Hi all! Well, I've been busily working on several projects. One is a new novel about a crystal meth addict and her road to recovery, called TWEAKED, which I'm currently shopping around.

Another project is one I'm revisiting -- A novel about teen pregnancy called, I'M PREGNANT, MR. SPARKS, which is about a teenager who has an affair with a teacher and becomes pregnant... and her subsequent conflicts over what to do about it. She is conflicted over whether to keep the baby, especially since her best friend is pushing her towards abortion. After a discussion with the baby's father, the protagonist, Amy, is conflicted even more.

I recently read in an issue of SCBWI's magazine that teachers, librarians, and young adults are interested in more novels dealing with teen pregnancy, so I've decided to revisit this book, which was lacking a lot of conflict and character-building issues in the first draft. As my husband and I consider whether to have another child, I find I have fodder for a lot more conflict for my main character. Between that and humanizing the teacher/father character, I hope to have a new, improved, and marketable book in the next month or so, I'll keep you posted!

As for my previously published work, CROSSES is still doing especially well. I have found by looking at Amazon that it's a little tricky finding where to buy available copies. First type "shelley stoehr" into the search engine. When my books come up, under "Crosses", click on "see all copies", then choose the copy with the green cover.

Or, you can order via a link from my site at www.shelleystoehr.com, or go directly to iUniverse.com. barnesandnoble.com and other online bookstores also have copies of CROSSES and my other books.

If you haven't read them, take a look at LOVE AND SEX, edited by Michael Cart, and LOST AND FOUND, edited by Jerry and Helen Weiss. I have short stories in both of those anthologies, and the other stories in the anthologies are also wonderful.

Last September, I appeared on several radio talk shows and most significantly, on "Real Life With Mary Amoroso", which airs on comcast Cable's CN8 at 6pm weeknights, and I understand my episode on cutting and CROSSES is occasionnally rerun.

Love to you all, and thank you for your continued support.
-- Shelley

Selected Works

Young Adult Fiction

Crosses
Nancy and Katie are best friends with one big thing in common -- they both cut themselves, “Not by accident, we do it purposely -- and regularly -- because physical pain is comforting, and because now it has become a habit.”

Weird on the Outside
When sixteen-year-old Tracey runs away she finds that making ends meet in New York City for a young girl with few real skills is nearly impossible. That’s when Tracey becomes Amanda, a topless dancer.

Tomorrow Wendy
“I’ve discovered that if you wear a big enough hat, no one worries much about what’s going on inside your head,” says Cary. And no one, not even her boyfriend, Danny, knows about the things inside Cary’s head. Especially the feelings she has for Wendy, a girl with bright green hair and hard-candy sadness in her eyes.

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