Reader Behaving Badly

8 Comments
by Michelle Andreani

The other day, on Twitter, I had a short conversation with a lovely writer/reader. She’d confessed to skipping ahead in her book to see what was going to happen, and I assured her I’ve done it too. Because (NO REGRETS) I have! In fact, I’d just told Mindi earlier that week that I’d skimmed the last few pages of Jenny Han’s WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE SUMMER before I was halfway through the book.

I had to. 

I was so invested, SO NERVOUS, that I could not go on without knowing how it all ended. (And that’s a risk in and of itself, because if it didn’t turn out as I wanted, could I even continue on??) It’s not the first book I’ve skipped ahead on, and it certainly won’t be the last. It’s just that sometimes I need a guarantee that everything’s going to be okay. And that You-Know-Who and You-Know-Who will be 4-eva in love.

No denial here; it’s a Bad Reading Habit. Thankfully, it’s not one I give into too often. (And not to pat myself on the back, but I totally resisted skipping ahead this week while reading Kendare Blake’s GIRL OF NIGHTMARES — and I’m so glad I did.) (PS: Cas and Anna 4-eva.)

But, sadly, I have another Bad Reading Habit and it’s wayyyyyyy worse. Plus it’s such a weird one, you guys. It’s the long-lost cousin of the Did-Not-Finish, because while it resembles DNF, it is so much less . . . sensible.

See, I’ll be completely sucked into a novel, enjoying the world, loving the characters, and life is goooooood. But when things start looking sketchy, and the book’s climax approaches, I STOP READING. I put the book down! Even though I’m dying to know how the story turns out, I’m too nervous or concerned or scared to see these characters through their tough times. Their tough times become my tough times and it’s too much!

Only Joey Tribbiani can possibly understand!

 

The good news is that, unlike the DNF, I do go back into that world. I pick up the book, remove the CVS receipt I’ve been using as a bookmark, and make sure the characters make it through to the other end. I don’t give up completely; I just needed the break.

So, yep, I sometimes behave badly while I’m reading. And I wonder if authors would find that obnoxious; that I read their last lines too early, or step away from their book to regroup. But it’s only because I’m so in love with the author’s story, their characters, and how it all turns out. I want these people they’ve created to be happy. And that’s gotta be a little flattering, right? 🙂

Joey and I can’t be the only ones . . . Tell me your Bad Reading Habits! Solidarity!

All About Elise Allen and POPULAZZI

5 Comments

BY MINDI SCOTT

Elise Allen’s Populazzi came out last week, so she stopped by to answer a few Very Important Questions for me. Hooray!

(FYI: I’m noticing that the more of these interviews I get back, the more I see Beatles coming up as the response for the last question. Very interesting!)

At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

Elise Allen: At age 8 I wanted to be a veterinarian… despite the fact that I can’t bear the site of blood and would doubtless pass out if I had to give an animal a shot. Clearly, this career trajectory wouldn’t last.

At age 18 I wanted to be a star of stage and screen… despite the fact that I freeze on camera, and can’t get out of my own head enough to dive into a character on stage. Small problems. The world would undoubtedly love me anyway.

By age 28, I’d found the career I love. I was getting paid to write television, worked in both prime time sitcoms and kids’ shows, and knew there was nothing in the world I’d rather do for a living than write.

Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?
EA: Theatre Geek for sure! My life ebbed and flowed to the rhythms of whatever plays we were doing, or between plays, whatever we were doing in theatre class. (You can tell I’m still a geek about it because I can’t help spelling the word with the “re” at the end.)

Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?
EA: Robert Schwarner! I love him, and I love him most of all because he was completely unexpected. I’m a plotter, and I had a full outline for Populazzi before I started writing, in which Robert Schwarner did not appear. He appeared briefly in the first draft, a Happy Hopeless in a Beastslayer cloak (Happy Hopeless = lowest rung of the popularity tower, so out of sync with what’s cool that they don’t even realize there is a popularity tower, nor are they aware of their lowly spot on it). Then draft after draft he grew to this bizarrely wise oracle who’s actually far more together than anyone else around him.

Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?
EA: PeeWee’s Big Adventure, The Muppet Movie (the original), Casablanca, Johnny Dangerously. Not sure Casablanca has ever been listed in that particular company, but there ya go.

