Yay, we have a cover! Let me know your thoughts on our new cover for our anthology on bullying. The book doesn't come out until next fall, so we have some time to play around with it.
Also, our anthology finally made news in Publisher's Weekly! Check out the story here. Also, Publisher's Marketplace ran the news of our deal this week:
PUBLISHERS MARKETPLACE DEALS for November 16, 2010
Children's:Young Adult
NYT bestselling author of Need and Captivate Carrie Jones and author of Sisters of Misery Megan Kelley Hall's DEAR BULLY: Writers Tell Their Stories, an anthology featuring more than 70 essays between the print version and the online component, to Tara Weikum and Sarah Barley at Harper, by Edward Necarsulmer IV of McIntosh & Otis for Jones, and Elisabeth Weed of Weed Literary, for Hall, with proceeds being donated to an anti-bullying charity.
Stop the Madness! When you get a chance, check out the Facebook pages/groups I created to put a stop to bullying. I have a lot of news, as well as what you can do to end the cycle of bullying, but this is a great place to start. Much more to come!
I'm very excited to tour Linda Gerber and her exciting new novel, TRANCE. I cannot wait to read this one! Linda is the author of the very popular "DEATH BY" series. She was nice enough to stop by here and give us a little peek at her new book.
Almost everyone has wished that they could take a glimpse into the future—but what if such visions came unbidden, and they only foretold danger? Linda Gerber weaves this idea into a chilling and satisfying young adult novel with TRANCE (Speak; 9780142414156; October 14, 2010; Ages 12 up; $7.99). Perfect for fans of Wake, Gerber’s latest paranormal thriller is a dark but addictive tale of one girl’s curse to unwillingly foresee future tragedies, and the debilitating toll that it takes on her present life—until she realizes that her unwanted power may be more of a gift than a curse.
Ashlyn Greenfield has always known when bad things are going to happen. Each time that familiar tingling at the back of her neck begins, she knows what’s to come—a trance. She’s pulled in, blindsided, an unwilling witness to a horrible upcoming event. But she’s never been able to stop the event from actually occurring—not even when the vision was of her mother’s fatal car accident. When soulful Jake enters Ashlyn’s life, she begins having trances about another car accident. And as her trances escalate, one thing becomes clear: it’s up to her to save Jake from a near-certain death.
Combining romance and suspense, Linda Gerber delivers a paranormal thriller that is unique in its ability to appeal to sci-fi and chick lit fans alike.
About the Author
Linda Gerber (www.lindagerber.com) is the author of the popular Death by Bikini, Death by Latte, and Death by Denim as well as two books in the S.A.S.S. series. She lives with her family in Dublin, Ohio.
My second novel, THE LOST SISTER, deals with revenge and the repercussions of what happens when a hazing incident goes too far.
1. First topic: Revenge. What is your experience with it? Have you ever sought revenge?
I haven’t tried to get revenge on anyone that I remember. I'm sure I thought about it before, but it isn’t worth the negative energy.
As the old adage goes, do you think that living well is the best revenge?
Probably. As long as you don’t mar the living well with worrying about whether the hated party is noticing or not.
2. Cliques and mean girls are everywhere. At book signings I've had everyone from 12 year old girls to 45 year old women tell me they still encounter them. Do you? How has it changed since you were a teen?
I haven’t encountered it myself, but my daughter has had some experience with girls who act superior and pick on others they think will be easy prey.
When I was a teen, we didn’t have the electronic media to make this kind of ostracism public they way they do now. If one of these mean girls humiliated you, it might be in front of a group of friends, but the moment would pass and people would forget about it. Now these girls post pictures and write nasty things on their victims’ walls. The online stuff is there forever. I think the whole mean girl/revenge thing is more vicious now than it was when I was in high school.
3. I have a "Writing Music" playlist on my iPod. What would be on yours? What one song or artist captures the essence of your book?
I can't write with music. What ends up happening is I sing along and get lost in the lyrics and stop writing. So I don't have a writing playlist. Yes, I'm boring.
4. What do you tell people is your favorite book/author? Now what is your "real" favorite book/author. (i.e. I tell people Pale Fire by Nabokov is my fave, but right now I'm really into Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.)
