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February 5, 2013

Teaser Tuesday: Unremembered Teaser #2

Time for another teaser! Gosh, I’m having so much fun picking these out! Hope you enjoy the latest.

Here’s what I’m doing: Every Tuesday, between now and release day (March 5), I’m picking a random short excerpt from the book and posting it here on the blog. The reason it’s a “teaser” is because I’ll be giving you NO context of the story surrounding the excerpt. Only a page number. I’m so evil!

Here is number 2:

From UNREMEMBERED, page 76

I face forward and allow my eyes to drift shut.

But the second they close, he’s there. The boy. His mouth is curved in that easy smile. His eyes gaze at me with an undeniable longing.

“So you do remember…at least some part of you does.”

My eyes flutter back open. I stare at the seat in front of me. Blue cloth. A fold-up table. A pouch made of string. I try to distract myself by counting the threads in the fabric, but it doesn’t work.

My mind still wanders. To him.

Come back next Tuesday for another teaser! Did you miss last week’s. You can find it by clicking here.

Download the first 5 chapters of UNREMEMBERED completely free!

And don’t forget about the awesome pre-order offer that’s happening right now! An autographed copy AND a free gift!

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Published on February 05, 2013 08:59

February 4, 2013

Unremembered Monday: Gretchen McNeil

Welcome back for the next installment of UNREMEMBERED MONDAY!

What is Unremembered Monday?

In my new book, UNREMEMBERED (the first in a new sci-fi trilogy), the main character Seraphina, wakes up among the wreckage of a devastating plane crash of which she is the only survivor. She has no memories of who she is or her life before the crash but she soon discovers that her memory loss is not simply amnesia. Someone has been erasing memories from her mind.

In honor of the book (which releases March 5), every Monday, I’m featuring an awesome guest author (and book giveaway) and asking them to answer the following question:

Which memory would you most like to be Unremembered?

This week, we have the oh so fabulous (and not just because she has the world’s biggest collection of fabulous shoes) Gretchen McNeil, author of POSSESS and most recently TEN (Ten teens, three days, one killer) which pretty much has the coolest book cover I’ve ever seen!

And to celebrate Gretchen coming on “Unremembered Monday,” I’m giving away a copy of TEN right here on the blog!

Check out Gretchen’s post below! It gave me serious chills.

It’s funny how things haunt you.

Decisions I’ve made, things I’ve said, choices that seemed like a good idea at the time but inevitably led to (a) physical injury or (b) massive social embarrassment. These moments come back to me periodically, bit of my life I wish I could forget.

Or do I?

One of the problems with forgetting a bad memory, a stupid action or a callous remark is that those choices make up the fabric of my personality. As much as I’d like to forget the time my first boyfriend broke my heart, or the day I injured my knee playing soccer and discovered the surgery necessary to repair it would end my soccer career all together, or the day I found out that my father had been lying to me for basically my entire life… Those experiences and the memories of both the joy and the pain inherent to them, have made me who I am today. The good, the bad and the ugly.

And yet there is one decision, one horrible lapse in judgment, that still comes back to me time and time again. I could probably live without that one still logged in my memory banks.

I was never a bully. Far from it, I was usually on the receiving end of the joke, taunts and name calling that makes up the elementary school social hierarchy. It sucked, but most of the time, I just took it. Until one day, I snapped.

I wasn’t the pretty girl in school. I wasn’t popular. I wasn’t wealthy. I wasn’t girlie. I didn’t wear the right clothes or listen to the right music. But I was smart. Smarter than the kids that teased me. So that’s what I used the day I fought back against one of my tormentors. I’ll never forget: she called me a “dyke” which was a word I didn’t actually understand at age 9. But it made an impression as a chorus of “ooooo” and “aaaaah” went up from the kids gathered around. And this time I fought back. The girl – my tormentor – had trouble in school. Especially with reading. I realize now she was probably dyslexic, but listening to her read out loud in class was a slow, painful process of stumbles and stutters. And I went after that weak point like a cheetah to a gazelle’s throat.

I remember quite clearly the look on her face when I made fun of her reading. I called her stupid. I called her an idiot. I told her that when we were far from that school and she was working as a truck stop waitress and I was the first female President of the United States it would just be payback, because she was never going to college, never getting a good job and never amounting to anything.

I think I half expected a slap in the face. I certainly wasn’t expecting the tears.

