I am so excited that it’s my turn to host Sarah MacLean and her debut The Season!  I had a chance to read an ARC of The Season over the holidays and let me tell you, I LOVED IT.  I started reading romance novels as a teen and read a lot of Regencies before going to law school.  But I really haven’t read many in the past few years until The Season.  And dude, I fell in love with romance again.  In fact, after putting down The Season I ran out and picked up three more Regencies!

Here’s what I love about The Season – the main character Alex is witty, clever, and awesome.  Like my favorite Regencies (and favorite books), Alex is aware of the world around her and also a bit of a feminist 🙂  But that doesn’t mean there aren’t balls, gowns, and fun.  There’s also a delicious romance that had me swooning.

But what I love most of all is the voice — the banter, the observations.  This was just really, ultimately, a totally fun book to read.  I kept going back to it, I had a huge grin of my face the whole time.  And I’m super excited that it’s finally out so everyone else can read it too!

And because I love this book so much, I’m giving away a signed copy!  So post a comment on this entry on my blog or LJ and I’ll pick a winner Wednesday night!

About the author:

Sarah MacLean is the author of THE SEASON, a YA novel coming in March 2009 from Scholastic.  She grew up in Rhode Island, where she spent much of her free time bemoaning the fact that she was more than a century too late for own Season. Her unabashed addiction to historical fiction helped to earn her a degree in European History from Smith College before she moved to New York City to pursue a career in publishing. After receiving a Masters in Education from Harvard University, Sarah returned to New York, where she lives with her husband, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels.  She is currently working on a series of regency-set romances to be released in 2010 from Avon/HarperCollins.

About the book:

Seventeen-year-old Lady Alexandra Stafford doesn’t fit into the world of Regency London — she’s strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and she absolutely loathes dress fittings. Unfortunately, her mother has been waiting for years for Alex to be old enough to take part in the social whirlwind of a London Season so she can be married off to someone safe, respectable, wealthy, and almost certainly boring. But Alex is much more interested in adventure than romance.

Between sumptuous balls, lavish dinner parties and country weekends, Alex, along with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, manages to get entangled in her biggest scrape yet. When the Earl of Blackmoor is killed in a puzzling accident, Alex decides to help his son, the brooding and devilishly handsome Gavin, uncover the truth. It’s a mystery brimming with espionage, murder, and suspicion. As she and Gavin grow closer, will Alex’s heart be stolen in the process?

Romance and danger fill the air, as this year’s Season begins!

My review on Amazon is here.

The interview:

What’s been one of the most exciting moments in your journey to publication?

Holding my very own book in my very own hands. Hands down, that’s the best part. There are plenty of exciting moments…the call, the sale, cover comps, typeset pages, ARCs…but holding the finished, real, amazing thing in your hands? It’s amazing.

Is there anything you can’t write without?

There’s nothing ceremonial about my writing process. When you’re on tight, regular deadlines, you can’t stand on ceremony for the art of the word. You have to just plunge ahead. I write longhand, so I write everywhere. My couch, my dining room table, the subway, coffee shops, restaurants, the library, the steps of wherever I happen to be waiting for friends. So…I guess the answer here is pen and paper. 😉

When stuck on a story which do you choose: write make-out scene or explode something.

Oh, make-out scene. Kissing is the answer to all of society’s ills. Including writer’s block.

Can you share a favorite line you’ve written either in this book or a WIP?

I’m pretty proud of the first line of THE SEASON. “Oof! I’ve been stabbed!” I’m guessing mine is the only book that has ever begun with the word “Oof!”

Finally: pro fast zombie or anti fast zombies?

My aim isn’t great. So I’m going to have to go with anti-fast zombies. I feel like aiming for their heads is more like tee-ball. Which is about my speed, frankly.

And for those of you who said you like to read an author’s publication journey (I love it too!) Sarah MacLeans’s is here !

Thanks Sarah!  Congrats on the release of The Season and everyone else don’t forget to comment for a signed copy!