Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

Today I welcome Krysten Lindsay Hager and her new book Landry in Like! Genre: contemporary clean teen fiction Landry in Like (Landry's True Colors Series: Book 3) ​ Things seem to be going well in Landry Albright’s world—she’s getting invited to be on local talk shows to talk about her modeling career, her best friends have her back, and her boyfriend Vladi is becoming someone she can truly count on…and then everything changes. Suddenly it seems like most of the girls in school are into hanging out at a new teen dance club, while Landry just wants to spend her weekends playing video games and baking cupcakes at sleepovers. Then, Yasmin McCarty, the most popular girl in school, starts to come between Landry’s friendship with Ashanti. Things take a turn when Yasmin tells Vladi that Landry is interested in another boy. Can Landry get her relationships with Ashanti and Vladi back or will she be left out and left behind?   Excerpt: I wanted to call my friends a...

Hooray, it’s finally Friday. This week we have a Building Character interview with Devon Abrams from Best Friends…Forever? by Krysten Lindsay Hager. Thanks for joining us today on Strands of Thoughts, Devon. Let’s start by you telling us a little about yourself. I’m Devon Abrams, an eighth grader at Hillcrest Academy and one of Landry Albright’s best friends. I have been best friends with two other girls (India and Peyton) since we were in the fourth grade, but Landry just joined our group this year after her other friends kind of dumped her when she was chosen to move on in the American Ingénue modeling competition without them. I was chosen for the competition, too, but…well, I didn’t make it past the next round and Landry did. I’m happy for her, but it does hurt not to get chosen. It was a little hard to get past it and then recently Landry told me India had gone to a basketball game with my crush behind my back. India and I have been friends forever and she told me Landry ...

I’m excited that Kai asked me to talk about my experiences marketing as a debut novelist. My first novel, True Colors, about an eighth grader dealing with frenemies, self-esteem issues, cliques, and being yourself, came out this summer and it was an amazing time. I feel like I haven’t sat down to relax since I signed the contract for the book over a year ago! It’s been an amazing journey and I’m so thrilled that soon the sequel to the book, (titled Best Friends…Forever? ) will come out as part of the Landry’s True Colors series . So I’m here today to share what I’ve learned along the way on my path to publication.   First, I want to share how important it is to prepare and learn the business. I began going to writing conferences and workshops right after I graduated from high school. It was a great way to learn about the business side of writing. I remember those first couple writing conferences where I was sitting there confused and clueless. I’ll never forget being in an au...

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love introducing my readers to new authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the children’s publishing industry. Today’s guest is author, Krysten Lindsay Hager. Thanks for joining us, Krysten. Please tell us a little about you. I'm a writer and an obsessive reader and I absolutely love bookstores. I get more excited when an author I love, "friends" me or follows me on a social media site now than I did when I got asked for my phone number by a cute guy back in high school. I've worked as a journalist and humor writer, and I also write middle grade, YA, and adult fiction. I’m originally from Michigan and I’ve lived in South Dakota, Portugal, and Southern Ohio. My debut novel, TRUE COLORS, is from Astraea Press. Congratulations on the release of your book! (Throws confetti!) Tell us about it, please. My first novel, True Colors, is about Landry Albright, an eighth grader who enters a modelin...