The Texas Book Festival is this weekend, and it is full to busting with incredible events. I have a hard time going and not just spinning in circles in front of the Capitol building. It’s so hard to choose what to do.

This year, my decision has been made for me, because I have to be at my own panel! Saturday at 1:30 – Everybody Needs a Hero. I’ll be on the panel with Aaron Starmer and Rene Saldana, Jr. Our moderator is the lovely Joanna Nigrelli of the Austin Public Library. It’s going to be a blast. I can’t wait!

Please come by and say hello. And let me know if I have mustard on my chin. I’m totally going to be eating corny dogs all day long.

I actually got into hiking over the past few years.

Dragged into it, but into it nonetheless.

Sam’s the “rugged outdoorsman” type, and although I’m more the “flabby soon-won’t-be-able-to-fit-through-doorsman type,” I was so eager to impress him when we started dating that I lied and said something to the effect of, “I love hiking! The forest is my favorite place! Oh, go for a 3-day backpacking trip in the woods where we give ourselves DEET facials and have to dig holes to shit in? I thought you’d never ask!”

That first trip didn’t end so well. It ended with stage two hypothermia, to be exact. By the time we’d reached the summit of Mount Lafayette (in New Hampshire’s White Mountains), it was hailing. In June. Everything got soaked, and since I had no idea what the hell I was doing, I hadn’t dressed or packed correctly. Two hours later, we made it to our campsite, and I couldn’t feel my legs. And we’d only brought one extra pair of pants.

Sam, who I should point out was a total stranger at the time, had to force-feed me pasta and zip himself into my soaking wet sleeping bag in order to revive me with his body heat. I remember thinking, Well, at least he’s not ignoring me. Or sexually assaulting me. Could go either way with a stranger in the woods.

He quickly figured out that I’d lied to him about that whole “I’m an enthusiastic hiker” thing.

Still, like a dummy, I continue to go hiking with him; most recently, in August, I agreed to accompany him and 30 first-year business school students on an orientation-weekend trek; again, to the White Mountains. Instead of camping, we were booked into a relatively cushy cabin, complete with electricity and bunkbeds (wheeeee!). Sold.

Sam’s kind of a zealous hiker. He’s fast. Like, at any given point he can be up to a half an hour ahead of me, carrying all of our equipment on his back, without having broken a sweat. I thought he’d slow it down in a group situation, especially since a few of the students indicated that they’d like to go on a “shorter” hike.

To Sam, “shorter” means approximately 9 hours. Because that’s how long we spent in the woods that day.

We started off in good spirits, but four hours later, by the time we made it to the summit of Mount Adams, the smiles, the jokes, the general good humor — all had disspiated. And we still had to turn around and do it all over again. But downhill.

On the summit of Mt. Adams. When we were all still smiling.

Lots of students weren’t properly dressed (which made me feel less dumb), and a few girls were wearing flimsy tennis shoes. About two hours down the mountain, I noticed that one of the girls had doubled over in pain and was trying to scoot down the trail on her butt. She’d messed up her knees and was having stomach problems. Because it was getting dark and starting to rain and I’m afraid of werewolves because I take Harry Potter folklore seriously because I’m a nutcase, I shooed everyone else down the mountain to try and find Sam — about an hour ahead of us, no doubt, marching merrily along — and took the girl by the hand. Together with one other girl, we started to lead this poor woman down the mountain, one miserable and painful step at a time.

Finally, we say Sam. Jogging, jogging back up the trail.  I was about ready to collapse from exhaustion and he had the energy to jog? Fucker.

Then he put the injured girl on his back and began to run down the mountain, Twilight style.

I’ll be damned. My boyfriend is a vampire. I guess that explains the pastiness.

Naturally, I fell while crossing a stream on the way back to the car. No big deal. Just searing pain and a soaking wet ass. Hey, it’s Saturday night!

We made it. We made it back to the car, back to the cabin, back to a big fat bottle of red wine.

I don’t think that poor girl is ever hiking again.

We’ll see, though. That’s what I said, too.

And I apologize, profusely, to the nine people who read this.

I actually had a nightmare last night that I turned 30 before I finished all of the things on my list, which reminded me that, although life has gone on quite frantically lately, this blog has not.

