Kelly(Lynn)Parra Kelly(Lynn)Parra Official Author Website
 
 
For Teens Kelly’s Graffiti Girl Excerpt... "This is the first step as a member of the crew," he said near my ear, "tagging your name with the rest of us." He secured his hand tightly over mine and guided me to the wall. "Wait," I said, hovering the pen a millimeter away from the shed. "There's no waiting, Angel. You said you wanted me to teach you graf. Well, there's a price. Joining our crew by proving yourself. I don't teach outsiders." I shook my head. "You said I didn't have to tag." I was still trying to make the shift from hot kiss to this. "Why?" This seemed dumb. What was the purpose? Why was I hesitating? It was just a small tag on an old shed where at least fifty other kids had marked their names. Yet this wasn't what I had in mind by joining the crew. This wasn't what I wanted to be about. I wanted to find my place in the art world. Stretch my creative wings with my culture. To be respected for my work. But defacing school property... "Do this, or that's it. You're on your own." On my own. Hadn't I always been? But a voice inside me whispered that I could finally find a place in the art world with graffiti. I couldn't deny that tagging, marring public property, went against my beliefs of the beauty of art. And yet...I could feel the quick pace of my heartbeat, the excitement I felt with Miguel at my back. With this small test, I would join the crew. Such a small task in order to start becoming a real graffiti writer. To belong. I felt like I stood on the edge of a steep cliff, and down below was Miguel with his arms out saying he'd catch me, but at the same time at my back ready to push me over. "Come on, Angel," he whispered in my ear. "What's it gonna be?" I glanced left, then right, trying to see if anyone could see us between the buildings. "I don't know." "You do know. You know what you want, You want to learn graf. You want to beat that chica in the battle. To prove yourself." "I don't--" His mouth brushed my ear. "You do." And he was right. Miguel pushed our hands toward the wall and I let him. The marker hit the surface. Taking a breath, I dove head first off that cliff. I wondered if Miguel would be there to catch me, or if I even wanted him to. I'd always been the type of girl who wanted to land on her own two feet. The Story... Graffiti art. It's bold. It's thrilling. And it can get a girl into serious trouble... Raised by her single mom (who's always dating the wrong kind of man) in a struggling California neighborhood, Angel Rodriguez is a headstrong, independent young woman who channels her hopes and dreams for the future into her painting. But when her entry for a community mural doesn't rate, she's heartbroken. Even with winning artist Nathan Ramos--a senior track star and Angel's secret crush--taking a sudden interest in Angel and her art, she's angry and hurt. She's determined to find her own place in the art world, her own way. That's when Miguel Badalin--from the notorious graffiti crew Reyes Del Norte--opens her eyes to an underground world of graf tags and turf wars. She's blown away by this bad boy's fantastic work and finds herself drawn to his dangerous charm. Soon she's running with Miguel's crew, pushing her skills to the limit and beginning to emerge as the artist she always dreamed she could be. But Nathan and Miguel are bitter enemies with a shared past, and choosing between them and their wildly different approaches to life and art means that Angel must decide what matters most before the artist inside of her can truly break free.
Book Buzz... >> "With characters as bold and exciting as the art they love, and an honesty that keeps them raw and real, Graffiti Girl shows us that the only thing better than discovering your talent is finding yourself along the way." ~ Jenny O'Connell, author of Plan B and The Book of Luke >> "This book blew me away. Kelly Parra writes with the keen eye of an artist. Graffiti Girl is warm, gutsy, and true-to-life -- an unflinching, honest portrayal of young adults. A seamless and impressive debut." ~ Anne Frasier, USA Today bestselling author of Pale Immortalhttp://www.jennyoconnell.com/http://www.annefrasier.com/shapeimage_11_link_0shapeimage_11_link_1
>> "I finished GRAFFITI GIRL the other day and it was AWESOME! It was exciting and romantic, and Angel is a strong heroine any girl can relate to. I'm already looking forward to your next one... "   ~ Allison van Diepen, author of Street Pharmhttp://www.allisonvandiepen.com/shapeimage_12_link_0
 
>> "Angel reminded me of myself as a young girl writing in California. Kelly, felicidades on your first novel, it's great to see Latinas writing positive novels about subjects that young people can relate to. I felt you weaved Angel's personal journey as a writer and growing young women with humor, realness and craft." 
   ~ E-Fierce aka Elisha Miranda, author of The Sista Hood: On the Mic >> "'Graffiti' a strong debut novel for teens...Five out of five gold pens for 'Graffiti Girl.'" 
   ~ The Salinas Californian Reviewer, Robert Walch >> "There is only one word that can describe this book, and that word is "Amazing". This book could have come from the diary of a teenage girl. With realistic situations and lifelike characters who seem like they could jump off the page, the plot could have been based on true events. Everyone should read this book."
  ~ Reviewer, Book Divashttp://www.thesistahood.com/http://www.thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070616/LIFESTYLE/706160348/1024http://www.bookdivas.com/review_book.php?book_id=232shapeimage_13_link_0shapeimage_13_link_1shapeimage_13_link_2
Graffiti Girl was nominated for the RWA RITA for Best Young Adult Romance + Best First Book
 
FRESH FACT... Kelly optioned the Film/TV rights to Graffiti Girl. Even if GG never becomes a movie, it has been an awesome experience for her!
 
FRESH FACT...
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Behind the Scenes... >> Every night, I would have a cup of French Vanilla Cafe coffee while writing Graffiti Girl late into the night. >> No tunes during the writing of this book, silence worked best. >> All the basic art details were from my own experience as a teen artist in high school. No research needed there. >> Unfortunately, I was never a graffiti artist. I admired the style back in high school and even started a piecebook, but that's as far as I took it. I could never create such awesome artwork as true graffiti artists and have never claimed the right. This is a story about Angel and her personal struggle as a teen artist and discovering what her future might hold. This is a story I simply had to tell. >> During speaking engagements on Graffiti Girl, I realized that I have incorporated pieces of myself within Angel and the book. It wasn’t intentionally, but in order to really relate to these characters I have to know them inside and out. So sometimes I include small bits of my thoughts or opinions while I continue to build the characters from my imagination. In TEEN mag Graffiti Girl was named a “page-turning” read by a VIT (Very Important Teen)
 
FRESH FACT...
 
May 2007
MTV/Pocket Books
isbn.141653461X
For ages 12 + Up
“Bold & Fresh Fiction for Teens and Adults...” Bio+ Events Contact Graffiti Girl Invisible Touch Criminal Instinct