Authors ARE Rockstars: Interview with JENNIFER ECHOLS + Giveaway

I'm unbelievably excited to be hosting the fabulous JENNIFER ECHOLS for the Authors Are Rockstars Tour this year! I still remember exactly where I was and what was going on when I read Jennifer for the first time. It was Going Too Far and I was just so completely hooked and in love from the beginning. I then proceeded to read every book of Jennifer's that I could get my hands on. Now her upcoming books are always among my most anticipated every year. She just keeps delivering incredible stories with unique heroines and swoon-worthy boys. Although each of her stories are different and her leading ladies are nothing alike, I some how always feel like Jennifer stalked me to get the story. I relate so much and I don't know how she does it over and over. She has a special talent and I'm so happy that she shares it with us.

So yeah she's incredible, but what makes her a full-blown rockstar? I talk about her and want to share her books with everybody! Which is exactly what makes rockstars, rockstars. I gush about her to everyone who will listen, I push her books on people who are looking for books. I swoon with my friends over Officer After, who is still definitely in my top 10 book boyfriends ever.

She really does bring me together with people. The fabulous Jenn, from YA Book Twins, and I bonded over a love for Jennifer Echols and we became pretty good friends because of it. In fact, last year she got to meet Jennifer and I was completely with jealous until I found out she got this gem for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPzxMbbS4Bc&feature=player_embedded#at=11

I watched that SO many times (and probably frightened my new roommates a little bit). Seriously, if that doesn't make Jennifer a rockstar, I don't know what does.

Jennifer Echols is a rockstar! 

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Interview with Jennifer: 

In the Best Worlds: Since you write books for teens, what were you like as a teenager? 

Jennifer Echols: I was obedient and ambitious, the perfect valedictorian. However, I have a problem with authority that I inherited from my dad, so I spent a good portion of my senior year in the principal’s office for talking back to teachers. If you’ve read Going Too Far, I acted like Tiffany but felt like Meg. 

ItBW: You write the best book boys. Who has been your favorite to write and why? 

JE: Wow, thank you! My favorite is always the one I’m writing at the moment. But I do have a soft spot this morning for Adam from The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer, because I got another letter from a reader asking me to write more books in the series. I can’t because my publisher says no. But this reader also says those books got her interested in reading, and that’s enormously gratifying. I think sometimes a writer hits on a character and a relationship that really resonates with people, and this is mine. 

ItBW: Same goes for heroines. They're always interesting and easy to relate to. Which of your heroines do you think is most like you? 

JE: That’s easy—again, Lori from The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer. I pretty much wrote myself into those books. So when you go on Amazon write a review saying “Lori is such a dork,” I’m thinking “Thanks a LOT” and “Yes, I know.”

ItBW: What has been your favorite moment in your writing career so far? 

JE: Going Too Far was a finalist in the YA category of the RITA, the highest award for a romance novel, given by Romance Writers of America.

ItBW: You recently released a New Adult novel (so awesome)! What was different about writing in that age range, as opposed to your YA and adult novels? 

JE: It’s such a fun age. You still have a lot of the worries you had when you were YA age, and few of the responsibilities of entrenched adults with marriages and kids and mortgages and huge pressures at work, but you are legally an adult and you can get into adult-sized trouble. I really tried to capture that magic in Levitating Las Vegas.

ItBW: What book that has already been written/published do you wish you had written? 

JE: Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist: hilarious and sexy. As I was reading it, I was thinking, “How did this get published? It’s too good!”

ItBW: Since this is the Authors are Rockstars tour, what author is your rockstar? 

JE: Jennifer Crusie, author of adult romantic comedies including my all-time favorite romance, Tell Me Lies.

ItBW: Finish these sentences: 

My number one guilty pleasure is...Music for my iPod. I run long distance--but not easily--and new music helps get me through it. When I called Apple for help with my computer recently, the operator said he saw I was a terrific iTunes customer, and I think that boosted me into a higher echelon of service. Translation: "Jeez, girl, you download a LOT."

ItBW: Finish these sentences: 

My number one guilty pleasure is...Music for my iPod. I run long distance--but not easily--and new music helps get me through it. When I called Apple for help with my computer recently, the operator said he saw I was a terrific iTunes customer, and I think that boosted me into a higher echelon of service. Translation: "Jeez, girl, you download a LOT."

The most important quality a guy should have is...A great sense of humor, and an understanding of when to turn it off.

We could be best friends if...You were funny. If you're not funny, I don't understand you.

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About Jennifer Echols: Jennifer Echols was born in Atlanta and grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama—a setting that has inspired many of her books. She has written nine romantic novels for young adults, including the comedy MAJOR CRUSH, which won the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the drama GOING TOO FAR, which was a finalist in the RITA, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Book Buyer’s Best, and was nominated by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Young Adults. Simon & Schuster will debut her adult romance novels in 2013, with many more teen novels scheduled for the next few years. She lives in Birmingham with her husband and her son. 

