News news news!

You guys!
I haven't blogged in forever and I am incredibly sorry for my radio silence.
 
The truth is, I have been very busy with my awesome day job as a senior editor at Scholastic and also writing fun books for middle-grade readers under the name Ruth Ames. I was also talking with my agent and editor a lot about possibly doing a sequel to Sea Change. And I have been asked MANY times by MANY readers about writing a sequel. And I might some day! I would love to return to the story down the road.
 
But in the meantime, I came up with a brand-new idea that I am so, so excited about. Here is the official announcement from Publishers Marketplace:
 
NYT bestselling author Aimee Friedman's THE SUMMERS, pitched as Eat, Pray, Love meets Sliding Doors, in which a girl's summer is split into two parallel universes and the reader gets to follow her on each one, as she falls in love and discovers some startling truths, to Abby McAden at Scholastic, for publication in 2014, by Faye Bender at Faye Bender Literary Agency (World).
 
Whoo! Commence the popping of champagne corks! I have been obsessed with the notion of parallel worlds for as long as I can remember (and to learn more about the fascinating theory, check out Briane Greene's amazing book). I have also been wanting to write a fabulous, escapist summer story with lots of traveling and unstoppable romances, so putting the two interests together made sense. Now I just have to write the whole thing! Wish me luck...
To celebrate my new book--and the start of summer (my favorite season, obviously), I'm doing an impromptu giveaway. Whoever tweets about or retweets this blog post on Twitter or shares it on Facebook will be entered into a drawing to win a signed hardcover copy of SEA CHANGE--perfect for reading on the beach or by the pool--and a bottle of sunscreen (first place). The second place winner will receive a signed paperback of SEA CHANGE. (US only). The more you post, the more time your name will be entered, so the better your odds are (like in The Hunger Games, only awesome and sans fights-to-the-death). The giveaway will run until THURSDAY, MAY 31. 
Happy summer!