One...One Day Left!

I love anticipation.

I was just talking in a forum about how I enjoy writing scenes where young couples are building up to dating. I LOVE that period in a relationship. And it's especially fun to write from the teen perspective.

Some people make noise over sex in YA. But, writing about the sex isn't nearly as fun as writing about what leads up to it. Courting is what they called it in my mom's day. Umm...not sure what they called it in my day. "Going together," perhaps?

Well tomorrow is a big day for me.

First, because the TRT contest launches.

And second...is a secret. You'll have to check back to find out.

So, what shall we count down today. It's Halloween, but I kind of exhausted my Halloween post yesterday.

So today, the lucky number one is featured as:

My Favorite Thing About Being a YA Writer

1. What's not to love about re-living those years of innocence and awakening?

There are some people who refuse to believe that a person who writes for young readers is simply in tune to their inner teen. But I am.

One young patron at the Catonsville Library asked why do I believe I'm realisitcally portraying teens. After all, I'm ancient. Well...I'm not trying to portray every teen, only the teen protags and characters in my book.

I don't worry about whether or not my slang or the clothes they're wearing are what "today's" teen are saying/wearing. Nor do I try to force my own teen experiences down the reader's throat. All a reader has to believe is that what my characters do and say are realistic for the character I've introduced.

Once, during the editorial process, my editor said she didn't think a teen would use the words "being popular is a beast." Said it felt too old.

She suggested I changed it to "being popular is a bitch."

Well, that rang true - saying something is a bitch is quite popular - but it didn't ring true for the character who said it.

I don't need to sit around the mall and teen watch. And I can't draw on my daughter's experiences because the characters in my book are about 16 now and she just turned 13. But I listen to my inner teen and it tells me if the teen I've created in my books would do or say certain things.

All I hope is that some reader(s) will read it and agree that the character rings real.

And Then There Were Two...

Days that is.

I thought October was supposed to be one of the longest months of the year? Someone obviously forgot to tell time that, because it's been rolling. So here we are just two days away from my second big Teens Read Too Contest. Seems just like yesterday that I was talking to Jen over at TRT about - yeah, I think I'd like to do a contest...you know not now, later this year like umm...November.

And here November's knocking on the front door.

But before we slip gently into the month of the turkey, let's pay homage to my favorite time of year - Halloween.

If you're one of those people who think Halloween is evil, satanic whatever, then skip this post. I friggin' love Halloween.

I love the cute little kiddies that come up to my door begging politely for candy with thier high-pitched "trick or treat."

I love stocking up on Reese Cups under the auspices of giving them out to aforementioned trick or treaters, only to grab a few bags of other candy so I can keep the Reese's for myself.

I love how my three-year-old is both scared of and excited about Halloween and how big her eyes were last year when she realized that the candy she'd collected was actually hers to keep.

I love all the fright marathons on. How many hours of Halloween (the movie) can one person watch? Apparently, about 13 before your brain oozes out of your ears.

So, what do you have for us today, Miss Count down?

The Top Two Scariest Movie Moments

2. Misery when Kathy Bates goes all sledge hammer on James Caan's ankles. Yikes! It's scary because she's so matter-of-fact about it. I mean, the poor man's begging and she's like, I have to do this. Nothing's scarier than a pyschopath on a mission.

Okay, but, bravo to the special FX crew on that one. It looks so real it makes my ankles hurt everytime I see it. A few months ago, it came on and I made Princess Bea and Lady T watch it with me. We were all screaming and giggling as the part came up.

See, being scared is fun!

1. Now see, I can't remember the name of the movie. I think it was like Sweet Audrina or something. I watched it when I was about nine or ten with my cousins. It was about some woman whose mom had died but for some reason the mom was haunting the woman. ::shrug::

The mom was buried in this heavy, black Whistler's mother type dress. She had this pasty, white face and stern voice and she kept popping up throughout the movie.

Anyway, this one part, the woman had insomnia. She was up tinkering around hitting keys on the piano and suddenly the dead mother pops up on the nearby stairway and yells, "Andrea!!"