I remember there was a phone conference with my mom and her mom and our teacher and principal. I remember my mom sitting me down and telling me that this girl had a lot of problems, and that in the future I was just supposed to ignore her. I remember most vividly, that my mother was disappointed in me.

Ouch. Still stings.

So that’s a memory I’d have erased. A memory of a day I let myself down.

Because it still haunts me.

I love that story. It haunts me too! Thanks so much, Gretchen!

Now let’s haunt a lucky reader with a free copy of TEN! Use the widget below to enter. (Giveaway is open internationally)

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ABOUT TEN:

Shhhh!

Don’t spread the word! Three-day weekend. House party.

White Rock House on Henry Island.

You do not want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—three days on Henry Island at an exclusive house party. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their own reasons for wanting to be there, which involve their school’s most eligible bachelor, T. J. Fletcher, and look forward to three glorious days of boys, bonding, and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly, people are dying, and with a storm raging outside, the teens are cut off from the rest of the world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for three days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

And don’t miss our previous Unremembered Monday posts:

Elizabeth Fama

Gennifer Albin

Anna Banks

Jessica Brody

Pre-Order UNREMEMBERED!

**BLOGGERS: We’d love for you to participate in “Unremembered Monday!”

Here’s how:

1) Write a post answering one or both of the following questions:

Which memory or memories would you most like to be Unremembered?

What book would you like to Unremember so you can read it again for the first time?

2) Click here to download the official Unremembered Monday badge and insert it into your post

3) Email us the link to your post at email@jessicabrody.com so we can publish it on our social media channels and add it to our “Unremembered Monday” link list widget and our weekly round-up!)

Click here for more information about the book and to watch the trailer!

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Published on February 04, 2013 08:38

January 30, 2013

How to Make Unlikable Characters Likable

The other day at a school visit, a student writer asked me how to make an inherently unlikable character likable. I loved this question as it was one of my biggest challenges when writing 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, about a spoiled teen heiress who has to take on 52 low wage jobs in order to earn her trust fund.

At the start of the story, my main character, Lexington Larrabee, is a total spoiled brat who has no concept of reality, consequences, or how regular people live. That, of course, is the whole point of the book. I wanted to tell a story in which the hero has a drastic character arc. I wanted her to truly change from beginning to end. And the only way to do that effectively was to bring her as far back as I could. Make her really bratty, really spoiled, really clueless. But, that of course, led me to the problem of also making her likable. How do you like someone who’s so out of touch? Who’s such a brat? Who’s so over-indulged? And more important, how do you get a reader to root for her?

It wasn’t an easy job, but I hope I managed to succeed at it nonetheless. However, until this student asked me the question, I’d never really had to think about how I tackled this problem. And that forced me to really look at my writing process for this book and also analyze other stories that accomplished this “likability” issue very well.

I broke down my answer to the student into three parts or tips. Each equally important in my mind. I’ll elaborate on them here in case there are other fellow writers who might be facing the same challenge.

Tip 1: Give your hero one redeeming quality or action (even if it’s small) at the beginning of the story.

In the popular screenwriting book, Save the Cat by Blake Snyder (which I use to outline all my books and whose method I teach to other novelists), this is actually the writing tip that gave the book its title. Blake calls this technique “Saving the Cat.” When you have a highly unlikable hero, you have to devise a way for them to do something redeemable (preferably toward the beginning of the story). Your hero has to “save a cat.”

For example, your unlikable hero is walking down the street and sees a cat stuck up in a tree. He stops doing whatever unlikable thing he’s doing (plotting a murder, whining about his life, cheating on his girlfriend, etc.) and actually climbs up the tree to save the cat. This immediately softens him just slightly in the audience/reader’s mind. It informs the reader that he’s not all bad. There’s at least something redeemable about him! Of course, your hero doesn’t have to literally save a cat. It’s just an example. But they should do something equally redeeming (preferably that fits their personality.)

These are two of my favorite “Save the Cat” moments:

A rather unlikable king.

