YA-AHOLIC BOOK BLOG: Interview + Giveaway (INT) with author Jennifer Brown!

Welcome author Jennifer Brown!! You may know her for her novel Hate List, Jennifer was awesome enough to join us for an interview, and donate a signed copy of her newest novel Thousand Words AND some signed bookmarks! If you have not checked out her books you can check them out on amazon here and goodreads here (do it, you know you want to!)

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am a stay-at-home mom of three kids, and live just north of Kansas City, Missouri. I've been writing for pretty much my whole life, but I never dreamed of being a writer. Instead, I wanted to be an English teacher, then a counselor, and eventually majored in psychology, and got a job in human resources as a recruiter after I graduated. I was very unhappy in my job, and comforted myself through writing. When my older son was born, I decided to quit my job, stay home with the kids, and try to get published. I got a gig writing a weekly humor column for The Kansas City Star, and thought my "in" to publication would be through humorous women's fiction. But the humorous women's fiction never worked out for me. Hate List was my first published novel, but it was the fifth novel I'd written...eight years after I started trying to get published. It was a long road, but I'm so happy I stayed the course.

How does your newest novel Thousand Words differ from your past contemporary novels?

I think the biggest difference with Thousand Words is that it might surprise readers a bit. It's a worst-case-scenario about a viral photo text, and I think it's eye-opening how quickly and how seriously those types of situations can spiral. I think most readers will realize that anything digital can go viral very fast, but they may not realize how far a viral photo can reach, or how devastating it can be to someone's life.

Do you think if Ashleigh from Thousand Words were to meet characters from your other stories that she would befriend some of them? If yes who would she befriend? (ex. if she were to meet Alex, or Val)

I think Ashleigh would befriend Kendra from Perfect Escape. They're both good people who honestly just made mistakes and are having to deal with some major fallout over a poor judgment call.

I also think Ashleigh might have tried to befriend Valerie from Hate List, after the shooting. Ashleigh definitely knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of bullying, and if Valerie would let her in (that's a big if), they might find comfort in one another. They would be two very different people, with something big in common.

What's your favorite quote from Thousand Words?

"People talked. Let them talk. Nothing I could do to stop them. They knew the thousand words, but they didn't know the rest of the story."

Is there any message you hope readers grasp while reading Thousand Words? If yes what is it?

There is always an undercurrent of hope in my novels. I think my biggest hopeful message in Thousand Words is that your mistakes don't define you -- only you can define you -- and it is never too late to start over. Because it isn't too late. We can build and rebuild and invent and re-invent ourselves all the time. Sometimes the pain you're going through or the embarrassment you're feeling really can seem like the end of your world, like it will never get better. But there is always another day, always another chance. You just have to hold on to the hope that it will get better. You just have to stand strong against letting other people define you.

What are you currently working on? Can you tell us a bit about it?

I'm working on a lot of things. My first women's fiction novel, THE SISTER SEASON, comes out in November, and I've also been working on my first middle grade novel, LIFE ON MARS, which will come out summer 2014. But I've also been working on my next contemporary YA novel, TORN AWAY. It comes out May 2014, and is about a girl who loses everything in a massive tornado.

There is also a secret project on my plate that I can't share yet. But I'm super excited about it!

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Thank you so much Jennifer for the awesome interview!! (:

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a SIGNED copy of Thousand Words and signed bookmarks
Giveaway is International
Giveaway will end August 31st
Must be 13 years or older to enter
Must fill out form below

Title: Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Purchase: Amazon . Book Depository

Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself -- sans swimsuit -- to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send."

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone -- until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he's the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh's photo -- and didn't look.

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