Kate Kacvinsky focuses on realistic love stories, where relationships have rocky, uncertain beginnings. The protagonists of her latest novel, First Comes Love (Houghton Harcourt, 2012), don’t fall in love at first sight—in fact, they don’t even like each other. However, Kacvinsky wants readers to see that surviving tough, challenging times is what makes romances so rich and rewarding.

Lurlene McDaniel, a RITA Award winner and author of several IRA-CBC Children’s Choice Award books, is no stranger to romance, but her upcoming book, Year of Luminous Love (Random, 2013), the first in a new series, explores different kinds of love, such as parental love, affection, and the highest form of love: transcendent love. While her books deal with tough subjects, such as romance in the face of sickness and death, she believes that they resonate with teens because of the encouraging message that love can triumph over anything—even death.

Earl Sewell, the author of the “Keysha and Friends” (Kimani TRU) books, says many of his fans turn to his novels for advice in navigating the strange new territory of first love. In addition to relationship drama, he also addresses current themes that readers can relate to, such as social media or the Internet. His latest, Back to Me (Kimani TRU, 2012), explores the dangers of sexting when the naked photo a girl sends to her boyfriend goes viral.

Miranda Kenneally, author of Catching Jordan (2011) and Stealing Parker (2012) and co-editor of Dear Teen Me (Zest, 2012), says her books give young readers hope for the future. Her upcoming Things I Can’t Forget (2012, all Sourcebooks/Fire, 2013) deals with a Christian girl who finds love even after committing what she believes to be the worst sin imaginable–helping her best friend get an abortion.

While the panelists address dark and difficult themes in their work, they all expressed the need to give fans a positive message, with McDaniel concluding that, “Hope is what we’ve got down here.”

Other SLJ SummerTeen Interviews:

• Gareth Hinds
• Earl Sewell
• A.S. King
• Johan Harstad
• Barry Lyga
• Sean Michael Wilson
• Peter Hautman
• Karen Healey
• Cecil Castellucci
• Julie Kagawa
• Katie Kacvinsky
• Marissa Meyer

If you’ve signed up for SummerTeen, make sure to gather your students to hear Sewell speak on the “Who Will Mend This Broken Heart” panel from 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. EST.

Moderator Terri Clark, who’s also a librarian and author, says the panel—which also includes Katie Kacvinsky, Miranda Kenneally, and Lurlene McDaniel—will cover a range of romance titles, from realistic and light or realistic and dark to paranormal romcoms.

“The beauty of romance/relationship novels is that they never go out of style,” Clark says. “There is always a desire for R&R stories among teens. Especially love stories. Teens want to experience the first blush of romantic love, whether it’s something they’ve experienced themselves or have only imagined and yearned for.”

SummerTeen takes place August 9 between 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EST and includes an impressive lineup of the hottest names in YA lit—including Barry Lyga, Garth Nix, A.S. King, and Maggie Stiefvater—all talking about a range of topics that school and youth services librarians care about.

Keep an eye out for more of these interviews with SummerTeen authors in the days and weeks ahead.

How did you end up writing about teen relationships and romance?

Sewell: Good question. When I was a teenager, I specifically remember going to both my high school and my community library in search of books with contemporary storylines I could relate to. Unfortunately, not much was available. I made a boyhood promise to myself, that if I became an author, I would write books that kids like me would enjoy. When an opportunity to write in this genre came my way, I immediately knew the type of story I wanted to write. I suppose the answer to the question would be, I always knew I’d write young adult books, and when the opportunity arrived, I was ready.

What do you like best about writing for a YA audience?

Sewell: I love the feedback I receive from teen readers. I constantly get emails from readers expressing how much they love the series and its characters. Readers always want to know when I’ll be finished with the next installment. I can’t seem to write the novels fast enough for them.

What kind of feedback do you get from teens and librarians about your work?

Sewell: I’ve been told on more than one occasion by various librarians that teen patrons love my books-and that they’re always checked out.

How valuable are librarians in getting the word out about your work?

Sewell: As a college student, I worked for the Palatine Public Library [in Illinois] and saw firsthand how much patrons appreciated good recommendations by librarians. Without the support of librarians, teens would not know about my work. I am eternally thankful to all of the librarians who decided to order not only my titles, but other Kimani Tru titles. The fact that my titles are always checked out not only lets a librarian know they’ve made a good purchase choice, but they’re also inspiring young people to read.

What are you working on now?

Sewell: I’m working on the next book in my “Keysha and Friends” series called, Way Too Much Drama.

Other SLJ SummerTeen Interviews:

Gareth Hinds