Ha. No. I tell them I couldn’t possibly choose a favorite (especially since so many of my friends are authors). I will tell them about the best books I’ve read recently, but my favorites are legion and always changing, so I avoid that one altogether.
5. If you could swap lives with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
I dunno. Someone rich and pampered who wouldn't make me thing too much.
Seriously, I would start naming some of the authors I admire because it would be fascinating to get inside their heads for a day, but if we’re swapping, that would mean they’d get inside my head, too, and… it’s a mess in there.
6. Who would be in your dream cast if your book was made into a movie or television series? (And multimillion dollar salaries were no issue--they'd all do it for free!)
I’d probably want to go with relative unknowns because I’d want them to be relatable, “regular” teens.
7. As a publicist, I know that it's important for every novel to have journalistic hook. For The Lost Sister, it's mean girls, bullies and hazing. What's yours?
Trust in the face of hardship, prescription drug abuse, and the grieving process.
8. Just because it hasn't been asked yet, favorite 1980's movie?
That’s hard. There were some really good movies in that decade. But if I have to choose, I’ll go with the one my kids and I quote from the most: The Princess Bride.
Welcome back, GCC-ers. It's that time again! Let's welcome Lauren Strasnick, author of Her and Me and You
About the Book:
Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster, October 2010
First love, broken friendships, and heartache all play a part in this evocative, voice-driven novel about Alex, a girl whose world is ripped apart when her father’s affair splits her family in two.
Alex moves with her mess of a mother to a new town, where she is befriended by hot, enigmatic Fred–and alternately flirted with and cold-shouldered by Fred’s twin sister, Adina. Others warn Alex to steer clear of the twins, whose sibling relationship is considered abnormal at best, but there’s just something about Fred–and something about Adina–that draws Alex to them and makes her want to be part of their crazy world, no matter the consequences.
“Strasnick’s slim second offering packs a lot into its short chapters: divorce, broken friendships, crushes, the lines between love and sex and more. Characterization, scenes, dialogue and setting are seamlessly distilled into so few sharp, image-rich phrases that the novel reads almost as if it were written in verse. Less is definitely more here, and readers are plunged into Alex’s physical and emotional world within three to four words. Although the plot moves swiftly, the author’s ability to capture Alex’s inner world in so few words give the novel depth and balance. Complex and thought-provoking.” –Kirkus
Now, I'm going to take time away from my TOP SECRET project (which is almost ready to announce - phew!)and post my GCC interview with Lauren:
My second novel, THE LOST SISTER, deals with revenge and the repercussions of what happens when a hazing incident goes too far.
1. First topic: Revenge. What is your experience with it? Have you ever sought revenge? As the old adage goes, do you think that living well is the best revenge?
Oh, gosh! I don’t think I’m really all that vengeful. Not that I don’t ever get pissy or mad – but my head never really goes to that place of wanting to enact revenge… And if I’ve ever been on the receiving end of some vengeful scheme (!) – I’m oblivious.
2. Cliques and mean girls are everywhere. At book signings I've had everyone from 12 year old girls to 45 year old women tell me they still encounter them. Do you? How has it changed since you were a teen?
I don’t know if I’ve ever been victim to any serious mean girl activity. There was a girl a girl at my high school who would occasionally threaten to beat me up (yikes!), but otherwise, I’ve been really fortunate -- I know a ton of spectacular women.
3. I have a "Writing Music" playlist on my iPod. What would be on yours? What one song or artist captures the essence of your book?
I am a huge music person and make playlists for all my projects, but for some reason this book went without! I’m not sure why! It was a hard book to write – so perhaps that has something to with it?! Poor, neglected book.
4. What do you tell people is your favorite book/author? Now what is your "real" favorite book/author. (i.e. I tell people Pale Fire by Nabokov is my fave, but right now I'm really into Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.)
Some favorites: The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon, The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler, The Secret History by Donna Tartt (MKH Note: The Secret History is my all-time FAVORITE book too!!)– these really are my true favorites. I could play this game better with TV: I adore Mad Men, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock – but I’m also a massive Real Housewives fan and will watch any incarnation of the series.
