Stop By The TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS!

Meet YA Author Michele Kwasniewski on Sunday, March 10th from 1:30-4:30pm in the Indie Author Tent at the Tucson Festival of Books! Bring your copies of Rising Star, Burning Bright & Falling Star to be autographed, pick up some free bookish swag and learn about the series prequel that is in the works!

FALLING STAR, the final installment in the exciting Young Adult trilogy, THE RISE AND FALL OF DANI TRUEHART is here!

Falling Star by Michele Kwasniewski
Find Out What Happens In The Final Installment of This Pop Music Saga

Watch The FALLING STAR Book Trailer:

Hit Play To Watch The FALLING STAR Book Trailer

You fell in love with Dani in RISING STAR, and BURNING BRIGHT ended with Dani making a life-changing mistake. Watch the BURNING BRIGHT book trailer:

Hit Play To See The BURNING BRIGHT Book Trailer

Listen to Michele’s Interview on the Syndicated Radio Show THE WEEKEND WITH ED KALEGI

RADIO INTERVIEW WITH ED KALEGI

While in SoCal, Ed Kalegi visited with author Michele Kwasniewski to talk about the success and critical acclaim paid to: “Rising Star” and “Burning Bright,” books one and two in the rise and fall of Dani Trueheart series.

About FALLING STAR

Minutes before her scheduled performance at the party for her third album, sixteen-year-old pop sensation Dani Truehart regains consciousness amid the smoking wreckage of a car accident, the crumbled body of a cyclist splayed on the ground. Moments after the accident, Dani’s manager, Jenner Redman, reaches the scene and his impulsive decision sets in motion a chain of events that will have catastrophic consequences for everyone in the starlet’s orbit.

Later, when scandal threatens to destroy the dazzling career of the world’s most beloved pop star, Dani must choose between accepting responsibility for her disastrous choices, possibly destroying her fame and fortune, or sacrificing those who made her famous and everyone she loves to preserve the stardom she has spent her entire life working to achieve.



About BURNING BRIGHT

Fresh off the debut of her EP, sixteen-year-old Dani Truehart is flying high on a string of number one hits. After locking down her first full-length album in record time and furiously preparing for her world tour, Dani is torn between leaving her loved ones behind and embracing her burgeoning stardom.


Dani’s career explodes as her tour moves across the globe. Elated when two of Hollywood’s hottest young actors, Kayla Spencer and Trey Connors, befriend her, Dani finds herself living life in the fast lane and recording her second album as she tours. Constantly dogged by the paparazzi, Dani basks in the adoration of The TrueHart Nation, her loyal super-fans who are ready to follow her around the world and go to war with anyone who dares dis their favorite pop star, whom they’ve dubbed “The Queen of Harts.”

With her ego growing as fast has her fame and fortune, a string of platinum hits and her jealous mother desperate for a piece of her wealth, sixteen-year-old pop sensation Dani Truehart navigates the glamor and perils of stardom as scandal threatens to ruin her and everyone who helped make her a star.

Have you read the first book yet?

RISING STAR, the first book in THE RISE AND FALL OF DANI TRUEHART SERIES from YA author Michele Kwasniewski is your next must-read young adult novel.

Best Young Adult Fiction Novel Rising Star

About RISING STAR, a Young Adult Novel

In the first book in THE RISE AND FALL OF DANI TRUEHART series, RISING STAR, fifteen-year-old Dani Truehart is living a life that is not quite her own. On the brink of discovery, doubts begin to creep into Dani’s mind as she questions her own desire for fame. She wonders whether she can trust the motivations of the adults who are driving her forward.

In the first book in THE RISE AND FALL OF DANI TRUEHART series, RISING STAR, fifteen-year-old Dani Truehart is living a life that is not quite her own. On the brink of discovery, doubts begin to creep into Dani’s mind as she questions her own desire for fame. She wonders whether she can trust the motivations of the adults who are driving her forward.