OMG, the four of us were huddled on the couch, clinging to each other so hard and nearly jumped off the sofa when that voice blared out of the TV.

Okay...I guess you had to be there. But it was scary to us.

Three Days Til Contest Time

What's better than a count down to free swag?

Well, nothing!!

But, because I was in the 'Burg over the weekend, I wasn't able to provide my usual countdown post. So, now I'm playing catch up.

In case you're out of the loop, the 'Burg is Harrisonburg. Home of a big ol' chicken factory (seriously) and my alma mater, James Madison University. It was Homecoming Weekend, so I went down to see the Dukes beat up some Richmond Spider boo-tay. Unfortunately, we lost by one point.

But it's not only about the game. I got to hang out with my peoples, buy some new gear and see the AKAs win the annual step show (skee-wee, ladies).

So, in honor of the official contest (coming November 1st to a teens read too near you) countdown:

Three Things I love about JMU
(future collegiates get your pen out, it's an awesome school)

3. The Mountains
JMU is in the Valley. So everywhere you look there are these beautiful mountainscapes. I can't tell you how many days I wasted staring at them instead of studying. But where there are mountains, there are hills! And the campus is a big old series of slopes. Hey, I didn't get this nice behind by sitting on it. It was sculpted from four years of humping the hills of JMU, usually at high speed to avoid being late for class...with a few books weighing a couple pounds on my back. Academic cross-training at its best!

2. It's Centrally Located
JMU is one of those schools that's like two hours from everything. Seriously. It's about 2.5 hours from Maryland/DC. Two hours from Richmond. About 2 hours from VA Tech. A little less than two hours from UVA. Why should you care, future co-eds? Uhhh, road tripping! Nothing beats a good weekend road trip to other campuses. At Madison, you're able to do it without spending too much time in the car or too much money on gas. Heck, you can stay until the party ends and still get back to Madison in time for your eight o' clock class, Monday morning. Not saying I ever did that but...you know.

1. You may want to leave campus now and then but you don't have to
JMU has always offered plenty to eat and plenty to do on campus. It has a movie theatre (which tends to show relatively up to date films), fitness centers, and no less than six different places to eat. While many schools offer only the dining hall, which requires you to rise at ungodly hours in the a.m. or eat dinner at a ridiculously early time in the p.m. - JMU has always had and still does offer "fast food" outside of its D-Hall. And not just greasy burgers either.

Back in the day, they used to have a place that served only salads and soup, a steak house (no, for real) and PC Dukes (their version of fast food).

Now, PC Dukes is still running strong, offering everything from wraps to tacos and...wait for it...they have a Chick-Fil-A. Why, yes, I am jealous!

But, don't let me sway you, check out a few of the virtual tours of the campus.

No Contest!

Due to rain - and not the usual, pleasant pattering, but the nasty, nippy biting kind that gets underneath your umbrella no matter which way you hold it - Pikesville Library didn't have any teen patrons show up for P's challenge. Although I did have a nice informal chat with the libriarian and the one adult patron seeking a little insight into the writer's life.

So, winner of Round 2: Extreme Author Challenge, by default and honestly because they were just so much fun, is the Cockeysville Branch Library.

The Branch had 14 teens show up for the presentation.

I'd like to think I was the draw. But I think it had more to do with the snacks (heck, you know I'll do just about anything for a Reese's Cup, myself), the fact that it was at 4 p.m., so many of the kids were fresh from school, and because Miriam, the cool, hip librarian walked me around to say hey to some of the patrons, hoping my smiling face would reel 'em in.

::cheese::

As the facilitator of the Challenge, I'm unbiased. But I've got to say, I'm pretty psyched for Cockeysville. They wanted to win this thing once the gauntlet was thrown.

And while all the libraries have been awesome, Cockeysville had the largest showing of patrons, ages 11-16, and their library is pretty cool - especially the bright colored neon signs to guide you to each section. It gives it the feel of a comfy hangout.

The teens were outgoing and once they realized contributing a sentence to the mini-chapter wouldn't result in the loss of a limb or death, they had fun with it.

