What I'm working on now

I'm deep into the frantic juggling phase of my Fall/Winter 2011 list. Final drafts of novels are due into copyediting next week, picture books are supposed to be in the mechanical stage now and aren't, etc. etc. For a few months now I've been, juggling juggling juggling. As I said on Twitter, "Edit, revise, repeat. Edit, revise, repeat."

So, here's a sneak peak of what I'm working on now. Three of the books are still untitled, which tells you how much of a sneak peak this is...

Picture books:
The House Baba Built: an artist's childhood in Shanghai by Ed Young
This is an illustrated memoir of Ed's childhood growing up in Shanghai during WWII. His father decided to build a house to keep his family safe, and over the years they took in additional families to help keep them safe, too. This book is a beautiful testament to how times of great hardship and difficulty can also be times of great creativity, and how a child can remain happy during those times. Ed and I have been working with my brilliant fellow BRG, Libby Koponen to help shape the text. It's been a very, very long process, but a rewarding one, and it's going to pay off--it's a beautiful, fascinating look into wartime China from a child's point of view. It's a deeply personal book for Ed.

Untitled picture book by Peter Brown
Peter is working on a follow-up to Children Make Terrible Pets, featuring Lucy the Bear. It isn't exactly a sequel, but more a companion. In this book, Lucy decides that she wants to find a best friend, goes about it the wrong way, and hilarity ensues, of course.

Middle Grade:
Dumpling Days by Grace Lin
Grace is hard at work at the revision right now! This is a follow-up to Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat. Pacy and her family go to Taiwan on vacation for a month in the summer to celebrate Pacy's grandmother's 60th birthday. And yes, there are plenty of mouth-watering descriptions of food.

Young Adult:
Boy 21 by Matthew Quick
This is Matthew's sophomore YA effort, and although it's much different from his first, Sorta Like a Rock Star, it's just as beautifully written, and yes, it made me cry. This is a novel about a boy named Finley, the only white player on his high school basketball team. His coach asks him to take a new kid under his wing, Russ, whose parents have been tragically murdered. The problem is, because of his trauma, Russ calls himself Boy 21 and claims to be from outer space...

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
A Romeo-and-Juliet-esque story in which an angel and a devil (of sorts) fall in love. That oversimplifies the book, though--it's so much more rich and layered, unique, unforgettable, and absolutely gorgeous. The novel opens in Prague (very cool) and we meet a lovely and mysterious art student named Karou who has bright blue hair (which just may grow out of her roots that color), a strange (to say the least) family, and the ability to wish things into reality. We signed Laini up to three books (this book, a sequel, and another stand alone) in a huge auction, and I couldn't be more thrilled and honored to be working with her. Plus, she loves revising!
 
Untitled DJ book by Love Maia
We're still brainstorming titles, but I think we're close to pinning one down. This is a debut novel about a sixteen-year-old named Marley who dreams of being a professional DJ. I've called this novel Save the Last Dance with DJing, because it has that kind of feel--there's drama, characters you root for, a DJ contest, a sweet romance, tragedy, and gorgeous descriptions of the power of music. I'm so excited to introduce this new author and voice to the world.


Untitled book formerly known as Summerton by Karen Healey
This is Karen's second novel, a follow-up (not a sequel) to Guardian of the Dead. Also set in New Zealand (not--as we sometimes slip up and say--Australia), this book involved an idyllic vacation town, suicide, a possible serial killer, and dark magic. So different from Guardian, but equally fresh, intriguing, compelling, and creepy. I love how Karen features a diverse cast of characters and themes, too. We have a Japanese exchange student love interest, main characters who are Maori and Samoan, a Chinese-New Zealander ex-boyfriend, and themes of sexuality, ethnic identity, religion, friendship, grief, and more. 


And there you go. I hope this gives you an enticing taste of what's to come...stay tuned! Coming to a bookstore near you between September 2011 and March 2012.

And for another sneak peak, check out this uber-cool trailer for You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin, coming out in February 2011.