Lock and Key Contest!

To celebrate the paperback release of Lock and Key (on May 14th) and my new community site Sarah-land (open now!) I'm having a CONTEST. Here's the idea. We got to thinking about the idea of Sarahland, and what it really means: to me, it's the idea that I've always tried to make my books take place, well, anywhere. Sure, there's Lakeview, and Colby, but in my mind, it could just as easily be your town, or my town, or anytown. So with that in mind, we'd like to see what Sarahland looks like where YOU are. Confused? Don't be. Here's the idea: take a picture of something where YOU live that reminds you of one of my books. Here are a few examples, from MY hometown:




Here's how you enter:
1. Take a picture, add your own quotes or text.
2. Send it in an email (as an attachment) to sarah at sarah dessen dot com. You'll receive an autoresponse, which will let you know we got your entry. Put your full name in the body of the email.
3.The photos must be original (we'll disqualify any that look like they are stock images, sorry). By sending us your image, you give us permission to post it on Sarah-land, my blog, and my Facebook fan page.
4. Deadline for entries is MIDNIGHT on Sunday, May 10th. We'll pick our favorites and announce winners on or around May 14th, when Lock and Key is published in paperback.

FIRST PRIZE: A lock and key necklace, USWIM t-shirt, signed copy of Lock and Key AND advance copy of Along for the Ride
SECOND PRIZE: USWIM shirt and signed copy of Lock and Key, advance copy of Along for the ride
THIRD PRIZE: Signed copies of Lock and Key and Along for the Ride
Good luck!

check out an excerpt!

Here's a quick clip of me reading an excerpt from Along for the Ride. Hope you enjoy it!

January reading!

I'm doing a reading for the UNC Friends of the Library on January 29th, at 5pm, on the UNC Campus. For more details, go here. Hope to see you there!

As promised...

The cover for my ninth book, ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

It will be released in June 2009. More details to come!

November appearance!

I'll be doing a benefit for the Women's Center of Chapel Hill on November 6th with the AMAZING Lee Smith, author of On Agate Hill, The Last Girls and Fair and Tender Ladies. Lee and I are old friends, so it should be a great time. For more info on tickets and times, check out the Women's Center Website.

This just in...

....I will have a NEW book out in Summer 2009. It's going to be called ALONG FOR THE RIDE and I'll post more details here---and a cover---as soon as I have them. Stay tuned!

(Here is an article from PW with a few more details....)

reading at Durham County Library

I'll be reading at the North Regional Library in Durham this coming Saturday, the 21st, at 2pm. (It's located at 221 Milton Road.) So if you're looking for something cool to do during this hot summer, come out and say hello....

Lock and Key now a bestseller!

Thanks to EVERYONE who came out for my appearances, Lock and Key hit the New York Times Bestseller list at #2. Hooray! I am so grateful to all of you for your support and kind words, you have no idea.

I'm home now, done with the traveling, and trying to unpack while chasing around my daughter, who just learned to crawl and is now FAST. I'm exhausted! But in a good way.

Oops, there she goes again. Gotta go! Thanks again!

Lock and Key reading dates!

So I finally have the go ahead to post my reading dates for Lock and Key. They are:


Monday April 21, 7:00PM
Regulator Bookshop
720 Ninth Street
Durham NC 27705
919-286-2700

Friday, April 25, 4:30PM
Politics & Prose
5015 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington DC 2000
202-364-1919

Thursday May 1, 3:30 PM
Barnes & Noble #1955
7660 North Point Parkway
Alpharetta GA 30022
770-993-2770

Thursday May 1, 7:00 PM
Georgia Center for the Book/Margaret Mitchell House
Event held at The Decatur Library
215 Sycamore Street
Decatur GA 30030
404-814-2064

Saturday May 3, 3:00PM
Quail Ridge Books & Music
3522 Wade Avenue
Raleigh NC 27607
919-828-7912

Sunday May 18, 2:00PM
McIntyre’s Fine Books
2000 Fearrington Village Center
Pittsboro NC 27312
919-545-5727

It's not a ton of dates, as I can't bear to leave my baby for too long, but I hope some of you can come out to say hello...

Upcoming April Reading!