5. Who would be in your dream cast if your book was made into a movie or television series? (And multimillion dollar salaries were no issue--they'd all do it for free!)
Such a tough question, because I’m not totally up on young Hollywood – but I like Kat Dennings a lot, and there’s this actress from the Brit series SKINS that I think is adorable – Hannah Murray.
6. As a publicist, I know that it's important for every novel to have a journalistic hook. For The Lost Sister, it's mean girls, bullies and hazing. What's yours?
Um. Twincest? No, no. ah… co-dependant, claustrophobic relationships? I think I’m bad with journalistic hooks.
7. Just because it hasn't been asked yet, favorite 1980's movie?
Too many! Just a few: St. Elmo’s Fire, Sixteen Candles, Heathers.
8. Why should I choose your book for my book club?
Creepy twins! Who doesn’t like a good ol’ fashioned story about rich, unsupervised, teen twins who may or may not be in love with each other?! Kidding! Kind of.
9. I'm a huge and fabulously powerful movie producer and you have 30 seconds (an elevator pitch) to sell me on why your book is great and should be made into a movie. Go!
H&M&Y has infidelity! Divorce! Anorexia! Binge-drinking! A crazy, possessive twin! Girl-on-girl kissing! Boy-on-girl kissing! Ta-da! Make my book a movie, please. J
Please forgive me! I've been working on a top secret project (not that top-secret, as most of you probably know already, but I haven't officially announced it yet) and on top of that, trying to wind down the summer and endure the whole "Back-To-School" craziness. (Piper is in second grade!?!? Can you believe it?) Plus, Sisters of Misery and The Lost Sister have both been rereleased back to back in mass market paperback. Whoohoo!
Anyway, our Girlfriend Cyber Circuit has been pretty quiet this summer. Lots of things happening. Lots of people coming and going. (I will officially announce our new members and say a sad goodbye to our Girlfriends that are leaving us).
In any case, in honor of this new school year, Labor Day weekend, official end of the summer, I give you the first GCC tour of the school season. While you are cracking the books this fall, make sure to save some room for the awesome stories from the members of the GCC. First off, Lucienne Diver and Revamped (sequel to the incredibly successful, Vamped):
ReVamped…because fangs are always in fashion!
In Vamped, Gina and her minions defeated a vampire vixen, a psycho-psychic and the vampire council of Mozulla, Ohio.Gina was all ready to expose vampires to the world in all their fanged fabulosity…until the Feds arrived to sweep everything under the rug and make them an offer they couldn’t refuse.
In ReVamped, Gina and her boyfriend Bobby are sent undercover to infiltrate a New York high school where some seriously weird stuff is going down. Worse than that, Gina’s new super-secret identity is as goth-girl Geneva Belfry. No color palette to speak of. More chains than a bike rack. And don't even get her started on the shoes. At least she won’t be too worried about blood spatter when kicking the butt of her newest nemesis, who’s decided that the high school makes a perfect playground.
Rave Reviews:
“This is a witty vampire romance/adventure with plenty of heart and action.Diver has written a supernatural sequel to Vamped (Flux, 2009/VOYA August 2009) that will attract even reluctant readers.It is filled with wry twists, such as the difficulties of trying to apply mascara when, asvampire, you don’t have any reflection in the mirror, as well as the typical agonies of being young and trying to fit in.”—VOYA
“Gina, the 17-year-old fashionista of the undead, is back and as sassy as ever (Vamped, 2009). Thoroughly enjoyable, this sequel is a light, fizzy read… listening in on Gina’s thoughts and quick-witted dialogue is what makes this such a treat.” —Kirkus Reviews
My second novel, THE LOST SISTER, deals with revenge and the repercussions of what happens when a hazing incident goes too far.
1. First topic: Revenge. What is your experience with it? Have you ever sought revenge? As the old adage goes, do you think that living well is the best revenge?
I’ve never actively set out to seek revenge.I think that sort of thing consumes a person and tends to backfire.I sort of believe in karma, though, and I’ve seen instances of poetic justice that give me hope that the universe will come through and balance the scales.
2. Cliques and mean girls are everywhere. At book signings I've had everyone from 12 year old girls to 45 year old women tell me they still encounter them. Do you? How has it changed since you were a teen?
