News Flash: September 26




From the 2011 Debs…

Check it out!  Deb Elise received her cover for Populazzi!  Elise sends huge kudos and thanks to everyone at Harcourt for all their hard work!










Past Deb Updates…

New York Times bestselling author Jen Lancaster (BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK, MY FAIR LAZY) has endorsed SKIPPING A BEAT by former Deb Sarah Pekkanen!  Says Jen, “The impossible choice between true love and the trappings of success is explored in Sarah Pekkanen’s Skipping a Beat.  Pekkanen proves masterful at creating nuanced, complex characters deadlocked with emotional conflict, and the story culminates in an ending that will leave readers breathless.  Evocative and compelling, Skipping a Beat couldn’t be more satisfying.” SKIPPING A BEAT will hit stores in February 2011.

And Sarah’s debut, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, has just gone into a 6th printing!

Friends of the Debs…

Meet Rebecca of The Book Lady’s Blog.  Her tagline?  “Literary Adventures of a Panty-Throwing, Book-Loving Wild Woman.”  Now you want to click, dontcha?  She’s got a great blog, with reviews and interviews with booksellers and authors, giveaways, and musings about books that are all absolutely worth reading.  Plus, she’s on Twitter and has a podcast you can check out.  What’s not to love?

Deb Dish — My Favorite Pet Ever Was/Is…




Deb Elise

This is Riley — it’s his puppy picture, from when he was nine months old.  His girlfriend (such a bitch) is with us this weekend, and they’ve been chewing on each other’s legs constantly.  My daughter will tell you Riley is her big brother, and my husband and I are obsessed with him to the point that we full-on, mouth-to-snout make out with him on a daily basis… even after we watch him eat cat poop.







Deb Eleanor

Yeah, we’re *those* people.  We’re freakishly devoted to our cat, Chester.  He’s fourteen and arthritic, so he has stairs to get up on the bed and the sofa.  He also has a grain allergy, so for a while I made him raw food from scratch with organic meats and vegetables purchased from the natural grocery store, and supplements added lovingly by hand (FYI – chlorophyll, while good for digestion, turns chicken an unappetizing shade of green).  Now he eats kibble we special-order and sprinkle with a little Dasuquin for his old bones.  We sing songs about him.  When we’re out, we ask each other what he might be doing.  Yes, we’re losers.  But isn’t he cute?

Deb Kim

Bruno, our miniature Dachsund. He lived for 16 years and was a sweet dog. Sometimes I look at the Mighty Dog brand dog food just to remember him. Turkey and bacon was his favorite. With three kids with autism, we don’t really need a pet. Maybe someday!

Deb Sarah

Paisley! That would be my 9 year old golden retriever.  Aside from our family outdoor cat (I’m allergic), Muff David,  as a child, Paisley was my very first pet in adulthood, and I she changed my life in so many ways, namely, she taught me to love dogs. I grew up with a strong fear of dogs (I got nipped at by a neighbor’s dog as a child), and until Paisley, I assumed they were mostly just a smelly, slobbery lot that was prone to biting. My husband convinced me that I needed a dog, so we adopted the most rascally, adorable and high-energy golden retriever on the planet. Did the trick for me! Nine years later and I can’t imagine life without Pais (I still don’t like smelly dogs, so we wash her weekly). 🙂

Deb Tawna

You already met my current pets a couple weeks ago, and I suppose it would be wrong to pick a favorite among them. They do, after all, read this blog. In that case, I would have to say my favorite  high school pet was Michael the rat.

My mom was a third grade teacher, and Micheal was the classroom pet until he developed pneumonia and had to be brought home to be nursed back to health. He never returned to the classroom, opting instead to stay in my room where he would sleep in my bed with me at night. No, I am not joking. Every morning, Michael would follow me into the bathroom and wait outside the shower so he could lick the water off my feet. Then he’d follow me back to my room wait there all day while I went to school. He was certainly one of the smartest pets I ever owned, and probably smarter than most of the boys I dated.