Ultimate YA is an organization that promotes young adult (YA) literature and reading. We feature one young adult author every month. Each feature includes a short biography of the author, as well as fun facts and an interview. If you would like to be featured, please send an email inquiry to ultiamteyareadinggroup@gmail.com.
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6. Would you like to be crowned Pumpkin Princess? If so, why?
Sure! I’ve never been crowned anything. Everyone should be crowned once in their life. =D
7. I loved the book cover! But the only thing that I felt was missing were the pumpkins. How do you feel about the book cover?
Haha! Yeah, I noticed that too. It was a super cute cover though! I think they left the pumpkins off so it would have a longer shelf life and not just be faced out for October.
8. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
To write as often as you can and find solid critique partners who will read your work honestly and give good feedback.
9. What are you working on now and what can we expect from you in the future?
Right now my newest YA book, THE PAPARAZZI PROJECT, is on submission. This was a super fun book to write and I think any tabloid loving teen will love it.
10. Do you have any book recommendations for our avid readers?
Anything Meg Cabot or Lauren Myracle. Rhonda Stapleton’s Struck just came out (it’s her fun rom-com three-book series wrapped up in one book) and Kristin Walker’s A Match Made in High School is still one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Her newest, Seven Clues to Winning You, comes out in April.
1. How did you concoct the idea for Just Your Average Princess?
I love pumpkin anything—candles, bread, you name it. I was staring at my pumpkin colored kitchen walls and the idea of a pumpkin patch setting popped into my mind. Then I thought what if you were a teen girl who grew up on an awesome touristy pumpkin patch. And I was off from there.
2. What is the main message or theme you want your readers to take from the book?
When I write I don’t start out thinking of messages to go into a book, but looking back at it, I guess it would be to not judge a book by its cover. Both Milan and Jamie have ideas about each other and treat each other a certain way based on how they appear.
3. What is the best thing about being an author? What is the most challenging?
There are so many wonderful things about being an author but my very favorite is when a teen stops me or sends me an e-mail telling me how much they like one of my books. The most challenging part for me is promotion. It’s a whole other giant part of being an author that falls mostly on our shoulders and there is definitely a learning curve as to what does and doesn’t work.
4. Did you ever have your own pumpkin patch like Jamie?
I wish! I adore all thing pumpkins. But, no. I do live down the street from a pretty cool one.
5. While researching about your previous books, I realized how the design of your website is centered around The Espressologist. For your curious fans, would you ever decide to re-design the website to center around Just Your Average Princess?
Nah, I love the current design. I actually didn’t design it around my first book but around my love of coffee and writing in coffee shops.

Kristina Springer is the author of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS, and the forthcoming JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS. She has a Masters in Writing from DePaul University and she resides in a suburb of Chicago with her husband and children.
Happy New Year, bookworms! We shall begin 2012 with KRISTINA SPRINGER! Her novel, Just Your Average Princess, released last fall. The timing may be off, but nonetheless, let’s welcome KRISTINA SPRINGER as our Jan. 2012 Featured Author!
Book summary: Jamie Edwards has loved growing up on her family’s pumpkin patch in Average, IL, and she’s always dreamed of one day being the town’s Pumpkin Princess at the annual Pumpkin Festival. But when her rich and famous cousin, Milan Woods, comes to town and changes everything, Jamie knows she has to expose Milan for who she really is and teach her that life’s not all pumpkins and apple butter at the patch.
In addition, we will give away 3 sets of bookmarks from KRISTINA, as shown before. (Open to U.S. residents only. Sorry, internationals!)
The first 3 lucky bookworms to email their names and mailing addresses to ultimateyareadinggroup@gmail.com will get the bookmark sets! Deadline: January 31, 2012.
BOOKMARK CONTEST—-
Enter this super-easy contest for a chance to win one set of 3 bookmarks from KRISTINA SPRINGER, author of THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, MY FAKE BOYFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS, and the upcoming JUST YOUR AVERAGE PRINCESS.
(This is open to U.S. residents only.)
How to enter:
1) Answer this question: What do you like the most about The Ultimate YA Reading Group?
2) Advertise our Facebook page to other bookworms like yourself on 3 sites—-this can be your Facebook profile, Twitter, blog, etc. Make sure to provide the links as proof.
EMAIL US at ultimateyareadinggroup@gmail.com! We only have 2 sets of these bookmarks, so this is a first-come, first-give!
Winners will be contacted by the admin!