Isolated from her life at home and trying to stay apace with her demanding schedule, Dani struggles to find her voice as an artist and stay connected to those she loves. Finding herself unprepared to handle the pressures of her future singing career, Dani’s debut album and future stardom are at risk of falling apart.


While [Rising Star] is an obvious must-read for its YA audience, I think you will love it if you once were a teenage girl (I was not) or parent to one (I was).

J. Perez-Gillespie

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Stop By Beach Town Books In San Clemente, CA To Pick Up Your Copy

Copies of RISING STAR & BURNING BRIGHT Are Now Available In Libraries Around The Country!

Check With Your Local Library For A Copy Today.

‘Rising Star’ is the first book in a new Young Adult series and really shines a spotlight on the extreme pressure that teenage artists have to gone through to become pop stars. 

The story is seen through the narrative of Dani Trueheart, who’s dream is to become a famous popstar. It was always her mother’s dream for her to succeed and make the family rich and pushes her daughter to the extreme with workout and singing sessions and encouraging her to skip school and concentrate on her career. But when Dani’s dream becomes true and she gets a recording contract, her mother becomes consumed with jealousy as they have to appoint a guardian for Dani and that job goes to Martin, her instructor. Dani moves to Miami to achieve the life that Sheba’s always dreamt, the only fly in the ointment is being away from her boyfriend as well as her mother’s jealousy and resentment towards her daughter’s success. 

This book is a fascinating story and gives an insight into the pressure that teenagers are put through by overachieving parents. Dani’s relationship with her mother is hard reading, as she pushes Dani to succeed but once she finds out that she’s not immediately going to be making millions, she pushes her away and regularly hurts Dani with her evident bitterness. I admired Dani with her courage to give up her family, friends and first boyfriend to achieve her success and follow her dream and her determination at such a young age. 

The book also highlights the pressure of the industry and what our favourite pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguliiara went through, the rigorous singing lessons, the recordings and the pressure of their appearance. It also shows the other side of the coin, the normal teenage problems like discovering first love and insecurity and family upheaval. 

A fascinating start to a new series, ‘Rising Star’ is a beautifully written story about the young girl starting an exciting new chapter in life, written with wit and charm that made for lovely reading. 

Handwritten Girl Review

I honestly did not expect much from Rising Star, but it completely blew me away! I don’t often read contemporary, but I’m glad I read this one. I love books and music, so a book about music is right up my alley! 

Fifteen-year-old Dani Truehart is living a life that is not quite her own. Driven by her mother’s desire for fame and fortune, she has spent her childhood dutifully training for a career as a pop star. After a stellar audition, Dani is thrown full-force into the music industry. She leaves her friends, family, and scheming mother behind to move into the Malibu compound of her new manager, Jenner Redman. Isolated from her life at home and trying to stay apace with her demanding schedule, Dani struggles to keep in touch with those she loves, connect to her withholding mother and find her voice as an artist. 

When I opened the book, I was apprehensive. The writing was simple and everything started out a little slow. It didn’t take long for everything to pick up! The plot gained speed and the writing fit the story perfectly. 

One of my favorite aspects of the book was how we got to take a look into what a budding popstar’s life would look like. I have no doubt that it’s just as hard in real life, and I appreciate all the effort and research the author must have put into it! I would not be able to make it in a world where relationships are hard to maintain and my day is a blur of activity, so hats off to all the people that manage that!

The characters and character development were amazing. Seeing Dani’s mom would run her ragged to form her into popstar material, and then unintentionally reveal that she was in it for the money all along, I was really able to appreciate how lucky I am to have the fantastic and supportive parents I do. Also, everyone give a round of applause for Dani’s boyfriend, Sean, for making it work even when Dani was far away and too busy or tired to call or text. I hope everyone has a person like that in their life!

I had a great time with this book! I will definitely revisit the series when it’s time for book two, Burning Bright, to come out!

The Scribe Owl