An update:

In perhaps what is the Dirtiest Thirtiest move I could possibly imagine, I have totally and completely uprooted my life. Makes “go skydiving” seem a little bit more benign.

In the past month, I have accepted a new job in a new city, crammed as many clothes and hair products as I possibly could into a suitcase, bought an air mattress, and moved 3,000 miles away from home, to San Francisco. I left my dogs, my boyfriend, my friends, my family, and all of my possessions behind.

To make a long story short, I was extremely dissatisfied with my prior job, in that, you know, I was crying at work on a regular basis. Really. Had a special crying room and everything.

Through chance, some long-shot networking, and sheer luck, I got a job with a company that I really admired, doing work that was much more challenging and satisfying than what I’d been doing. And making much more money, which is key.

Sounds terrific, right?

It’s less terrific when you factor in that Sam and I, after months of planning and packing and generally being giddy, had finally moved in together. I spent two weeks living in bliss (and sin! RAWR!) in an amazing apartment. And then, suddenly, I had to leave.

It’s even less terrific when you consider that I know almost nobody here in San Francisco, except for friends of Sam’s, and friends of friends.

It’s even LESS terrific when you learn, as I have, that many of my coworkers are angry about my presence. Apparently, that whole “we hired someone to manage your projects!” thing was completely glossed over before I got here. So, there’s tension. There’s anger. And this morning, I almost threw my computer on the ground and screamed, “You know what? Fuck this and fuck you. I’m going home. Not to the Lower Haight, but to BOSTON.”

So, there’s that.

While San Francisco seems to be a cool city, I don’t have many people to explore it with, to get excited about it with, to get lost in it with.

I don’t have many people. Period.

I’m lonely. I’m homesick. I miss Sam and Murphy and Noodle so much that it hurts. I can’t even talk to Sam on the phone without feeling excruciatingly sad, and then making excuses about having to hang up, because I don’t want to talk about how much we miss each other, because it hurts too much.

I know that, professionally, this was the right move for me, and that,  eventually, this will be great. But, for now, it’s a true challenge.

Which, I suppose, is what The Dirty 30 project has been all about. So, I guess, in a way, I’ve upped the stakes.

With interest rates near 0%, the only direction they can go is up. And as anyone who has ever read a story about bonds knows, when interest rates go up, bond prices fall. When that will happen is anyone’s guess. But ProShares is getting ready for that day. ProShares timed the market perfectly last time by launching a series of ETFs to short the equities markets just in time to capitalize on the crash that started in October 2007. Now, they are priming the market for the popping of the bond bubble.

The ProShares Short 20+ Year Treasury ETF (TBF), a fund designed to provide short exposure to long-term U.S. Treasury bonds, launched Thursday on the NYSE Arca. This ETF will try to match the inverse performance of the Barclays Capital 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Index each day. The Barclays Capital 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Index trackes the performance of U.S. Treasury bonds with maturities of 20 years or greater.

ProShares says it’s launching this in “direct response to strong investor demand for a single beta2 short treasury fund.” I believe them. The inverse bond ETFs will soon become very hot.

Currently, ProShares offers two bond funds that offer a 200% inverse move of two other indexes. The ProShares UltraShort 7-10 Year Treasury ETF (PST) gives double the inverse return of the Barclays Capital 7-10 Year U.S. Treasury Index, while the ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury ETF (TBT) does the same for the Barclays Capital 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Index. All three charge an expense ratio of 0.95%

Of course, if negative 200% is a little too tame for you, Direxion offers short Treasury funds that seek an inverse 300% return to their tracking indexes. The Daily 10-Year Treasury Bear 3x Shares (TYO) and the Daily 30-Year Treasury Bear 3x Shares (TMV) also charge a fee of 0.95%.

The new ProShares bond ETF stands out from this crowd in that it’s the only one to offer a 1-to-1 inverse ratio, just a mild negative 100% of its tracking index.

TheStreet.com says the recent uproar over leveraged ETFs has led UBS and Ameriprise to stop selling the funds.

When I was younger, I always assumed that, by the time I was 30, I’d be married and ready to start having kids.

Neither of those things is true.

However, Sam and I are officially moving in together (yikes) after two years of dating, and we just signed the lease on our new apartment yesterday. A two-bedroom apartment. I’m no fool.

I started giggling nervously when it was my turn to sign, and it took a couple of tries for me to actually sign my name. I don’t know what that means. Have at it, Freud-wannabes.

