I love young adult books. And I should. Despite the category’s implication, young adult (YA) stories are generally for readers of all ages. And our latest Fiction River volume is no exception.

Sparks, edited by Rebecca Moesta, marks our first Fiction River foray into YA. But it won’t be our last.

Here’s the volume’s synopsis:

Everyone faces dark times. Everyone looks for a light to get through. These fifteen stories show teen heroes/heroines using creativity and heart to find their inner “spark” to overcome adversity, evil, or ignorance. In this anthology for all ages, join a girl who struggles to accept the zombie working at her school, a second-rate superhero who might just have what it takes after all, and a young magic-user who must decide whether to break the rules to save the day. These compelling young heroes/heroines prove sometimes it simply takes a spark to light a fire in the darkness.

Table of Contents
“Dead Fred” by Liz Pierce
“Under the Skin” by Leslie Claire Walker
“Subpar Super” by Lee Allred
“Terrors” by Deb Logan
“And Through the Haze You See Your God” by Chuck Heintzelman
“The Laser Point” by Diana Benedict
“Timeless” by Thomas K. Carpenter
“The Weaver” by Michele Lang
“Roxie” by Annie Reed
“Moonshine” by Kim May
“Murklyn” by Sharon Joss
“A Family to Choose” by Rebecca M. Senese
“Impressions in the Snow” by Mark Leslie
“Salem Week” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
“Ignite the Night” by Dayle A. Dermatis

Sparks also offers our first volume edited by Rebecca, an award-winning author. Here’s a little bit about her:

Rebecca Moesta (pronounced MESS-tuh) is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author with more than 35 books to her credit. She wanted to be an author since she was twelve, and much of her writing focuses on teens. Her solo work includes novels in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Junior Jedi Knights series, short stories, nonfiction articles, and ghost writing. With husband Kevin J. Anderson, she wrote the Crystal Doors trilogy, fourteen Young Jedi Knights novels, the Star Challengers trilogy, six movie or game novelizations, lyrics for two Roswell Six rock CDs (ProgRock Records), a Star Trek graphic novel (DC/WildStorm), two Star Wars pop-up books, and the original graphic novel Grumpy Old Monsters (IDW).

So, whether you’re young in age or just young at heart, be sure to pick up this fantastic volume. Release day is Thursday, March 31.

Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer.