4 Stars

The ultimate test?  Never dish on the same guy as your best friend.  You know nothing good can come of it.

As you can imagine, girl drama abounds in THE ULTIMATE TEST, the first volume in THE LIP GLOSS
CHRONICLES.  Britney has a great head on her shoulders and is a good role model for young girls reading this
book.  She’s stuck in a situation that happens all the time in any school, urban or not.   It takes a tough situation to
make the girls come to their senses and realize that friends should always come before boys.

To read the entire review, go to: http://www.teensreadtoo.com/UltimateTestLGC.html

I was watching the CBS Early Show and the author Eve Ensler was on the show talking about her book I Am An Emotional Creature.

In the book she addresses teen dating violence. It’s something that every parent should read. Teen dating violence is not limited to any one region in the country; it’s wide-spread and that’s why I addressed the issue in the latest book in the Lip Gloss Chronicles series – Paper Thin.

I want teens to realize that they do not have to stay in an abusive relationship with a boy, they should first try to leave the boy alone. If that doesn’t work, don’t be scared to tell an adult about it so they can intervene and help.

Here are some facts from StayTeen.org:

# 1 in 5 teens who have been in a serious relationship report being hit, slapped or pushed by a partner.
# One-third of teen girls say they have been concerned about being physically hurt by their partner.
# One-quarter of teens who have been in serious relationships say their boyfriend has tried to prevent them from spending time with friends or family.
# Nearly 1 in 4 girls who have been in a relationship (23%) reported going further sexually than they wanted as a result of pressure.

If you’re a parent reading this blog, don’t let your teen be a statistic.
If you’re a teen reading this blog, do not let a boy abuse you. Tell an adult. Get out of it and know that you’re worthy to be treated with love and respect and that you’re not the one with the problem, the boy is.

In Paper Thin, the character has people who care and try to help her. For more information about teen dating violence, go to: http://www.loveisrespect.org or http://www.acadv.org/dating.html

I was featured on Color Online this week.

100 words or less how would you describe your work?
I write stories with a twist. I like to write about every day issues many people face. Although my stories are entertaining and dramatic, they are also inspirational.

To read the entire interview, go to: http://coloronline.blogspot.com/2010/02/women-writers-of-color-sheila-m-goss.html

I need your help. Today is the official release day for Paper Thin, the third book, in the Lip Gloss Chronicles series. Please get a copy for a teen in your life.

Many on the threads complain about teens reading adult books, well there are options and The Lip Gloss Chronicles has enough drama to capture teens attention, yet they are clean reads with lessons in between the pages.

Teens Read Too has highlighted me on their book club website to help celebrate Paper Thin’s release day. Check out the interview when you get a chance at: http://trtbookclub.blogspot.com/2010/01/visit-with-shelia-m-goss.html

Review of Paper Thin:

Ms. Goss does a wonderful job with this book of showing young women as they really are. She allows them to be selfish and loving, impatient and supportive and mostly, realistic. The reader is allowed to see how young people act when their lives change and how they deal with the economic struggles that hit their families. One of the more poignant messages deals with weight and self-esteem issues. We also get to see the young ladies deal with the timely and disturbing problem of violence among girlfriends and boyfriends. Paper Thin is an entertaining and enlightening book geared towards young people, but I recommend it to all readers. It made this reader, who has lived a long time, think, feel and relate. ~Angelia Vernon Menchan, APOOO BookClub  To read the entire review go to: http://www.apooobooks.com/paper-thin-shelia-goss/

The Lip Gloss Chronicles made one of the top 25 YA Power Reads of the Decade.

Thank you EDC Creations and Black Pearls Magazine.

25 Young Reader Power Reads of the Decade: 2000-2009

Ella Curry and EDC Creations is proud to announce the Children and Young Reader Best Books of the Decade 2000-2009.  Each book created an impact for readers and the Sankofa Literary Society network. Our literary hallmarks indicate excellence in writing. These are the books we want to showcase to the world.

01. Love, Ocean by Celia Anderson

02. A Song for Harlem by Patricia C. McKissack

03. Divine Confidential by Jacquelin Thomas

04. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson

05. Aaliyah by Victoria Christopher Murray

06. The Secret to Teen Power by Paul Harrington

07. Catwalk by Deborah Gregory

08. Cheetah Girls by Deborah Gregory

09. The Lip Gloss Chronicles by Shelia Goss

10. Believing in Hope by Stephanie Perry Moore

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Here are highlights from the review:

Highlight #1:

How refreshing. Paper Thin was a refreshing contemparary read that I think every girl in middle school through high school should read.
Paper Thin discusses the important issue of weight in young girls that has since been an ependemic. With the increasing about of girls in the United States with eating disorders, I felt the topic of this book was well fitting.

Highlight #2:

The main thing I like about this book was the realists of this book.  Partucularly in the characters. The friendship beteween Sierra, Jasmine, and Britney is very real. Of course there is that bonded friendship that will last forever, but then again in reality there is always that underlying feeling of jealousy and an urge to outshine one another that is present in every friendship, and I love how that is not sugar coated in this book.
The plot is as drama filled as a drama book can get, from the friendship problems, to the family, relationship, and severe teenage problems on top of the main issue of Sierra’s weight, there are always many conflicts and problems going on all over the book.

Highlight #3:

In the end, this book was a way more interesting way to here educate young ladies on how over obsessing with your weight can take over your life in a very negitive way. I reccomend this book to all teenage girls.

5 Questions with YA Author Shelia M Goss

Shelia Goss gained success writing women’s fiction but decided to take a plunge into the young adult market earlier this year with the popular Urban series – The Lip Gloss Chronicles.

To read the interview, go to http://www.chicklitteens.com/2009/11/guest-post-shelia-m-goss.html