The King’s Speech – the scene in which George (soon to be King George) stops what he’s doing long enough to tell a story to his adorable little daughters (who clearly could care less about his debilitating stutter). Up until this point, he comes off as kind of a jerk. He’s arrogant, a bit spoiled, and cold. But after this endearing scene with this daughters, we’re instantly on his side.
The Hunger Games (Book) – Suzanne Collins has a unique twist on Saving a Cat as Katniss actually continually threatens to kill the cat that lives with her family. Understandably, he’s an extra mouth to feed and they just don’t have enough food. This would presumably make her unlikable (she wants to kill the cat!) But because her sisteris so attached to that cat and cares about him so much, Katniss doesn’t kill the cat. She perpetually decides to spare the cat’s life (saving him!) because of her love for her sister. This effectively endears us to her.

In 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, I chose to make Lexi’s dog her “Save the Cat,” moment. She’s very attached to her dog and she considers the dog to be her one true friend. But instead of making the dog some designer dog that Lexi carries around like an accessory (as is so popular among heiresses and celebrities), I chose to make the dog a rescue. Toward the very beginning of the story, Lexi talks about how she rescued Holly, the Papillon, from a busted evil puppy mill. I also play up the bond between her and the dog and the fact that the dog really is Lexi’s only ally and the only one who truly understands her. This hopefully gives Lexi one glimmer of redemption as she’s lamenting about her $500,000 Mercedes that she just crashed into a convenience store on Sunset Blvd.

Tip 2: Give your hero an enemy…a really evil one.

One of the best ways to make a reader sympathize with an unlikable character is to have an even more unlikable character to compare them to. Enter: the villain! But remember villains don’t always have to be evil monsters with capes. They can be regular people. But if it’s someone who is immediately pitted against the protagonist from the beginning and we, the reader, can see how awful this person is, it will instantly make your hero more relatable and likable. Because don’t we all have that special someone in our life who we just can’t stand? Who is just out to get us? So as soon as you introduce that person in your hero’s life, your reader will feel bonded with the hero. Regardless of how likable or unlikable he/she is.

Three of my favorite examples of this technique used well:

Evan: A tongue-tied nemesis

Bruce Almighty – This is one of my favorite movies because of its excellent story structure. Even though we all love Jim Carrey, his character in this flick is not instantly likable. Yes, he’s funny. But he’s also a bit of whiner, insensitive, self-centered, and blind to the fact that Jennifer Aniston (his girlfriend) is pretty much amazing. The result being: he doesn’t treat her with the respect she deserves. He’s not exactly someone we immediately root for. That is, until we meet…Evan. Played so brilliantly by Steve Carell. Evan is even worse than Bruce! He’s arrogant and mean and we instantly despise him! Because Evan and Bruce are established as enemies, we instinctively root for Bruce to beat him.

Evil on Privet Drive

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone– Although Harry is not necessarily an unlikable hero, J.K. Rowling does such an excellent job at employing this tip, I felt it was worth mentioning. I mean, how much do you just hate the Dursleys from the moment you meet them!? They’re downright horrible! And by chapter 3 of the book, you are so firmly cemented on Harry’s side, so sympathetic to him, so willing to do anything to see him win, it wouldn’t matter what he does. We’re wrapped around his finger.

Two villains for the price of one.

Legally Blonde – Another one of my all-time favorite movies and definitely a source of inspiration for me when writing 52 Reasons to Hate My Father. Let’s face it, Elle Woods is a bit of a ditz when we first meet her. A little self-centered. A little self-absorbed. And very superficial. All she seems to care about are clothes and celebrities and marrying her perfect boyfriend. And yet we totally love her! Why is that?

Well, because from about minute 12 of the movie, it seems the whole world is against her. Despite how beautiful and popular she is. Villains are thrown at her left and right! She gets dumped by Warner (who is pretty much a huge jerk!) and then when she gets to Harvard, she meets Warner’s new fiance Vivian Kensington who is just plain nasty to Elle. Those are essentially two big “villains” who instantly make us fall in love with Elle and join her plight. (Even if she doesn’t realize Warner is a villain right away, it doesn’t matter because the the audience does!) Not to mention, how mean everyone else is to her at Harvard Law School (more “villains”). And finally, a less obvious villain in the story is “society” and our stereotypes about blondes, which is essentially what the movie is all about. Proving your worth despite what society expects of you. All of these elements and villains put together make it very easy for the audience to relate to Elle and overlook her other less appealing characteristics. In fact, we learn to love them!

In 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, the villain was always clear to me, even before I began writing: Her father. But when I started facing the “likability” challenges, I knew that I had to make him even worse than I originally thought. To really get the reader on Lexi’s side. So I just made him downright awful. He’s cold, insensitive, unloving, and has never been there for her in her entire life. He’s basically a stranger to her. And it seems as though every time he is in her life, it’s to scold her for being such a screw-up.