And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. 😉
EA: BEATLES!!! I love me some Elvis, but he didn’t really evolve the way the Beatles did. You more or less get what you get with Elvis, while with the Beatles you can enjoy everything from the joyful simplicity of All My Lovin’ to the lyrical beauty of In My Life to the more complex lyrics and music of Revolution or the stuff on Sgt. Pepper.

My own coolest Beatles (sorta Beatles) moment? I went to see Billy Joel’s Last Play at Shea concert… and he brought out Paul McCartney to play Let It Be. Oh. My. God. Even Billy Joel was geeking out.

Now I think I have to go look up tickets for the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas. I’ve been dying to see it and now I’m newly motivated!

Thanks for having me on the blog, Mindi!

____________________________________________________

About the book:

WHAT WOULD YOU DO if you had the chance to erase your past and reinvent yourself as the person you’ve always wanted to be? Would you grab it? Would you stick with it, no matter what the consequences?

Cara Leonard always wished she could be one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and never at a loss for the perfect thing to say. One of the Populazzi.

It always seemed impossible… but now could be her chance.

When Cara moves to a new school just before junior year, her best friend urges her to seize the opportunity and change her life… with the help of The Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms herself into the perfect girlfriend for guys higher and higher on the Popularity Tower, she can reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi, the most popular girl in school.

The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment — a straight climb up — but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.

About the author: 

After starting her career in television, ELISE ALLEN has emerged as a vibrant new voice in teen fiction. She is the co-author of Hilary Duff’s New York Times Bestseller Elixir, as well as its sequels, Devoted and True. She received an Emmy nomination for her work on the PBS show Dinosaur Train, and fulfilled a lifelong dream when she wrote for the Muppets. She lives in Los Angeles, where she indulges her inexplicable desire to run marathons. Visit her at http://www.eliseallen.com, or on Twitter @EliseLAllen.

All about Jennifer Hubbard and TRY NOT TO BREATHE

2 Comments
BY MINDI SCOTT

Jennifer Hubbard and I were in the Tenners debut YA novelist group in 2010, and we both had novels published that year about boys who lived by the river! Now, Jennifer has a second novel out, called Try Not to Breathe.  She’s stopped by today to answer just a few questions for me.

At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

Jennifer Hubbard: At eight, maybe a teacher, though I was also considering “writer.” At eighteen, a scientist and a writer. At twenty-eight, the same. I suppose I’m unusual in that I became exactly what I set out to be at age eighteen.

Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?

JH: Apparently the Breakfast Club made a much bigger impact on the rest of the world than it did on me, but I guess the one who is closest to my teenage self would be the character Anthony Michael Hall played.

Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?

JH: There’s a scene in Try Not to Breathe where Ryan, the main character, confronts someone he has been afraid to confront for months. He has built this meeting up in his mind, and yet I knew the character he’s confronting would have a very different take on what had happened between them. I worked hard to make that scene significant, yet realistic.

Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?

JH: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Crimes and Misdemeanors. Take the Money and Run. This is Spinal Tap. Dr. Strangelove.

And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. 😉

JH: I listen to more Beatles music. The breadth of their material, and the originality of their later songs, is impressive.

_______________________________________________

Bio: Jennifer R. Hubbard (www.jenniferhubbard.com) is the author of the young-adult novels Try Not to Breathe, about a boy’s recovery from a suicide attempt, and The Secret Year, about a secret relationship and its aftermath.

Win an ARC of Mindi’s LIVE THROUGH THIS + Cuteness + a Mystery Gift!

Leave a comment
by Michelle Andreani
LTT contest

“We want to live with you!” says Plush Giraffe.

Hi, there! You’ve certainly visited on a great day because not only did I just get a haircut, but Mindi’s giving things away! And some very cool things at that. The very coolest of which is an ARC of her upcoming release LIVE THROUGH THIS. (I was lucky enough to read an early draft and I loved loved LOVED it so much. And you will, too!) Here’s a little more about LTT:

Sometimes hiding the truth requires more than a lie . . .

From the outside, Coley Sterling’s life seems pretty normal . . . whatever that means. It’s not perfect—her best friend is seriously mad at her and her dance team captains keep giving her a hard time—but Coley’s adorable, sweet crush Reece helps distract her from the annoying drama. Plus, she has a great family to fall back on—with a stepdad and mom who would stop at nothing to keep her and her siblings happy and safe.

