Hi, Shana! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Sure! I’m a novelist, poet, and writing professor in Lindenwood University’s MFA in Writing program. I’m the mom of two incredible girls. I’m stupidly in love with my dog and our big orange half-Maine Coon cat.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I had the great fortune to grow up in a household of book lovers. My mom wrote nonfiction and, to keep me entertained as a kid, my older sister wrote me books starring Shana-Bear. By the time I was in seventh grade, writing became something I did for myself, and something that I knew I wanted to be part of my life forever. In high school I had the incredible opportunity to attend the California State Summer School for the Arts where I met lots of other young writers who shared the dream. My understanding of the importance of creative community and writing work as a lifelong process really grew from there.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: On my own? Tiny Little Fly. But I have vivid memories of Pat the Bunny and Tiny Tiger Learns A Lot being read to me. And the first book I remember loving was Charlotte’s Web. I cried so hard.
• The one that made you want to become an author: Since I wanted to be an author since childhood, I’m not sure. I can say that David Arnold’s Mosquitoland helped me know that my first novel would be YA.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Your latest novel, A Catalog of Burnt Objects, is out March 18^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Family, fire, love, community, hope

What can readers expect?

A love story, and a sibling story about coming of age during a time of climate catastrophe.

Where did the inspiration for A Catalog of Burnt Objects come from?

When my hometown of Paradise, California was decimated by the Camp Fire in 2018—90% of the town’s structures were levelled in hours, and 85 people died—I tried to help in all the ways I could from afar. Nothing felt like it was enough, and the fire was all I could think about. As a writer, I always have to write through my questions and obsessions, and so questions of how we live in a world on fire, how we have hope, how we help one another, how we build a future that’s better than our present began to guide this book.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

Caprice, the protagonist, and her brother Beckett are really the heart of the story. I love them both deeply and really enjoyed getting to write their relationship. I especially had fun with all of Beckett’s singing—it’s something he is known for but Caprice is bad at—and he often sings to really get her annoyed. Picking the songs for him to sing and the moments that he sings them was a whole lot of fun.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Almost everything about this project was hard. The subject was hard. Finding a story was hard. The fact that there is a huge external conflict that needed to emotionally line up with the internal conflict was hard. I struggled for a long time to find the shape of the novel— but then I started thinking about other disaster narratives with an external conflict and so of course I thought of Titanic. I pulled up the movie and realized that the iceberg hits at the midpoint, and the audience knows it’s coming because they are watching a movie about the Titanic, but that movie is also as much about the love story and the setting. Apparently James Cameron said that he needed a script that would “show off the ship,” and I was trying to do something similar. I wanted a story that showed off the town, and I needed a love story and a family story to bring everyone into that place. Once I started thinking in these terms, the project started to come together.

What do you hope readers take away from A Catalog of Burnt Objects?

People are mostly kind, innovative, and resilient. We must not give up hope. We must not give up on love. We deserve a better future.

What’s next for you?

I’m so happy you want to know! I’ve got some secrets brewing and hope to share news soon.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?

There are many! But I’ll definitely be preordering Alexandra Villasante’s Fireblooms and Shannon Schuren’s Water In Her Veins.

Will you be picking up A Catalog of Burnt Objects? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Shana Youngdahl, Author of ‘A Catalog of Burnt Objects’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

It’s August and can you believe that we’re already more than halfway through 2019?! Today, we will share a selection of debut releases that you don’t want to miss this month! And if you’re ready to find your next favourite book (and author too!), be sure to keep reading this post as we’ve selected a few of our most anticipated!

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A contemporary story from debut author Abbie Emmons, featuring Tessa Dickinson, a blogger/poet who just recently become blind because of a car crash and Weston Ludovico, a confident and optimistic amputee who wants to help Tessa to keep blogging by becoming her typewriter. Through many ups and downs, and after Life knocked both of them down with different challenges during different times, we got to witness how the two started as barely a stranger, and become each other’s biggest support system.