Lexi and her father in the 52 Reasons to Hate My Father Book Trailer

I made sure to introduce Richard Larrabee by chapter 3 and I also made sure his first impression was a lasting one. Which is why he actually never says a word to Lexi in the entire chapter. She’s just had this major screw-up, everyone is working on “fixing” it, and in walks her dad. He talks to everyone in the room but her. My intention was to make it even more effective than telling her she messed up and scolding her. I did this purposefully. In an attempt to get you on Lexi’s side right off the bat. Because I knew that her personality wasn’t exactly charming in the beginning of the story and I wanted to create a reason for you to sympathize with her and root for her throughout the story. Of course, in the end, Lexi (and the reader) start to understand why her father is the way he is, but in the beginning, at least, he was an excellent device for hopefully bringing the reader around to Lexi, despite her glaring personality shortcomings.

Tip 3: Make us “love to hate” them.

This final tip on making an unlikable character likable is probably the toughest one to implement. Because it requires the most creativity. And it is the least specific, making it harder to teach or explain. Essentially there are numerous reasons we love to hate certain characters. And it’s often hard to pinpoint why we love to hate them. I think the trick is to find a unique flaw about your character that you can exploit and exaggerate. And the key to that sentence is “unique.” It has to be something that readers/audiences have never seen before in a character. At least not in the form you present it. The sheer novelty of the unique flaw is what keeps us hanging on for more.

Let’s take a look at some good examples of characters we love to hate. I’ve chosen popular TV shows as I believe TV writers do the best job at creating these types of characters (namely because we spend so much more time with them than we do with movie or book characters).

Late night work out for Gabby Solis

Gabrielle Solisin Desperate Housewives – When this show was on, she was hands down my favorite character. Even though she was a bit mean, spoiled, superficial, self-centered and had no consideration for others. But her hateful actions were so cleverly crafted and so deliciously unique, we loved to watch her to see what she would do next. In the pilot episode, Gabby is cheating on her husband with the teenage gardener. Not exactly an endearing trait. But then, when we see her running home from the party and mowing the lawn in her cocktail dress (in order to keep from getting caught), we are instantly in love with her and we actually root for her to get away with the infidelity! It’s these types of distinctively “Gabby” moments that make us fall in love with her.

We can’t help but love this savvy bad boy sleuth!

Sherlock Holmes in Elementary – This is a new show this year and I fell for it instantly. Not because Sherlock is such a nice, sweet, even-tempered guy who loves everyone. He’s exactly the opposite. But I love him (and I suspect others do as well) because he’s so darn brilliant and observant. I love watching him catch things that no one else catches and tripping up the criminals in their testimonies. But beyond that, he’s actually a bit of an “arse.” But because of his unique intellect and haughty way of displaying it, he’s easy to love.

You’ve just got to…wait for it…love him!

Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother – Who on earth doesn’t love Barney Stinson!? But the question is why on earth do we love him? We have every reason not to! He’s a narcissistic womanizer. He lies to girls in hideous ways to get them into bed, then leaves in the morning. At one point he even left a woman in the middle of the woods at night with no way home! And we all laughed about it! Under any other circumstances, we would despise a character like that. So why do we love to hate him? Because his flaw is so dang creative! He doesn’t pick up women in the normal clichéd way with cheesy pick up lines. He has a whole “playbook” full of creative ways to pick up women. And every single one of them is brilliantly crafted by the writers of the show. We keep tuning in just to see what Barney does next. Because his character and his flaw is so uniquely drawn. Not to mention all of his witty remarks about sex, women, and relationships. We may hate what he does to these women. But oh how we love to watch Barney doing it.

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Heiress Lexi strikes a pose.

With 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, I attempted to exploit Lexi’s spoiled “heiress-ness” as her unique flaw. She may have been bratty, but she was over the top bratty. And her remarks on things and her reactions to situations are hopefully humorous enough that you enjoy reading them and want to see how she’ll respond to the next negative thing that comes her way.

For instance, when she first gets into Luke’s Honda Civic, she remarks about how much she hates the color of the inside and complains that it’s making her car sick. Then when he fires back with a sarcastic, “Not all of us were lucky enough to receive a Lexus for our sixteenth birthdays,” she replies, “Eww! Like I’d ever be caught dead in a Lexus.”