So, congrats to Cockeysville Branch Library!! Miriam, I'll call you soon to discuss details for the pizza party.

Still, go read their chapter. They worked hard!

Countdown to Contest Time

Rumor has it that someone is only a month away from releasing her next book.

And where there are book releases, there are contests!

That's right, P and Teens Read Too have joined forces, once again, to offer you swag and Advanced Reader Copies.

Never doubt that this is about getting a copy of Don't Get It Twisted into the hands of readers who have been dying to see what happens next to Mina and the clique. But, P has a special grand prize to tag along with the book this time around.

Can't tell ya' what it is, just that it's hot and me likey!

So on November first run, don't walk over to Teens Read Too and enter ye into the contest.

Until then, let the countdown begin! Six days until the contest, so...

Six Things That Make Me Smile

1) When Princess A and Bea have genuine sister moments.
Like, we went to Six Flags during their Halloscream. Some of the people walking around in scary costumes were a little too authentic for Princess Bea - so much so, she had a bad dream in the middle of the night and went running to her big sis's room. These two argue as if they're the same age. But Big Sis gladly let little sis sleep in her bed that night. It was so adorable.

2) Inside jokes with my cheer squad and Princess A.
Like, BTTW and "Man, shut up."

3) When me and the hubster both find something genuinely funny and laugh hysterically as if no one else is in the room.

4) Being in the zone when I write.

5) Driving down to my alma mater at the height of the fall festival of color (i.e. leaves changing color)

6) When Miami beats Florida State

Did You Know?

* The sequel to So Not The Drama comes out late November? Well, actually early December. But since Amazon says it's shipping Nov. 27th I'll stick with that date. I mean come on, who questions Amazon?

* That even though Don't Get It Twisted is the sequel to SNTD, it was written as a stand-alone novel and can be read without reading So Not The Drama.

* I'm literally unable to produce anything even vaguely creative in the form of writing when I'm on a promo blitz.

* For the first time in three years, my cheer squad didn't place first at it's very first competition. ::sigh:: I think we're all experiencing a tad bit of burn out.

* My 20th Class Reunion will be in '08. Can you believe that? I mean, I don' t look a day older than someone who graduated in 1990.

* Out of 5,000 children's books released in 2006, only 100 of them were by authors of color.

* Most people can probably only name like five of those 100 authors! I dare you to try and name more. And you can't say me, because my book came out in '07. I also dare you to mention more than five without saying the names Sharon Flake, Sharon Draper or Walter Dean Meyers.

* I'm on a not-so secret mission to make sure you'll be able to name at least 28 of them before 2008 closes. Hmmm...what is P up to, you're wondering.

* I took the day off to download from last week's library visits and all I did was work all day!

* I really want to see that new movie, Into the Wild. I read the book and was intrigued.

* British accents rather annoy me. When someone with a British accent speaks too fast, I can't understand them. Needless to say I stay away from the BBC channel. Yet, I've been unable to stop watching HBO's mini-series, Five Days. They've found the missing mom. Sad endings suck.

* I'm not surprised Floyd Mayweather was booted off Dancing With the Stars. Though he attacked it as if it were a championship bout, his moves were too abrupt. He had little to no finesse. But hey, Champ, you tried.

* I've recently confessed to having TV commitment issues and thus my reason for watching Reality TV and procedurals. Thanks to the networks and their new, erratic programming, I'm pretty much off of any type of show that requires me to follow story lines. No more will I be held hostage by a show that takes a six-12 month hiatus. Screw you, network TV. Except, I MIGHT watch Lost when it comes back.

* Watching so much Reality TV makes me seem un-intelligent. But lighten up, it's entertainment. If I want to have fun learning something, I pick up a book.

* I hate the sound of my home phone ringing!

The Debate

I've been having this friendly discussion with a writer friend of mine. We're both pretty much on the same page about the issue, so I'm bringing it to the peoples. It pertains to successful commercial products, specifically music, movies and books.

In general, does a book/movie/CD succeed because of backing from the distributor (publisher, label, studio) despite how good or bad the product is?

-OR-

Do distributors only put the most money behind "quality" products and thus they succeed?

