Joy Givens is my NFA!

Or New Favourite Author, for those not in the know. Let me explain...

On my review blog I rates books from a no rating up to NFA, and those I reward with a 4*, 5* or a NFA rating I want to share here. I've enjoyed them and I want you to, as well, and how better than a book spotlight on WWBB? Ugly Stick was rewarded with a NFA rating because I found the writing smooth, engaging, the premise original and I couldn't put the book down. It's that simple. Check out the review on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Reviews. 

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Joy Givens the author of the excellent YA fiction novel in question ... 

Ugly Stick

Amazon.com
Amazon.UK

Fifteen-year-old April Somerfield is a shy, self-loathing misfit who would blend in with the wallpaper, if only the wallpaper were a little less attractive. In a family line of gorgeous, successful women, April’s a fluke. At Prescott High School, she’s a walking punch line.

A school project sends April on the hunt for her mother’s mysteriously missing yearbooks, and upon finding them she uncovers a big secret. It turns out that being “hit with an ugly stick” is a surprisingly literal occurrence in April’s family tree—a curse has been passed down from mother to daughter for centuries. But when April sees a chance to finally ditch the family curse, she must decide if becoming beautiful on the outside is worth giving up the person she is meant to be.

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Joy Givens

Joy Givens is the author of Ugly Stick and a co-founder of Tributaries Press, a publishing company dedicated to "books that edify, educate, and encourage young readers."  

Joy’s childhood nickname was “Belle,” due to her penchant for walking around “with a dreamy far-off look, and her nose stuck in a book.”  

Joy’s favorite authors include Charles Dickens, C.S. Lewis, L.M. Montgomery, Mark Dunn, Markus Zusak, and J.K. Rowling (and, of course, her delightful publishing partner Samantha Bennett), and her preferred genre of writing is middle grade and YA fantasy, leaning towards the fantastical and the fabulous.

Joy and a young reader, Joshua.

Born and raised with four siblings in Columbus, Ohio (GO BUCKEYES!), Joy now resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her fantastic husband David, their remarkable son Joshua, and their impossibly lovable dog Riley. 

Joy tutors high school students and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in higher education. She is also a grammar ninja, Dickens fan-girl, a cappella enthusiast, and veritable Starbucks addict.