Find her online: Website :: Blog :: Twitter :: Facebook

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Giveaway:
I have an incredible giveaway for you! Five lucky winners will receive one of Jennifer Echols books, pictured below. Giveaway is U.S. only. 

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Dirty Little Secret - Jennifer Echols

Summary: Bailey wasn't always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey's were hushed away.
Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie's debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey's antics and ship her off to granddad's house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey's fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey's heart once before. She isn't sure she's ready to let Sam take her there again... 

I might sound like a broken record when it comes to Jennifer Echols, but seriously, it never fails to amaze me how much she writes my life. Somehow she creates characters that I have so much in common with, yet their stories are so different from my own. Her talent for creating relatable, yet interesting and unique, characters is just one of the many reasons I love Jennifer Echols so much. This time around, I connected with the country music (love it!) and the violin playing (I played for 9 years), so even though I never had big musical dreams or a sister on the verge of superstardom, I totally get Bailey.

I love the musical aspect in this book. I played violin for a long time (I gave it up to switch to flute - I couldn't play violin now to save my life, which makes me pretty sad) and I grew up with country music (despite my parents' disdain for it) so I got really excited when I saw that Echols' new book was all country.  I've always loved the idea of Nashville, even though I haven't spent too much time there. So this music culture and what it takes to stand out was so cool to read. It was the perfect background to this story and there's a built in soundtrack, which makes the whole book so dynamic.

I don't know if it's just me, but I totally pictured Bailey's sister as Taylor Swift...So in my head I have Bailey out-shined by T-Swizzy which is a pretty tough shadow to be in. I think Bailey actually handles herself pretty well, considering she got the short end of the stick. She was a little hard to get to know in the beginning, I think her walls are pretty tough to get through even for the reader. But as she lets Sam in, I feel like she let me in as well. By the end, I was just totally attached.

So Sam. I don't really know what to think about him. I've always fallen hard for the boys Echols writes. She's great at creating guys that are totally flawed, but are perfect for the heroine. But Sam kind of made me really cranky. There were times it definitely came off that he was using Bailey and I never really felt like he was genuine. Still, I think he's pretty true to life, because there are a lot of guys like this. And maybe they come off the wrong way or can't quite communicate right, but they always pull through for you in the end.

I think where Echols stepped it up in this book were in the secondary characters. Bailey's grandfather was awesome, even though he only made a few appearances. And then the other band members - Charlotte and Ace - were definitely highlights of this book. They have a bit of a side story going on and that was so fun to watch unfold. The whole band dynamic had me rooting for them and really wondering if they could make it big time if they really existed.

I love Echols' writing - she's definitely an author I'll always read no matter what. She has a real talent for creating vivid characters and settings, and Dirty Little Secret is definitely a great addition to her body of work. I love the country and the music and all the characters that make up this story. It's larger than life and so full of hope and healing, yet accessible at the same time. It has all the elements of the stories we've come to expect from Echols.

Such a Rush - Jennifer Echols

Synopsis: A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.
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. (From Goodreads)

I honestly don't know how to write about anything Jennifer Echols writes without turning into a blushing, gushing crazy person. Let's add crushing to that "...ing" list of descriptors. Because I don't think Echols has written a boy that I wouldn't fall head over heels for if he were actually a real person (and I were about  6 years younger...gah I feel like a creep writing that, but oh well). Such a Rush comes in just below Going Too Far on my list of Echols books - which basically means I want to run around with a Such a Rush flag (or make a Such a Rush banner for Leah and Grayson to fly around over my town) and jump up and down like, again, a crazy person.

So, I guess I'll actually talk about the book now. I don't know how Jennifer Echols manages to write characters who are nothing like me, have lives that are nothing like mine, are put in situations I've never been in and I STILL feel like she's written a book ABOUT me. It's crazy. I can't even put my finger on what it was about Leah that I connected to so well, but she's just one of those characters that I feel like I could tell her my issues and she'd understand me. You know? Actually, I do know why I connected with Leah. She flies because she likes the idea that if she really wanted to she could just fly away. As the anywhere but here girl, I totally understand this feeling. If I wasn't so afraid of heights, I'd love to learn to fly just to feel like I could fly off on a whim.

And then there's Grayson. Who once again demonstrates Echols's talent in creating characters who aren't perfect but are perfect for each other. Leah is a little crazy. Grayson is a little crazy. Put them with the wrong people and you have something dangerous and explosive (in a bad way). But when you put Leah and Grayson together, you get a lot of blushing and swooning. Not gonna lie, I wanted to smack him a few times, but he redeems himself so well. I love the way he fights for his family, he fights to show people he can be more than they expect of him, and even if he doesn't always like to show it - he has a huge heart.

