Party with Alicia … and the new Debs!

If you’re looking to party in Philly, join me tonight, Wednesday, August 11, at 6 p.m. I’ll be signing books and serving cupcakes at the Barnes & Noble at 18th & Walnut (Rittenhouse). I’d love to see you there! It will be a great party.

Speaking of parties, fans of the Debutante Ball are in for a phenomenal treat this upcoming year. Here’s a sneak peek at the awesome books penned by our five new dancin’ queens:

Eleanor Brown is the author of The Weird Sisters, the story of three adult sisters who return home to the small college town where they grew up, partly because their mother is ill, but mostly because their lives are collapsing and they don’t know where to go next.

Elise Allen is the author of a novel for young adults, Populazzi, a coming-of-age comedy of errors about a girl’s quest to become popular.

Kim Stagliano‘s memoir, All I Can Handle, takes the reader from her wedding day to the present, chronicling what it was like to have one, then two, then three girls with autism while she and her husband weathered job losses and financial woes.

Sarah Jio‘s novel, The Waters of March, takes place in two time periods (present and 1943), and was inspired by her childhood on and near Bainbridge Island, Washington. It’s the story of a disillusioned, divorced writer who discovers a diary that sends her on a journey of healing and discovery.

The first of Tawna Fenske‘s three romantic comedies, Making Waves, concerns a revenge-fueled diamond heist in the Caribbean, with a crew more suited to the boardroom than the poop deck, and a quirky blond stowaway who’s got a few big secrets.

Please join me in extending a warm welcome to the 2011 Debs. They’ll take the floor the week of August 30. Congrats, ladies, and may your year of debut publication be successful and fulfilling. Party on!

~Alicia Bessette