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• Needy Little Things Wednesday Books (New York, NY), 2025

• Channelle Desamours website - https://www.channelledesamours.com/

  About Channelle
  she/her

  Channelle Desamours lives and writes just outside of Atlanta, Georgia where she currently teaches high school science at a STEM academy. Her students motivate, challenge, and inspire her daily (and they’re always good for a laugh). She spent many years coaching lacrosse and even enjoyed a brief stint at Zoo Atlanta where she taught children about wildlife conservation and handled all sorts of critters from opossums to juvenile American alligators. Channelle has a BA in biology from Agnes Scott College and an MS in biological sciences from Clemson University. Beyond nerding out about life science in front of large groups of teenagers, Channelle enjoys listening to audiobooks, caring for her house plants, and plotting twisty novels with a touch of magic.

• The Nerd Daily - https://thenerddaily.com/channelle-desamours-needy-little-things-interview/

  Q&A: Channelle Desamours, Author of ‘Needy Little Things’
  Elise Dumpleton·Writers Corner·February 1, 2025·3 min read

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  We chat with author Channelle Desamours about Needy Little Things, which follows a Black teen with premonition-like powers must solve her friend’s disappearance before she finds herself in the same danger, perfect for fans of Ace of Spades.

  Hi, Channelle! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
  Hey there! I am a writer and high school science teacher from metro Atlanta. I can usually be found with a can of sparkling water, watermelon Sour Patch Kids, and an audiobook I’m ready to blab about. I’m a master napper, a weather nerd, and a lover of scary movies and cozy games.

  When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
  I have always loved telling stories, but I really started writing for fun sometime in middle school. I authored an embarrassing amount of Degrassi fanfiction back then.

  Quick lightning round! Tell us:
  The first book you ever remember reading: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
  The one that made you want to become an author: Divergent by Veronica Roth
  The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage was wild!
  Your debut novel, Needy Little Things, is out February 4th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
  I’m stealing these from the wonderful authors who blurbed the book – engrossing, important, voicey, original, and twisty.

  What can readers expect?
  Readers can expect a gripping YA speculative mystery that shines a light on the heartbreaking and often infuriating realities surrounding missing persons cases in the United States. They’ll find characters they want to root for (and some they want to scream at), complex friend and family dynamics, and a message that lingers long after the final page.

  Where did the inspiration for Needy Little Things come from?
  One of my favorite shows of all time is the original Twilight Zone series. My main character has a magical ability that was inspired by an episode called “What You Need.”

  I came up with the mystery element of the book shortly after the disappearance of Gabby Petito in 2021. Her tragic story reignited difficult but important conversations about whose stories get told and why. I saw firsthand how the teenagers I teach processed these discussions, and it was through observing, listening, and talking to them that my main character and her hopeful, angry, smart, funny, and spirited friends began to take shape.

  Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
  There is a music festival scene that I really enjoyed writing. It came to me very easily, which always feels nice. I had a surprisingly good time writing my main character’s little brother as well. I don’t have any siblings, so it was fun to put everything I imagine a little brother to be into that character.

  See also
  Derek Milman Swipe Right For Murder Author Interview
  Q&A: Derek Milman, Author of ‘Swipe Right For Murder’
  Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
  I started this book as a distraction while another book I wrote wasn’t doing so well in query land. It was hard to keep my chin up while rejections on that project were coming in, but continuing to write new things was the only way I got through it. Needless to say, I’m really glad I kept pushing!

  This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
  So after a solid decade of dabbling in fanfiction, I decided to write my first novel. At the time, I was a fairly new teacher, a busy lacrosse coach, and a student working on my master’s degree in biology. Why I chose that time to write a book, I do not know. But I did it! I finished my first draft right around graduation. People were congratulating me on my new degree, and I distinctly remember feeling more proud that I’d actually written a semi-coherent three hundred page book. I knew then that it was something I needed to continue to do. In 2021, I got into Pitch Wars. My mentor was lovely. I learned so much and made so many amazing friends. Needy Little Things was the first book I wrote after that experience, and it led me to my phenomenal agent, Molly Ker Hawn, and fantastic editor, Tiffany Shelton.

  What’s next for you?
  I am deep in revisions for my second YA novel with Wednesday Books! I can’t wait to share more about it soon!

  Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up in 2025?
  There are so, so many, but to name a few: Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel, All the Noise All At Once by DeAndra Davis, Under the Neon Lights by Arriel Vinson, Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane, and Heart Check by Emily Charlotte!

Needy Little Things.

By Channelle Desamours.

Feb. 2025. 320p. St. Martin's/Wednesday, $20

(9781250334817). Gr. 9-12.

Desamours debuts with a tense, speculative mystery about a Black Atlanta teen balancing her intrusive psychic ability, problems at home, and her friend's disappearance. Sariyah can sense other people's needs, normally for mundane items like ChapStick and hair gel, which batter her mind until fulfilled. To stave off migraines, she carries a "Santa bag" stuffed with items everywhere. Every so often, though, a need worries her. Like when she fulfills her friend Deja's need for pepper spray, right before she disappears at the Afro Alt music festival. Aware of how the police and media neglect missing Black girls, Sariyah and her friends campaign on social media to raise awareness of Deja's disappearance while conducting their own investigation. Yet every lead raises more questions. Desamours touches on relevant social justice topics, particularly the disparity in how missing Black and white girls are treated, while slowly building a twisty mystery with plenty of surprises, suspects, and red herrings. Sariyah's authentic troubles with her tight-knit family and friends provide grounding for the interesting speculative elements.

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Hutley, Krista. "Needy Little Things." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 5-6, Nov. 2024, pp. 82+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A829740025/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e1f784d9. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

Desamours, Channelle NEEDY LITTLE THINGS Wednesday Books (Teen None) $20.00 2, 4 ISBN: 9781250334817

A teen springs into action after her friend vanishes at a music festival in Atlanta.

Like her grandmother, Sariyah Bryant, a Black high school senior, inherited the ability to sense people's needs. Unfortunately, her powers exact a toll--if Sariyah doesn't fulfill these wishes or physically distance herself from the person, she experiences acute migraines. That's why she never goes anywhere without her Santa Bag: a duffel brimming with everyday items to give out. When a grateful woman she once helped gifts her four tickets to Afro Alt Music Festival, Sariyah's ecstatic. Alongside best friend Malcolm, new friend Deja, and love interest Jude, she immerses herself in the festival's atmosphere of positivity and creativity--until it all comes crashing down. Deja disappears from the grounds, igniting a frantic search that unearths multiple suspects and tests Sariyah's hope. As Sariyah and her community work to bring Deja back home, she realizes her friends are keeping shocking secrets. Desamours' debut spotlights an emotionally complex hero who's painfully aware of the social inequities and injustices that affect Black girlhood. Sariyah's mother has depression, and the depiction of mental health struggles is handled with realism and cultural sensitivity. The author portrays Sariyah's relationship with her brother, who has sickle cell disease, with tenderness. Readers will be thoroughly surprised by the unexpected conclusion.

An engaging, innovative critique of the systems that protect whiteness and rob Black girls of their innocence.(Mystery. 14-18)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Desamours, Channelle: NEEDY LITTLE THINGS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A817945722/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=61c229c7. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.