First off: Some other authors on a SCBWI British listserv I’m on had passed around a link this morning from a blogger who was lambasting the current state of YA and one author in particular (no, not me and no, I’m not going to link to it here because a) while I think there were some good points, it was just really vitriolic and kind of nasty and b) I’ve not even read the author in question, so I can’t really comment on the validity of her statements and c) well, just keep on reading…). It was just the latest hugely negative thing I’ve seen lately. There have been, actually, too many to list, from the supposed YA Mafia to authors blasting bloggers to bloggers blasting authors to…you get the idea. I’m kind of sick of it.

I thought it would be nice to talk about something positive instead. Maybe a whole series of “something positive” posts. Who knows.

So, today, lemme tell you about the awesome Kristin Tubb.

She’s a really awesome author who writes mostly middle grade fiction. Her latest, Selling Hope looks incredible and her first, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different I was lucky enough to read before it hit shelves. She was also nice enough to read and comment on Sucks to Be Me for me back when it was still called This Bites. Or maybe it was To Suck or Not to Suck back then, I can’t remember.

I’ve never met Kristin in person. I’ve never met a lot of writers that I consider friends in person (conversely, I’ve met some in person that I totally idolize but wouldn’t dare to call myself a friend of). But I know from e-mails and Twitter and Facebook and all of those other things that make up our lives today that she’s just plain one of the nicest people out there, bar none. For heaven’s sake, she used to write Holly Hobbie books (I’m not kidding)!

I appreciate people like that. I hope you do too.

And guess what? You’re in luck. Because you can check out a special sneak peek of Kristin’s next book, The 13th Sign at her blog. I can’t wait to read it.