Cool Kids Club

Hi! It's Eric on a Thursday! Hi!

In five minutes, Penguin Teen, Kokila Books, and I are doing the grand reveal for the cover of my new Young Adult novel, Kings of B'more but because we're best friends, you and I, I wanted to give you first look. (Why only five minutes head start, Eric? I don't know! I'm not good at reveals! Am I in breach of contract? I have no idea! Chaos at the chaos factory!)

In the bleak winter of 2020 I wrote a funny, exuberant novel about best-friendship, summer in a city, and seeing the people we love face to face. When I saw Alexis Franklin's amazing take on the main characters, Harrison and Linus, I clapped my hands with glee--these are the weird, daring, beautiful friends I've held in my head and my heart all this time. I can't wait for you to meet them.

The way I think about YA, as someone who has read it since I was a teen, is that it's a widening of a lens for readership. This book, in content and in language, is designed to be enjoyed by readers as young as 13 but there is no upper age limit. Send it to your great-grandmom! That's the same way I feel about the capacity for joy in life and hopefully in this book--there is no upper limit.

PRE-ORDER KINGS OF B'MORE - Out in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook May 31, 2022

(The link to Bookshop.org isn't working yet, but I would love for you to reach out to your favorite independent bookstore and pre-order it from them!)

READ AN EXCERPT FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE BOOK HERE!