She is just so out of touch, it’s comical. And I attempt to play this up as her “unique” flaw. The reader understands how naive she is, but she doesn’t. And hopefully you enjoy reading her voice because of it.

So there, you have it. My three tips on making unlikable characters likable. I hope you found this helpful. If you can come up with more examples of the three tips, I’d love to hear them! And if you have any tips of my own, comment away!

Happy writing, writers!

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Published on January 30, 2013 09:00

January 29, 2013

Teaser Tuesday: UNREMEMBERED Teaser #1

A twitter follower gave me a fun idea today to post teasers from the book on my blog! And I thought…”Um, yeah!” So thanks to @joannetn for this inspiration.

Every Tuesday, between now and release day (March 5), I’m going to pick a random short excerpt from the book and post it on my blog. The reason it’s a “teaser” is because I’ll be giving you NO context of the story surrounding the excerpt. Only a page number. Mwa ha ha! Okay, this is going to be fun.

Are you ready for the first? Here we go.

From UNREMEMBERED, page 194

The sun is bright in the sky when I awake. It filters through the blinds on the windows, lighting up the entire room. It’s probably midmorning by now. I wonder how long I’ve been sleeping. I stretch and glance around me. As I take in the small tables and chairs, the colorful walls, and my makeshift bed on the floor, the events of last night come racing back to me.

The small silver hard drive.

The memories.

The truth.

That’s when I realize that Zen is gone. And so is the gun.

Well, they don’t call it a “teaser” for nothing! Come back next Tuesday for another teaser!

Download the first 5 chapters of UNREMEMBERED completely free!

And don’t forget about the awesome pre-order offer that’s happening right now! An autographed copy AND a free gift!

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Published on January 29, 2013 13:59

January 28, 2013

Unremembered Monday: Elizabeth Fama

Welcome back for the next installment of UNREMEMBERED MONDAY!

What is Unremembered Monday?

In honor of the book (which releases March 5), every Monday, I’m featuring an awesome guest author (and book giveaway) and asking them to answer the following question:

Which memory would you most like to be Unremembered?

This week, we have the talented Elizabeth Fama, author of MONSTROUS BEAUTY. I read this book last year and it is hauntingly dark and delicious.

And to celebrate Elizabeth coming on “Unremembered Monday,” I’m giving away a copy of MONSTROUS BEAUTY right here on the blog!

Check out Elizabeth’s Unremembered Monday post below. I love how she interpreted the question!

This is one of those deceptively simple questions that somehow sends me into a tailspin of philosophical thought! And so poor Jessica gets an entry from an author-buddy (me) that’s not funny in the least.

Here’s the trouble with erasing a memory: what you really want to erase is the event itself, not necessarily your recollection of it once it has happened. The only type of memory I might want to erase would be the truly horrifying: an act of violence, a murder, a deadly accident. I’m lucky enough to have experienced milder traumas in my life. It’s something I’m deeply grateful for.

The more ordinary memories that haunt me–embarrassing mistakes (plenty of them) and family health scares–shaped me and changed me in ways that might be considered…well, good? I eventually learned not to repeat my dumber mistakes, and also to celebrate life. Bad memories have made me grow up. As a writer, they make me feel.

There are a bunch of memories that I thought at first I would be happy to let go of. Here’s an example of an abjectly stupid thing I have said that I should want to forget: at twenty-two, pregnant with my daughter, I asked new friends of ours–a childless couple approaching forty–whether they had no children by choice. (I had a truly Big Mouth; I blurted ridiculous things like that a lot.) At home I realized that the unfortunate implication of my question was “or are you barren,” and that certain things are too personal to ask. In those early years of my marriage there were many faculty dinners that I came home from mortified because of something I’d said. All these years later I’m (almost) restrained. My memories save me.

And then there are the scary episodes I wish never happened. Our four-year-old daughter had adrenal insufficiency without our knowing, brought on by a rare systemic response to inhaled steroids for asthma. When a cold happened to turn into pneumonia she went into adrenal crisis. The ER team “accidentally” saved her by giving her intravenous steroids, in case she was having an acute asthma attack. At her bedside I was bargaining with any Supreme Force that would listen. (I owe the gods of many religions a lot of favors.) To this day, I can’t look at my now-fifteen-year-old daughter without thanking the universe that she’s here. I got a second chance to live my life with her; I won’t squander a moment of it by taking her for granted. And I try to apply that knowledge to everyone I love. That’s the positive outcome of a really, really lousy memory.