When I finally got my act together and was able to actually sign on the dotted line, I started to freak out AGAIN. I realize, as I pointed out to Sam, that I think this nervousness is because I feel like I’m moving in with the person I’m going to live with forever, with no end date in sight. And that is completely terrifying.

Sam, being Sam, very kindly and rationally pointed out that there is indeed an end date on our new lease – August 31, 2010 – so I could go ahead and stop being Captain McCrazypants.

And that is why I love him.

Nights.ro prezinta:

FUNKY FRIDAY

TBF
Kosta & Narcis
Jo.E

vineri 19 iunie
Daimon Club

Seria de petreceri Funky Friday continua pe 19 iunie cu liderul beat-urilor funky, TBF, cei doi magicieni Kosta & Narcis si reprezentantul MainEvents, Jo.E.

DJ Sneak insusi il compara pe TBF cu Ian Pooley, Daft Punk sau Basement Jaxx. L-a cunoscut cand a venit in Romania sa mixeze si l-a astultat la after-hours. A ramas surprins cum un pusti de 21 de ani poate sa puna “some of the toughest house shit that I’ve heard”. Cateva zeci de releasuri la Kinjo, Sampled, Home Schooled si Dustpan, impreuna cu aprecierea unanima a iubitorilor de house din Romania, fac din TBF un posibil mare artist ce va face valuri in zona funky si deep house in scurt timp.

Kosta & Narcis mixeaza impreuna de o buna perioada de timp, intotdeanua axati pe house si niciodata dornici de comert sau prost gust. Cei doi au in palmares petreceri de calitate, evenimente micute dar selecte care de cele mai multe ori se incheie mult dupa rasaritul soarelui.

Jo.E a petrecut o vreme in radio si a deprins gustul muzicii si al sunetelor electronice la festivalul Sziget din Ungaria. Mixeaza cu bucurie tech-house si mai nou se axeaza pe productii, primul sau EP ‘high air comprehesion’ putand fi ascultat pe MusicArena.com

Pe scurt, muzica de calitate va determina sa nu ratati acest party. Va asteptam vineri la piscina pentru o noapte FUNKY!

intrare :  20 lei inainte de 00:00 / 30 lei dupa 00:00

That sounds like the name of a terrible porno. Or an awesome one.

I’m not entirely sure if a mere 2.5 days of veganism can cause one to completely and utterly lose their shit, but…

I am completely and utterly losing my shit.

First off, I’m starving. Probably, it’s because I’m not eating correctly. Perhaps simply “deciding” to become a vegan in, like, two minutes is a terrible idea. I don’t have any appropriate food in the house, and none of the terrible chain restaurants near my office offer any animal/animal byproduct – free foods. Right now, I’m eating fistfuls of jalapeno-flavored tortilla chips because that’s the closest approximation to vegan “food” I can find right now. And I haven’t even looked at the ingredients list, because I’m undoubtedly cheating but I just don’t want to know about it.

Secondly, I can’t concentrate. I’m spacey, I’m whiny. Frankly, I’m being a bitch. Ask my co-workers. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

On the plus side, I’m twoing* all the time. And that never happens. So at least that’s something.

I’m currently on the edge of my seat, scratching my puppy with one hand and typing listlessly (starving!) with the other, waiting for Sam (TBF. He’s agreed to let me use his real name. Sucker) to get home with dinner. Dinner! General Gao’s…tofu. Sigh.

*That’s what I call pooing. Because I’m 6. And prissy.

I think my boyfriend is having a harder time with my trying veganism than I am.

You might call TBF (the boyfriend) a meat enthusiast. A connoisseur, even, or flesh-obsessed. The man loves to (and lives to) barbecue, and on one of our first dates two years ago, he asked if I was a vegetarian, because, for him, that would be a deal-breaker. He also carries a crudely-carved club and likes to drag me around by my hair.

TBF is all for the Dirty 30 Project, but when he read that I’d be going vegan for a week (a week! The block of cheese in my refrigerator won’t even go bad by the time I’m done with this.), he got all huffy about how he’s dating a hippie, and how I’ll probably stop shaving my legs, and that we can’t eat dinner together now for a whole week. Apparently, the lack of meat on my plate is so vastly unappetizing that he can’t even bear the sight of my tofu-laden plate?

