LJ Smith is a fan of MY book!

It's really cool when authors find out that OTHER AUTHORS are their fans.

LJ Smith, author of VAMPIRE DIARIES and other popular YA thrillers, read my THE SEER and DEAD GIRL books then wrote to me with this review:


I have a few favorites in modern middle grade and YA fiction, and those I have, I cherish. Linda Joy Singleton (same initials as me, but not a pseudonym, I promise) is at the front of the list. I can pick up a book by Singleton and know that it will have an interesting and accessible heroine, a super plot with a mystery always included--and many unexpected twists and turns--and down-to-earth teen language that will never offend me or make me blush. Singleton's supporting characters generally deserve series of their own; they are not only fascinating but they hold to the tenet of "show the world who you really are." But perhaps the best thing is that there is an indefinable feeling of family in the books. Even though modern families are portrayed realistically, with all their complex difficulties, there is still a feeling of love that pervades the books. Love of friends, love of doing the right thing, and in the YA series a romance that rings true. That doesn't mean the books aren't scary--they are. But there is always an emotionally safe ground to return to. That, to me, is just as important as the thrills.