Count on ABC's new TV series "Pretty Little Liars," to give new, explosive life to the popular YA books by Sara Shepard. She says her eight-book series about deceit and death in Rosewood, Penn., was inspired by her upbringing in Philly's tony suburbs. (Though the Main Line never produced as much drama as this cross between "Gossip Girl" and "Blue Velvet.")

Here's a network summary of the story line: "Rosewood is a perfect little town. So quiet and pristine, you'd never guess it holds so many secrets. Some of the ugliest ones belong to the prettiest girls in town -- Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily, four estranged friends whose darkest secrets are about to unravel. One year ago, Alison, the Queen Bee of their group, disappeared and the girls swore they'd never tell what really happened that night. They thought their secrets would bond them together, but just the opposite is true."

"Wanted," the eighth and final book in Shepard's series, is being released today -- here's the first chapter. It will offer more insight into high school life, which Shepard developed with lots of research. "I definitely watched a lot of MTV," she said in a Philadelphia Inquirer profile. "The Hills and Laguna Beach. I also kept journals in high school. I still have them and I'm glad I kept them. I sometimes read entries like, 'Why doesn't he like me?' That's always fun, to know how I would have dealt with an issue at that age."