Don’t forget our giveaway this week. I know you’re gonna want a signed copy of YA author Stephanie Morrill’s Out With the In Crowd. You can see contest details HERE.

I am on snow day number three. What a way to extend Christmas break! We are expected to get a little more snow tonight, so the rest of the week looks iffy. But it is freezing. I love snow, and I love snow days, but this bitter Arctic cold is a bit much. My hands look like they belong to a 90 year old woman.

I read a great book this week.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is by fabulous author Kate DiCamillo. I loved The Magician’s Elephant and was excited to try out this book that I’d heard even more raves about.  Well. . .nobody told me it was gonna be sad. And it was. But it’s so worth it. I can’t recommend this enough.  DiCamillo is about sending messages, and it’s usually really obvious, but it’s wrapped up in so much good stuff it totally doesn’t make you roll your eyes. Instead you read the pages and just nod your head and think, “Amen, sister. Amen!”  The book is about a toy rabbit who is there to be played with and loved. . .but realizes he doesn’t love and give back to others. So begins a journey where he becomes the rabbit of various types of people–a hobo, a lonely couple, a dying little girl, and his heart and mind are opened to how life is about giving love to get love. Omigosh, it’s so awesome. I’d recommend this book for any kids or adults. Please read this book. But grab a Kleenex for the ending.

So I graduated from my crazy diet yesterday. In case you missed that scintillating detail of my life, my doctor put me on a no sugar, no yeast, no wheat, no nothing diet. So I could eat lightly seasoned meat, most vegetables, and a little bit of fruit.  It was kind of hard–especially in the beginning. In fact, during the first three days I thought I was gonna turn into Medusa and snakes would shoot out of my hairline. But after 30 days, it is over. I celebrated by leaving my doctor’s office and heading straight to Braum’s for a cappuccino chocolate chunk ice cream cone.  Might’ve later topped that off with some Moose Munch. And an iced tea.

So last Saturday I had the privilege of meeting with a U.S. Congressman and asking him a million questions for about an hour. He was so incredibly kind and helpful and generous with his information and time. I could’ve sat there for hours. This is for research for the book I’m currently writing, where the HMOUP (hot male of unrealistic proportions) is a former pro football player and making a bid for Congress. I had 3 pages of questions for Congressman Boozman, but I knew, I KNEW he would ask me at least one question himself: What is this book about? I thought about that for a few days. And came up with nothing remotely intelligent. I mean I write comedy. Comedy that dips its toe in the occasional moment of farce. This man makes life altering decisions every day. The fate of health care and the economy rests on his shoulders daily. And I have to tell him that he’s investing his time with me so I can write a book about two people who pretend to be engaged. Niiiice.

So here’s how that part of the conversation went:

Congressman Boozman: Tell me what the theme of the book is.

Me: (Thinking, yes! Safe question!) The theme is about forgiveness–God’s definition of forgiveness–not ours.

Congressman Boozman: And what is the book about?

Me: (face falling. eyes rolling in back of head where I’m searching for ideas in the outer reaches of my brain….)  Um, it’s about a guy. And a woman. And they pretend to be….well, you see, the guy is a wealthy playboy from a famous family–like a Kennedy, but yet not like a Kennedy (WHY did I use the word playboy! Why! Who uses that word anymore! What if he thinks I’m meaning a male whore, that I’m writing a  book about a male whore who wants a job JUST LIKE HIS.) And he’s running for Congress and he’s a really unlikely candidate and it’s not going well so he asks this woman to pose as his fiancee but they don’t love each other and then of course they will and he has no qualifications to run for office but when has that ever stopped anyone omgiosh was that insulting because I didn’t mean that quite how it sounded but in the end they kiss and live happily ever ever.

And then I ended it by saying something like, “Um….yeah.” Nodding. “It’s not gonna win any Pulitzers or anything.”

So like Stephanie Morrill and I talked about on Monday’s blog, it is REALLY hard to explain your own book. Especially when it’s not a serious book. Or when you’re talking to someone who does serious work. And you write one liners. And kissing scenes. And fart jokes.

Have a great week. Don’t forget to enter the contest for the free copy of Out with the In Crowd.

JEN

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Happy New Year!  I’m so proud to report that my 2010 began with a snow day, so I think this year is going to be fabulous. It’s like a big hug from Jesus and my weather man to get to skip the first work day of 2010.

Two things to tell you. First of all, we’re doing a book giveaway today! And second, we’re going to talk to the book’s author, Stephanie Morrill.Giveaway details at the end of the post. Read on and get to know my friend Stephanie.

First of all, Stephanie, welcome to the blog. I’m so excited about your new release, Out With the In Crowd. I read book one in the Skylar Holt series, Me, Just Different and really enjoyed it.  Before we talk about your book, we need some dirt on you.

J: What was your favorite book you read in elementary?

Stephanie: We read Tuck Everlasting in fifth grade, and I loooooved it. I don’t think I realized why then, but now I see what excellent conflict it had. It’s the kind of book you read and think, “Oh, man. What would I choose?”

J: Okay, how about favorite book as a teen?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. This answer always makes me cringe a bit because I’m afraid it sounds like I’m trying to come off like some super-brain. I actually didn’t even know there were books written specifically for teenagers until I was about 20 and decided that’s what I wanted to write.