But Coley has a lot of secrets. She won’t admit—not even to herself—that her almost-perfect life is her own carefully-crafted façade. That for years she’s been burying the shame and guilt over a relationship that crossed the line. Now, Coley and Reece are getting closer, and as Coley has the chance at her first real boyfriend, a decade’s worth of lies are on the verge of unraveling.

Mindi Scott offers an absorbing, layered glimpse into the life of an everygirl living a nightmare that no one would suspect in this unforgettable powerhouse of a novel.

Praise For Live Through This . . .

“Live Through This is by turns harrowing, sad, funny, and romantic. I couldn’t put it down.” -Stephanie Perkins, author of Anna and the French Kiss

“Intensely emotional and beautifully crafted, I savored every word.” –Amanda Grace, author of In Too Deep

“An honest and realistic portrayal of what it is to live with secrets and shame.” –Jo Knowles, author of Lessons From a Dead Girl

*     *     *     *     *     *     *    *     *    *     *     *     *     *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Such well-deserved praise! Along with the ARC, Mindi is also giving away the most adorable stuffed giraffe (which will make total sense once you read your arc, but until then, doesn’t it look so snuggable?), and *cues dramatic music* a GIFT. OF. MYSTERY! Honestly. Who can resist a mystery gift??

Let’s review! One enviable winner will get three awesome (and mysteriousssss) prizes! So, if you want the haul for yourself, check out the details, including all the ways you can enter, in the Google form below.

Crossing my fingers for you! GOOD LUCK! 😀

Crushes on Boys (and stuff)!

1 Comment
BY MINDI SCOTT

I was always a girl who had many crushes on boys. In school, from kindergarten on, there was always at least one boy with whom I was “in love.” By the time I got to high school, I was often crushing on someone in each of my classes!

Over the years, I’ve also been affected in the racing-heart/sweaty-palmed/ beyond-distracted way by some strange things, like . . .  a car that was at the park & ride I used to go to. An old, beat-up Chevy Nova. Dark yellow.

Sexy, kind of?

Also, the name Rhys/Reece/Reese makes me all dreamy. It can be a first (preferred), middle, or last name. But the magical, tingly feelings only appear for me if the name belongs to a male (and not a female. Or a type of candy).

Yum! But I can contain myself.

Then there’s always Anakin Skywalker from The Clone Wars CGI cartoon, of course. Every episode in which he appears, I turn to my husband at some point and say, “He’s so hot.”

Another unexpected crush I had once was on Cassandra Clare’s fan-fic version of Draco Malfoy. I was so smitten that I decided back then the song “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was all about us: “They don’t love you like I love you.”

And, of course, I have had dozens and dozens of crushes on actors, musicians, and fictional characters from books and television. It’s normal. I’m fine with it. It’s fun, even!

But you know who I don’t get crushes on?

The male narrators in the books that I write.

In my first published novel, I found Seth to be a very attractive young man and I loved writing him. I have immense fondness for him to this day. Truly, I adore that boy, and I’ve had readers tell me that they feel the same way.

But the very idea of Seth + me = NUH UH. NO WAY. NEVER. *SHUDDER* *SOB*

I’ve recently alluded to, but never actually explained, the Garrett Hedlund (I swear, this is the last time I’ll type his name in this blog, Michelle!) craziness that’s been happening around here. Short story: Kyle, the narrator I’m writing in this book that Michelle and I are working on together resembles a young, blond GH. And somehow, Michelle and I both started crushing on GH in a big way.

For Michelle, this is not a bad thing at all! (Well, maybe she thinks so. But I don’t.)

But it is a bad thing for me. Having racing-heart/sweaty-palmed/beyond-distracted feelings for one’s narrators really works for some writers. I am not one of them. I need to love my characters completely to write them effectively. I also need to love them . . . chastely.  I can’t entirely explain why, but that’s how I feel. How can I lust for someone I know inside and out, who exists in the pages that I write simply because I decided that he should exist?

It is for this reason that I’ve now been avoiding GH movies and the millions of pictures of him on the internet. (But ZOMG! Have you guys seen this one? Where he’s in an old car? Reading a BOOK???? Ahem.)

