In Secrets of Truth & Beauty, Dara is a former child pageant star. So, in order to introduce you to the wonderful authors and characters of the 2009 Debutantes, I am hosting a Debs Pageant on my blog.

Avery from Dull Boy totally ditched the pageant to save the world or something, but luckily we have another contestant lined up for this week: Paris Pan from Cynthea Liu’s Paris Pan Takes the Dare.

Character name: Paris Pan
Age: 12
Biography: Awkward, but extremely bright, smart-mouthed 12-year-old yearning to be free.

What is your talent?
I am excellent at drawing bad facsimiles of horses.

What will you wear for the evening dress competition?
Hopefully nothing as tasteless as my sister Verona would wear. But most-likely a second-hand outfit from her closet anyway.

Who is your escort?
Why, Tom, of course.

And now for the interview portion . . . what’s the biggest challenge facing today’s youth?
People my age spend way too much time torturing each other versus enjoying each other’s company. We could also make the world a better place by removing the words Freak, Stupid, and Brain-Damaged from our vocabulary. Thank you.

Thank you Paris and Cynthea!

Paris has a big heart, and so does her creator. Cynthea is hosting an online launch party at her website: Take the Dare, Show you Care! She is raising money for a Title I school in her home state of Oklahoma: Tulakes Elementary. So head on over and enjoy the party while supporting a great cause.