Authors Talk About the Class of 2k11

In celebration of my "End of the Year Madness" event, I asked two authors to share what their favorite characters/books written in 2011 are. Not being able to simply pick one, they decided that all the books from the Class of 2k11 were worthy of making the cut!

THE CLASS OF 2K11

Amy Fellner Dominy, author of OyMG: 

My Favorite Read of 2011: This is an incredible story. It’s about a girl who walks across the country, falls in love with a guy from Hell, slowly unravels into multiple personalities, takes a trip to Faerie land, stuffs her bra, gets mixed up in a zombie epidemic, makes an incredible cake to save her family, sneaks into the country illegally, ends up at an artist’s colony, saves an accused murderer, is told to get tattooed for sex, takes a pill to forget everything…oh, and there’s this guy who becomes stupid fast, and takes a bus trip to fulfill a dying friend’s wish.

(I told you it was incredible!) What I just described was the stories of The Class of 2k11. If you’ve never heard of 2k11, it’s a group of middle grade and young adult authors who all debuted with their first novels sometime during the past year. What you just read was a small taste from most of the books.

I have to come clean and admit that I’m a part of 2k11—so yeah, I’m slightly biased. But the many reviewers and bloggers out there are not and you’ll find a ton of fan favorites. I’ve listed the titles below, but you can go to the website to read more. http://www.classof2k11.com/ And while you do, be sure and check out next year’s class. The Class of 2k12 is looking pretty dang amazing. http://classof2k12.com/
Happy Holidays and Merry Reading!

The Class of 2k11 Books Mentioned Above:
The Year We Were Famous, Carole Estby Dagg
The Mephisto Covenant, Trinity Faegen
Popular, Alisso Grosso
The Faerie Ring, Kiki Hamilton
The Lipstick Laws, Amy Holder
Bad Taste in Boys, Carrie Harris
The Sweetest Thing, Christina Mandelski
Illegal, Bettina Restrepo
Sparrow Road, Sheila O’Connor
With A Name Like Love, Tess Hilmo
XVI, Julia Karr
Memento Nora, Angie Smibert
Stupid Fast, Geoff Herbach
The Pull of Gravity, Gae Polisner

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Amy Holder, author of The Lipstick Laws:

This year has been an amazing year for fabulous books, both debuts and new books from already loved authors. As a 2011 debut author myself, it's   been an extra special, exciting year for me and my debut, THE LIPSTICK   LAWS. One of the many perks of being involved in the book world is  getting to know other authors and their stories. I had the pleasure of reading many 2011 debuts before they hit the  shelves and entered the hearts, minds and imaginations of so many readers. Because of this, I  have to say that some of my favorite books and characters of 2011 came from fellow 2011 debut authors in both the  Class of 2k11 and the Elevensies. I have way too many favorites to list, but there have been characters for every type of reader to identify with and adore. From Kate Grable, the quirky zombie fighting heroine in BAD TASTE IN BOYS by Carrie Harris... to the dramatic clique and brilliant twist in Alissa Grosso's POPULAR... to Bettina Restrepo's beautifully written plight of   an illegal immigrant named Nora in ILLEGAL... to Kiki Hamilton's enchanting portrayal of a pickpocket orphan named Tiki in THE FAERIE   RING.... These are just some of the many characters from 2011 that have made me laugh, gasp, sympathize, reflect, and/or dream. I have been so  inspired by my fellow authors and the amazing stories and characters  that they've brought to life. I feel very grateful to know that my book has been in such wonderful company this year. And I'm looking forward to the new voices and characters of 2012 as well.

Both of these authors (Amy Dominy and Amy Holder) are participating in my huge End of the Year Madness Giveaway, so be sure to enter for your chance to win their books!