Lovely Little Shelf

So I know that my little “YA week” has stretched on a little bit more than a week, but I still have 1 review to do and 2 blog posts I’ve been thinking about, so this is more like “YA week-and-a-half.” So. Deal with it. I’m not super prompt like all of you. Also, I prioritize naps over blogging about 3/4ths of the time.

Anyway! I mentioned on Friday that kind of what I love most about YA is the community that has formed between authors and readers. Part of that is the blog-world and Twitter. Maybe I’ll fill you in on some killer blogs later, but for today: Twitter!

I was pretty Twitter shy and didn’t get it for a LONG time. More than once I started posting on there then got overwhelmed and snuck out. Six months ago or so I became one of the last people on the planet to get a smartphone and then I was totally sold on Twitter. I can check it while pushing a stroller and I love that.

There are a LOT of YA authors that are really active on Twitter, but I’m just going to talk a little bit about my Top 5. Here goes!

1. Rachel Hawkins- @LadyHawkins- She is hilarious. I love that she writes about more than writing- she writes about her life. Sometimes I get confused and think that she is my BFF. Yesterday she tweeted about the PTA. And Mindy Kailing. See? We should be best friends.

2. Stephanie Perkins- @naturallysteph- If you guys haven’t noticed over the last week, I have something of a girl-crush on Stephanie. She posts about writing, and her life, and is really quick to respond to tweets from other people. A couple days ago she tweeted about Arrested Development and my girl-crush was cemented. We should swap BFF necklaces or something.

3. Maureen Johnson- @maureenjohnson- Can I make a confession? I’ve never read a Maureen Johnson book. I don’t know why, I just haven’t. So being a Twitter follower kind of makes me feel a little sleazy, like maybe I should, you know, read one. (Note to authors: This is why Twitter is a good idea for you.) Anyway, I would say that Maureen Johnson is one of the most active Tweeters in my feed. Girl TWEETS. Seriously. I don’t really know when she sleeps. I love the updates on her life and how she turns little events in to these huge-Twitter-extravaganzas. It’s kind of fun.

4. Libba Bray- @libbabray- Libba was one of the first “famous” people that I followed and probably one of the reasons that I love Twitter so much. She is just kind of wonderful. She tweets a lot about life and her kids and her writing process. She is just witty and fun and I just love how she oozes love for her life and job. And she says “booze” a lot, so you know I love her.

5. Sarah Dessen- @sarahdessen- I really love Sarah Dessen. I do. She is so sweet. Every once in awhile she’ll get a little snarky, but mostly her feed is glittery and rainbowy and kitties and puppies and stuff. Twitter can be a depressing place at times, so she’s kind of a breath of fresh air. This is my happy feed.

And there you go!

Oh wait, I’m forgetting someone, you say?

You are right.

Grand Prize Winner: John Green- @realjohngreen- *Sigh* I love John Green. I have friends that also love John Green and it took me awhile to come over, but once I did… man alive. Seriously, between his Twitter feed, his tumblr, his blog and YouTube, this dude is all over the place…. and I still get excited for the little JG fixes that come via Twitter. Right now he is signing every pre-order of his new book, so most of his feed is about that, but it never gets old. One of those is mine, so sign on, buddy! I love the little community that he has built up and how thoughtful he is in response to questions/comments from readers. I could go on and on, but here it is: He is wonderful and if you’re not following him on Twitter, maybe just go ahead and leave. I’m not sure we can be friends.