-AND-

Can an author emerge from their "status" in the publishing foodchain on their own without that promo/ad/marketing backing?

I believe that singers can. I've seen singers start out small, minimal promo support from the label but then their song just catches on. Next thing you know, the label is pushing it, but only after the people tapped it as a favorite.

And actors, when put in the right vehicle can experience break out success after languishing in bit roles or supporting roles.

But those things are different. Music and movies have a visual outlet to help their success.

It's not the same for books.

Terri McMillian is a good example of why I believe it's the distributor's backing not the product's quality that determines how "big" a success a product has.

McMillian's break-out novel was her third. After that break out success, her publisher really put the money into her marketing. You would have thought Terri McMillan invited fiction with female black characters in it. That's how much hype they began giving her books. But, prior to that, obviously they weren't...it's why few know Waiting To Exhale was her third, not her first book.

So I'm not saying an author languishes in mid-list land forever and can't move up the chain. I'm saying when it happens, it's typically because they're getting more promo support than they did for previous projects.

As often as I've heard people say, "Oh just write a good book, the rest will follow," I'm not sure I believe that. Okay, let me stop being polite - I know I don't believe that!

And I don't believe it because 1) I've been in PR my entire career and I know promotions and advertising works and 2) There are lots of good books, movies and CDs out here that don't experience monster success.

First of all, writing a good book is my job as a writer. Trust me when I say that no one is going to be harder on me than me. So, I'm not going to churn out slop and promote it as the great American novel.

So assuming that any mainstream product defined "good" by someone in society - maybe it's only a small slice of society, but still, "good" means a bunch of someones, out there liked it- are the products that actually get made, isn't the true X-factor in a product's success the level of hype/promotion/marketing dollars put behind it?

There may be some who dislike that train of thought because it seems to de-value the work put into the book/CD etc... They don't want to believe that it's the hype behind it that made it a success.

But if a product requires Distribution, Awareness and Promotion to succeed (and they do) then it's no secret the promotion is what helps awareness. So, I'm honestly not trying to devalue the amount of work that goes into creating the finished product. Not at all.

And I'm open to hearing from an author experiencing "success" (let's define it as significant sales, multiple print runs and the like) who wants to take the side of "Promo and ads do not account for a significant level of my success. My product speaks for itself."

But my side of the debate is - it is very difficult (if not impossible) for an author to rise above their station in the publishing foodchain without significant financial backing from their publisher.

Fact is, few of us bother to chase the elusive front list designation that will bring us increased promotion and awareness. We write and write and if the publisher taps our book as the front list title, it's icing on the cake.

But what do you think?

Pizza's on Me!

Congratulations to the Randallstown Branch Library for winning P's first (annual?) Extreme Author Challenge.

The lucky library gets pizza and soda on me for a few of their teen patrons.

Next up...

The Cockeysville & Pikesville branches go head-to-head this Thursday.

New chapter...

New participants...

Same ol' drama!

How 'bout Them 'Canes?

We're not ranked.


And our chances of getting a BCS bowl game are about as slim as me winning the lottery.


But we still beat us some Seminole booty, yesterday


37-29.


'Nuff said!

TRW: Vote Now...Umm, Please

It's 10:00 p.m.

My back aches from standing in my cutey black boots for two hours (ye-haw, it's boot season, ya'll).

This week feels like it's going into it's tenth day.

But you know what?

It's been an awesome week.

I've met some great readers during Teen Read Week. Baltimore County branch libraries riggity rock!

As you know, I charged the branches with creating an alternate chapter to So Not The Drama. But what you may not know is how friggin' hard that is when you're:

1) Asking total strangers to now become a writing team

2) Giving them a deadline of 15 minutes

3) Reminding them, just before pen hits paper, that oh, by the way, you're competing against three other libraries...so uh, make it good.

4) Did I mention they only had 15 minutes?

But man, every single branch swallowed their pride, worked together and came up with some good chapters. And I can tell you, competition is no joke. Despite the fear some of them had about putting their sentence on paper, all of them had that "we want to win this" glint in their eye.