It’s cool; I made fun of him and told him to relax, and he made fun of me and told me to have fun being gross. Relationship crisis averted.

So, the first 24 hours  of the vegan challenge have been pretty smooth. I had a light evening meal of hummus, veggies, and bagel chips at the 1369:

When I got home, made a vegan veggie burger, smothered in hot peppers and mustard, on a whole-grain bun:

I already had this stuff in my house, because, frankly, I prefer veggie burgers to meat ones most of the time anyway. And they’re easier to make. This morning kicked off with organic raisin bran and vanilla soy milk (again, already had them) and then I sucked down an Amy’s Kitchen microwavable tofu scramble with hash browns thing.

Also already in the house, also vegan. Maybe I’ve been a subconscious vegan this whole time? Sorry, TBF. YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO I AM ANYMORE!!! Mwahaha.

Utorak 12.5. je izgleda veliki dan za mene

Osim već najavljenog puštanja singla Varaš ti Varam ja mog novog projekta Dus & The Mosh Mislit’s, u utorak 12.5. desit će se i snimanje spota za taj singl! Spot će biti napravljen u ho-ruk varijanti – nemamo puno vremena niti novaca, ali imamo genijalne ljude! Edo Maajka, Saša Antić (TBF), Leon Lučev, Tvrtko Jurić, Davor Ivelić – Chupi, Janko Novoselić, moja malenkost… i vjerovatno još koji gost iznenađenja. Ili možda gošća?

Spot će raditi Willy Miličević, a radu s glumcima i ostalim šljakerskim poslovima pomoći će Ivan Leo Lemo. Snimat ćemo u samom centru, odmah pored našeg Sumosonic.tv studija na Krvavom mostu.Trenutno ganjam i ostatak ekipe spremne na jednu takvu radnu akciju. Utorak je ispao jedini dan kad mogu okupiti cijelu ekipu, i to me je malo zateklo. Ali, često su takve varijante, bez previše fizolofije pametovanja (kako kaže Balegar u odličnoj dječjoj predstavi Pčelica Maja kazališta Žar Ptica) baš ono što nam treba.

Moram priznati da sam uzbuđen, ipak je to prvi spot za neku moju samostalnu pjesmu!

Od drugog tjedna Glazba 2.0 bit će napokon na svojoj domeni glazba20.com, ovaj će blog preći na zvonimirdusper.com, a radi se i na webu za projekt Dus & The Mosh Mislit’s koji neće biti baš tako brzo, jer mi za njega treba dobar ilustrator. Dok ga ne zgotovimo, sve informacije vezane uz moj novi bend puštat ću preko postojećih lokacija i socijalnih mreža.

Pjesma Varaš ti Varam ja, prvi singl mog novog banda Dus And The Mosh Mislit’s, bit će predstavljena hrvatskoj javnosti u utorak, 12.5.

U pjesmi gostuju Edo Maajka i Saša Antić (TBF). Singl ću distribuirati kao besplatni 128 kpbs mp3, a teži formati (320 kbps i wav) za rodbinu, prave fanove, DJ zajednicu, radijske glazbene urednike, i ljude iz struke, bit će dostupni preko mog bloga Glazba 2.0 uz obavezno upisivanje važeće email adrese. Kao poklon uz link za besplatnu pjesmu (jeste li ikad dobili poklon uz poklon? ) članovi će dobiti i besplatni PDF primjerak knjige Glazba 2.0 Gerda Leonharda koja je referentna na području problematiziranja budućnosti glazbene industrije.

Više informacija o projektu saznat ćete u nadolazećim danima.

Sunwaves Festival revine cu cea de-a 5a editie! 4 zile si 3 nopti, in 2 scene, cu ocazia petrecerilor traditionale de 1 Mai.

Cele doua scene vor fi pozitionate in doua corturi , pe plaja kristal din nordul statiunii mamaia. in perioada 30 aprilie – 3 mai, 80 de ore in continuu, zi si noapte, apunem si rasarim impreuna

Aveti de infruntat un nou Sunwaves extins, un festival International ce va aduce 28 de artisti pe malul Marii Negre. Fie ca esti fan John Digweed, Ricardo Villalobos, Dj Sneak sau James Zabiela, fie ca-ti plac vizualurile lui Dreamrec, Cote sau Rancea, fie ca iti place sa dansezi de la apus pana la rasarit, sau preferi sa fii inconjurat de prietenii petrecareti in timpul zilei, Sunwaves 5 este locul in care trebuie sa te afli de 1 Mai.

