To my very dear friend Elizabeth Scott, on the official release of her first novel, Bloom! It’s a wonderful, thoughtful, beautifully observed YA novel, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Here’s Michele Jaffe’s blurb for the book:

Finely drawn, honest, sweet and charming, Bloom is like getting a beautifully wrapped gift — it’s lovely to start with and just gets better as you tear into it.

See? I’m telling you, it’s good stuff — and her forthcoming books are going to be just as good.

Elizabeth’s also been running book giveaway contests on her blog in preparation for the release, which is an excellent idea, and a very collegial thing to do, I think. Anyway, I’m so happy for her that I could burst, and I can’t wait to get my hands on my own copy. BookPeople has it in stock, so this weekend, it shall be mine. (Unless my work eats me first.)

Congratulations, E!