Oh yes, the mean girls and guys are everywhere.The only way it’s changed is that it’s become harder to avoid them…with Facebook and other social media, there’s less chance to just escape into your own world, unless you become totally disconnected, and more chance for mean girls to spread their venom.I so wish I had a solution to offer.
3. I have a "Writing Music" playlist on my iPod. What would be on yours? What one song or artist captures the essence of your book?
I love music too much to listen to it while I write…I’d find it too distracting, but if I were to make a soundtrack for this book, it would probably feature Pink prominently, since she’s such a strong figure and the basis for Su Surrus, the made-up singer that my heroine idolizes.Of course, Gina does go goth in this book, so that might change the soundtrack significantly.
4. What do you tell people is your favorite book/author? Now what is your "real" favorite book/author. (i.e. I tell people Pale Fire by Nabokov is my fave, but right now I'm really into Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.)
My favorite author of all-times is probably Mary Stewart, which I admit freely and constantly.I love the old gothic romances, particularly her My Brother Michael, Airs Above Ground, andTouch Not the Cat…. I could go on and on.My favorite book of all time, though, that’s tougher.Probably The Witch of Blackbird Pondby Elizabeth George Speare, since I chose my pseudonym when I first started writing based on her heroine and wanted to name my son after her hero, though my husband begged to differ (and I let him).
5. If you could swap lives with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
Amazingly, I don’t think I’d swap my life for anything.I really love it.If I had to choose, though, I think I might swap with one of the actresses singing on Glee…Lea Michele or Amber Riley.I love the show, and I’ve always wanted to be able to belt out a song like that.
6. Who would be in your dream cast if your book was made into a movie or television series? (And multimillion dollar salaries were no issue--they'd all do it for free!)
Oh, this one I know!I’ve been thinking a lot about this actually, for reasons known only to me.As Gina, I’d probably cast Selena Gomez (with green contacts, since my heroine’s aventurine eyes are pretty important to me).Her boy toy Bobby…originally I’d envisioned Zac Efron, who I continue to love, but since he’s probably beyond playing teenagers, I think Logan Lerman, who played Percy Jackson in the recent film.
7. As a publicist, I know that it's important for every novel to have journalistic hook. For The Lost Sister, it's mean girls, bullies and hazing. What's yours?
A fanged fashionista forced to go undercover as goth girl Geneva Belfry to investigate very strange goings-on at a New York high school.Gina didn’t think anything could be worse than waking up dead in Vamped to face an eternity without tanning options…until her first mission forces her to get ReVamped.
8. Just because it hasn't been asked yet, favorite 1980's movie?
9. Why should I choose your book for my book club?
Maybe because of something VOYA said in their review, which was probably the greatest compliment I could receive, “This is a witty vampire romance/adventure with plenty of heart and action.Diver has written a supernatural sequel to Vamped (Flux, 2009/VOYA August 2009) that will attract even reluctant readers.”It’s that last part that really gets me.I love the idea that reluctant readers might be attracted to my work.I know it’s popcorn, but, hopefully, it’s the really fun caramel kind!
10. I'm a huge and fabulously powerful movie producer and you have 30 seconds (an elevator pitch) to sell me on why your book is great and should be made into a movie. Go!
Um, love your ascot.I’ve got a great young adult series full of fanged fabulosity in which a teen fashionista wakes to her version of true horror as one of the undead.While she likes the eternal youth and beauty, the all-liquid diet leaves something to be desired.And after defeating a vixen vampiress with visions of world domination in book one, my fashionista and her faction are recruited by the Feds to spy for their country…or else.
Thanks so much for stopping by to answer my questions, Lucienne!
And to all the blog readers and fans of the GCC: Happy Beginning of the School Year! (ssshhh...stop boo-ing me. It's not my fault that the summer's over!)
This week, we are touring Wendy Toliver and her amazing new book, Lifted!
Being Bad Never Felt So Good.
Poppy Browne had never stolen anything in her life before moving to Pleasant Acres, Texas and meeting Mary Jane and Whitney. But when Poppy walks out of the mall with her two new friends and her first pair of stolen jeans, she’s hooked.
