Right around this time last year I finished writing Flip Side. Here’s a little peek at what you can expect if you decide to read it.

A is for Alex, without whom Nina’s trip to Moscow would be too ordinary and the story too boring.

B is for balance beam, the event that gymnasts either hate or love. The 1 percent that love it also love to swim with sharks.

C is for chalk, the crumbly white substance which makes it possible to hang on to the uneven bars. It can also be used as makeup if your skin is pasty from spending the whole summer in the gym.

D is for doping test. Getting a cold before a gymnastics meet? Taking medication may cost you a medal (just ask Romanian star Andrea Raducan).

E is for events. There are four events in women’s gymnastics and six in men’s (because it takes men longer to figure out who’s the winner).

F is for Floor Exercise. Men are expected just to tumble, but women also have to dance. Double standard?

G is for Greg, best coach ever.

H is for horse, which was used as a gymnastics apparatus for vaulting, until it was replaced by a table. At least the springboard wasn’t replaced by a table cloth.

I is for ice. Handy for icing a nagging injury or cooling off a drink after a long practice.

J is for judges. They are not mean, they just look that way because they are focusing. Or because they haven’t had a break for eight hours. Or because somebody in the stands keeps using the camera with a flash light.

K is for Kremlin, Oksana’s favorite place to mingle with the Russian socialites.

L is for leotards. ‘Nuff said (see this post).

M is for Mike, who knows just what to say and just what to do… except when it comes to his own feelings.

N is for Natasha, best coach ever. Since there is no tie breaker in the coach division, both Greg and Natasha get the first prize.

O is for Oksana, the Russian gymnastics queen who won’t be overthrown without a fight.

P is for Paris, where Nina loses the love she almost had and almost gets the one that she didn’t.

Q is for quitting. There is no letter Q in Russian (you can figure out the rest).

R is for the Russian gymnasts – graceful, athletic, and as normal as a teenager next door.

S is for St. Petersburg, Alex’s favorite place to take a girl on a date.

T is for Tanya, Alex’s sister and an amazing ballerina who can do a mean hip hop routine.

U if for Uneven Bars, where the only way to succeed is to let go.

V is for Victoria, the bubbly Russian teenager who is a part-time gymnast and a full-time One Direction fan.

W is for the World Championships, the event where Nina’s journey begins.

X is for iron cross, one of the few gymnastics moves that only men can do.

Y if for Yurchenko, a vault that got its name from a fearless gymnast who decided that approaching the vault at full speed by facing it is too boring.

Z is for zone, the place where all good gymnasts go before they begin the routine.