2012 Debut Author Challenge

It's time to consider signing up for the Debut Author Challenge for 2012.  I participated last year, but didn't complete all the reading or the reviews within the year.

Still, it was a great reading experience for those I did read and I found some great new authors along the way.  I signed up last year as a way to get myself to read more YA and at least I succeeded in that.  However, adult fiction does have a way of pulling my interested more.  I want to continue to work on getting more YA into my reading diet, but I'm not sure I'll make the 12 this year either. I'll be working on it and working harder at getting the reviews written and posted too.

I plan on starting with Fracture by Megan Miranda and Bunheads by Sophie Flack.

If you'd like to participate this year, the rules and guidelines are posted at the the Story Siren blog.  Basically you read 12 middle grade or YA books by debut authors before the end of January 2013 and post a review on each of them.

It's a great way to see what's out there and to introduce yourself to new talent.  You have until the end of May to sign-up. Let me know if you plan on participating too.

2011 Debut Author Challenge

This year I've decided to participate in The Story Siren's 2011 Debut Author Challenge by reading at least 12 YA/Middle Grade debut authors before the year's out and posting a review of each of the 12 books.  All the books must be 2011 releases and the first YA/middle grade title by that author. Yes, that means if it's an author who has been published previously -- just not as YA or middle grade -- then they still qualify.

I decided to start after a co-worker of mine signed-up and was talking to me about one of the books she'd read as part of the challenge - Unearthly by Cynthia Hand.  She absolutely loved it and told me all about it.  She hadn't been able to put it down.  It is on my reading list, I'll just read it after I've had enough time to forget the storyline.

As for my list -- I think I've found more than enough in just the first three months of releases.  There are so many that look like great reads.

Hmmm.  So little time.

But I've narrowed it to a few to start with and I'll go from there.  Here's the first seven I'm planning on reading:

Warped by Maurissa Guibord
The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
The Visconti House by Elsbeth Edgar
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
End of the Line by Angela Cerrito
Clarity by Kim Harrington
Timeless by Alexandra Monir

(Lists of releases are on The Story Siren site.)

I can't promise I won't change my mind and read a different one instead, but these all sounded awfully good to me. I've never done a challenge like this so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that slow-reader-me will make it to the end in time.  At any rate I'll do my best and I'm hoping this will make me better aware of what's currently getting published in the YA area.  I think this is going to be a wonderful experience and I'm excited to get started - as soon as I finish Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland!  :)

I'll keep you posted along the way.  If you'd like to sign-up for the challenge, you have until 1 March 2011 to post a link announcing your participation and sign-up at The Story Siren.