Before long, Poppy is lifting whenever she gets the urge—it’s never about the merchandise, it’s always about the thrill. But when her secret gets out, the girls in Poppy’s clique turn on one another. As she watches her life collapse around her, Poppy must decide where her loyalties lie … and how far she’ll go to protect herself.
About Wendy Toliver
Born in Texas, raised in Colorado, and now living in Utah, Wendy Toliver has successfully eliminated “y’all” from her vocabulary. However, she still managed to marry a pickup man. They have three young sons and an assortment of furry, scaly, and slimy pets. She is the author of three novels for teens: The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren, Miss Match, and Lifted.
“Smart, deftly written, and extremely well-observed, Wendy Toliver’s Lifted is so realistic and moving I felt like I was transported right inside Poppy’s world, watching as she struggled to navigate her way through a school where appearances are deceiving and no one is quite what they seem. A hard to put down, compelling read!” Alyson Noël, #1 New York Times Best Selling author of The Immortals series
"Lifted is the story of an imperfect heroine seeking her place not only in school, but in life. Its exploration of the amount of truth behind social and religious stereotypes escalates into a double-dog dare to believe them. A haunting morality tale that will leave you questioning just what it means to be "good." Aprilynne Pike, author of the #1 New York Times Best-Selling novel Wings
"Lifted by Wendy Toliver is an amazing, compelling read, filled with all the realness of being in high school, from humor to love to angst. I haven't met a character so well developed as Poppy since reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. At times heartbreaking, at others uplifting, Lifted is a book that I absolutely loved." James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner and the13th Reality series
VOYA
Poor Poppy Browne! Her mother, an attractive but uptight college professor, has moved her from hip Colorado to bucolic Pleasant Acres, Texas, saying that she is doing it for Poppy's benefit. Even worse, she has to make a go of it in a conservative Baptist school. Calvary High, though, proves to be a much more interesting place than Poppy had imagined. Initially, it is all a bit straight-laced and humdrum, but when she makes friends with popular Mary Jane and Whitney, her life becomes more intriguing. The two girls, top students and role models, prove to be accomplished shoplifters. When they introduce Poppy to their pastime, she is instantly hooked—and it is not the merchandise—it is the thrill of the chase, the charge of getting away with something. Then, one of her friends informs on her, and as her world comes crashing down, Poppy has to figure out what her values really are. The writing and characterization are both decent, with enough contemporary slang and topical references for teens to relate. Plot driven, yes, indeed; but in the category of light read, this rates well on the girl interest scale. A strictly additional purchase, this is excellent beach reading for those seeking mean girl-fare with a soupcon of romance. Reviewer: Ann Welton
Booklist
Especially well drawn is Poppy’s crush, a quirky, sincere minister’s son, who—as Poppy’s world spins out of control—comforts her with unconditional support: “We all make mistakes. It says so in the Bible, so it’s gotta be true.” Will appeal to all teens interested in wayward behavior. Reviewer: Karen Cruze
Contest
Wendy is running a contest on her website, www.wendytoliver.com, the entire month of June. Simply click on the “contact” button and send her a message including the word “contest,” your name, and your U.S. mailing address. (If you’re under the age of 14, please get permission from your parents/guardians first.) She will be giving away gift cards to Border’s, signed copies of Lifted, as well as other fun prizes. One entry per person, please.
My Interview with Wendy:
1. First topic: Revenge. What is your experience with it? Have you ever sought revenge? As the old adage goes, do you think that living well is the best revenge?
I definitely believe in that old adage. I also believe in karma. As for actually seeking revenge on someone, I’m drawing a blank. I’ve done little things, like slap a guy who got too fresh with me—and yes, it felt great.
2. Cliques and mean girls are everywhere. At book signings I've had everyone from 12 year old girls to 45 year old women tell me they still encounter them. Do you? How has it changed since you were a teen?
Yes they are everywhere and it’s so pathetic. I live in a tiny town and it’s amazing how there are certain groups of ladies who are, in essence, “mean girls.” In fact, I think it’s gotten worse since high school because I can’t really remember a particular group of girls being mean to me back then. Of course, as an adult you’re not forced to sit in class or be lab partners with “mean girls” so I just try and stay away from them as much as possible. I think it’s best to surround yourself with people who have your back and pat you on your back, not people who stab you in your back.