As Many Nows As I Can Get by Shana Youngdahl
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In one impulsive moment the summer before they leave for college, overachievers Scarlett and David plunge into an irresistible swirl of romance, particle physics, and questionable decisions. This is the story of a grounded girl who’s pulled into a lightning-strike romance with an electric-charged boy, and the enormity of the aftermath.

Color Me In by Natasha Diaz
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Inspired by her personal experiences, Color Me In is a coming-of-age novel about the meaning of friendship, the joyful beginnings of romance, and the racism and religious intolerance that can both strain a family to the breaking point and strengthen its bonds. Biracial 16-year-old Nevaeh Levitz had to move to her mom’s family home in Harlem and she labeled as a white who’s too privileged to relate to the injustices they face on a daily basis as African Americans. Can she face this challenge when it comes from her own family?

Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When homosexuality is still considered as a mental illness in 1973, aside from alcoholic father, sympathetic neighbor, and his friend, Carla, 16-year-old Jonathan Collins is completely alone. To cope with his loneliness, he escaped to an alternate universe, his own imagination. In this place, he had his hero David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and dead relatives, including his mother. Until suddenly, Web, a fearless, fearsome and, most importantly, not ashamed of being gay, stumbled into his life. And maybe, Web is a kind of escape Jonathan has never known.

Carnegie Hill by Jonathan Vatner
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A belated-coming-of-age novel about sustaining a marriage—and knowing when to walk away. It chronicles the lives of wealthy New Yorkers and the staff who serve them, as they suffer together and rebound, struggle to free themselves from family entanglements, deceive each other out of love and weakness, and fumble their way to honesty.

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Hollow Kingdom is a humorous, big-hearted, and boundlessly beautiful romp through the apocalypse and the world that comes after, where even a cowardly crow can become a hero. When one day, S.T., a domesticated crow,  saw his owner’s eyeball falls out of his head, he feels like something isn’t quite right. Forced to leave his old life, S.T. now ventures out into a wild and frightening new world with his trusty steed Dennis, and discovered that humanity is about to extinct, and he seems to be the only one who can save it.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When the opposite Lena and Campbell went into the Friday-night football game,  they didn’t expect to descend into sudden mass chaos. Chaos born from violence and hate. Chaos that unexpectedly throws them together. They aren’t friends. They hardly understand the other’s point of view. But none of that matters when the city is up in flames, and they only have each other to rely on if they’re going to survive the night.

They Could Have Named Her Anything by Stephanie Jimenez
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Racism, class, and betrayal collide in this poignant debut novel about restoring the broken bonds of family and friendship. They Could Have Named Her Anything explores the heartfelt expectation of what it means to live up to the name you’ve been given and the more rewarding discovery of what really matters.

A Dress for the Wicked by Autumn Krause
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When 18-year-old Emmaline Watkins heard about the design competition held by the most admired fashion house in the city, she knew this is her opportunity to get closer to her dream. As the first “country girl” to compete, Emmy knows she’ll encounter extra hurdles on her way to the top. But as she navigates the twisted world of high fashion she starts to wonder: will she be able to tailor herself to fit into this dark, corrupted race? And at what cost?

Beasts of the Frozen Sun by Jill Criswell
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As a descendant of Aillira and god-gifted in her own right, Lira has the power to read people’s souls, to see someone’s true essence with only a touch of her hand. Until one day, a golden-haired warrior washes up on the shores of her homeland — Reyker — and after reading his soul, she realizes Reyker is different than his brethren who attack the coasts of Glasnith. As Lira and Reyker form a bond forbidden by both their clans, the wrath of the Dragon falls upon them and all over their city, and Lira finds herself facing the same tragic fate as her ancestor. The battle for Lira’s life, for Reyker’s soul, and for their peoples’ freedom has only just begun.