They're putting themselves out there, like all good authors do.

So, do 'em a favor and vote your fave. Voting stays open through Monday.

Vote P - Best Female Author Site

Tomorrow's the last day to vote P's site for the 2008 Best Black Web Awards - Best Female Author Site.

Looks like you don't have to register either.

So what are you waiting for?

My site's fun, colorful and informative (if you care about teen drama and that sort of thing).

So vote already!

You can vote as often as you'd like until tomorrow.

TRW: Giving up Creative Control

Hello, from Teen Read Week.

I trust you've been visiting your local libraries and partaking in some of the goodly author talks being presented in your area.

::motherly stare to detect truth telling::

My visits to Catonsville and Randallstown libraries were fun. Even though the teens at Randallstown didn't show up until the last fifteen minutes, it was all good.

For this year's TRW I'm doing an Extreme Author Challenge. With only 15 minutes (deadlines are part of our job as writers, no?) the group must write a mini-chapter of So Not the Drama.

Yes, P is giving up control of her characters and letting the readers do with them what they want. ::gulp::

Well not allll of the control. I've chosen the chapter. They get to create an alternate ending.

You know, it's not nearly as painful as I thought it would be. It's actually kind of fun to see what other people make your characters do.

Confession: I took a little, teeny pleasure in seeing some of the readers squirm.

They quickly realized it's a bit stressful to write something for public consumption. There were a couple of deer in the headlights, last night, as they tried to create the "perfect" sentence.

I'm excited to debut the mini-chapters the libraries have produced during my visits.

Reisterstown and Woodlawn are on deck!

So be sure to check the Clique Lounge on Friday to read the chaps and vote for your fave. Voting stays open until next Monday.

The winning branch gets a pizza party on P.

Why are they still surprised?

Tyler Perry's new movie kicked arse at the box office, this weekend, and the headlines registered surprise.

Why?

Because summer's blockbusters were so blood soaked that we've forgotten how to enjoy a movie without a body count?

Because "A-listers" like George Clooney and Cate Blanchett are supposed to automatically draw every human being near a theatre inside?

Or is it something a little more covert? Something publications are too polite to say outright?

Many of the headlines announcing how well Why did I get married? did, did so with an undertone of "Boy can you believe Michael Clayton and Elizabeth: The Golden Age weren't number one, this weekend?"

Of course those movies had a bigger budget than Perry's and the marketing hype alone should have equaled dollars. Yeah, after all the hype, I'm surprised they didn't win either. Except that's now how the game is played.

Now and then a movie or book comes along that rests on its quality and not the promo machine.

I think what the headlines really wanted to say is - Oh my God, can you believe a black movie beat out all the "mainstream" flicks?!

Yes, I pulled the race card. Because sometimes it has to be pulled. It has to be said.

I'm sick of the labels "black" movies, "black" books, "black" television shows. But then I wasn't the one who invented those labels. So I take great pleasure when those "black" vehicles pull in "white" numbers.

Wait? You mean the numbers aren't white? Or black? Merely green you say?

You're right. And it's been proven time and again that when a movie's story line offers something besides the stereotypical shoot 'em up, gangsta hood movie, African Americans will spend their money to see it.

Just as they'll spend money to see mainstream fare with themes that cross the races.

Yet, here we are October 15, 2007 with people still astounded that Tyler Perry's movie opened number one and pulled in $21.5 million. Even though Madea's Family Reunion pulled in $30 its opening weekend.

How many times does a black director not named Spike Lee have to pull in those kind of numbers before it's no longer a fluke? An anamoly? A freak of nature?

I've been quite vocal that I'm not a huge Tyler Perry fan. His "faith-based" movies tend to be a bit too message-y for me. Yet, I've seen two of them now and enjoyed both once I squashed the inner critic that wanted to scream, "These storylines are way too nicely tied up!"

I rarely go to opening night of a movie. But I did Friday. And I enjoyed the movie. Apparently so did $21.5 million dollars worth of other people. If you can ignore the fact that the there was definitely going to be a happy ending and that things were going to be a bit sappy, it's a really good movie. A movie that any couple - married, engaged or otherwise - can relate.

