Follow me on Twitter and Win an Autographed Copy of THE KARMA CLUB!

So, I just noticed I'm ALMOST at 1000 followers on Twitter. I know 1000 followers is just a Wednesday afternoon for people like Jessica Simpson and Justin Bieber, but for me, it's pretty dang exciting!

To help me reach that 1000 mark, for every 25 new followers I get, I'll be giving away a free autographed copy of THE KARMA CLUB to a lucky (random) follower. 

So since I'm currently at 900, the first giveaway will happen at 925, then 950, etc, until we reach 1000!

Which means, if you're not already following me, you should! Just click on www.Twitter.com/jessicabrody and click "Follow"

And if you ARE already following me, then just relax. You're already entered!

Winners will be announced on Twitter (obviously!) so all the more reason to follow so you can see your name printed when you win!

Good luck! And thanks for the follow!

XO
Jessica

Guest Star: Suzanne Young

It's time for another Guest Star! Our guest this week is Suzanne Young, author of the brand new novel, A Need So Beautiful

About A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL:

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte’s destiny is to be Forgotten…
Charlotte's best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she's cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what's really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become—her mark on this earth, her very existence—is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny—no matter how dark the consequences?

"A clever and well-written fantasy. Whether Charlotte is an angel or a being less freighted by religious tradition is left up to the reader, but the dilemma of how we can make a lasting impression is a very human concern. Young offers an elegant solution that is well worth consideration."
— Booklist, starred review

“A gripping supernatural romance… An imaginative twist on the timeless battle between dark and light.”
— Kirkus Review

And here's my interview with the author, Suzanne Young!

A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL sounds like such a great concept. How did you come up with the idea?

A family member was sick and I was feeling lost. At my lowest point a stranger gave me advice and it helped me through the tough times. I often wondered how she was there, just when I needed her. It sparked the idea of these beings from the light, meant to help others. And A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL was born.

Which came first, the title or the novel?

The novel. My original title was just BEAUTIFUL—but that was taken. So I thought about it and came up with A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL. And after that, I couldn’t imagine calling it anything else.

What’s your strangest writing quirk or habit? Something that would make all of us go, “huh?”

I like to eat candy corn or other tiny food items while I work.

I love the name Charlotte! How do you come up with your character names?

I discovered a site for old fashioned baby names and now I’m hooked. My characters sometimes go through a few different name changes before I find the perfect fit.

What are you working on now?

The sequel is called A WANT SO WICKED and comes out next summer, so I’m busy revising. I also have a new series THE PROGRAM that comes out Spring of 2013 from Simon Pulse.


About the author:
Suzanne Young currently lives in Portland, Oregon, where she uses the rainy weather as an excuse to stay inside and write obsessively. After earning her degree in creative writing, Suzanne spent several years teaching middle school language arts. Now she can be found at home chasing after her two children and poorly behaved dog and writing novels for teens. You can visit her online at www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter @suzanne_young.

Watch the book trailer:

Pen Fatale Fall Tour Dates and (some) Details!

I'm so excited to be part of a fantastic fall tour featuring FIVE totally kick-ass authors! It's called the Pen Fatale Tour (get it? Femme fatale, pen fatale, 5 female authors? Haha!) and it features the following authors:

Alyson Noel (author of the Immortals Series and the Riley Bloom series)
Mary Pearson (author of the Jenna Fox series)
Gabrielle Zevin (author of Elsewhere, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, and the upcoming All These Things I've Done)
Alexandra Adornetto (author of the Halo series)
And Yours Truly! Moi!

The details are still being ironed out, but here's what I know so far about where we'll be stopping:

September 28, 2011: Barnes & Noble, The Woodlands, TX
September 29, 2011: Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX
October 1, 2011: Austin Teen Lit Festival, Austin, TX
October 3, 2011: Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL
October 4, 2011: Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL
October 5, 2011: Barnes & Noble, Boulder, CO
October 6, 2011: Tattered Cover, Denver, CO
October 9, 2011: Vroman’s, Pasadena, CA
October 10, 2011: Los Angeles, CA (events TBD)
October 12, 2011: Third Place Books, Seattle, WA
October 13, 2011: Barnes & Noble, Lynnwood, WA

These events are subject to change but should stay the same. So mark your calendars! Hopefully you can make it to one! I really hope to meet some new readers who haven't been able to make it to my usual LA/Denver events.

I will post more details as they come to me. So check back!

