THESE THING I'VE DONE cover!

Today, the cover for THESE THINGS I'VE DONE, my first book with HarperTeen, was revealed on YA Interrobang. I'd like to also post it here so I can properly gush over it:

*happy sigh*

YOU GUYS, this cover. TTID is my seventh book and therefore my seventh cover, but damn, out of the seven of them, I think I love this one best. Because LOOK AT IT.

While I was writing Dara, I pictured her in my mind as this tall, blond, curvy girl who wasn't very comfortable with her height and build. I was binging Friday Night Lights for the first time while drafting this book, so after a while she sort of started to look like Julie Taylor in my head. But anyway.

As soon as I saw the girl on this cover, I was like THAT'S DARA. And she's sitting on dead fall leaves, which is also perfect. The after/present tense chapters take place mostly in the fall, and this girl, whoever she is in real life, is my Present Dara to a T.

What's this book all about, you may ask? Well, here's the description:

Before:

Dara and Aubrey have been inseparable since they became best friends in sixth grade. However, as they begin their sophomore year of high school, cracks in their friendship begin to form, testing the bond they always thought was unbreakable.

After:

It's been fifteen months since the accident that killed Aubrey, and not a day goes by that Dara isn't racked with guilt over her role in her best friend's death. Dara thought nothing could be worse than confronting the memories of Aubrey that relentlessly haunt her, but she soon realizes it isn't half as difficult as seeing Ethan, Aubrey's brother, every day. Not just because he's a walking reminder of what she did, but because the more her feelings for him change, the more she knows she's betraying her best friend one final time.

If you haven't already, you can add THESE THINGS I'VE DONE on Goodreads.

Stay tuned for more news and other awesome stuff as we count down to the release on August 1, 2017!

THESE THINGS I'VE DONE

It started back in August 2014, when I received this email (reposted here with permission) from my friend Cara, the talented author of the amazing Sententia series and fellow ABNA alum:

My first response? I loved the idea, but I wasn't sure if I could write something so dark and heavy. Then I thought about it. Then thought about it some more. Ideas took shape. A lot of brainstorming occurred between Cara and me. And suddenly, I had an outline. It was happening. This would be Dara's story, like Cara said in her email (backstory: a little while before this, she told me she wanted to have a main character named Dara, but it was too close to her name, so maybe I should use it instead. I promised her that my next main character would be Dara).

So I created Dara Shepard, a girl struggling with guilt. And Aubrey, the best friend she accidentally killed. And Ethan, Aubrey's younger brother who, after a year away, Dara returns to and discovers he's not the same boy she once knew. I decided on a format--non-linear with two separate timelines: sophomore year (past tense), which leads up to the tragedy, and senior year (present tense), which takes place over a year after the tragedy occurred. Two separate storylines, before and after, weaved together.

TTID is the most challenging book I've ever written. It was the first book that made me cry. I ate, slept, and breathed the characters for months. They never left my head. When I finished I cried again, because I was so happy to be done, and also because I knew I'd miss the characters. Never had I been so invested in a manuscript.

I hoped it would someday pay off.

Fast-forward to January. My agent called to tell me we had an offer. A wonderful two-book deal with HarperTeen. It was lunchtime, I remember, and I'd been eating soup when Eric called. My soup got cold. I don't recall everything Eric said on the phone. I think he cried (he's kind of famous for that). I remember writing down the deal details on a piece of paper for my husband while I was talking. I remember having to sit down as Eric described this amazing offer. I remember crying and hugging my husband when I hung up. It was probably the best phone call I've ever gotten. I never did get back to my soup.

Now, finally, I can show you this:

A lot of people worked hard on this book, but I'll never forget how it all started. Cara and her email. None of this would be happening if it weren't for her, and even though I've thanked her repeatedly, I feel like it's not enough. So once again: Cara, thank you, Thank you for the idea. Thank you for helping me flesh out the story. Thank you for critiqued it for me, and for assured me that I did it justice. Thank you for Dara.

Also, none of this would be happening without my amazing agent, Eric Smith. Thank you so much for loving this book and agreeing to take on little old me. #TeamRocks rules!

ANY OTHER GIRL is here!

I heard there was a big snow storm a few days ago for some of you. Maybe beat the winter blues with a light, breezy, romantic, summer-on-the-lake book?

This novel was a complete joy to write. I hope you all enjoy your time with Kat and her wonderful dads as much as I did.

ANY OTHER GIRL is now ready to buy and read:

AMAZON

KOBO

BARNES AND NOBLE

If you happen to see my little book in the wild, I'd LOVE to see a pic!