Line-up-ul complet al Sunwaves 5:

Joi – 30.04
22:00h – Sunwaves  Tent

Sunrise Stage:  I’M A HOUSE GANGSTER
Ali Nasser / Kozo / Derrick Carter / DJ Sneak visuals by COTE

bilete : 40 lei in avans pe www.bilet.ro
la intrare : 40 lei pana la ora 0:00 / 70 lei dupa ora 0:00

Vineri – 01.05
9:00h – Sunwaves Beach
TBF / Kozo / Ali Nasser / Meat

22:00h – Sunwaves Tent

Kristal Stage : ROBOPHOBIA
Proof / Scarlett Etienne / James Zabiela visuals by RANCEA

Sunrise Stage : [a:rpia:r] 06 release party
Dan Andrei / Praslea / Federico Molinari / RPR Sound visuals by DREAMREC & COTE

bilete : 30 lei in avans pe www.bilet.ro
la intrare : 30 lei pana la ora 0:00 / 60 lei dupa ora 0:00

Sambata – 02.05
9:00h – Sunwaves Beach
Dan Andrei / El CeZeRe / Praslea / Masomenos

22:00h – Sunwaves Tent

Sunrise Stage : CASA DE BLANURI
Prik / El CeZeRe / Cassy / Ricardo Villalobos visuals by DREAMREC & COTE

Kristal Stage : THE VAGABOND
Chriss / Kool / John Digweed visuals by RANCEA

bilete : 50 lei in avans pe www.bilet.ro
la intrare : 50 lei pana la ora 0:00 / 80 lei dupa ora 0:00

Duminica – 03.05
9:00h – Sunwaves Beach
Prik / Praslea / Tobi Neumann / ZIP

DERRICK CARTER LIVE @ 5 YEARS FUSE OST END CASINO
Derrick Carter – GUERILLACOUTURE 25-05-2008
DERRICK CARTER – ESSENTIAL MIX 2002
DERRICK CARTER LIVE @ SNEAKS BIRTHDAY BEATS SAN FRANCISCO
DERRICK CARTER…ResidentAdvisor 124
DERRICK CARTER LIVE @ PACHA IBIZA 2002
James Zabiela – Warm Up Live Mix JustMusic.FM (2005-12-10)

DJ SNEAK & DERRICK CARTER @ MATTER AT THE O2 LONDON

Derrick Carter @ Apple Store 5th Ave.

Derrick Carter @ Sullivan Room NY

Derrick Carter – LIVE @ DJ Sneak’s Birthday

Derrick Carter @ Crackhouse @ Melkweg Amsterdam

Derrick Carter @ City Hall Barcelona 14.10.06

DJ SNEAK @ Kent private party, Level Club, Bucharest 07.02.2009

DJ Sneak @ Kristal Glam Club – 06.12.2008

DJ Sneak @ Love Hate Lounge Miami WMC 2009

DJ Sneak @ Om Buddha Garden – Miami WMC 2009

DJ Sneak @ Sneak Beats Party in Black Sheep bar WMC’09

DJ Sneak @ Beatport Pool Party WMC 2009

DJ Sneak & Ricardo Villalobos @ Sunwaves 4, Mamaia [Romania] 09.08.2008

DJ Sneak @ Sunwaves 4 – 9 august 2008

Scarlett Etienne @ Studio Martin 08.03.2008

Scarlett Etienne @ Galaxy/Black/red Pure Future 2008

Scarlett Etienne @ Atlantida (10/4/09)

Scarlett Etienne @ Dirty Disco, NYE

James Zabiela @ Kristal Glam Club, Bucharest 19.12.2008

James Zabiela scratching @ Studio K (Miami WMC 2009)

