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Whether you obsess over Twilight or Gossip Girl, right now is a damn fine time to be a fan of the Teen Lit genre. Here are just a few reasons why - and the best was saved for last.

It’s no secret: teen lit fans love us some vampires, and I don’t need to mention a certain book quartet turned film series to prove it. Vampires are everywhere in the genre, and this fall that genre has spread to your television screen with The Vampire Diaries. September tenth is going to be a good day for fans of the fanged ones, and if you haven’t read the books by L.J. Smith, well, that’s okay, because the show doesn‘t do things exactly by the book. Originally published in 1991, these books have held strong with the YA crowd, and now that Ian Somerdale (Lost’s Boone) is getting fanged up, there’s one more utterly delectable reason to love vampires.

Harlequin has announced a teen line of books, and they were smart enough to nab The House of Night’s older co-author, P.C. Cast, among others. From books about banshees to centaurs, this idea? Brilliant. I honestly can’t believe it took this long.

Have you heard of a little book called Beautiful Creatures? Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s book about love and witchcraft in a little southern town is one of the best books I‘ve read this year. We’re just a few months away from the release of this book, so bump it to the top of your Amazon wish list, people. Smart, funny, scary, edge-of-your-seat: Beautiful Creatures is all of these things, and more.

And now for the best: Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely), Alyson Noel (The Immortals series) and Kelley Armstrong (The Summoning) just might be the most incredible chicks ever. Not only do they represent three of the most popular teen authors, not only are they all New York Times Bestsellers, they’re all going on tour. Together.

Got goose bumps yet? It gets so, so much better. In September of 2010, these three ladies are hitting the book tour circuit and eight different cities, and they’re bringing some of their friends. They call it the Smart Chicks Kick It tour, and here are just a few of the brilliant minds joining them: Rachel Vincent (The Morganville Vampires, Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tithe), Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments) and so many more. For the constantly growing list, and to make a desperate plea to have the ladies hit your town, check out their Facebook page:  http://bit.ly/FnTGV . I’ve got a feeling that this list is going to get bigger and better (and may I suggest recruiting Lisa Mantchev, author of the utterly amazing Eyes Like Stars?), so stay tuned. In the meantime, watch new episodes of Gossip Girl starting September 14th and enjoy the new, spooky fall releases, including the next House of Night on October 27th, Hunger Games on September 1st and the third Looking Glass Wars (finally!) on October 15th.