Introducing Donna Freitas!

Today we celebrate the launch of The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas! Check out that beautiful cover!

About the book!

Antonia Lucia Labella has two secrets: at fifteen, she’s still waiting for her first kiss, and she wants to be a saint. An official one. Seem strange? Well, to Antonia, saints are royalty, and she wants her chance at being a princess. All her life she’s kept company with these kings and queens of small favors, knowing exactly whom to pray to on every occasion. Unfortunately, the two events Antonia’s prayed for seem equally unlikely to happen. It’s not for lack of trying. For how long has she been hoping to gain the attention of the love of her life – the tall, dark, and so good-looking Andy Rotellini? Too long to mention. And every month for the last eight years, Antonia has sent a petition to the Vatican proposing a new patron saint and bravely offering herself for the post. So what if she’s not dead? But as Antonia learns, in matters of the heart and sainthood, things are about as straightforward as wound-up linguini, and sometimes you need to recognize the signs.

Now meet Donna!

Donna Freitas is a professor of Religion at Boston University. Her writing has appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including The Boston Globe, Newsweek, Salon, and The Wall Street Journal. She contributes regularly to “On Faith,” an online panel co-sponsored by Newsweek and The Washington Post, and she is an occasional commentator for NPR’s All Thing’s Considered. Donna is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, and Religion on America's College Campuses forthcoming from Oxford University Press, and Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman's Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials (Jossey-Bass, 2007). Growing up, Donna could often be found covered in flour in the wee hours of the morning making pasta from scratch with her Italian mother and grandmother, listening to them pray to one saint or another. She lives in New York City. This is her first novel.

What other people are saying about The Possibilities of Sainthood:

Behold: A rare bloom of a book, a genuflection toward the reality that today’s young can still be, more likely than not, good at heart. THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD while never gloomy or dogmatic, is a literary work of mercy. Let us rejoice and be glad.” —Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and A Lion Among Men

“With a satisfying ending, this novel about the realistic struggles of a chaste teen is a great addition to all collections.” —Starred, School Library Journal

“Fresh and funny, this debut novel introduces a 15-year-old Catholic schoolgirl who experiences typical adolescent angst but has her own way of dealing with it: Antonia regularly petitions the saints. . . . Her e-mails to the Vatican (inhabited here by a pope open to the notion of women priests, gay marriage, etc.) add flair to a coming-of-age novel already vivid for its warm portrayal of urban Italian-American family life.” —Starred, Publishers Weekly

“Like good homemade pasta, this satisfying novel balances lightness with substance and leaves teens wanting another serving.” —Starred, Kirkus Reviews

“First-time novelist Freitas hops into the romance genre and brightens and heightens it by providing characters who are anything but run-of-the-mill.” —Starred, Booklist

Wow, people, you don't get any better praise than that! Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow as we get to know Donna better!