Kill the Freshman

In junior high Vi may have been a nerdy outcast, but now that she's a freshman, she’s going to get popular or die trying. Literally. At the Gracewood Academy of Queens and Patriarchs, ancient magical mumbo-jumbo gives superhuman powers to students willing to take the ID cards (and lives) of their classmates. Underclassmen are the unwilling prey in this jungle, only safe from each other, and in certain parts of the school. When Vi nearly dies courtesy of some sophomores, her motor mouth lands her a friendship with Allison Meadows, Gracewood's apex senior, and into a student election that's like The Hunger Games with gossip. Everyone is a target during the election— the weirdos in journalism (who Vi secretly kinda likes), Allison (who Vi secretly kinda fears), and even Vi herself (who Vi secretly kinda loathes). To save her newfound friends, this fast-talking freshman will risk everything she cares about most: being popular, being herself, and being alive (in that order).

Alex Langley can control gravity, swim at over eight-hundred miles per second, and has a dangerous, borderline nuclear passion for writing. He's the author of The Geek Handbook, The Geek Handbook 2.0, and Geek Lust, all by Krause Publications. He is the writer/creator of the young adult graphic novel Kill the Freshman, writes about retro & modern gaming for Arcadesushi.com, edits content for geek girl/web celebrity @actionchick Katrina Hill at actionflickchick.com, and is the head editor of Nerdspan.com's gaming section as well as being co-creator of the webseries Geeks and Gamers Anonymous. He has over 20,000 followers on twitter, and has been a speaker on panels at conventions, including Wonder-Con, and San Diego Comic-Con International. His published works also include academic papers, and he likes your hair like that.