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Every girl in Ilara is dreaming to become the next princess of a kingdom that’s ruled their village for as long as anyone can remember. When a childhood accident left Nor with a permanent scar, it became clear that her identical twin sister, Zadie, would likely be chosen to marry the Crown Prince—while Nor remained behind, unable to ever set foot on land.  But when Zadie is gravely injured, Nor is sent to Ilara in her place. To Nor’s dismay, her future husband, Prince Ceren, is as forbidding and cold as his home—a castle carved into a mountain and devoid of sunlight. And as she grows closer to Ceren’s brother, the charming Prince Talin, Nor uncovers startling truths about a failing royal bloodline, a murdered queen… and a plot to destroy the home she was once so eager to leave.

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Twelve sisters lived in a manor by the sea, but when accidents came to them one by one until only four of them left, Annaleigh, one of the girls that survived, Annaleigh became increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn’t sure whether  to join or stop them. When Annaleigh’s involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it’s a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next.

Will you be picking up any of these debut books? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 12 Debut Novels To Pick Up In August 2019 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you’re looking forward to any of them!

All the Bad Apples by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Unflinching and gorgeously written, this feminist novel is important, timely, and a compulsive read. From the highly acclaimed author of the beloved The Accident Season comes an epic breakout novel examining the very topical and controversial issue of women’s sexual and reproductive rights, which has never been higher on the public’s radar.

Sea Witch Rising (Sea Witch #2) by Sarah Henning
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

“The Little Mermaid” takes a twisted turn in this thrilling sequel to villainess origin story Sea Witch, as the forces of land and sea clash in an epic battle for freedom, redemption, and true love.

A Dress for the Wicked by Autumn Krause
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The high-stakes fashion scene of a reimagined nineteenth century Europe takes center stage in this YA debut perfect for fans of The Belles and The Luxe.

Color Me In by Natasha Diaz
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Debut YA author Natasha Díaz pulls from her personal experience to inform this powerful coming-of-age novel about the meaning of friendship, the joyful beginnings of romance, and the racism and religious intolerance that can both strain a family to the breaking point and strengthen its bonds.

Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Alice’s stories of Wonderland did more than raise a few eyebrows—it landed her in an asylum. Now at 15 years of age, she’s willing to do anything to leave, which includes agreeing to an experimental procedure.

Let’s Call It a Doomsday by Katie Henry
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

An engrossing and thoughtful contemporary tale that tackles faith, friendship, family, anxiety, and the potential apocalypse from Katie Henry, the acclaimed author of Heretics Anonymous.

Here There Are Monsters by Amelinda Bérubé
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The Blair Witch Project meets Imaginary Girls in this story of codependent sisterhood, the struggle to claim one’s own space, and the power of secrets

100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons
Goodreads | Amazon

When 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight for 100 days, she feels like her whole world has been turned upside-down.

Bright Star by Erin Swan
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Erin Swan’s YA fantasy debut, Bright Star, is an action-packed adventure tale of rebellion, romance, and finding one’s voice in the heart of a storm.

As Many Nows as I Can Get by Shana Youngdahl
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Told in non-linear, vivid first-person chapters, As Many Nows As I Can Get is the story of a grounded girl who’s pulled into a lightning-strike romance with an electric-charged boy, and the enormity of the aftermath.

Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Thelma and Louise gets remade in this powerful, darkly funny teen novel from acclaimed authors Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry. Two teenage girls who have had enough of the controlling men in their lives take their rage on the road to make a new life for themselves.

A Song for the Road by Rayne Lacko
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

When a tornado destroys his Tulsa home, fifteen-year-old Carter Danforth is trapped in the pawnshop where his daddy hawked his custom, left-handed Martin guitar six years earlier―and then took off, leaving Carter with nothing but a hankering to pluck strings and enough heartache to sing the blues. Injured by the storm, Carter’s mother is laid up in the hospital. She wants Carter to fly out to Reno and stay with her sister. Too bad Carter already spent her hidden cash stash to buy his dad’s guitar. Rather than tell her the truth, he embarks on an epic road trip in search of his father in Santa Monica. But Carter isn’t a runaway. He reckons he’s a “running to.”

Are you looking forward to any of these YA releases? Tell us in the comments below!

The post August 2019 Book Releases: YA appeared first on The Nerd Daily.