SIXTEEN CANDLES is here!!

Hi ladies,
It's here, it's here! The second book in my IT CHICKS series, SIXTEEN CANDLES (Hyperion/Disney, $8.99) hits stores on Tuesday, May 6th! It’s juicy and fabulous and, despite being a book about a bunch of sassy performing arts school kids, it's total grownup guilty pleasure (over-21-year-olds should not feel bad about buying a paperback with pastel balloons and a birthday cake on the cover)! In lieu of giving the whole delicious plot away, I'll just give you a little update on what's been going on with the It-chicks in the month since all their first-week-of-school drama went down:

SKYE: Everyone's favorite diva is turning 16, and her wildly over-the-top party's being filmed for an episode of"My Super Sweet 16!" Hi-jinx involving a near-fatal wardrobe malfunction, an epic love spat, and an It-chicks performance ensue...

TANGIE: When everyone least expects it, the sophomore dancer's secret fling with senior stud Trey Stevens takes a shockingly juicy turn (don't worry, she's still a good girl)! Will CJ implode with jealousy? Quite possibly...

CJ: Besides feeling lovesick, the adorable, graffiti-loving bad boy is riddled with guilt over a scandalous secret that'll change Tangie's life forever. Let's see if he can keep it.

IZZY: The hot-blooded Ethiopian MC and artiste has been disappearing a lot lately--what's she hiding? Well, besides that naughty past...

REGINA: Skye's former sidekick has a new obsession--the cute cameragirl filming the "Sweet 16" episode! Are they BFF's, or something more? Depends on whether or not you believe Lindsay Lohan and Charlotte Ronson spend their time braiding each other's hair.

NICK: The beyond-gorgeous actor boy reluctantly agreed to be Skye's date for her Sweet Sixteen...apparently, she's the last one to hear those pesky rumors!

Okay, that's all I'm giving away! I can't WAIT to hear what you ladies think of the book, so run out and get SIXTEEN CANDLES right away (buy a couple, give them to your niece, your hairstylist's daughter, whoever)! Honestly, I hope you love the book as much as I did writing it. There are a zillion teen series out there, but very few that have brown characters--let alone, ultra-smart, talented, funny brown characters--so, hopefully, we can make a change. Happy reading and guilty-pleasuring, ladies!
xoxo,
Tia
















PS...How cute's this pic of me, Joanne, and the models from the cover shoot?

PPS...To find out more about SIXTEEN CANDLES (and to see ADORABLE illustrations of all the characters, courtesy of my brilliant designer amigo, Kibwe Chase-Marshall), check out the official Myspace page: myspace.com/theitchicks.