It's that time of year again when Boy Wonder and his uncle pass early Saturday mornings from a deer stand they refer to as the Taj Mahal.  Last year, my son took his first buck with his grandfather and uncle beside him.  The story of the big buck and my son's experience that morning has become as much a part of our family history as the stories of my great uncle's grappling for catfish.

Hunting has been a long standing tradition in my family.  We have our own land -- not a hunting lease -- and my dad, my brother, and my son manage the wildlife.  If you want to see an old country boy mad, let my father find out you've been hunting out of season or killing wildlife for no reason.  My family shoots selectively, and we process the deer for consumption -- including very lean venison chili and chicken fried venison steaks.  My dad even shares the meat with his Mexican-American neighbors who use it make the best tamales EVER. 
 
I know that the hunting thing isn't for everyone.  Plus One, my hubby, doesn't hunt much either.  He'd much rather shoot the deer with a Canon camera than a Smith and Wesson.  

My author-friend Cynthia Chapman Willis has an amazing book out that resonates in this hunting season.  Whether your family hunts or not, BUCK FEVER is a great read about a struggling family and the tradition of hunting.  It's a sensitive portrayal that does not villanize hunters.  Although I think girls will relate, I must say that BUCK FEVER is perfect for boys.  It was never an issue in my house, but some boys may feel pressure to hunt.  BUCK FEVER would be a great starting point for a discussion with kids on their interest in hunting.   The English teacher in me thinks it would make a great read followed by a persuasive essay on hunting.  I hope that middle school libraries, especially in rural areas where hunting is popular, have the book on hand.

Below is the book trailer, and here's an excerpt from the Booklist review:
". . .The quietness of nature and small-town life is wonderfully reflected in Willis’ patient and artful prose, and every hunting detail feels authentic, from the construction of deer blinds to the skinning of animals. An unusually sensitive and reflective boy-centric book."

Thanks to everyone who emailed me with their favorite "strong setting" young adult novels.  If you're looking for a great read that can draw you in with its sense of place, check out the list below. 

I'd also like to thank David Macinnis Gill, author of one of my favorite books SOUL ENCHILADA, for providing the link to Mary E. Pearson's (ADORATION OF JENNA FOX, THE MILES BETWEEN) beautiful essay on setting -- the "sexy unsung hero" in fiction.  Thanks again, David.  And here's the link to Pearson's post on the TOR.com :
  http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=57805

The winner of the Sweetheart Swag is the uber librarian Amy G.  She also pointed out, and I wholly agree, that setting can "be enhanced by our own experience."  

Thanks, y'all!  And thanks to the librarian who recommended THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY as well.  Here's your list (in no particular order) of young adult novels, strong on setting:

David Macinnis Gill               SOUL ENCHILADA
Suzanne Collins                    HUNGER GAMES
Carrie Ryan                            THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH
Maggie Stiefvater                   SHIVER
Catherine Murdock                DAIRY QUEEN
John Green                             PAPER TOWNS, LOOKING FOR ALASKA
Kathi Appelt                            THE UNDERNEATH
S.A. Bodeen                            THE COMPOUND
J.K. Rowling                            HARRY POTTER Series
Andrew Smith                         IN THE PATH OF FALLING OBJECTS, GHOST MEDICINE
Karen Hesse                          OUT OF THE DUST
Cynthia Voigt                           HOMECOMING
Mary E. Pearson                     ADORATION OF JENNA FOX
S.E. Hinton                              THE OUTSIDERS
Sarah Dessen                        LOCK AND KEY
Libba Bray                               A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY
Allison Whittenberg               SWEET THANG
Rachel Cohn, David Levithan     NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST
David Levithan                        LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW
James Dashner                     THE MAZE RUNNER
Natalie Standiford                  HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT
Melissa Wyatt                          FUNNY HOW THINGS CHANGE
Gary Paulsen                          HATCHETT
Joan Bauer                              HOPE WAS HERE
Chuck Klosterman                 DOWNTOWN OWL
Martha Brooks                        MISTIK LAKE
Jessica Blank                       ALMOST HOME
Melina Marchetta                   JELLICOE ROAD
Neil Schusterman                 DOWNSIDERS
Paul Sizer                                BEATS PER MINUTE  (a graphic novel)

The following suggestions are soon-to-be-released YA novels:

Alexandra Bracken              BRIGHTLY WOVEN
Kristina Springer                 ESPRESSOLOGIST
John Green and David Levithan  WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON
Cynthia Chapman Willis    BUCK FEVER
 

Thanks to the folks from Publisher's Weekly for a terrific review of THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY.  
   
