We’ll also be talking about the books we love, the things (and people!) we care about, and making sure there’s plenty of laughter to go around. In addition to the You 2.0 topics, I’ll be gabbing about what I’m reading, what I’m watching, the writing life and, well, anything else that fascinates me.  :-)

And because no one likes blogging into the void (Bueller???), each time you comment on the blog, you’ll receive one entry into the monthly contest. The more posts you comment on, the more entries you’ll get!

Every month, I’ll choose not one, but TWO different winners!

** Winner #1 will receive an ARC of my upcoming The Cinderella Society (while supplies last!)

** Winner #2 will get to take a prize dive in the exclusive You 2.0 prize basket to select the item they love most

So what are the cool weekly features, you ask? Well, in addition to regular blogging by moi on Mondays and Thursdays, I've got three exclusive features lined up.  Let me introduce you!

Introducing… THE TUESDAY TEEN AUTHOR CHALLENGE!

We all know YA and middle grades fiction is amazing, right? And I know many of you are aspiring writers of it! So as part of the Paying It Forward piece of You 2.0, I’ll be hosting a year-long You 2.0 Teen Author Challenge.

For inspiration, I’ll be sharing exclusive writing tips from fabulous YA and middle grades authors like P.C. Cast, Alyson Noel, Rachel Caine, Susan Beth Pfeffer, and many more. I’ll also be sharing insider secrets about the writing biz, chatting with other authors about how they write, and offering loads of links to great online resources that’ll help you grow your writing career.

But the You 2.0 Teen Author Challenge is about more than just inspiration. It’s about putting pencil to paper… or fingers to keyboard… and making your mark on the world. If you’ve never finished a manuscript, make this the year you do. If you need to improve your writing skills, now is the time!

Let us cheer you on as you pursue your dream of becoming a published author. Writers of all ages are welcome (and teachers too!). All you need is a passion for writing YA and middle grades fiction. And I know you’ve got that in spades.

So that’s Tuesday. What about Wednesday?

Introducing… BOOKLOVER OF THE WEEK!

Gratitude is a big part of You 2.0. Here’s my chance to recognize the people who are as passionate about books as we are as authors. Tune in for great interviews with industry pros like agents and editors, YA book bloggers, booksellers, and more!

Check out the pink Booklover of the Week box on the right side of the blog for the first group of scheduled features. Then scroll down to the blue box beneath it for more fabulous Booklover features coming soon.

Is that an amazing lineup or what???

And finally, introducing… FRIDAY SPOTLIGHTS!

Friday means anything goes! Stay tuned for fun features like Author Spotlight and Librarian Spotlight interviews and sneak peeks inside the super secret “Writing Caves” of some of my fellow authors. You’ll learn all kinds of groovy things about your favorite authors, get to meet some awesome teen librarians, and get to see “where the magic happens” as some of my author buddies talk about where they write and how it inspires them (pictures included!).

I hope you'll join me on the You 2.0 blog!