Firsts

Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time-the kind Mercedes never had herself.

Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy - so far. Her mother isn't home nearly enough to know about Mercedes' extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won't even say the word "sex" until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn't bank on Angela's boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn - or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.

When Mercedes' perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her own reputation -and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, Firsts is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.

LAURIE ELIZABETH FLYNN got hooked on writing in the fourth grade, when she repeatedly bugged her teacher for more paper to write her stories on. She later went to school for Journalism, where the most important thing she learned was that she would much rather write fiction than report the news. Laurie also worked as a model, a job that took her overseas to Tokyo, Athens, and Paris and spurred her obsession with all things fashion. She now lives in London, Ontario, Canada with her husband Steve. Firsts is her first book.