Shout Out to YA Readers

 I'm super excited for the release of my latest young adult novel. This is one that I've worked on for for the past couple of years.  My main character, Tegan, spoke to me a lot at the start of the project then fell silent for awhile. I let the project sit for a few weeks trying to decide if I should just scratch it and start over. With the help of  Mary at Ascend Editing, I revived the story and was unable to connect with Tegan again. She helped me to zero in on the most important aspects of Tegan's story and what the readers would get out of knowing her.  From the beginning, I knew that this story would deal with the dynamics of a family who lives with an alcoholic. That hasn't changed.

  After finishing the novel, I had the dilemma of settling on a title. Something that has always stumped me. I decided to ask my readers, friends and colleagues at work to narrow down my choices for me. It came down to Sketches of My Soul or Art, Love, and Chocolate. You'll have to wait for my cover reveal to see which title won,