tomorrow!