The Writer Games

My holiday schedule is hectic in more ways than one. I am reading and writing a swath through my vacation! Do you read or write more at a certain time of year? Come share at the MTV Books Blog.

The Book Smugglers asked me to write a guest post on my favorite reads of 2009 and books I'm looking forward to in 2010. These are one and the same, because I had the privilege of reading some wonderful manuscripts by erinkatedowning, fashionista_35, and victoria_dahl that will be published next year. Check out my previews here.

Also, big hugs to Trish Milburn/Tricia Mills for posting a lovely review of Going Too Far.

...to come see Christy Reece, Debra Webb, Peggy Webb, and me tomorrow at the Fultondale Books-A-Million from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. if the snow has melted (snow in Alabama? before MLK Day? ha! but that's what the forecast is predicting) or at the Brookwood Village Books-A-Million from 3 to 5 p.m. if you're not watching the game. I hope Debra will have on what she wore to speak at the Southern Magic Readers' Luncheon a few years ago, her "typical writer's uniform" of pajamas and bedroom slippers, but it's probably a little cold.

The Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit is a webring of YA novelists. Check these postings for the latest releases!

PERFECT SHOT

London Abram’s first love is volleyball, so why does she enter an online modeling competition? Answer: superhottie Brent St. John. London spots Brent signing in contestants at a store, and she gets in line simply to say hi. But she never dreams she’ll make it into the competition!

London’s now up against fourteen hungry fashionistas willing to do whatever it takes to win. All she wants to win is Brent’s heart…but the money prize couldn’t hurt. If London plays this right, she can win the contest, the boy, and the cash. GAME ON!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Rigaud began her writing career covering news and entertainment for magazines—namely, Seventeen, Twist and CosmoGIRL!. She’s interviewed celebs, politicians and other social figures, but enjoyed interviewing “real” girls the most. A total Jersey girl at heart, Debbie lives in Bermuda with her husband.

Jenn: In my book The Ex Games, Hayden has to overcome her fear of heights to make it as a professional snowboarder. What are your characters afraid of, and how do they conquer their fears?

Debbie: One thing London is afraid of is losing control. She feels her safest when staying focused on her strict game plan: earning tuition money for volleyball camp. London also secretly hopes that sticking to this regimented program will keep her from thinking of a past heartbreak.

Jenn: What has been your greatest fear as a writer, and how have you dealt with it?

Debbie: As a writer, the thought of dealing with harsh critics or negative reviews of your work is pretty daunting. But those things are out of my control, and nothing can come from worrying about it. Instead, I just focus on fine-tuning my craft and connecting with my readers.

Jenn: In The Ex Games, Hayden goes head-to-head with her ex-boyfriend in a snowboarding challenge. Are you involved in any sports? How do you think being a woman has affected you as an athlete?

Debbie: I love watching sports--baseball especially--but I don't play. As a little girl, I aspired to be a bat girl at Shea Stadium because I felt that, as a woman, this would be the closest I'd get to being a major league baseball player. That's why characters like Hayden and London (who is a volleyball player in PERFECT SHOT) are significant. I chose to create a volleyball-loving character because women truly dominate this sport, and I'm so proud of that.

Jenn: For good or ill, I design my own web site. Who designed yours? What's your favorite part of your web site that you wish more people would visit?

Debbie: I'm sorry I can't say the same, Jenn. Website design is a skill I often wish I had. My website is designed by a design firm called In Your Budget (more specifically, by the talented Ms. Lydia). Over the past year, I've been getting more visitors to my blog, so my wish is for that growth to continue.

Jenn: What's your favorite gizmo advertising your book?

Debbie: I have to say, I like checking out book trailers. So I'm excited to announce that my very own 15-year-old niece Ana whipped one up for PERFECT SHOT. It was a family affair, actually. That same niece, along with my cousin Maeva, wrote and performed the song "Butterfly" that's featured on the trailer; my goddaughter Amanda makes a cameo as one of the "models"; and that cute boy posing as my protagonist's love interest is my cousin Junior. Hope you like it!

Debbie, thanks so much for stopping by, and good luck to you and PERFECT SHOT!

Next Saturday, December 5, I'll be signing books in the Birmingham area along with authors of adult romance Christy Reece, Debra Webb, and Peggy Webb, so these would be terrific events to drag your mom to. We'll be at the Books-A-Million in Fultondale from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Books-A-Million at Brookwood Mall in Mountain Brook/Homewood from 3 to 5 p.m. I realized belatedly that the latter signing is during the #2 Alabama vs. #1 Florida SEC Championship slugfest. If you're not a football fan, come out and see us. If you are a football fan, come see us during halftime and tell us the score.

I ordered some copies of The Boys Next Door to give away, and in examining them I noticed that the book is now in its 7th printing! This morning I'm putting the finishing touches on the revision of the sequel, Endless Summer, and the good news is helping me push through to the end.

