“13 To Life” - A Tale Of Teenage Love, Loss And Werewolves

By Author: Shannon Delany
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I'm a Cyber Cinderella, Delany confesses. If it hadn't been for Textnovel.com I'd probably still be just poking at my story ideas instead of seeing my first novel—the first in a series being format) is already being enjoyed by readers of all ages. From nine years old to those in their forties and fifties—it seems like it gives people a much needed escape, Delany says. And published by a major NYC house—release June 22.

13 to Life, which has been called, your next fiction addiction, by bestselling author Ann Aguirre and a new spin on an old legend, by NYT bestseller Maria V. Snyder (both of whom read it in an advanced reader copy that's what I hope it does: Give people an escape and encourage them to ask the questions the narrator, and her behavior, raises.

So what's it all about? 13 to Life is a tale of teenage love, loss and—oh, yeah—werewolves, Delany says with a smirk. People are quick to say it's a werewolf story, but really, it's the story of a girl who has lost someone very dear to her and how she struggles to move forward. When she meets Pietr (pronounced Peter) she starts ...
... to wake up from the nightmare she's been wallowing in. And, as she starts to really think about the issues dogging her, she realizes he has issues of his own, including an understanding of tragedy which binds them together.

Since winning Textnovel 2008, things have moved quickly for Delany. We handled interest from a movie producer and a couple publishers soon after I won. Luckily my winnings included an agent, Stan Soper of Soper Literary Agency, and he handled the interested parties while I typed my fingers off fleshing out the sparse prose style that's more common in cell phone novels. I wanted 13 to Life to be a quick, consumable read, but in a more traditional style of prose, too. It was a stylistic compromise of sorts. And as soon as I had the manuscript complete, we sent it forward.

Delany went with St. Martin's Press (an imprint of Macmillan). I was impressed with their interest, quick response and communication skills. It's paid off. I work with some of the very best people in the publishing industry.

13 to Life has a release date of June 22, 2010 from St. Martin's Griffin. Shannon Delany can be found online at http://www.ShannonDelany.com and http://13toLife.us/blog and through Twitter at http://Twitter.com/Shannon_Delany.com.