XO,
Jessica

Guest Star: Elana Johnson!

My Guest Star author this week is Elana Johnson, author of the brand new novel, Possession

About POSSESSION:

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don’t walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn…and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi’s future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they’re set on convincing Vi to become one of them….starting by brainwashed Zenn. Vi can’t leave Zenn in the Thinkers’ hands, but she’s wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous: everything Zenn’s not. Vi can’t quite trust Jag and can’t quite resist him, but she also can’t give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

"Possession held me completely captivated from beginning to end. And what an end! I fell in love with the characters and had countless moments of 'Wow.'"
--James Dashner, bestselling author of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials

"Who Should Read This: Anyone who wants a challenge: This plot is so twisty, I had to read the last chapter twice before I could believe what happened. There's also a very nice balance between badass action and romantic tension for readers who like a good mix of the two."
--MTV.com

“Most [readers] will be drawn in by the love triangle, revelations about Vi and her family, and a dark twist ending that maintains the faintest glimmer of hope.”
--Publisher's Weekly

And here's my interview with the author, Elana Johnson!

If you could have dinner with one of your characters who would it be?

Oh, I would definitely have dinner with Zenn Bower. He’s so mysterious in the book—and in my head. I still don’t quite have him figured out. So dinner with him would be fab!


What’s the first thing you do when starting a new book? What’s the first thing you do when finishing a new book?

I don’t really have a process for writing. So sometimes I begin my books with an email to myself. Or a scene in my head that just needs to be written down. I think a lot. I might write another scene. And another. After a while, I think, “Hmmm, this might be a book.”

The first thing I do when I finish a book is celebrate. Writing an entire novel is a lot of work! Then I let the MS cure for a little while before coming back for the first round (of many) massive rewrites.

Which came first, the title or the novel?

The novel came first. I brainstormed a billion titles with the word “control” in it. I thought I had a good one. My publisher and I discussed it, and decided something a little less punny would be better. That’s how we came to POSSESSION.

If you could choose one dessert or snack food that you could eat as much as you want of (and never gain an ounce!) what would it be?

Oreos and milk.

What are you working on next?

I’m working on resting before I have to do edits for the companion to POSSESSION, which is tentatively titled FUGITIVE and will be out with Simon & Schuster in June 2012.

To read the first two chapters, go to the official POSSESSION website.

MyLifeUndecided.com is NOW LIVE!

I'm SO excited to announce that my new website project, MyLifeUndecided.com is now LIVE!

The site has been a fun little project of mine for a few months. It's the same site Brooklyn starts in the book, MY LIFE UNDECIDED (where she posts all her life's decisions and has people vote on what she should do) but now it's been expanded so that anyone can post their life's big questions and ask for help deciding what to do!

So head on over and post your pressing questions, collect votes, and get help making those decisions. Or just head over and vote on everyone else's questions. Either way it's fun!

And keep a look out for little posts, notes, and photos from Brooklyn herself. After all, she's the original founder of the site. :)

Enjoy!
Jessica

Guest Star: Amanda Ashby!

My Guest Star author this week is Amanda Ashby, author of the brand new novel, Fairy Bad Day


I ordered my copy last week and let me say, it looks fantastic! I can't wait to start reading!

About FAIRY BAD DAY:

It’s going to be a fairy bad day...

First, my rightful designation of dragon slayer is STOLEN right out from under me by Curtis Green. Sure, he’s really cute, but that doesn’t give him an excuse.

On top of that, I am assigned to slay fairies. I know what you’re thinking—how hard could it be, right? Wrong! These menacing beasts with their tiny hipster clothes and mocking sarcasm love taunting me. And they won’t STOP!

But the thing that tops my list of stuff to ruin my day? That would be the GIANT KILLER FAIRY that I have to hunt down and slay because I am the only one who can see it. There is someone who can help me. Unfortunately…it’s Curtis.

"Teens with a taste for the paranormal school story and a tolerance for raucous humor will be involved with and amused by this romantic fantasy. The exciting plot, humor throughout—often provided by the little fairies—and relatively innocent romance between characters will grab readers and keep them involved. " Kirkus Reviews

"In a fun mashup of the modern and the magical, Ashby (Zombie Queen of Newbury High) creates nicely developed characters and supports them with strong plotting and zippy writing. Laced with humor, danger, and romance, this book will have readers smiling all the way to the last page." Publisher's Weekly


And here's an awesome interview with Amanda!

