KAT SPEARS works at the Library of Virginia, where she organizes author appearances and other literary events such as the annual Virginia Literary Festival and the Books on Broad series. She is currently at work on her next standalone YA and lives with her husband and three freeloading children in Richmond, Virginia. Sway is her debut novel.
Sharp dialogue, edgy humor, and an unlikely hero make this page-turner a winner. <i>Publishers Weekly (starred review)</i></p> A compelling debut told with swagger and real depth. <i>Kirkus (starred review)</i></p> Spears' debut novel sets an update on Cyrano de Bergerac in a contemporary high school, with noir undertones Raw, honest A gritty take on the male high school experience. <i>Booklist</i></p> Kat Spears debut novel is, quite simply, a delight. It has all the ingredients for an engaging and witty read, laced with honesty and insight that's refreshingly real the story is gritty and real, unafraid to cross over into the darker sides of teenage life, and unapologetic in its witty and honest portrayal. If anything, Kat Spears may just be the one with some very valuable sway; get ready to be sold. <i>Children's Book Review</i></p> A page turner about high school's victims and villains -- and about layers of callousness that spring from true grief. <i>Meg Medina, Pura Belpre award-winning author of Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass</i></p> [The] characters are fantastic and real, but that plot? The licks and riffs that led to Jesse's transformation totally blew me away, every damn page. <i>Gigi Amateau, author of Come August, Come Freedom: The Bellows, The Gallows, and The Black General Gabriel</i></p>