I’m not sure how old I was the first time I tried to read Anne of Green Gables, but I must have been too young. I was vain as a reader, always showing off by trying to read far above my age level, reading classics with a view to bragging about having read them. I didn’t get very far with that first attempt. Anne has a long…
When I entered the first grade at a private school for girls in Montreal, my long hair pulled smoothly back, green wool tunic perfectly pressed, I was the only little girl who couldn’t yet read or write. They had taken a chance on admitting me anyway, hoping I would catch up to the others, and eventually, I did. This is not a story about myself that I actually…
I knew well in advance that I wanted to be a member of The Debutante Ball, and not only because it fulfilled some portion of my Southern soul that I failed to do justice to as a teenager. I’m a nerd who loves blogging, so the project excited me as soon as I learned about it. I followed the 2017 Debs, some of whom I also knew through 17 Scribes,…
We are thrilled to welcome Kaitlyn Sage Patterson to The 2018 Debutante Ball!! Kaitlyn will be joining Cass Morris, Kimmery Martin, Lara Lillibridge, and Julie Clark as they take The Debutante Ball by storm! Want to know more about these fabulous women and their forthcoming books?? Stay tuned for our BIG welcome post on Saturday, September 2nd! ***** Congratulations to Kelley Blair, winner of our #DebBallGiveaway of THE YOUNG WIVES CLUB by Julie…
In honor of the launch of Amy Poeppel’s hilarious debut, SMALL ADMISSIONS, this week we’re writing on topics related to some of the book’s themes – parenting, school admissions, broken hearts, relationships, and friendships. Let’s first start by gushing over this book. I began reading on a particularly hard work week. I cozied up in bed. I sipped on a glass of wine. I spat that wine all over myself. I…
This week I’m confronted by a topic that doesn’t bear much relationship to what I write: food. Unlike Jennifer’s MODERN GIRLS, with its evocative descriptions of traditional shabbat meals, or the baked goods Louise’s protagonist makes that are so rich you can taste them if you lick the page, THE LOST GIRLS doesn’t feature food in its storytelling. At all. I agree it’s a powerful tool, but it’s one I…
Today is my first post as a 2015 Deb and I’m a bundle of nervous excitement. Sure, it’s also back to school for the mini (who is starting grade one and handling it much better than I am), and I have some fairly prickly deadlines looming, which explain the nerves. But I’m also psyched I’m part of this amazing group of debut writers for the next year! I’ve talked about…
Deb Kim here. I have the distinct pleasure of welcoming John Elder Robison to The Debutante Ball. I met John a few years ago, after he sold Look Me In The Eye to Crown, a division of Random House. John is tall, dark and Aspergian. He has Asperger’s syndrome, which falls on the autism spectrum. You probably know his brother, another famous writer named Augusten Burroughs. John’s new book, Be Different was…
Do you have Elixir fever? I do! While Deb Eleanor brought you a very thoughtful list of things Deb Elise’s new co-authored book with Ms. Hilary Duff reminded her of, I can’t help but confess that every time I think of the book or look at the cover I instantly think, fondly, of grape-flavored Dimetapp. Strange? I know! But the cover is incredibly engaging and transfixing to me. You see–I…
One of the perks of being part of The Debutante Ball is being able to read advance reader copies of some wonderful books. It’s like being introduced to a whole new crowd of friends or tasty foods you might never have ordered or cities you’d never thought to visit. Elixir, by actress and author Hilary Duff (and co-written by Deb Elise) is a perfect example. I’m well past “Young Adult,” age though I…