The flying thing was just wonderful. It made this book unique in a sea of contemporaries - so even if you're not a rabid Echols fan (which, if you aren't, I seriously hope it's just because you haven't read something she's written yet) it's a book that will draw you in. The setting is so vivid - I've never spent time in the types of planes these characters fly, or hanging out in a plane hangar, but I felt like I grew up with these things the same way Leah did. I can imagine what it feels like to fly a plane now. It's such an awesome thing to read these things and get the sensation that you're living it.

Just read this book. It's a summer story. It's a love story. It's a break away from what people expect of you kind of story. It gives you the rush that the title promises. I can't think about it and not grin. And sigh. Oh, this book. I just freaking love it so much.

Thus ends this gush fest. There will probably be more to come...

I Heart YA Giveaway

Happy Valentine's Day!

Whether you're a fan of the love holiday or not I think we can all be happy to know that there are good books with great loves out there. This is what I'll be celebrating this Valentine's Day. 

So, to celebrate the great and prominent role of YA in my life right now I'm participating in this amazing hop hosted by For Those About To Read, Fictional Distraction and Michelle Madow. There are about 30 other blogs also giving away great YA books so you can go HERE to see the list of other blogs participating and keep hopping!

There are so many great love stories in YA literature that seemed appropriate for this giveaway, but I decided to go with an author who writes incredible, candid relationships and never fails to make me feel every single thing her characters are feeling. So for one lucky winner I will be giving away a choice of two Jennifer Echols novels. You'll have your choice of one of the amazing novels listed below (I think I may be re-reading Going Too Far today, because I can't think of a better way to celebrate being single on Valentine's Day!) If you want a synopsis from IndieBound, click on the picture.

 AND!

As a bonus - thanks to Julianna Baggot - author of the recently released novel Pure- and the fabulous indie, Beagle Books, where I happen to work, I have these awesome Post-Apocalyptic Valentine's Cards (although I think you can give them anytime) to give to 10 people! 

 

Alright, the details: 

• One (1) winner will get his/her choice of two (2) Jennifer Echols novels. Ten (10) winners will receive a Post-Apocalyptic Valentine from the novel Pure.
• You must be 13 or older to enter. 
• The Jennifer Echols part of the giveaway is international as long as the Book Depository ships to you. However, the cards are for U.S. only.
• You do not have to be a follower to enter, but it is always appreciated!
• Fill out the Rafflecopter form below - you can only enter once.
• This contest will run until January 13, 12:01 AM.
• Winner will be announced by email - if you win you have 48 hours to respond before I pick a new winner. 
• Good luck and thanks for entering!

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The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

Synopsis: Gemma can't believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma's heartbroken.
Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max's friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can't help thinking that Max likes her back--it's just too bad he's already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend's boyfriend? (From Goodreads)


This book is everything that is great about crushes. You know those consuming, over-analytical, wonderfully exciting crushes that only come around every once in awhile. I'm not talking about the ones where you think he's cute and maybe you could like him, but the ones that make you think, This is it. This is THE ONE. And even while your heart is telling you that this is the end-all, your mind has doubts and goes into overdrive - which, really, just fuels the obsession. 


Reading this book was like transporting back to high school. This is what high school is like - no matter what group you were lumped into. This somehow covers any aspect I can think of - from the band geeks (I say "geek" lovingly) to the football players, the popular girls to the girls who don't feel like they don't fit in anywhere. I loved Gemma who was in the middle of this incredible transformation of going from an insecure overweight girl into an insecure skinny girl. But, the way that she grew as an individual through the book book was empowering. 


Her best friend, Addison, was, just, ugh, guh-urrrr. Every word out of her mouth made me want to smack her (and I'm not generally a violent person). While I give Addison credit for pulling Gemma along in situations she would have been too timid to get into, she was still a horrible person. But then, to balance her out, there's Max. Who's the perfect crush - unique, quirky, hot, a little awkward, candid, and completely sweet. He never felt like a cookie-cutter football player and he was never made out to be the ultimate boy. It was one of those - perfect when he's with the right girl - situations. So adorable.


Jennifer Echols is easily one of my favorite authors of contemporary fiction. She just has a knack for making her stories and characters feel so real - whether they're darker and gritty or light and cute. One of my favorite novels ever is Going Too Far and while The One I Want doesn't quite reach to those heights, it's still a great and fun read. I definitely recommend it for contemporary fans and for anyone who wants a great love story to read around Valentine's Day. The paperback is out today (February 7th) so go pick up a copy!