Okay, so I am FINALLY getting back into the swing of things, with Lock and Key coming out April 22nd. And I can't think of a better way to start than with a reading at one of my very favorite places, UNC-Chapel Hill. The details:

When: Saturday, April 5, 10am
Where: Hanes Art Auditorium, on the UNC Campus

You can get more info and directions here.

Info on other upcoming events coming soon.....

read an excerpt from Lock and Key!

Happy New Year!

Things are starting to gear up for the release of my newest novel, Lock and Key, which will be published on April 22nd. I'll have lots of stuff to tell you about as the date gets closer, but for now, you can read the first chapter
here. Just scroll down and click on FEATURES.

Hope you enjoy it! And stay tuned, more news to come.......

the latest!

So it's been a busy few weeks, with two big arrivals. First, the birth of my daughter, Sasha, in early September. And then, shortly afterwards, I finally got the go ahead to share the cover of Lock and Key, which you see above. It'll be out in April 2008. Nice, isn't it?

Okay, back to diaper changing and catching up on sleep.....

new book update!

I've been hearing from a lot of people lately who want to know if I'm working on a new book. The answer is yes. It's called Lock and Key, and it will be out in April 2008. Because we're still in the early stages, I don't have a cover to share yet, but if you're interested, check out
this blog entry for a brief plot synopsis. I promise to post more info as I have it.

Now, back to summer, while it lasts.....

Just Listen now in stores in the UK!

A quick Independence Day update to let you know that Just Listen is now available in the UK. Check your local bookstore, or visit the Amazon page here. Also, if you're on Facebook, join the group Just Listen by Sarah Dessen to chat with other fans.

Have a great holiday!

beginning of summer update!

Well, it's officially summer, and therefore, I figured, time for an update. First, I'm excited to say that Just Listen will be released in the UK in July, featuring the awesome new cover you see to the left. It's already getting some great buzz, so if you're a Brit or in the area traveling, look for it in your local bookstore.

I won't be doing any appearances for a little while, because....I'm pregnant. Yup, due at the end of the summer. Never fear, though: there WILL be a new book from me, in April of 2008. We're editing it right now, and it's going to be called Lock and Key. I'll be posting a cover as soon as we have one.

Thanks again for everyone for all the support. Have a great summer!

NYC reading!

Finally! After ten years and seven books, I'm doing my first ever bookstore reading in New York:

Wednesday, May 9th

7 pm

Barnes & Noble #2906
240 East 86th Street

Come out if you can. Hope to see you there!

NCTE signings...

I've been pretty much reclusive in the last few weeks, as I've been focusing on writing, but I will be at the NCTE conference in Nashville the weekend of November 17-19th. So if you're attending, come say hello at one of my signings:

Saturday, Nov. 18th:

10am: Penguin Young Readers Group, Booth #308

11am: Permabound, Booth #316

I'll also be doing an author strand on Friday afternoon, and a panel at the ALAN program on Monday morning. Hope to see you there!

Upcoming Fall Reading!

On Tuesday, September 19th, I'll be doing a reading at UNC-Chapel Hill, my alma mater, former employer, and, pretty much, one of my favorite places in the whole wide world. It's at 12:30pm, in Donovan Lounge, which is in Greenlaw Hall, home of the English Department. Come out if you can!

the end of summer....

...or, close to it, so I don't have much to report as I am making the most of what is left of this, my favorite season. As of this writing, Just Listen has been on the NYT Bestseller list for an amazing 17 weeks. Which is about 17 more than I ever dared to hope for. Thank you to EVERYONE who has supported this book, and me, this year. It means more than you could ever know.

Come fall, I hope to have exciting news to share---including the possibility of Just Listen coming to a TV set near you---and more appearances to post. Until then, I'll just be catching up on my sleep, reading, and, of course, Veronica Mars, all of which you can hear about, if you're so inclined, over at my journal. See you in the fall!

Cape Cod appearances!

Though I am winding down my appearances for Just Listen, I'll be doing two bookstore events in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, at the end of July:

Tuesday, July 25th, 10am. The Brewster Bookshop, Brewster, MA.

Thursday, July 27th, 7pm. Eight Cousins Bookstore, Falmouth, MA.

hope to see you there!