It's happening soon! Sign up for the cover reveal :)

I'm pretty excited about this new book of mine peeps! If you blog at all, sign up with Rich in Variety to reveal the cover on Nov. 30 or join the blog tour in December.

Crawdad is a multi-cultural, contemporary story set in the South. If  you loved Hush Puppy, I think you'll love this one too.

Here's a look at some the inspiration for Crawdad.

Sign up soon!

May Romance Blogfest

Hi and welcome to my bloggy home on the internet :)

I'm excited to be a part of the Romance Blogfest this month and I have several books to share with you!

Read on down the page to learn about my work

and enter the giveaways for Hush Puppy and for my newest novel, Vessel~

Hush Puppy by Lisa T. Cresswell
Featherweight Press, 2013

Hush Puppy is the story of Corrine Lamb, a seventeen year old black girl, and Jamie Armstrong, a poor white boy, living in a backwater North Carolina town. Intelligent Corrine, abandoned by her mother, and artsy Jamie, forced to play football by a redneck father, both dream of leaving their podunk town and never looking back.

Their shared love of literature and a dream of a better life brings them together and a romance blossoms between them in a secret place of their own in the steamy North Carolina woods. When Jamie is involved in the accidental death of a white girl, he's terrified of his abusive father. Corrine takes the blame to protect Jaime, with dire consequences for herself and her dreams of the future. Her life in danger, Corrine's left wondering if Jamie ever cared about her at all.

The events surrounding the death of Trayvon Martin underscore how prevalent fear and hate still is in our country. Sadly, many of the themes explored in Hush Puppy are extremely relevant to today's youth. It's my hope that Hush Puppy is a story not only about poverty and race, but about hope, friendship, and the power of love. Enjoy~

 
                            

~Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive~

Simple and stunning, Hush Puppy is an emotionally powerful story that will stay with readers long after they’ve closed the final page. Crisp, evocative prose and a refreshingly realistic black protagonist make this novel a standout among YA literature. This uncommon YA novel is highly recommended, especially for public and school libraries. The difficult topics the book so deftly addresses are relevant today, and even the day-to-day difficulties of the high school classroom are presented realistically and without dramatic overindulgence.

With a lot of emotion and skill, Cresswell weaves together a story that promotes the power of friendship and the importance of being true to oneself.

Hush Puppy is a sweet, sweet story of conquering prejudices, forgiveness and family, and a reminder that positive perspective, determination, and the support of one special person are enough to overcome whatever trauma life may deal.

To read an excerpt and more about the author, click on over to www.lisatcresswell.com~ You can add her books to your 'to be read' list on Good Reads too!

~Meet Corrine~

My name is Corrine Lamb and my tombstone better not read "Born, lived, and died in Carolville, North Carolina". If I don't get outta this redneck town, go to college, and see the world, I'll be a complete failure. I'll join the Peace Corps if I have to. I live with my grandma, who’s about as protective as it gets. I guess she’s trying to make up for my mama running off and leaving me after daddy died. I had my whole life figured out before Jamie showed up, romancing me with his poetry and books. I never met such a crazy white boy. He’s so wicked smart, but he plays like he’s dumb so his redneck daddy won’t know. I never thought I’d fall for a white boy in a million years. He thinks he can’t go to college, but I’m gonna enter him in a writing contest for a scholarship and he’s gonna win. I just know it. He might be kinda mad when he finds out I took some of his writing, but when he wins, he’ll forget about that, right? I can’t sit by and let him waste his life. It’d be a damn shame.


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Vessel, By Lisa T. Cresswell
Month9Books, May 26, 2015

The sun exploded on April 18, 2112 in a Class X solar storm the likes of which humankind had never seen.

They had exactly nineteen minutes.
Nineteen minutes until a geomagnetic wave washed over the Earth, frying every electrical device created by humans, blacking out entire continents, and every satellite in their sky.

Nineteen minutes to say goodbye to the world they knew, forever, and to prepare for a new Earth, a new Sun.

Generations after solar storms destroyed nearly all human technology on Earth, humans reverted to a middle ages-like existence, books are burned as heresy, and all knowledge of the remaining technology is kept hidden by a privileged few called the Reticents.

Alana, a disfigured slave girl, and Recks, a traveling minstrel and sometimes-thief, join forces to bring knowledge and books back to the human race. But when Alana is chosen against her will to be the Vessel, the living repository for all human knowledge, she must find the strength to be what the world needs even if it's the last thing she wants.

To celebrate the upcoming release of Vessel, I'm running a month-long giveaway for a prize pack that includes a Month9Books insulated tumbler, a Vessel notebook, a tea blend (like the one Recks makes for Alana in the book), a $25 Amazon gift card, and a $10 Starbucks gift card. Be sure to enter!

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Come join me on Goodreads, the best place for readers :)

Pre-order Vessel today!

Meet my Spring 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt Guest ~YA Author Lorie Ann Grover

Happy YA Scavenger Hunt!

Hey YA Scavengers! Thanks for stopping
by my Team Purple Page this week :)
I'm so happy to introduce to you the Spring 2015 YA Scavenger Hunt Authors! We have eight outstanding teams this season. I am going to be a part of #TeamPurple! The Scavenger Hunt runs from April 2nd through April 5th beginning and ending at noon Pacific time on those days. If you've never been a part of the hunt before you should give it a try. It runs like a giant blog hop, introducing you to new YA authors and books along the way. There are tons of prizes including a grand prize for each team. If you win one of the grand prizes you will get a book from each author on that team! For more information and to make sure you get hunt updates, sign up for news on the #YASH website. You don't want to miss out on this fabulous and fun event, but play fast because the hunt is only live for three days.





I'm hosting YA author Lorie Ann Grover for the Scavenger Hunt, author of Hit and Firstborn, Kirkus Starred Review. 

~About the Author~

Lorie Ann Grover is an author of young adult novels including HIT. Hypable calls the work, “a powerful book about tragedy and recovery which shows you both sides of the story, for better or worse.” Her novel FIRSTBORN received a starred review from Kirkus, while LOOSE THREADS was named a Booklist Top 10 Youth First Novel. As a literacy advocate, she is a co-founder of readergirlz, awarded the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading.

~Bonus Material~

I'll let Lorie tell you about her bonus material for the Scavenger Hunt~

When I'm conceptualizing a novel, I often make a vision board for the material. It is my touch point throughout the entire process, from first draft to publication. I try to capture setting, characters, objects, and conflicts. This was my collage for Firstborn.

Very cool idea!!

I also compile a collection on Pinterest to broaden the visual scope during my rewrites. Here are my pins for Firstborn.

Because the impetus for Firstborn was an article on gendercide, the purposeful annihilation of a gender, I created this series by using Polyvore to draw attention to the atrocity. After pinning the collection, Pinterest kindly featured the board in 2014! Here is one example from the group of 30.

 

 

OK Scavengers! I'm pretty good at keeping secrets. Probably 8 times better than average :)

 

 

Click HERE to go to the next TEAM PURPLE blog!