Paula's Drama And My Chaos

How’s this for a story idea for a teen novel---a freshman girl starts high school and is immediately given a group project by her sociology teacher---each group consists of people from all different races, religions and sociological backgrounds and they are all told to get to know one another, figure out how the “other half live” and then decide to either fully embrace prejudice or completely reject it.

If you ask me that sounds like a risky experiment, one that might get the sociology teacher sued if he were to do it in real life (I don’t know what it’s like where you live but here we have Spring Egg hunts and all us non-White folk have become people of color.)

Still, in the context of a novel it seems like it would be a great way to explore a lot of issues in a fun, non-heavy handed way and apparently that’s exactly what Paula Chase did in her novel So Not The Drama. The critics are on board with this one too. Publisher’s Weekly says that “readers will like the genuine dialogue” and that “there’s plenty for readers to ponder about race, class and popularity.” And Booklist says that it will “pull readers into the contemporary friendship story, which revels in a rich diversity of race, color and class.”

So if your looking for a teen book that features a diverse cast of characters, humor and some interesting insights into social prejudices (racial and otherwise) you might want to check this one out.

If you want to learn more about Paula you should check out her blog.

As for me, I’m a little overwhelmed at the moment. It’s seems like a lot of stuff has been given to me at once…well, okay, a lot of it I went out of my way to take on. Still, whether it was by choice or not I have come to realize that I currently have a bunch of responsibilities and not one of them demands less attention from me than the others. My son is at a pivotal time in his education and I’m homeschooling for the academic portion of his school day so there’s that. I’m also putting together a new book proposal---that’s obviously important. And I need to find a new school for my son to go to next year (yes, I’ve missed EVERY school’s deadline) I’m moving to a new city in around 3 months, I’ve agreed to work with someone on a screenplay (don’t get excited yet, this project is so new it doesn’t even qualify as a fetus---it’s more like a sperm searching for a good egg) and then there’s the little matter of my own mental and physical health. Maybe I should drop one of these things---like the mental health part. I’ve never been very good at sanity, it’s probably time I just give up on it and embrace my inner psycho.

Kyra Davis

Bestselling Author Of:

Sex, Murder And A Double Latte

Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights

And

So Much For My Happy Ending

Pre-order your copy of Obsession, Deceit And Really Dark Chocolate Due In Stores 09/07!!!