It took a couple of weeks of hard work at GH avoidance, but I’m now able to totally separate my sad, adorable, funny, young Kyle from him. I have to be diligent though! I CANNOT SLIP UP ON THIS, YOU GUYS. Or who knows what will happen.

I’d love to hear about your crushes! Any weird ones that we should all know about? Any writers out there who want to tell us about the crushes you get (or don’t get) on your own characters? 🙂

All About Jennifer Echolls and SUCH A RUSH

2 Comments
BY MINDI SCOTT

I’ve read most of the novels that Jennifer Echolls has had published. I admire how wonderfully her dialogue and characters come across, and am pleased today that she has answered a few questions about her newest release, Such a Rush!

At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?
Jennifer Echolls: At eight, I wanted to be a writer like my (unpublished) grandmother. At eighteen I was a music major. But I quickly switched my major to English because I wanted to be a novelist. By twenty-eight I was a graduate student in English and a college writing teacher, I was working on my seventh (unpublished) novel, and I’d had two literary agents.
A
2. Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?
JE: Brain, all day long. I don’t feel very smart–I’m downright stupid about some things, like how to get a novel published–but I’m analytical to a fault.

3. Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?
JE: The love scenes between Leah and Grayson seem to be going over pretty well.

4. Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?
JE: All romantic comedies–I just re-watched America’s Sweethearts twice.
A
5. And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. 😉
JE: Elvis, because he was a remarkable talent in multiple genres, and he came from right next door in Mississippi.
 
Mindi, thanks for having me on your blog!
_____________________________________________________

About the book: High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to

fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business–until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers–and the consequences could be deadly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jennifer Echols is the award-winning author of multiple romantic dramas and romantic comedies for teens. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Fine Art of Procrastination

3 Comments
By Michelle Andreani

You may hear people say that publishing is a slow business; and it is, in its own way. Writing a book, it seems, can also be a slow business — unless you’re one of those writers who can whip up a first draft in two weeks, in which case I’m convinced you drank from an iffy public fountain at a young age and now you don’t have wholly human blood flowing through your veins. Seriously, get tested!

Oh, I kid. Out of envy, you see!

Because I write sloooooooowly. It’s my one problem as a writer — hahahaha. I mixed up those words. It’s one OF my problems as a writer, my inability to turn off the inner-editor, to writewritewrite without worrying if it’s all good enough. To be stunted by this fear. It’s frustrating and often paralyzing when you’re so anxious to spill out a story, and all that’s staring you in the face is this:

Shut up, blinking cursor!

Terrifying. Who wants to deal with that? Today of all days?? You, neither? Excellent! We’ll be much clearer-headed tomorrow, anyway, right?!

SIDEBAR: There are a ton of ways to procrastinate, like reading books and social networking and watching The Social Network and jumping every time your email dings, even though you know it’s just another Groupon for 83% off laser hair removal. Those are typical tools for avoiding work, but sometimes you need a little variety. And that’s what I’m here for! Not that you should follow my lead or consider this a guide. Oh, no.

I certainly do not condone procrastination. *smiles at Mindi*

That said, let’s procrastinate!

1.) We Should Definitely Browse Goodreads: It’s not really wasting time if you’re looking for another book to read! And you’re making an author happy by adding their book to your To-Read list, so yay! But beware: Goodreads is not without danger. You’re bound to stumble upon a book that sounds eerily like the one you’re writing but waaaaaay better. Then your resulting misery will be compounded by the fact that you’re procrastinating while this person wrote your book faster (and better), NOT THAT I SPEAK FROM EXPERIENCE.

2.) Wanna Start a Lip Balm Collection?:

3.) Try to Remember the Title of that Book You Read Like 5 Years Ago, the One with that Girl Character in It . . . Ugh! What Was It Called?! It Was The Same Summer You Read Where the Heart Is. Come On! Remember! Do You Really Want to Die Before You Remember?!: YA novel, probably pubbed between 2006-2009, redhead main character, mean girl named Sterling. Time worth wasting until I puzzle this one out, I say!

4.) Utilize This Gif in Every Way Possible:

5.) Let’s Go Outside for a Bit. It’s Summer!: Yes, of course, getting the mail counts. Now, go!

