Jeff Rivera is an American novelist who writes books targeted at young adults

Youth

Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...

. His most recent work, Forever My Lady, was released by Warner Books in July 2007. He is also the author of Oh Yes I Can! (2003).

Forever My Lady

Forever My Lady is a story about a Latino

Latino

The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...

 juvenile delinquent who transforms his life in prison boot camp in order to win back the love of the girl he lost. Rivera was inspired to write the story when, after a period living in his car

Homelessness in the United States

Homelessness in the United States has continued to remain a focus area of concern of social service providers, government officials, and policy professionals since its resurgence among many types of individuals and families. The number of homeless people further grew in the 1980s, as housing and...

, he met a former gang member who turned his life around. Before it was picked up by Warner Books, 8,000 copies were in circulation in both print and electronic versions that Rivera had self-published

Self-publishing

Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...

.

Harriet Klausner

Harriet Klausner

Harriet Klausner is a reviewer of books. She was the #1 ranked reviewer on Amazon.com until October 24, 2008 when the company began a new ranking system and, as of May 28, 2011, is ranked number 706 with over 24,500 reviews total....

 called it "a terrific character driven redemption tale".

Recognition

• Mahogany Media Award for Best New Author and Best Urban Fiction (2007)

External links

• Official website
• Publishers Weekly review of Forever My Lady
• Stories from the street, National Public Radio
• Midwest Review