I'm incredibly excited to celebrate the publication of Helen Landalf's wonderful debut young adult novel FLYAWAY, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, in stores today! If you've attended a conference with me over the past few years, you probably heard me speak about a special novel involving a headstrong girl named Stevie and a mother making the wrong choices. It was a long road from Helen's initial submission and today's release, but I'm happy to say it's been worth the wait to see this heartfelt story finally out and available to the public.From the publisher: "Stevie Calhoun knows how to take care of herself. It’s not like her mom hasn’t disappeared before. So why is Aunt Mindy making such a big deal of it now? It’s not like Mom’s really doing meth. Stevie makes sure of that. Whatever. She’ll go home with Aunt Mindy if it will keep her from calling Child Protective Services—but it doesn’t mean she’ll stay. Mom will come back. Mom always comes back. And Stevie will be there when she does. But when Stevie meets Alan—frustrating and fascinating and so-different-from-everyone-she-knows Alan—and she starts helping out at the bird rehab center, things begin to look different. Even the tutoring and the ridiculous outfits Aunt Mindy’s forcing her into might not be so bad. Not that Stevie would say it out loud. She can’t. Because how can anything be good if it doesn’t include Mom?" School Library Journal predicted that "Readers will like [Stevie, who] offers hope for the other victims that addiction creations." The Journal Newspapers called the story "Heartbreaking and authentic," and Booklist said, "This first novel of tough love and fighting for one's way in the world...will appeal to many teens." When first reading the story myself, I was particularly drawn to the realistic characters and the authenticity of the world Helen created. FLYAWAY is unlike anything else I represent, but in the best way possible. But don't take our word for it; go buy yourself a copy! It's available now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or check for it at your favorite local independent bookstore. For more information about Helen, head to: http://helenlandalf.com/