I got all Miley Cyrus, "Party in the U.S.A." fired up when I read this:

"Alexander’s debut is marked by a colorful supporting cast, fresh dialogue and Southern personality, which contribute to an entertainingly theatrical vision of smalltown life. The strong but precarious mother-daughter bond is well paired to the themes of finding inner strength and self-acceptance and letting go of the past. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)"

I visit PW's website every Monday to check out the reviews.  You can read the complete Sweetheart review and several others here: 
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6699836.html?industryid=47139

Saturday's SWEETHEART signing and launch party was an absolute blast. Thanks to everyone who came out and showed the love. How about those Barnes & Noble folks gussied up in their boots and mini-skirts! Patti and Joanna know how to kick it country.

This was my first official signing. I'm not sure how these events usually go, but we got lots of books in the hands of eager readers and I signed and signed and signed. You couldn't walk into the store and not know something special was happening. I'm sure most authors feel this way about their events, but ya'll know how I love a party.  And I can guarantee a few things occurred at THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY launch that would only happen at a Jill S. Alexander book signing.

Here's the insider scoop:

#1  The appearance of a pocket knife:  After a frustrating attempt at opening a large bag of personalized Sweetheart M&Ms, the CRM called for assistance.  My dad whipped out his pocket knife and slit the bag.  Yes. He. Did.  He's a problem solver. . . and an old school country boy. 

#2  Everyone met my younger brother:  I don't have a younger brother.  I do, however, have a much older brother for whom pranking is an art and door knocker mustaches are chick magnets.

#3  Bubba got his book signed:   In a moment straight out of Urban Cowboy, I personalized books for three Bubbas and one Sissy.

#4 Event subject to the football god:  Yes, we scheduled the after-party according to the start time for the Texas Longhorn vs. Texas Tech football game.  

#5 After-party scrapped for dancing:  Hey, it was Saturday night in Texas.  We knew we'd lose at least 2 couples to the Boot Scoot and Boogie.

#6 Lawd, Lawd!  A red silk petticoat:  Remember in Gone With The Wind when Rhett gave Mammy the red petticoat?  Well, Frances found it.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Folks, it's been a fantastic 48 hours.  Ok, I'll admit stringing the official publication day (September 1) out an extra day.  But, seriously, it's the dream.  I took the extra 24 and I'd do it again.  :) 

Technically, I spent most of pub day writing, doing laundry, and twittering.  The twittering was insane!  Sweetheart got the Mitali Perkins/#bookbday bump, and I made tons of new acquaintances.  Thanks to those who retweeted and joined in the twitter party.  Welcome all you new folks to The Wonkytonk! 

I also had a special lunch with "Plus One"  aka the hubby.  (It seems when I go places as an author, my husband gets that label -- which I find riotously funny.)  If you see him, do me a favor and call him Plus One. 

Although the day brought lots of well-wishes and flowers,  the best delivery was a timely treat from my editor and publisher.   THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY in hardback -- a big 'ol box!  Now we're cookin' with gas!




 

What began as a journal entry and a dream is now THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY in a bookstore near you.  

It's pub day, folks!  The big debut of Austin Gray, her rooster, and her ecclectic group of friends.  Brought to you from another great group of folks -- Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan.  

                                                                
To quote Booklist, THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY is "a substantive, enjoyable coming-of-age novel that will speak to rural and urban readers alike."