What fictional character would you like to have coffee with?

Bartimaeus from Jonathan Stroud’s amazing series or Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich. Or both. In fact I think they’d have a lot in common since they both accidently get into lots of trouble despite having the best of intentions and while I’m not sure that Bartimaeus has blown up as many cars as Stephanie has, he’s sure pissed off his fair share of Kings, which has to count for something!

As writers, we all love to procrastinate. What’s your favorite procrastination activity?

Twittering with Jessica Brody about our shared love of English nineties pop music and chocolate bars. I also tend to check pinkisthenewblog a zillion times a day for my latest celebrity gossip (for research purposes obviously!)

Who’s your favorite character in the book and why? Who was the most fun to write?

I really loved writing Emma, my main character. She’s quite bolshy (and I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that some people might find her annoying) but I just really felt she was justified in acting the way she did. Plus, she was pretty tough, which made her fun to write because she got to play with swords and kill things!!!!!

Which came first, the title or the novel?

Title!!!!! I actually started writing a werewolf book called Bad Hair Day and then I decided to change it to a fairy book and steal the title! Unfortunately my agent didn’t like the first chapter I sent her but she adored the title so we brainstormed the book and she actually came up with the idea of a fairy slayer who was the laughing stock of her entire academy. And then, because I always have FAR too many ideas, I suddenly remembered that I’d plotted yet another fairy book and so I sort of lifted the world building from that and plotted the new idea (and then spent six torturous months trying to make it behave itself!!!!!)

What’s your strangest writing quirk or habit? Something that would make all of us go, “huh?”

It might not make you go “huh” but it will make you go “ewh” because it’s disgusting, but I’m totally addicted to chewing drinking straws (after first using them to drink my Diet Coke of course). It really is a disgusting habit and my family hates it, but I just can’t seem to stop doing it. And besides, if I did try and stop doing it then I would only go and search out all the Easter chocolates that my kids have been saving and apparently that is frowned upon, so really I’m doing everyone a favor! And btw, I actually think that Stephen King once wrote about a writer who chewed straws so that made me feel a little less freakish!!!!

Be honest, how many drafts did you have to write for this book? Any horrific scenes that were cut from the original that you want to share?

There were so many rewrites of this book that I’ve actually lost count. I did a load for myself then about two for my agent and then about three for my editor and while the basic premise stayed the same, there were a lot of changes. In fact by the end of it I was starting to feel more like a patchwork quilt maker than a writer. There were no horrific scenes that I lost but I did have to cut a lot of my wildly hilarious one-liners (I’m assuming it was because my editor didn’t think that they were quite as wildly hilarious as I did). Oh, and I’ve actually remembered that I did have to cut the love interest between two of my secondary characters Loni and Tyler, which was a bit sad (fortunately, they still hook up in my head so shhhhh, don’t tell my editor!!!!!!)

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m in the middle of writing new stuff and also doing revisions on my MG series that is coming out next year called Sophie’s Mixed-Up Magic. It is so much fun and I basically gave an eleven year old magical powers and then made sure that she made as many mistakes as she possibly could. There is also a djinn ghost who looks like Zac Efron and a shark-obsessed six year old sister.

About the Author
Amanda Ashby was born in Australia, and has spent the last fifteen years dividing her time between England and New Zealand before finally deciding that to move home. When she's not moving country, she likes to write books (okay, she also likes to eat chocolate, watch television and sit around doing not much, but let's just keep that amongst ourselves, shall we?)

She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. As well as writing, she works part-time at the children/teen desk of her local library, which basically means that someone pays her to talk about books. Her debut book, You Had Me at Halo was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award, and her first young adult book Zombie Queen of Newbury High was listed by the New York Public Library's Stuff for the Teen Age 2010.

http://www.amandaashby.com

http://www.amandaashby.blogspot.com/

Click here to order FAIRY BAD DAY now!

Overdue Winner Announcement!

So apparently my scattered writer brain has failed me once again! A lot of people have been asking me when I'm going to announce the winner of the Find the Typo Contest from back in March and I quickly realized that although I announced the winner on Facebook and Twitter (and emailed the winner), I forgot to add it to the blog. Doh!

My apologies if I've kept you waiting!

The winner was John Nowakoski.

If you didn't win, fear not! We'll be having TONS more contests to win copies of MY LIFE UNDECIDED (which releases in FOUR days!) so keep an eye out for those coming soon!

Again my apologies!
Jessica