Sarvenaz Tash
Author
news
A Whole Song and Dance is a YALSA Quick Pick!
February 20, 2024
YALSA (The Young Adult Library Services Association) has just announced their 2024 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and A Whole Song and Dance is one of their selections!
This is the second time one of my books is on this list and I couldn't be more thrilled about that honor. Because nothing makes me happier than getting more kids to discover the joy and fun in reading!
Check out the full list here.
New Books News: A Return to Middle Grade!
April 18, 2023
I'm so thrilled to announce my next two books, The Queen of Ocean Parkway and its sequel, coming Fall 2024 and Fall 2025 from Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Pitched as Only Murders in the Building meets When You Reach Me, this book follows 11-year-old Roya Alborzi, podcast host and the daughter of her apartment building's superintendent. When one of Roya's favorite tenants goes missing, she follows the mystery to an enigmatic Coney Island fortune-telling machine and a chance to undo a generation-spanning curse.
I wrote this one for kid-me, my kids, and--I hope--you and your kids too. I can't wait to share it with you!
A Whole Song and Dance releases today!
April 4, 2023
My new YA rom-com, A Whole Song and Dance, releases today from Disney-Hyperion!
This book has got:
- an Iranian-American protagonist
- an ooey, goeey rom-com center
- more musical theater reference than you can shake a Fosse-style leg at
I hope it makes you break out into song! Available now wherever books are sold (and soon to be released in audio).
![A_Whole_Song_and_Dance_CVR[7].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8ab901_25f6f004d9c042158f2d47090e159cb8~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_116,h_174,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/A_Whole_Song_and_Dance_CVR%5B7%5D.jpg)
New Book News!
February 3, 2022
I'm excited to announce a return to YA! My new book (my 7th!), A Whole Song and Dance, will be published by Disney-Hyperion on April 4, 2023.
The rom-com follows NYU college freshman Nasrin Mahdavi as she juggles family, friendship, and romance...all while not being completely honest with her parents about her musical theater major and dreams. I've always said I had all of the passion and none of the talent for musical theater so it's been a joy to write a character who has all of the talent and the passion. I can't wait to share it with all my fellow musical theater nerds next year!
Pandemic Releases...x3!
November 1, 2021
It's been a minute since I updated this newsfeed...and by minute I mean about a couple of years of a global pandemic, ya know. But during this time I've actually somehow had three book releases.
My co-written adult rom-coms Ghosting: A Love Story and Hollywood Ending both released from Kensington, Ghosting in May 2020 and Hollywood Ending in September 2021. This wraps up the Tash Skilton pseudonym and collaboration. And my short story "Battle of the Exes" appeared in the wonderful YA anthology Battle of the Bands, which released in September 2021.
Foreign Sales for Ghosting
January 10, 2020
I'm delighted to announce that Ghosting: A Love Story has sold foreign rights in Germany (Droemer Knaur), Portugal (Leya), the Czech Republic (Grada), France (HarperCollins) and Spain (Versatil), for which the adorable cover can be found on the left! It will also be published in the UK by Piatkus/Little Brown under the title Mismatched in Manhattan. I'm so thrilled that this story will have an international audience.
Ghosting: A Love Story will also be available as an audiobook, my first full-length book to be available in that format!
New Anthology News
August 8, 2019
I'm excited to announce that I will be contributing a short story to Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith's upcoming anthology, Battle of the Bands!
Battle of the Bands will be a series of interconnected stories that take place at--you guessed it--a high school's battle of the bands, told from the perspective of teens running the show, cheering in the audience, and playing in the bands. Contributors include rock stars Jenny Torres Sanchez, Jenn Marie Thorne, Ashley Woodfolk, Katie Cotugno, Jeff Zentner, Brittney Cavallaro, Shaun David Hutchinson, Ashley Poston, Preeti Chhibber, Sarah Smetana, Jay Coles, Jasmine Warga, Motion City Soundtrack's Justin Courtney Pierre, and moi. It will be released in fall 2021.
Announcing My First Book for Adults
July 9, 2019
I'm thrilled to announced the sale of my very first adult book! Ghosting: A Love Story, which was co-written with Sarah Skilton, will be out from Kensington under our joint pen name Tash Skilton.
Ghosting: A Love Story is a rom-com about two rival dating profile ghostwriters who unknowingly spark online as they work on behalf of their clients.
It is the rom-com of our hearts--our love letter to Nora Ephron and Carrie Fisher--and we absolutely can't wait to share it with everyone next summer! For now, you can add it on Goodreads here.
Virtually Yours Has Been Released
June 4, 2019
My fourth book is officially out in the world. It's about freshman year of college/13th grade, not being over your ex, common room movies, roommates and new friends, sibling shorthand, the possibilities of VR and AI, and the power of finding yourself in the guise of finding love.
Most of all, it's a fun rom-com! I hope you'll consider checking it out.
New Book News
April 24, 2018
I'm excited to announce that I will have a new YA novel called Virtually Yours published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in Summer 2019!
Virtually Yours is about a college freshman who tries out a new VR dating app, only to be matched up with the high school ex she's still not over. It was pitched as a rom-com Black Mirror.
The Radical Element Receives a Kirkus Star
December 11, 2017
Feminist historical YA anthology The Radical Element--which features my short story "The Belle of the Ball"--has received a starred review from Kirkus!
They write:
"Editor Spotswood offers a collection of historical stories about young women, bold and brave, many who traverse territory slated only for men...A needed collection to broaden understanding of the many different faces of history. "
Read the full review here.