The movie never answers the title's question, but instead proves that the answer is an ever evolving thing for all couples.

If a movie like Knocked Up can pull in the big bucks and the critic's adoration, why shouldn't a sweet, sincere movie like "Married?"

Just once, I'd like to pick up a copy of EW or USA Today and see a headline that puts some confidence in a "black" movie instead of the usual healthy dose of incredulity.

And to the Yahoo reviewer who called Perry a racist because the movie didn't have any white people...you are the reason there are "black" movies and "white" movies. SHUT UP!!!

Happy Teen Read Week!

When I used to work at a PR firm, we had this big ol' book that listed alllllll the specialty "weeks" that went on around the country.

Literally, there's an event for every week and every month of the year. National Grandparents Day, National Kids Day, Stuffed Sausage week, Dye Your Hair month. You name it and there's something celebrated.

As good little PR flacks we were supposed to make sure our clients weren't missing any media tie-ins. Of course, most of the media could care less about Tie Your Shoe Day or some such, still you get in where you fit in with public relations.

Well this week was made just for us YA writer-types. It's Teen Read Week and libraries all over the country are celebrating by doing fun activities for their older readers. What's awesome about TRW is that it flies in the face of those who believe teens don't read.

While it's true that teens are faced with an increased amount of homework and many juggle a social schedule that Paris Hilton would envy, many of them still read. And love doing so, to boot. It's a YA author's dream, walking into a library full of young teens eager to discuss characters, plots and all that other how-to jazz of writing.

I will live the dream five times over between tomorrow and next Thursday. I'm on a mini-road tour visiting the branches of Baltimore County.

I'm hyped and ready to roll. Those poor kids won't know what hit them. I have an Extreme Author Challenge planned.

That's right folks - the best library visits make the participants do all the work. Shhh...don't tell the kids I said that.

Anyway, should you be in the area code, stop by the Randallstown (4 p.m.) or Catonsville (7 p.m.) branches tomorrow. The Resistertown (3 p.m.) and Woodlawn (7 p.m.) libraries Thursday. Or the Cockeysville (4 p.m.) and Pikesville (7 p.m.) branches next Thursday.

I can't promise how fresh I'll be by next Thursday, but I'll have my game face on!

Fell off the wagon

Wait, falling off the wagon is when you start doing something you're not supposed to, right? Like drinking or smoking?

So what do you call it when you've stopped doing something you were supposed to? Because, after a month of straight writing daily, I haven't written a lick since last Wednesday. But that tends to happen when all of my worlds collide.

My squad's first competition was last weekend. The days leading up to it were a blur of practices and I don't think I got much else done last week outside of cheerleading. And now, as it is with exercise, I'm having a tough time getting my head back into the game.

Not that I should bother. Next week is Teen Read Week and I have four library visits in Baltimore County. And promotion and writing never mix well with me. I simply can't focus on both.

Needless to say there are people blogging about much more interesting things than I, right now.

Go check out a few of them:

Blogging in Black

Soulbounce

Cross Over

Kanye West's, Stronger, track crossed over into DC urban radio this morning.

And Princess A and I were talking last night. She said she feels Good Life, the track with T-Pain will soon cross over into pop radio as evidenced by the number of her white peers who are banging it on their Myspace page.

Interesting.

So it looks like she and I are quite the tastemakers or is it taste predicators?

Either way, I think we may become the next Joan and Melissa Rivers (without the plastic surgery).

TV Guide channel, holla at me!

Monday's Mutterings

It's been a rough day. Very busy. But when did that ever stop me from my rambling?

Boot-y Time
That's right, today P busted out with her boots. Goodbye open-toed shoes, it's boot season. Haven't even had them on eight hours and already my dogs are barking. Ahh...boot season.

Jilly from Philly underwhelmed me
I'm a big fan of Jill Scott. So when her CD dropped last week, there was no doubt I'd be there to partake of her lovely sounds. I don' t like simply sitting there focused when I listen to a CD for the first time. I've found the best test for whether a track is "hot" or not is if it captures my attention and makes me stop what I'm doing. So I let the tracks play while I wrote. I was underwhelmed. However, Insomnia and Come See Me are straight jewels. Love 'em both.