On another front, after hanging out in the 2000's for months, Going Too Far has inexplicably jumped to #750 in the rankings on BarnesandNoble.com. Not that I check this obsessively or anything. *blank stare* Did one of you order 20 copies? Y'all are sweet. I am very thankful to have solid sales and loyal readers with big mouths. :)

Have a wonderful holiday! What will you be reading? I'm continuing my trek through the Jennifer Crusie canon with Fast Women...

The Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit is a webring of YA novelists. Check these postings for the latest releases!

BLACK IS FOR BEGINNNINGS

The BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES series that put a spell on more than half a million readers continues – in graphic novel format! Prophetic nightmares. Near-brushes with death. Killers pursuing her and her friends. Stacey Brown knows that being a hereditary witch isn’t all it's cracked up to be.

All she really wants to do is work things out with Jacob and figure out what to do with the rest of her life. But before Stacey and Jacob can have a future, they must face their pasts. BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS reveals the never-before-seen backstory - and what lies ahead - for the young, spellcasting lovers.

BLACK continues the harrowing adventures of Stacey and Jacob in the wake of Jacob's brush with death. Ever since he lost his memory, Jacob hasn't been able to remember Stacey - his own soul mate. He leaves Massachusetts, returning to his childhood home in Colorado, hoping to jog his memory. What he remembers is Kira, his ex-girlfriend. As Jacob works to piece together his past, will there be room for Stacey in his future?

DEADLY LITTLE LIES

Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, a new boy at school who had a very mysterious gift – psychometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry and experiencing strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow been transferred to her.

Ben returns to school, but he remains aloof, and Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Camelia makes the painful decision to let him go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at Knead, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events uncovers secrets from Ben’s past – and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it's up to Camelia to figure out who – before it's too late.

Jenn: In my book The Ex Games, Hayden has to overcome her fear of heights to make it as a professional snowboarder. What are your characters afraid of, and how do they conquer their fears?

Laurie: My characters are afraid of getting too close for fear of hurting the ones they love.

Jenn: What has been your greatest fear as a writer, and how have you dealt with it?

Laurie: I sometimes fear that no one will show up at my signings. To conquer this fear, I almost always have a spread of baked goods and/or candy at my events. This way, even if people aren’t interested in my work, they can grab a snack and check things out. Another way to conquer this fear, team up with another writer to do a signing together.

Jenn: In The Ex Games, Hayden goes head-to-head with her ex-boyfriend in a snowboarding challenge. Are you involved in any sports? How do you think being a woman has affected you as an athlete?

Laurie: I like to play tennis, do dance-aerobics, and do yoga and Pilates. I’ve never been a big athlete, per se--I much prefer non-aggressive sports, so being a female has affected me as far as sports go.

Jenn: For good or ill, I design my own web site. Who designed yours? What’s your favorite part of your web site that you wish more people would visit?

Laurie: Chloe Weil designed my website and now the fabulous and talented Little Willow at Rock the Rock Web Design maintains it. I wish more people would visit Stacey’s page and Camelia's page.

Jenn: What’s your favorite gizmo advertising your book?

Laurie: I love my booktrailers for Blue is for Nightmares, Bleed, Project 17, and Deadly Little Secret

Laurie, thanks so much for spending Friday with us!

Well! I turned in the revision of Forget You. Now I'm working on the revision of Endless Summer, which is lots of fun because my new editor has filled the manuscript with little penciled exclamations of, "Ha ha!" and "Nice job!" I'm going to try to wrap that up this weekend and then think of a New Book of Eye-Hurting Brilliance, which is due to MTV soon.

In the meantime, I have talked with my brother. He said he has not visited this blog since July and he had no idea The Ex-Games was out, or that I have gone all over the internet doing interviews about how Hayden in the book has such a funny and loving relationship with her brother and how that is based in part on my relationship with my own brother. *stony stare at brother* I'm thinking my next MTV book should be about a rich, beautiful, successful novelist and her down-and-out emergency room doctor brother whom she is always having to rescue from his hapless and foolish exploits. That is the power of fiction.

My local writers' group, Southern Magic, has arranged two book signings here in the Birmingham area for some of the members. Christy Reece, Debra Webb, Peggy Webb and I will sign our books on Saturday, December 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fultondale Books A Million, and from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Brookwood Village Books A Million. I hope to see you there! And paparazzi, you know you are always welcome.

In other news, book blogger Danielle has posted a kind review of Going Too Far.

As for me, I'm hard at work on the revision of Forget You, which MTV Books will publish on July 20. The revision is due Monday. It's going great and I love this book with all my heart, but I do miss NaNoWriMo! How are you doing?

This sequel to The Boys Next Door is coming out on August 3. Here's the back cover description (or, at least, my back cover description, and if it actually makes it onto the back cover, that will be the first time!):

* * *

Lori should have known better than to date a pirate.

