ANNA SHINODA DISCUSSES AND SIGNS HER DEBUT NOVEL LEARNING NOT TO DROWN

SUMMARY:
Family secrets cut to the bone in this mesmerizing debut novel about a teen
whose drug-addicted brother is the prodigal son one time too many.

There is a pecking order to
every family. Seventeen-year old Clare is the overprotected baby; Peter is the
typical, rebellious middle child; and Luke is the oldest, the can't-do-wrong
favorite. To their mother, they are a normal, happy family.  To Clare, they
are a family on the verge of disaster. Clare: the ambitious striver; Peter: the
angry ticking time bomb; and Luke: a drug-addicted convicted felon who has been
in and out of jail for as long as Clare can remember--and who has always been
bailed out by their parents.  Clare loves Luke, but life as his sister
hasn't been easy. And when he comes home (again), she wants to believe this
time will be different (again). Yet when the truths behind his arrests begin to
surface, everything Clare knows is shaken to its core. And then Luke is
arrested. Again.  Except this time "is "different, because
Clare's mom does the unthinkable on Luke's behalf, and Clare has to decide
whether turning her back on family is a selfish act...or the only way to keep
from drowning along with them. (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Raised in a town so small
it lacked a stop light, there was little for      Anna
Shinoda to do except climb trees, go on hikes and read books. Her voracious
appetite for reading led to writing, and by the fourth grade, Anna had her
first book    bound through the Young Authors program. In middle
school and high school, she served     as editor for her high
school paper. Upon graduation, she was awarded scholarships on the merit of her
writing and pursued a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies at Long
Beach State. Anna worked in music Public Relations for several years after
college and eventually discovered a love of writing for young adults. 

Soon after devoting full-time attention to writing, Anna became a
member of the Society Of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators
(SCBWI).  Her work has been nominated twice for the Sue Alexander Most
Promising New Work Award. 

She married musician Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park in 2003. She has
led efforts with the band’s non-profit, Music For Relief, in the U.S. and
abroad.

Anna writes to promote healing in young people, whether it is
confronting the unknown or facing a difficult truth. Drawing inspiration from
her experiences as an adult with her memories of her own childhood, Anna
Shinoda has many stories to tell.

Learning Not To Drown is her debut novel.