I'm not giving up on the CD, but so far those are the only two that leapt out at me and snapped me out of my writing fugue.

The separation must cease!
Speaking of music, my joint is Stronger by Kanye West. I find it somewhat puzzling that only the Pop stations play it, while the "urban" stations are blowing up his other two tracks, Good Life and Can't Tell Me Nothing. In contrast, neither of those songs get much play on the pop stations. I guess this is good for Kanye, because he's getting play on both types of stations. But as a listener, it's annoying. When was the meeting about which songs my race would like best?

Don't try this at home
I'm a closet Ginuwine fan. And for some inexplicable reason, the other day I was in the mood to listen to him. I only have two tracks of his on my iPod. So I settled down to listen to them as I was writing. Ummm...yeah, writing YA fiction to Ginuwine is not recommended. Well not for the sort of YA I write. With titles like "So Anxious," "When we make love" and "Pony" (un-huh, think about that title for a second) his music was a bit too sexually charged for me.
Note: I didn't stop listening, I stopped writing until I switched playlists.

You invented the what now?
This article had me cracking up. But what's most outrageous is...I think it's a real article. Thanks EUR for a good laugh and introducing us to the inventor of The Electric Slide, Pop Locking and Breakdancing. Mmmph, mmph, mmmph.

Ten Questions That Rock - GCC Style - Jennifer Echols

I have to confess, I wanted to tour Jennifer Echols because I was hoping that one of the boys in her book, The Boys Next Door was Reggie Bush...without his shirt. But ummm...not so much. Please, don't let this impact your buying decision. P just has a major crush on Reggie Bush's pecs. The rest of him ain't half bad either.

Jenn, let's kibitz, shall we?




TCL: If you could enter your MC into a MTV-style Celebrity Deathmatch, what protagonist would you challenge and why?

JE: Lori is a tough tomboy. She could take just about any chick who hasnʼt been to prison. Letʼs pit her against Brett from The Sun Also Rises and watch the blood fly.

TCL: Shoes say a lot about a person, what type of shoe are you?

JE: Comfy clog. Until my husband looks askance at what Iʼm wearing, and then I put on high-priced heels.

TCL Says: Make him wear them one good time and he'll appreciate those clogs.

TCL: What type of writer are you: plot-driven or character-driven

JE: Character-driven, always.

TCL: Word association time. What do you think when I say:

Chick-lit: confusion. I think a lot of people are still confused about the definition of chick-lit.

TCL Says: I know I am

Best seller: Samʼs. I know a book has truly made it when I see it in Samʼs Club.

Best band ever: Earth, Wind & Fire.

TCL Says: Oohwe, love the elements!

Most rockinʼ author: Jennifer Crusie!


TCL:Name the Top 3 books on your To Be Read (TBR) List

Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Itʼs Not About the Accent by Caridad Ferrer

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer


TCL: If you had anything to do with it, what would the next hot lit trend be?

JE: Girl-dorks. Who wear clogs!


TCL: What celeb would you love to see play your MC on the big or small screen and why?

JE: Amanda Bynes would have to dye her hair blond and she does not look right with blond hair, but she is the right combination of funny, smart, and dorky. Miley Cyrus would be good too, and we know she can do the hair color switcheroo.


TCL: Whether itʼs because you admire their work or adore them, whoʼs your author crush?

JE: Judy Blume. My BFF in NYC actually met her and called me squee-ing.

TCL: What TV show do you watch that youʼre ashamed to admit liking?

JE: Reno 911. Adore it. LMAO at the movie. People thought there was something wrong with me.

TCL Says: Funny stuff, but the bootie shorts on that cop gives me the creeps.

SSP: Tell the cliquesters why your book should be in their TBR list.

JE: Hot make-out scene in the lake!

Okay, cliquesters, so to clarify, Reggie Bush does not make an appearance, but there is a hot make out scene by a lake...good enough. Cop it.