Welcome to our weekly special feature post, Author Of The Week!!

Each week we will be interviewing a different YA author and highlighting their upcoming release!

We will also be hosting a giveaway of the book we are highlighting!!

Introducing Brandy Colbert , YABC's Author of the Week!!

Brandy Colbert is the award-winning author of Little & Lion, Pointe, Finding Yvonne, and the forthcoming The Revolution of Birdie Randolph. Her short fiction and essays have been published in several critically acclaimed anthologies for young people. She lives and writes in Los Angeles.

Website * Twitter * Instagram

Meet Finding Yvonne!

Since she was seven years old, Yvonne has had her trusted violin to keep her company, especially in those lonely days after her mother walked out on their family. But with graduation just around the corner, she is forced to face the hard truth that she just might not be good enough to attend a conservatory after high school.

Full of doubt about her future, and increasingly frustrated by her strained relationship with her successful but emotionally closed-off father, Yvonne meets a street musician and fellow violinist who understands her struggle. He's mysterious, charming, and different from Warren, the familiar and reliable boy who has her heart. But when Yvonne becomes unexpectedly pregnant, she has to make the most difficult decision yet about her future.

Amazon * B & N * Indiebound

YABC:  What do you like most about the cover of the book?

I truly love everything about it! It's my first book with a black girl on the cover, which means so much. I love the name necklace and the fact that it's illustrated, which are my favorite types of covers. Everything about it is gorgeous and I feel lucky to have it represent my book.

YABC:   What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

I don't want to spoil anything, but it's the last chapter of the book. It's an unconventional happy ending, but it is the happiest ending for the main character, and I'm proud of that.

YABC:  Who is your favorite character in the book?

I love Yvonne with my whole heart, but a close second is her dad, Sinclair. He's complex and uber-talented, and he's a character who always makes you wonder what he's thinking.

YABC:  Which came first, the title or the novel?

The novel! Titles are difficult for me, so the book almost always comes first. 

YABC:   What new release are you looking most forward to in 2018?

I'm very much looking forward to Home and Away by Candice Montgomery, Damsel by Elana K. Arnold, and A Room Away From the Wolves by Nova Ren Suma.

YABC:  What was your favorite book in 2017?

There were so many good books, it's hard to choose just one! But some of my favorites were Calling My Name by Liara Tamani, Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman, and Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson.

YABC:   Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: drafting or revising?

Hmmm, I go back and forth with my opinion on this. I love the newness and freedom that comes with drafting and how the story has the potential to go so many different ways. But I also love how I'm refining and getting to the heart of the story during revision.

YABC:  What's up next for you?

I have another novel coming out in August 2019 from Little, Brown called The Revolution of Birdie Randolph. It's set in Chicago, and the main character lives with her family above her mother's hair salon. She's navigating first love, burgeoning independence, and secrets that will change everything she thought she knew. I love it and hope readers will, too!

Finding Yvonne

By: Brandy Colbert

Publisher: Little, Brown BYR

Release Date: April 7th, 2018

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS* 

One winner will receive a signed copy of Finding Yvonne (Brandy Colbert) ~ (US Only)

*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*

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