Introducing the author of Dark Parties, Sara Grant...
Sara Grant was born and raised in Washington, Indiana. She graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, with degrees in journalism and psychology, and later she earned a master’s degree in creative and life writing Goldsmiths College, University of London.
Sara is senior commissioning editor for Working Partners, a London-based company creating series fiction for children. She has worked on ten different series and edited more than 75 books.
Dark Parties is her first young adult novel.
Onto Sara's Top Tens List...
"The Top Ten YA Books I Can’t Wait to Read"
Hi, Lili! Thanks for inviting me on ChicaReader!
Like most writers, I’m a bibliophile. I buy more books than I could ever possibly read. I try to limit myself to buying another book only when I’ve finished reading one, but with my lack of self discipline and so many truly amazing books getting published...it’s a losing battle.
I recently turned the guest bedroom in my three-bedroom, London flat into a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves, but I’m already double stacking books. I have one shelf that’s dedicated to books I’ve purchased and are waiting – begging to be read.
I like to mix reading for pleasure with reading for inspiration and reading for instruction. Here’s the next ten books that I’d like to read.
Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder. I’ve always wanted to read this book but never gotten around to it. I’ve started work on my third book and I think this will serve as inspiration for what I’m trying to accomplish.
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. Sedgwick is on the same list as I am in the UK (Orion’s Indigo list). I’ve read a number of his books. They are always beautifully written and thought provoking. I heard him speak about the writing of this book. It’s a love story through the ages. It starts in the future and works backwards. Very intriguing indeed.
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. This was pitched has Dexter for teens. Nuf said.
Wonder by R J Palacio. I’m in a book group of children’s writers, editors and agents. The group picked this as our next book. I have been so head-down revising my second novel that I hadn’t heard of it. I immediately downloaded it on my Kindle and discovered it opens with a quote from a song by one of my favorite artists – Natalie Merchant. I already feel an immediate kinship with the story.
London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd. I’m dying to write a murder mystery. I’ve always loved mysteries from anything Agatha Christie to Patricia Cornwell to Law & Order and CSI. This book has been on my reading list for a while and is one of those books I’m reading as inspiration for a future project.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Okay, this is cheating a bit. I read Green’s new book in two days when it first came out. I gulped it down and now want to sit, relax and enjoy what I think is Green’s best novel.
I Am The Cheese by Robert Cromier. I read this a long time ago. I want to read it again, but this time as a writer to try to dissect how Cromier creates such a masterful psychological thriller.
Oliver Twisted by J D Sharpe. It’s the Dickens’s classic with a zombie-rrific twist. It’s written by a friend of mine. She’s a talented writer and editor and I can’t wait to read it. I’ve also read her recently published middle-grade adventure novel – Book of Wonders written under her real name – Jasmine Richards. She’s unbelievably talented!
The Demon’s Watch by Conrad Mason. It’s a fantasy for middle-grade readers. It promises to be packed with adventure and magical creatures. I work with Conrad at Working Partners, a London, England-based company that creates series for children and teens. I know first-hand that he’s a master storyteller. I have high expectations for this book.
The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly. I loved Little Women as a teenager. I’m looking forward to reading this updated tribute to the classic. It’s the tale of sisters who are descendants of Jo March.
This list could be longer. I probably have 40 books on my to-read shelf. As always – too many books, too little time.
Sixteen-year-old Neva was born and raised in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. Hundreds of years ago, her country constructed an electrified dome to protect itself from the outside world. What once might have protected, now imprisons. Her country is decaying and its citizens are dying.
Neva and her friends dream of freedom.
A forbidden party leads to complications. Suddenly Neva’s falling for her best friend's boyfriend, uncovering secrets that threaten to destroy her friends, her family and her country -- and discovering the horrifying truth about what happens to The Missing...
Thanks to Sara and Teen Book Scene!
LiLi
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