A short Q&A with Diversity in YA about the five things I learned while I wrote this book. Let’s be honest: there were more than five, but not all are suitable for public discussion.

I’m feeling pretty chuffed about this. Permanent Record is my fourth book, but this is the first starred review I’ve ever received:

“Badi’s sardonic narrative makes the novel crackle. Behind his nervous distrust of the world is a burgeoning resilience, depth of character, and commitment to battling injustice.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review

When I wrote Permanent Record, I wanted to create a put-upon, abused teenager who struggles against his darker urges, someone who desperately tries to be a good guy despite having, as Bud puts it, “a brain that misfires.” Bud has the appeal of a struggling hero: a good person who does bad things, a bad person who does good things. He grew up disadvantaged by that one-two punch of being weird and shy. He likes Dungeons & Dragons, botany, croquet, and minor explosives. This is the music he listened to, and the music I listened to when I wrote him. I could post the Spotify link, but Bud pawed through his vinyl collection to amass his music. I thought you might like to do the same.

The Cure – “Disintegration”
The English Beat – “Mirror in the Bathroom”
Suicidal Tendencies – “Institutionalized”
Chet Baker – “Let’s Get Lost”
Sun Ra – “Lullaby for Realville”
Radiohead – “Optimistic”
Violent Femmes – “Kiss Off”
Brad Sucks – “Making Me Nervous”
Hybrid – “Marrakech”
Hybrid – “Saladin”
Orbital – “Tunnel Vision”
Flobots – “Handlebars”
Gorillaz – “Kids with Guns” (Hot Chip Remix)
The Smiths – “How Soon Is Now?”
White Town – “Your Woman”

A fantastic review from Teen Librarian’s Toolbox, a YA librarian review blog. “I tore through this book, couldn’t put it down… What I adored is that it didn’t tone down the abuse that Badi suffered at his first school. I thought it was a really well-written and thought-out book, and would not have any hesitation recommending it to my older teens.”

Permanent Record can be a difficult read, mostly because we realize these things are going on at high schools across the country; this is real. And in the wake of Steubenville, it’s impossible to ignore that abuse takes many different forms at school.

For the price of a milkshake masquerading as a cup of coffee, you could own PERMANENT RECORD for your Kindle. Throw in a rock-hard scone, and you could own it in hardcover. Do me a solid, people; support your local author!

Next stop on the blog tour: This is from an interview I did with Little Willow at Bildungsroman. She asked some complex, in-depth questions. Plus the “top 10 favorite books” question, which sends me into a tailspin because I always forget to mention one and then feel guilty, like I’ve personally offended the book.

I visited with Readers in Wonderland for a Q&A, and they also gave a really nice review to Permanent Record.

For today’s stop on the blog tour, I visited with the fun and funny Book Brats, a book review blog geared toward “twentysomethings and weird people.” Thank God I fit in on one count.

The weeks leading up to this book launch have made a mess of me. Constant worry and stress, plus my normal Eeyore-like gloomy outlook on life, have resulted in a bunch of crazy physical ailments, not the least of which is a CONSTANTLY TWITCHING EYE alá Clouseau’s boss and two painfully swollen fingers on my mouse hand. Note also cystic acne that has erupted on the back of my neck. Sleepless. Self-medicating with Samoas.

What if this book doesn’t sell well? What if, again, this is the end of the road for me? What should I be doing to promote this book better? Why will my eye not stop this flick-flick-flick twitch tic? My eyebrows are a hot mess too, though that is not stress-related, I just need to get them threaded.

The blog tour supporting my new YA novel, Permanent Record, began yesterday, so check back here regularly this month to see where I have visited, and where I’ll be visiting next!

Today I went all the way to the Philippines—well, through the ether, as that is where my interviewer lives. Faye is a fantastic 20-year-old blogger and student, and her book review site is full of fun, funny, and thought-provoking criticisms. You should follow her on Twitter.

Anyway, here’s the link. Enjoy!