3. I have a "Writing Music" playlist on my iPod. What would be on yours? What one song or artist captures the essence of your book?
“Just Dance” by Lady Gaga, anything by Evanescense, “Call Out” by Kaskade (featuring Mindy Gledhill), and, just for fun, "Got Caught Stealin'" by Jane's Addiction. I think the song that captures the essence of Lifted is “The Fear” by Lily Allen.
4. What do you tell people is your favorite book/author? Now what is your "real" favorite book/author. (i.e. I tell people Pale Fire by Nabokov is my fave, but right now I'm really into Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.)
Ha! Great question, but tough, too, because honestly, my “real” favorite book changes so often. I’ll give it a shot, though. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens or The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (MKH NOTE: I LOVE OSCAR WILDE TOO!!) are the ones I tell people. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and Snitch by Allison Van Diepen are two of my recent (and real) favorites.
5. If you could swap lives with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
If I could actually go into someone’s body for a day, I’d love to be in some kind of extreme (think X-games) athlete’s body. Maybe BMX freestyle street competitor Benjamin Shenker. (How do those guys DO that?!?)
6. Who would be in your dream cast if your book was made into a movie or television series? (And multimillion dollar salaries were no issue--they'd all do it for free!)
Poppy Browne—AnnaSophia Robb
Poppy’s mom—Reece Witherspoon
Mary Jane Portman—Meaghan Jette Martin (Bianca Stratford in the TV series “10 Things I Hate About You”)
Whitney Nickels—Keke Palmer (True Jackson on the “True Jackson, VP” TV series)
Gabe Valdez—Taylor Lautner
David Hillcrest—Logan Lerman (Percy in “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief” movie)
Bridgette Josephs—Skyler Samuels (Amber from the movie “Furry Vengence”)
7. As a publicist, I know that it's important for every novel to have journalistic hook. For The Lost Sister, it's mean girls, bullies and hazing. What's yours?
Shoplifting. Specifically, teens who shoplift.
8. Just because it hasn't been asked yet, favorite 1980's movie?
Pretty in Pink.
9. Why should I choose your book for my book club?
Lifted is a great choice for a book club because it brings up all sorts of discussions and debates.
It is full of great discussion and debate issues, including moral perspective (are Poppy, Mary Jane, Whitney, and/or Bridgette “bad”?), the turbulent state of relationships (mother-daughter, friend, society-teen, and romantic), the effect of religion on a person and on a town, the pressures of high school, how one’s past impacts one’s destiny, and, of course, the sticky issue of shoplifting. I’ve already heard about some book clubs ordering Lifted and I am excited to hear how it goes.
10. I'm a huge and fabulously powerful movie producer and you have 30 seconds (an elevator pitch) to sell me on why your book is great and should be made into a movie. Go!
Fifteen year-old Poppy Browne isn’t happy about having to move to a Bible belt town in Texas, but it helps when two of the most popular girls at the private Baptist high school take her under their wings. To her surprise, they’re shoplifters, and she soon learns their secret pastime gives her an amazing rush. With her relationship with her mom on the rocks and the rest of her world crumbling around her, she must decide where her loyalties lie and just how far she’ll go to protect those she loves, as well as herself.
LIFTED by Wendy Toliver
Simon Pulse
Release Date: June 8, 2010 ISBN-10: 1-4169-9048-8 ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-9048-2 Ages: 14 and up Grades: 9 and up
The Boys Next Door and the sequel, Endless Summer, in one volume!
Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer.
Lori can't wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends--including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she's always been just one of the guys. Now that she's turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that's not going to happen--not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.
Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori's romantic summer melt into one hot mess?
Published by Simon Pulse, a division of Simon & Schuster. ISBN-10: 1442406593; ISBN-13: 978-1442406599.