James Zabiela @ Skykitchen Vienna 11.04.2009

James Zabiela – Live @ Studio K in Miami 3/27/09 for WMC 2009

James Zabiela @ Pete Tong’s Pool Party 3.27.09

James Zabiela @ Arenele Romane

Federico Molinari @ TimeWarp 2009

RPR Sound @ Kristal Glam Club, Bucharest 20.12.2008

RPR Sound @ Kristal Glam Club, Bucharest 20.12.2008

RPR @ Sunwaves 03/05/08

Ricardo Villalobos @ Time Warp 2009

Ricardo Villalobos @ Fabric 28/03/2009

Ricardo Villalobos @ Sunwaves 4

Sunwaves 4 Dj Sneak & Ricardo Villalobos 10.08.2008

Sunwaves 4 after hour [a:rpia:r] & Ricardo Villalobos

Ricardo Villalobos @ Arenele Romane Bucharest

Cassy @ Sunday School for Degenerates WMC 09

John Digweed @ Matter, London – Bedrock 10.5 Easter Party 09/04/09

John Digweed live @ Medence Summer Opening – Club Korona, Kecel 13/06/08

John Digweed @ State 27/02/09

John Digweed @ Sunwaves 2008

John Digweed Sunwaves 4 – mamaia black sea

ZIP @ [sunwaves 3] mamaia romania 02.05.2008

Sunwaves 3 – ZIP – 02.05.2008

Tobi Neumann @ The Room, Winterthur Gaswerk [09.04.2009]

System Presents Cocoon Tobi Neumann & Raresh

Meet Tim Green at the Rochester Teen Book Festival!

Five Fun Facts about Tim: 1. I have two King Charles Spaniels, Lucy and Lila. I like Lila best. 2. My favorite authors are Charles Dickens, Cormac McCarthy, and Patrick O’Brien. 3. I weighed 250 pounds when I played in the NFL. I have since slimmed down to 230. 4. My first book took five years to write. I now write three books a year, two for kids and one for grown ups. 5. My favorite places to vacation are Captiva Island, Florida; Big Moose Lake, NY; and Positano, Italy. Books by Tim Green: Football Genius Twelve-year-old Troy has the ability to watch a football game and know what the other team is going to do by computing the complex patterns and variables of their strategy; this soon gets him into trouble…. Football Hero Ty Lewis can’t believe it when he is recruited for the football team. This is Ty’s big chance to prove how fast he is on the field. But Ty’s guardian won’t let him play… he needs Ty to scrub floors and toilets for his cleaning business while he cooks up gambling schemes with the local mob boss. Ty’s fast. Can he outrun the mob?

Meet Linda Sue Park at the Teen Book Festival!

Five Fun Facts about Linda Sue:

1. To keep in shape, I do DDR (Dance Dance Revolution).

2. I once traveled for six weeks in Europe carrying only a small backpack. I wore the same pair of jeans every day. To wash them at the laundromat, I had to put on my bathing suit.

3. I did an event with the actor Colin Farrell. I did not get his autograph, but I did ask him if I could have the paper that he’d written his speech on, and he gave it to me.

4. I love to travel. Here is a list of countries I have visited:

Ireland
England
Wales
France
Denmark
Germany
Switzerland
Spain
Belgium
Netherlands
Brazil
Canada
Korea / North Korea
Japan
Hong Kong
Taiwan
British Virgin Islands
Australia

5. Here is a list of the U.S. states I have NOT visited: Alaska; Alabama: Idaho; Mississippi; Maine; North Dakota; South Dakota. I’ve been to all the rest.

Books by Linda Sue Park:

If you’d like to take advantage of a FREE ride to and from the Teen Book Festival this Saturday (April 4) AND a FREE lunch – you need to have your permission slip in by tomorrow – Tuesday @ 5:00 pm.

You don’t want to miss it!

Meet Sharon Flake at the Teen Book Festival on April 4th!

Did I mention it’s totally FREE?

And that you can get a free ride to and from Nazareth (please visit the Youth Services desk to pick up a parental permission form)?

Five Fun Facts about Sharon:
1. I like to go line dancing several times a week.

2. Candy is my favorite food.

3. Trees make me happy.

4. I love to watch television.

5. I like shopping for food more than I like shopping for clothes.

Books by Sharon Flake:

Bang!
Murders are so common in his neighborhood that Mann and his best friend, Kee-lee, keep a running tally of all the deceased, since no one else seems to be paying attention. Mann escapes reality through painting and horseback riding, but eventually turns to fighting, cheap thrills, and much worse. In a last-ditch effort, his father does the one thing he thinks will teach his son how to survive. Drawing from an ancient African tradition, he abandons Mann and Kee-lee in the woods, leaving them to navigate their way home, alone. Can they survive? What will happen if Mann chooses the wrong path?