6.) A List is Not a List Without Pinterest: Everyone loves Pinterest! And for good reason — that place is rife with inspiration. (I even have my own Cloudy board.) But Pinterest is possibly even more dangerous than Goodreads, because it’s basically a time-suck in research’s clothing. You may think you’re going in there to find the exact shade of Cloudy’s hair color, but you come out feeling hungry and kind of poor and — oh, Pinterest, I can’t stay mad at you! Now show me your kickass fat-free enchilada recipes.

By now you’ve probably realized that this blog post is 7.) Write a Blog Post About Procrastinating, I Mean, That’s Workish. And you’re right, you clever thing! So, it’s for the best if we end this, part ways for now, and get back to work, whatever that may be for you today.

I know. Sigh sigh sigh. It was fun wasting time with you.

Ooohh, but wait!

8.) Dance with Me! To This! For As Long As It Takes!:

All about Denise Jaden and NEVER ENOUGH

4 Comments

BY MINDI SCOTT

I’m very excited today because Denise Jaden’s second novel, Never Enough, came out this week! I first met Denise Jaden in the summer of 2009, shortly after we’d both gotten book deals for our debut novels with Simon & Schuster.  Denise it totally my “publishing sister.” 🙂

To celebrate the release of Never Enough, Denise is  having a really great book giveaway. Four boxes of books! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment at the very bottom of this interview. For additional entries, and to learn more about the prizes, click here on Denise’s blog!

And, of course, it wouldn’t be an interview-ish post without Denise’s answers to the Very Important Interview-ish Questions. So here we go!

At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

Denise Jaden: At age eight, I’d just started Polynesian dancing, so I probably wanted to be a professional dancer (which I am!). At eighteen, I went off to theatre school, hoping to become an actress. At twenty-eight, I just wanted to do anything that would allow me to travel and see the whole world.

Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self? 
DJ: I was the Drama Queen, very involved in drama classes and plays at school, but also fairly melodramatic about anything that came my way.

Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?

DJ: I LOVE the last scene in my book, and to be honest, it is probably the newest scene I have written and was added in my very last revision. Because of the place I was at in my life personally when I wrote it, I think much of the emotion in there is very authentic. I can’t tell you any more than that without spoilers!

Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?

DJ: The Matrix, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally

And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. 😉

DJ: This is a tough one for me! I probably like the music of the Beatles more, especially their earliest stuff, but Elvis had the moves!!!

_________________________________________

About Never Enough: 
Loann’s always wanted to be popular and pretty like her sister, Claire. So when Claire’s ex-boyfriend starts flirting with her, Loann is willing to do whatever it takes to feel special…even if that means betraying her sister.

But as Loann slips inside Claire’s world, she discovers that everything is not as it seems. Claire’s quest for perfection is all-consuming, and comes at a dangerous price. And Loann is frightened she could lose the sister she’s always idolized.

As Claire increasingly withdraws from friends and family, Loann struggles to understand her and make amends. Can she heal their relationship—and her sister—before it’s too late?

About the author:
Denise Jaden spent her high school lunch hours trying to tame her frizzy/curly hair in the bathroom, or playing freeze tag in the drama room. She attended the theatre program at college, and then enjoyed a variety of occupations, including stage production, mushroom farming, and Polynesian dancing. The first draft of her debut novel, Losing Faith, was written in 21 days during National Novel Writing Month. This is her second novel. She lives just outside Vancouver, Canada with her husband and son. Find out more online at
http://www.denisejaden.com or on Twitter: @denisejaden

I don’t want to be the biggest PITA.

3 Comments
BY MINDI SCOTT
Rainbow Dash & Strawberry Swirl, in the Outdoors

Photo by Mary Bliss

When I was a kid, I had a tendency to want every play session with my sister to have a purpose and follow a set story line. Even if it was something simple like “Barbie and Ken Go To Prom and Jealous Whitney Tries to Steal Ken Away” or “The My Little Ponies Travel from the Bookcase to the Hallway In Search of Their Runaway Orphan Pony Friend,” there was always certain dialogue and action required to make our story worth telling.

Since I was the oldest and clearly the best qualified to come up with ideas, I was constantly directing. “Okay,” I’d say. “Now you need to have your girl say, ‘But I saw Ken first! He should be my boyfriend!'”

She’d parrot my words, but often not quite the way I’d wanted her to say them. Sigh, sigh!

Earlier this year, I told my sister that Michelle and I were going to write a book together, and she said, “Oh. She really wants to do that?”