About the Author:
Jennifer Echols grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama--a setting that has inspired many of her books. Always interested in creative writing, she finished her first (and still unpublished) novel soon after graduating with a degree in English from AuburnUniversity at age 20. She worked as an editor for newspapers, a writer for business publications, and a writing instructor for three major universities, completed a master's degree in English, and finished the coursework for a PhD in genre studies before selling a book. Since then, she has written many young adult novels for Simon & Schuster, including Major Crush, which won the National Reader's Choice Award, and Going Too Far, which is a finalist in the 2010 RITA, the National Reader's Choice Award, and the Book Buyer's Best. Her next novel, Forget You, will be released on July 20. Currently she works as a copyeditor and lives in Birmingham with her husband and son. Please visit her online at jennifer-echols.com.
My second novel, THE LOST SISTER, deals with revenge and the repercussions of what happens when a hazing incident goes too far. 1. First topic: Revenge. What is your experience with it? Have you ever sought revenge? As the old adage goes, do you think that living well is the best revenge?
I do think this. I am a non-confrontational, peace-loving person, and when people treat me badly, I tell them so and then seek better people. But I love to live vicariously through a great revenge story—who doesn’t?
2. Cliques and mean girls are everywhere. At book signings I've had everyone from 12 year old girls to 45 year old women tell me they still encounter them. Do you? How has it changed since you were a teen?
I have said it before and I will say it again: my experience with mean girls when I was 12 was so incredibly mean that I don’t think I will ever be able to write a story like that. I don’t think anything has changed with time, either. But I do think that it’s easier and easier to deal with those people as you get older—so if you’re a reader in this boat, just hang on!
3. I have a "Writing Music" playlist on my iPod. What would be on yours? What one song or artist captures the essence of your book?
I do this too—I make a new playlist for each book I write. The playlist for Endless Summer contains “Lights Out” by Santogold and “Light Up the Sky” by Yellowcard (this book includes a lot of fireworks and other explosions). The playlist concludes with a beautiful and dreamy love song, “Endlessly” by Green River Ordinance. Think this song in your head when you’re reading the end!
4. What do you tell people is your favorite book/author? Now what is your "real" favorite book/author. (i.e. I tell people Pale Fire by Nabokov is my fave, but right now I'm really into Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.)
Are you kidding??? I LOVE Pale Fire and I’ve never run into anyone else who’s read it. (MKH NOTE: I KNEW I LIKED YOU FOR A REASON!!!) A lot of other classics are on my favorites list, like The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner and The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, but my go-to fave is Jane Austen.
5. If you could swap lives with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
I’d want to walk in President Obama’s shoes for a day. I wouldn’t want the responsibility, but I’m fascinated by the goings-on in the Oval Office. Robert Schlesinger wrote a great (and loooooong) book called White House Ghosts, an in-depth look at the huge influence of Presidential speech writers through the years, and how their words have changed the course of the country. I would love a crack at that job.
6. Who would be in your dream cast if your book was made into a movie or television series? (And multimillion dollar salaries were no issue--they'd all do it for free!)
I have said that Jonas Black from the movie version of Friday Night Lights should play Adam, and Ashley Tisdale should play Lori. But a reader tells me they’ve gotten too old! So now I’m not sure.
7. As a publicist, I know that it's important for every novel to have a journalistic hook. For The Lost Sister, it's mean girls, bullies and hazing. What's yours?
A love triangle, a beautiful disaster of a boy who is his own worst enemy, and a long hot summer on the lake.
8. Just because it hasn't been asked yet, favorite 1980's movie?
The Empire Strikes Back. In general I’m not a sci-fi fan, but the chemistry between Han and Leia in this movie—wow.
9. Why should I choose your book for my book club?
It is a feel-good book. It will cheer you up, I promise! I start laughing just thinking about it.
10. I'm a huge and fabulously powerful movie producer and you have 30 seconds (an elevator pitch) to sell me on why your book is great and should be made into a movie. Go!
Adam is adorable. He is a mess. He is love with Lori and he can’t express his emotions except by setting things on fire. You have got to make this book into a movie so we can watch Adam crash his wakeboard. Did I mention Adam?
Megan, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog!
Thank YOU, Jennifer for swinging by to chat. Now everyone, go out and buy her book ASAP!!
Yay, we have a cover! Let me know your thoughts on our new cover for our anthology on bullying. The book doesn't come out until next fall, so we have some time to play around with it.
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