After finally getting together and going out on their first real date, only Lori and Adam could manage to fall asleep—and wake up seven hours past Lori’s curfew. Their parents forbid them to see each other. So Lori takes it upon herself to date boys scarier than Adam until her dad gives in.

But Adam won’t play along. He’s afraid Lori might fall for these scary boys. And when she goes out with the scariest boy of all—Adam’s own brother and her ex-crush—even the threat of being sent away to military school can’t keep Adam from swashbuckling his way back into Lori’s heart.

Can this forbidden love stay afloat, or will it sink in the watery deep?

* * *

In other news, Book Chic and Addicted to Books have kindly posted reviews of The Ex Games. Thank you, book bloggers!

And finally, NaNoFail. I have three deadlines this month, but I really wanted to keep track of how much I wrote on all three, and that would be my NaNo. Unfortunately, I am finding that I am too busy to do the difficult additional labor that NaNo requires, such as counting. This breaks my heart because I LOVED doing NaNo last year. I will be cheering for the rest of you!

Yes, that’s me, speaking to a local high school creative writing class a few weeks ago (thanks to Annalisa the Awesome Librarian for the pic). I was talking about NaNoWriMo, how I won it last year, and how I will proceed to do the same this year. (Hint: Brag to everyone that you’re going to win!) Have you signed up yet? Please friend me--my username is jenniferechols.

For my next trick, I’ll be one of 18 authors in attendance at the super-fun annual Southern Magic Reader’s Luncheon on November 7 at the Homewood Public Library here in Birmingham, with guest speaker Anne Stuart. You can still buy a ticket here.

Lots of other stuff going on. Last week I got covers for both Forget You and Endless Summer, and I can’t wait to share them with you! They’re not quite finalized. La Femme Readers were kind enough to post a review of The Ex Games and an interview with me. Today I’m guest-blogging with Jeri Smith-Ready about the book that got away. Leave a comment on her blog to register to win a copy of The Ex Games.

But the best news of all is that fashionista_35 sold her gorgeous novel set in drum corps, When the Stars Go Blue, to St. Martin’s. Pop over to her LJ page and tell her congrats!

Book blogger Persnickety Snark, who has always been kind to me (not every author is lucky enough to have her books called “the YA version of crack,” you know), has posted a new interview with me about The Ex Games.

Also, book blogger Lurv A La Mode has written perhaps the best review of Going Too Far ever. I knew it was going to be good when Vicki forwarded me the link and her subject line was, “HO MY GOD I HATE YOU.” I’m revising Forget You right now. A review like this makes my work a lot easier.

Thank you, book bloggers!

Yesterday I turned in Endless Summer, the sequel to The Boys Next Door, to Simon Pulse. The Boys Next Door is made of Starbucks coffee and doughnuts. Only after writing it did I find out Starbucks doughnuts have 500 calories each. Of course I haven’t eaten one since...until yesterday morning, when I had one while going over Endless Summer one last time. Any time you read the words “Mmmmm, doughnut” in my books, you know what was happening.

While I was writing furiously, book bloggers were posting such kind reviews of The Ex Games. You can read them at Persnickety Snark, The Book Scout, Teens Read Too, and Trisha's Book Blog.

Next up is the revision of Forget You, my second book for MTV. It’s due in the middle of NaNoWriMo, and the proposal for my third MTV book is due at the end of November, so I’m afraid I’ll be working on both those projects rather than writing one whole novel like last year. However, I’m still committing to 50,000 words of something, and I’d love for you to add me as a writing buddy. My username is jenniferechols.

On the reading front...one of book bloggers’ favorite questions to ask me in an interview is, “What are you reading now?” In every interview I have said I am reading The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore. Lest you think this time in 2015 I will still be reading The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore, my slowness is just a deadline thing. The book is wonderful and I look forward to finishing it this weekend.

As for the boys, my son ate Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4 as if it were a Hershey’s Kiss, pretty much in one mouthful, like every other 8-year-old boy in the country. And my husband, in a bizarre twist, has gotten addicted to Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Or hop over to the MTV Books Blog for the aftermath of finishing writing a book yesterday.

That's the question of the month at the Pulse Ro-Com Blog. Come on over for the tiniest sneak peak at the book I finished writing yesterday! Hint:

Tip for getting along with the marching band: if you are a football player and want to body-surf across them, make sure they are from your own school.

 

 

 

 

 

Hey, remember when I told you that the city of Birmingham was holding a parade for me?



I may have made that up.

However, you and I know that I totally deserve a parade. And now I'm getting the next best thing. The Undercover Book Lover has declared it Jennifer Echols Week, complete with Jennifer Echols Mega Contest in which I will give away one copy of each of my books.

Thanks to my hostess, Reggie, for being such a sweetheart.

My next novel for MTV Books, Forget You, is coming out in July, and things are starting to move. Get an inside look at what it's like to be a Big-Name Author at the MTV Books Blog!