Barbie's dream house

Photo by ellenm

I was like, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well. You’re kind of bossy about stuff like that. You wouldn’t even let me choose what my own Barbies would say when I was kid.”

To which I responded, “That was over twenty years ago! And you know that you only would have had your Barbies to say stupid stuff without my help!”

Kidding with that last part! (I mean, I’m not kidding that I said that; I just said  it in a kidding way and then we laughed. See???)

The truth is, despite my sister’s claims to the contrary during every discussion we’ve about Barbies for the past couple of decades, I’d always thought of myself as flexible and easygoing and all of those other great things until I read this on Miss Snark’s blog back in 2006:

[It’s] my experience that people who feel the need to tell you what they are like [… ] are by and large the very ones who ain’t. […] Almost to the last one, every person who has said “I’m very easy to work with” has been a total PITA.

After I figured out that PITA = Pain In The Ass, I decided that Miss Snark was wrong. I mean, I was definitely easy to work with! I put up with other people’s crap all the time! Just ask me if I was easy to work with and I’d be glad to tell you all about it!

But the words in that blog post kept nagging at me. Over time, it changed how I saw myself. It made me decide that I want to be a person who actually is easy to work with instead of one who just believes she is.

In this process of co-writing with Michelle, I’m careful to never tell her what to write. I love having discussions and sharing my ideas, but I do everything that I can to make it clear that my suggestions are just that–suggestions. The words in her chapters have to truly be hers. Otherwise, why would we even bother undertaking something like this together, you know?

Now, if Michelle and I ever were to play Barbies together, all bets might be off. But who knows! People can change, right? 😉

Barbie Flash Mob, Philadelphia

Is there anything better than a Barbie flash mob with Skeletor? I MEAN, REALLY. Photo by Stephen Kelly Photography.

All About Jessica Brody and 52 REASONS TO HATE MY FATHER

2 Comments
BY MINDI SCOTT

Jessica Brody, author of 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, stopped by to share her book trailer and answer some Very Important Questions about herself and her new book! She is also giving away an “heiress” prize pack, so check out this link for more deets on that.

First, ze questions:

At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

Jessica Brody: When I was eight years old, I definitely wanted to be a writer. But then somewhere along the way, I managed to convince myself that being a writer wasn’t a “real job” so by the time I turned 18, I had changed career goals and was determined to become an international business woman. Which is why I majored in Economics and French in college. I graduated and got a job as a strategic analyst for MGM Studios and thought my life was right on track. Then I realized that I actually really hated being a strategic analyst and I rediscovered my love of writing. So by 28, I had quit my job and had sold my first novel and was back to wanting to be a writer. Which just goes to show, we should decide our career path at age 8. But then again, we may have way too many princesses and astronauts.

Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self? 

JB: In high school, I was definitely the brain. I was always studying. A total overachiever! I barely had a social life. I made up for it after college though.

Without giving away too much from your newest book, which character or scene from it are you the most pleased to have created, and why?

JB: There’s a scene in the book where Lexi has to take on her first job of the 52 jobs she’s forced to do. She has to work for a maid service that cleans houses. And her reaction to this job is pretty comical. This is a scene that I felt like I didn’t really write. Lexi wrote for me. I just transcribed. She took hold of the reigns and said, “move over, writer person, this is how it’s done.” To this day, I really love that scene. It’s Lexi in all of her glory.

Which are your favorite movies to watch again and again?

JB: Sliding Doors, Love Actually, and Arthur (the original!)

And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. 😉

JB: Beatles!!! I never really got into Elvis. Definitely don’t see the appeal. But the Beatles, now we’re talking!

___________________________________________________________

About the book and the author:

52 Reasons to Hate My Father
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux/Macmillan Publishing Group

A spoiled teen heiress, famous for her party-girl antics and tabloid headlines, is forced by her ever-absent mogul father to take on a different low-wage job every week for a year, if she wants any hope of receiving her trust fund.

“The #1 reason you’ll love this book? Because  it’s tons of fun.” -Bestselling author Meg Cabot

Jessica Brody is the bestselling author of The Karma Club and My Life Undecided, as well as two books for adults: The Fidelity Files and Love Under Cover. In researching this book, she took on several minimum wage jobs, her favorite of which was working the drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. She splits her time between California and Colorado. Visit her online at: www.jessicabrody.com