J: That is a very literary answer. Let me speak for the entire blog and say we are duly impressed. But now it’s time to gush about your own book. Tell me about Out With the In Crowd Twitter-style–in 140 characters or less.

Skylar knew changing her life wouldn’t be easy, but she never knew it’d be this hard.

I’d probably say something dumb like, “Oh, uh, well…so Skylar’s still trying to figure out how to separate herself from her friends, and uh…” I much prefer being able to write it down.

J: Ugh, I am the same way. Ask me about anyone else’s book but my own. I just had an embarrassing moment with this this weekend. Which I’ll tell everyone about later in the week. But anyway, it’s weird–nobody knows those books better than we do, but yet I can’t ever come up with a decent verbal description of what the things are about. “Um…there’s this girl, and she says stuff and stuff happens and then it ends happily, and yeah.”  I would like to tell you that gets easier, but much like the Bubonic plague, I don’t think it does.  So now that you’ve had time to think, tell us what we can expect in this book.

It’s the second book in the Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series. Skylar’s vowed to leave behind her partying ways, but finding new friends is a little harder than she anticipated. Plus she has two divorcing parents battling for her loyalty, a younger sister struggling with a crisis pregnancy, and a new boyfriend who wants more of her time. All this leaves Skylar feeling like she can’t win no matter what she chooses, because she hates picking favorites among people she loves the most.

J: I don’t know about you, but when I first started writing, I was often asked why I wrote YA, as if I had wandered into it by mistake. (Um…couldn’t you get published by writing books for adults?) Sometimes people don’t get that it was my choice and a perfect fit to write teen lit. What about you? Why do you write YA?

I think my experience was like yours, Jenny, where it was a natural fit for me and my voice. I definitely find myself receiving comments from adults that boil down to, “One day when you grow up you can write books for big people.” But I’ve always felt drawn to write books that centered on teenagers, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

J: Out With the In Crowd is your second book. Tell us how writing the second book was different than creating the first.

I had a much better idea of what I was doing. Me, Just Different was a project I worked on off and on for four years and kinda got patched together. (Praise God for my editors who kept it from reading that way!) But I wrote the first draft of Out With the In Crowd in just a couple months because I already knew my characters, and I understood how to structure a story.

J: Why would teens like Skylar?

I hope for the same reason that I do. Skylar has this really wonderful goal of growing into a better person and following the path God has for her. But the poor girl is getting pelted with problems from all sides. How she emerges from battles stronger than when she entered them is something I really admire about her.

J: Back to the dirt. Tell us your most embarrassing junior high or high school moment.

OH, so many to choose from. . . particularly in junior high. In sixth grade, a guy told me I was ugly. Ouch. (Note from Jen: We have found this guy and my cousins Vinny and The Gooch have “set him straight” on his lack of manners.) In eighth grade, I pulled a total Skylar and “dated” my best friend’s ex. Such a bad idea. That’s more embarrassing in retrospect than it was in the moment.

J: You’re stranded on a desert island and can only have one CD. What is it?

Absolution by Muse. Didn’t even have to think long about that one.

J: Same island. You’re still stranded. One DVD. What is it?

Pride and Prejudice, the one with Kiera Knightley.

J: Still stuck there. One takeout food. (Yes, you can have takeout there. It’s one of those “anything can happen a la Lost” islands. You know the ones.)

Chinese from P.F. Changs. And they better double up on that ginger plum sauce.

J: What advice would you have out there for a teen who aspires to be an author? Or even for those of us who are a little older than a teenager?

My advice is basically the same for both, and it’s something I hear authors say all the time–write, write, write. It’s especially beneficial to write complete manuscripts. I started getting so much better when I forced myself to write the whole thing instead of flitting form one project to another.

J: You’re on death row (for overdue library fines). What is your last meal?

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, tons of gravy, sweet potato fries, really good homemade rolls, and corn on the cob. Java chip ice cream for dessert.

J: Oh, that sounds awesome. All of it. And Cappuccino Chocolate Chunk ice cream is my absolute favorite. (Braum’s. Junior cone. Eighty-seven cents. I have it memorized.)  Last question and you’re off the hook. You just inherited ten million dollars from a long-lost (and now conveniently deceased) relative. What is the first thing you’d buy someone ELSE?

Oooh, I like this question. My parents have been insanely supportive of my career, which is especially cool since I’m an only child and there’s no one else in the family to become a brain surgeon or something else that’s lucrative. I would send them on a fabulous month long vacation and make sure they didn’t have to plan anything besides what kind of expensive wine to order for dinner.

And I wouldn’t want to forget my in-laws, who are also supportive and watch my daughter one day a week so I can have guaranteed writing time. They love where they live, but they’d like a new house. I’d send them on vacation too, then bulldoze their place and build them something they’d like.

J: Perfect answers. Stephanie, thanks so much for stopping by the blog and telling us about your latest release. Guys, you can find out more about Stephanie and her books at her website: www.StephanieMorrillBooks.com.

And now for the giveaway. To be entered in the drawing for a signed copy of Out With the In Crowd, you must leave a comment and answer the following question: What was your favorite book (Edit: Cannot be a book by me or Stephanie just so we don’t suspect suckuppage–not that you ever would) , movie, or CD (or all three) of 2009?  You have until this Thursday to respond. The winner will be announced on Friday. Woo! Good luck to you all.

Well, I must get back to my snow day. I have a lot of very, very important things to do. (Nap)  See you Wednesday!

Jen

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