Begging for Change
Raspberry Hill, who once was homeless, vowed never to end up on the streets again. To her, money equals security. But when a troubled neighborhood teenager attacks her mother, Raspberry is desperate for things in her life to change and ends up stealing from her best friend. But nothing good comes from bad money. And as her thoughts alternate between the two men in her life-as her relationship with Sato blossoms and her relationship with her drug-addicted father erodes-Raspberry must finally confront the biggest of all her fears: is she really much different from her thieving father after all? How will her friends react when they find out what she’s done? Raspberry is certain…something’s got to change. (Sequel to Money Hungry)

Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street
Queen is a royal pain in the neck. Her Highness treats everyone as though they were her loyal subjects: her classmates, her teacher, even her parents! When a new kid comes to school, riding a broken bike and wearing run-over shoes, he immediately becomes the butt of all the jokes. Her parents insist she be nice to Leroy, but Queen does not see why she should. Leroy is not just smelly; Queen thinks that he tells fibs. And when he says he is an African prince from Senegal, sparks begin to fly. Queen is determined to prove that Leroy is an impostor. But along the way, Queen learns the unexpected from her Broken Bike Boy what being a good friend and happily ever after really mean.

Money Hungry
Thirteen-year-old Raspberry Hill is starved for money. She will do just about anything legal to get her hands on the almighty dollar. Memories of being homeless, sleeping in the streets, and eating from handouts keep her eye on the only prize that matters to her: cold, hard cash.

Skin I’m In
Maleeka suffers every day from the taunts of the other kids in her class. If they are not getting at her about her embarrassing home-made clothes or her good grades at school, it is about her dark, black skin – a deeper shade than any of theirs. When a new teacher, whose face is blotched with a startling white patch, starts at their school, Maleeka can see there is bound to be trouble for her too. But the new teacher’s attitude surprises Maleeka. Miss Saunders loves the skin she is in. Can Maleeka too?

Who Am I Without Him?: Short Stories About Girls and the Boys in Their Lives
There is “The Ugly One,” whose only solace comes when she is locked inside her own head. In “Wanted: A Thug,” a teenager seeks advice on how to steal her best friend’s bad-guy boyfriend. And then there’s Erika, who only likes white boys. Meet these and other characters you will never forget in this captivating collection of stories.

Come and meet Matt de la Pena at the Teen Book Festival on April 4th!

Five Fun Facts about Matt:

1. Throughout elementary school I kept the same Sunday night ritual: After dinner I’d sit outside with my dog, Peanut, and sing her the Love Boat theme song. And I have to say, I sang it rather well.

2. I’ve never worn a watch in my life. Not even once.

3. My dream car is a brand new Honda Accord. Black. With a CD player. I’d take an Accord over any luxury car on the market.

4. I haven’t had health insurance in 6 years. My mom is NOT happy about this.

5. I was a major reluctant reader in high school. It wasn’t until college that I fell for books. And it all started with The Color Purple.

Ball Don’t Lie

Sticky is a beat-around-the-head foster kid with nowhere to call home but the street, and an outer shell so tough that no one will take him in. He started out life so far behind the pack that the finish line seems nearly unreachable. He’s a white boy living and playing in a world where he doesn’t seem to belong. But Sticky can ball. And basketball might just be his ticket out . . . if he can only realize that he doesn’t have to be the person everyone else expects him to be.

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Mexican WhiteBoy

Danny is tall and skinny. Even though he is not built, his arms are long enough to give his pitch a power so fierce any college scout would sign him on the spot. A 95 mph fastball, but the boy is not even on a team. Every time he gets up on the mound he loses it. But at his private school, they do not expect much else from him. Danny is brown. Half-Mexican brown. And growing up in San Diego that close to the border means everyone else knows exactly who he is before he even opens his mouth. Before they find out he cannot speak Spanish, and before they realize his mom has blond hair and blue eyes, they have got him pegged. Danny is convinced it is his whiteness that sent his father back to Mexico. And that is why he is spending the summer with his dad’s family. Only, to find himself, he might just have to face the demons he refuses to see right in front of his face.

Meet Ellen Hopkins at the TEEN BOOK FESTIVAL on April 4th!