Twitter Tuesdays - KIRKUS review!

I know advanced copies of my book are out there floating about. I know folks are forming opinions of my story, as well as me and who I am as a writer. I've gotten two wonderful blurbs from writers I admire, I've gotten praise from my family and friends, and even some of my contemporaries in the YA writing biz seem to have enjoyed the read.

But I forgot about the reviewers. You know, the people who don't know me and have a responsibility to their followers to tell the absolute truth. I survived Publisher's Weekly. And now... Kirkus! From what I hear, the folks at Kirkus don't pull punches, don't sugarcoat things, and aren't afraid to tell it like it really is. For all of those reasons, I am humbled beyond measure by their words:

The Queen of Kentucky

By Alecia Whitaker

Jaunaury 2012/ Ages 12 & Up/ $17.99

ISBN: 978-0-316-12506-2

Set in small-town Kentucky, this coming-of-age story depicts the ups and downs of 14-year-old Ricki Jo Winstead as she tries on a new identity.

High school is about to start, and Ricki Jo seizes the opportunity to reinvent herself. The first thing she does is ditch her “plain ol” name, taking on the new, more sophisticated (to her ears) moniker of Ericka. Swiftly getting the lay of the high-school land, Ricki Jo decides that she wants to move with the popular girls. She tries out for cheerleading rather than band, buys hipper clothing, and jettisons the real Bible for that subversive gospel according to Seventeen. Her new friends are a little faster than she’s used to, and she begins a rather daring (for her) flirtation with the handsome-and-he-knows-it David Wolfenbaker. All these changes displease her neighbor and best friend, Luke Foster, a grounded guy who is struggling with the more serious issue of his father’s alcoholism and abuse. In her debut, Whitaker paints a vivid, finely detailed picture of life in the sometime-hardscrabble heartland. But what draws the reader in is the chaotic precision of her characters, youngsters who are conflicted and frequently inconsistent, yet feel rounded and real.

Solid, just like its setting.

I've only read this review about twenty-five hundred times. Isn't this amazing? The last line is my favorite. Ahhhh. You must be a subscriber to see it on their website, but two weeks before the release of my book, it'll be available on their site to anyone. Of course, I'll post the link then. I can't wait til everyone can read The Queen of Kentucky. I share Ricki Jo with you all in a month and a half. Hurray! As I type, my awesome publicist from Little, Brown and I are lining up events in New York and Kentucky for January. I hope you'll all come out and celebrate with me!  xoxo