Geek's Guide Is a 2017 YALSA Quick Pick
January 24, 2017
YALSA (The Young Adult Library Services Association) has just announced their 2017 Top 10 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love is one of their selections!
I am absolutely floored and honored to have my book on this prestigious list, which was chosen by a committee of librarians from over 150 nominated titles. The goal of the list is to identify titles aimed at encouraging reading among teens who dislike to read for any reason. Reading for pleasure has always meant so much to me and to have my book distinguished as a gateway book for discovering that pleasure is a dream come true.
Check out the full top 10 list here.
Geek's Guide Makes Best Books of 2016 Lists
December 28, 2016
I feel so honored that several bloggers and reviewers have selected The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love as one of the best books of the year!
Reviewers and sites that chose Geek's Guide as one of their favorite reads of the year include: Amazon, Barnes & Noble Teen Blog, Andi's ABCs, A Page with a View, The Reader and the Chef, Prose and Kahn, Downright Dystopian, Broke by Books, and Awkwordly Emma.
The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love has been my most personal and deeply-felt book I've written to date. It truly means a lot to me that readers are connecting with it (and even more that they're finding it funny).
The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love Is an Amazon Best Book of 2016
November 20, 2016
I'm so thrilled to announce that The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love has been selected as one of Amazon's Best Books of 2016!
Amazon editors selected only 20 books to top their Young Adult category and Geek's Guide made the cut. It's in amazing company with bestselling authors like Nicola Yoon, Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo and more.
The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love Has Been Released
June 14, 2016
The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love is now out in the world and available wherever books are sold!
The book has been selected as one of Amazon's best books of the month. It has also made Best Summer Reading lists from Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Barnes & Noble, Bustle, Bookish and more.
GGTUL Is a Best Summer Book
April 15, 2016
The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love has received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who write "As Tash introduces a cast of charming, goofy, and diverse characters, she uses the hopeful voice of a young man in the throes of first love to gently poke fun at fandom while celebrating the passion and camaraderie of the community."
It was also placed on their list of Best Summer Books 2016 as one of only five YA picks!
New Book News
March 30, 2016
I'm so thrilled to announce that I will be contributing a short story to Jessica Spotswood's upcoming historical fiction anthology, The Radical Element!
The Radical Element is Jessica's follow-up to A Tyranny of Petticoats, both of which feature stories about feisty heroines throughout American history. The new anthology will feature stories from Sara Farizan, Marieke Nijkamp, Meg Medina, Erin Bowman, Stacey Lee, Mackenzi Lee, Dhonielle Clayton, Dahlia Adler, Anna-Marie McLemore, Jessica Spotswood and me!
Cover Reveal
July 10, 2015
I'm so nerding out over getting to share the cover for my upcoming book, The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love.
I know you guys don't know Graham yet but, trust me, that guy on the cover? He IS Graham. Plus the costume. And the mylar balloons. And Javits...and, and, and.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I don't care if this cover loves me back or not. To me, it is perfect.
Three Day Summer Has Been Released
May 24, 2015
Three Day Summer came out this week and is now available wherever books are sold! You can check out links to buy, as well as some reviews, plus two playlists here on the book's page.
Wanna see photos from the ultra-groovy launch party at Books of Wonder? You can find them here.
There was an also an extensive blog tour this week filled with lots of guest posts and interviews. You can check out all the stops by going here.
I had such an amazing week and I'm so happy/proud to see this book finally make its way out into the world. I hope you'll consider picking it up!
Three Day Summer Receives a Kirkus Star
March 3, 2015
I'm ecstatic to announce that Three Day Summer has received a star, which is "awarded to books of remarkable merit," from the one and only Kirkus Reviews!
They write:
"Woodstock remains a resonant cultural marker, documenting the brief triumph of hope over experience, and Tash takes ample advantage of the moment. A positive portrait of a much-maligned era, this optimistic, exuberant tale is recommended for readers who've wondered why the '60s were so great."
Read the full review here.
New Book News
December 12, 2014
I'm thrilled to announce that my new YA novel, The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love, will be published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in Summer 2016!
This is my Comic Con rom-com about a lovelorn nerd who decides to profess his love for his best friend at the biggest event of their social calendar, pitched as Pretty in Pink goes to Comic Con. It was inspired by both my extreme nerdiness and my love of John Hughes movies.
You can read more about the book here on my blog!
Cover Reveal
September 25, 2014
Three Day Summer has a rocking cover and I couldn't love it more. It's truly the cover of my psychedelic dreams!
Check out the exclusive cover reveal here on Hypable, where I also explain why I wrote a book that takes place in 1969 (those colors definitely had something to do with).
And here I blogged a little bit more in-depth about all the feels I have in regards to the art.
New Book News!
June 17, 2014
I'm so excited to announce that Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers will be publishing my new book, Three Day Summer, a YA novel about two teens whose lives are forever changed when they meet for a weekend of music and romance at Woodstock in 1969.
I can tell you that this was literally the most fun I've ever had writing and I absolutely cannot wait to share it with you!
Paperback Release
March 26, 2013
The paperback version of The Mapmaker and the Ghost releases today! I am super excited about the new cover (to the left, to the left), which showcases so many more characters.
My Debut Novel Is Finally Out
April 26, 2012
Today, my debut novel, The Mapmaker and the Ghost, was released! I wrote all about my release day here on my blog.
Look for it wherever fine (and even not-so-fine) books are sold!
Mapmaker Teaching Guide
April 16, 2012
Planning to use The Mapmaker and the Ghost in the classroom? You can now download a free Teaching Guide with activities for subjects like Social Studies, Science, Language Arts and more.
Download it here.