Suzie Townsend and Adrian Mole

Suzie Townsend is my agent extraordinaire. Hmmm... You are thinking why is that name so oddly familiar? Is it because she is an amazing agent attached to some of the biggest YA deals of 2009 and 10? Is it because she has a wonderful reputation far and wide for her savvy, taste, and love of lilac? Yes! AND It is also because Sue Townsend is also the very same name of the author of one of the most amazing YA books of all time: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4. This may seem like a coincidence but the universe is paying very close attention. I think it is this book that subconsciously convinced me that it was OK to marry a Scotsman and now that I look at the whole thing, it had a major impact on my perception of YA, my love of teenager-dom, and the diary- all which inform so much of BELL JAR SUMMER. An orange soda toast, then to Suzie (and Sue) Townsend! CHEERS~!