So pop a top on your beverage of choice and celebrate with me!  Drop me a line.  Let me know what you think.  Most importantly, enjoy Austin and her journey.  Enjoy the ride.
                                                                                         

Fifteen-year-old Austin Gray has not had an easy life. Her father died one rainy Christmas Eve when his car skidded off a bridge into a lake. Since then Austin’s mother has kept her close, not allowing her to experience life for fear of another tragedy. Dean Ottmer has been Austin’s worst nightmare since fourth grade, tormenting her mercilessly. So when Dean harasses her at the No-Jesus Christmas Parade about her flat chest (“Austin, Texas, the no-hill country”), she decides that now is the time to change her life or spend the rest of it as the butt of his jokes. As she sets her plan in motion, joining Future Farmers of America and making new friends, she realizes that it is not friends or popularity that will protect her from Dean, but the confidence to stand up for herself. Filled with quirky characters, including Charles Dickens, the rooster she decides to raise, this is a warm, humorous story that touches on bullying and politics in a small town. Austin is a study in contradiction. On the one hand she is strong-willed and goes after what she wants, and on the other she shows little confidence, allowing Dean to torment her time after time. But it’s Austin’s mother who quietly steals the show. She is a tough, no-nonsense woman who believes in her daughter but rarely shows her emotional side. A refreshing picture of teen angst, with realistic dialogue and memorable characters.–Kelley Siegrist, Farmington Community Library, MI

School Library Journal, Sept 2009

The setting and the details of the story remind me that small rural agricultural towns are the same everywhere.  I was reminded of growing up in Swansea, S.C.  Of standing on Main Street and watching the Hay Festival and Christmas parades, of waiting with my mom in the drug store for a prescription, of going with my dad to the feed/hardware store where they sold seeds and nails by the pound.  Thank you Jill Alexander for writing a book that recognizes these places and those teens."

All my professional life, I've heard this:  "Writers write what they know."  I'm not 100% sure about that.  I make a lot of stuff up.  But I do believe that statement to be true in matters of theme and heart -- at least in this writer's case.  

One of the things I hope readers will find in THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY is a strong sense of family.  Not a perfect family.  Not a traditional family.  But a difficult yet enduring mother/daughter relationship along with an extended family of supportive friends.  In this case, I write what I know.

My first EVER book signing (Advanced Reading Copies) was in Houston at the Texas Library Association convention this past March.   Feiwel & Friends booked me into a wonderful hotel and scheduled me to attend a fancy dinner and breakfast.  I had an official itinerary that said AUTHOR.  I had an author badge.  Yeah, I was stoked.  My novel would finally be in the hands and hopefully hearts of readers.  A dream come true.

Then my mother suffered a heart attack the day before I was supposed to leave.  Just. Like. That.  My world came to a screeching halt.

Mom knew about the event.  She'd been talking about it for weeks while quietly dealing with her chest pain.  And from her pre-op bed on her way into surgery for a triple bypass, Mom insisted that I make the trip to TLA.  I promised her I'd try, but I couldn't imagine her being in good enough shape for me to leave town.  In the wee hours of the morning I was to leave for Houston, I went into the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.  She'd been out of surgery fewer than 15 hours.  I expected to find her on a breathing tube and still out from anesthesia.  Instead, Mom opened her eyes.  Her first words were "Why aren't you in Houston?" 

That's how we roll. 

If you got a galley at TLA in Houston, it's signed in a special shade of pink in honor of my mother. 

If not, and you'd really like one, I'm giving away 2 this week.  That's right.  TWO ARCS signed in pink.  Just leave a comment here or contact me through my website or facebook.  I'll put the names in a Stetson on Friday and pull out two lucky winners.  And feel free to share your favorite "strong sense of family" book.  (I'm a big TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD fan.)

THE SWEETHEART OF PROSPER COUNTY debuts next week.  Let's get this party started!

Fourteen-year-old Austin Gray has a goal to be in next year’s No-Jesus Christmas Parade, and she has a plan to get there: she will win the Prosper County Fair Poultry Competition next summer and become the Future Farmers of America Sweetheart. First, though, she has to convince her mother that her Christmas present must be a bantam rooster. First-time novelist Alexander offers a delightful, funny story about teenagers living in a West Texas farming community. The memorable characters include reigning FFA Sweetheart Sundi Knutt; Austin’s archnemesis, Dean Ottmer; gorgeous farm-boy and possible boyfriend Josh Whatley; and best friend Maribel, a Mexican American dynamo filled with ethnic pride and joie de vivre. The adults in the book are equally rich and authentic, from Austin’s capable but grieving widowed mother to the sleazy Big Wells mayor to bighearted Cajun Lafitte Boudreaux. Austin’s year of added responsibility and independence make for a substantive, enjoyable coming-of-age novel that will speak to rural and urban readers alike.