So yes, there are many yucky things I would erase from my life–humiliating and horrifying. But given that they happened and I can’t change that, I’d better hold on to my memories to learn from them.

Thank you, Beth, for participating in UNREMEMBERED MONDAY!

Now let’s give away Beth’s book! Please use the widget below to enter to win MONSTROUS BEAUTY. (Giveaway is open internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT MONSTROUS BEAUTY:

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences. Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

And don’t miss our previous Unremembered Monday posts:

Gennifer Albin

Anna Banks

Jessica Brody

**BLOGGERS: We’d love for you to participate in “Unremembered Monday!”

Here’s how:

1) Write a post answering one or both of the following questions:

Which memory or memories would you most like to be Unremembered?

What book would you like to Unremember so you can read it again for the first time?

2) Click here to download the official Unremembered Monday badge and insert it into your post

Click here for more information about the book and to watch the trailer!

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Published on January 28, 2013 08:00

January 21, 2013

Unremembered Monday: Gennifer Albin

Welcome back for the next installment of UNREMEMBERED MONDAY!

What is Unremembered Monday?

In honor of the book (which releases March 5), every Monday, I’m featuring an awesome guest author (and book giveaway) and asking them to answer the following question:

Which memory would you most like to be Unremembered?

This week I welcome the amazing Gennifer Albin, author of CREWEL (the first in the CREWEL WORLD trilogy). You guys, I just read this book and it’s pretty much the most creative, imaginative concept for a story I’ve ever seen. It was truly remarkable!

And to celebrate Gennifer coming on “Unremembered Monday,” I’m giving away a copy of CREWEL right here on the blog!

Check out Gennifer’s post below in which she tells us about the memory she would most like to be “Unremembered.” It’s a good one!

In high school, I was a bit of an actress. Call it I symptom of having an overly-dramatic personality. I spent most weekends doing competitive drama, and I even went to the National competition my junior year. That same year I got the opportunity to do something I always dreamed of doing. My coach asked if I wanted to compete in a monologue competition hosted by our local Renaissance Fair. Dress up in Renaissance garb and perform Shakespeare? I’m not even sure why she asked. So I got an amazing dress and started looking for female monologues, which as it turns out was no small feat. Finally, I settled on a monologue from The Taming of the Shrew.

At this point in my life it was my goal to be a working actress, specializing in Shakespeare. I understood the language and loved it. I was pretty confident that I would nail it. But I didn’t spend enough time practicing. I was a busy high school junior, remember? I had dates and gossip to keep up on. The day of the festival rolled around and after a harrowing incident in the parking lot where one of my friends ripped an entire fingernail off (I still shiver thinking of it), we got ready to perform. As it turns out, my elementary school was even there for the day. I waltzed up to spout Katherine’s final monologue, got two lines in and completely FORGOT the rest. I remember looking to my coach with a very unlike-me look of frozen terror on my face. She just looked surprised. Seconds ticked by. The audience waited. I tried desperately to remember a single line, finally managing to land on one. I finished the monologue, butchering the Bard in the process, and took my seat, absolutely humiliated. I had never forgotten a line before, much less froze on stage!

There’s no a lot of moments in my life I’d like to unremember. I tend to find value even in my most egregious screw-ups, but I won’t lie, I would sure like to unremember the time I forgot all my lines and made a total ass of myself at the Renaissance Fair. I doubt Bottom could have made a bigger fool of himself.

Thank you, Genn, for participating in UNREMEMBERED MONDAY!

Now let’s give away Genn’s book! Please use the widget below to enter to win CREWEL. (Giveaway is open internationally)

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And don’t our previous Unremembered Monday posts:

Anna Banks

Jessica Brody

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Pre-Order Unremembered Today!

**BLOGGERS: We’d love for you to participate in “Unremembered Monday!”

Here’s how:

1) Write a post answering one or both of the following questions:

Which memory or memories would you most like to be Unremembered?

What book would you like to Unremember so you can read it again for the first time?

2) Click here to download the official Unremembered Monday badge and insert it into your post

Click here for more information about the book and to watch the trailer!

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Published on January 21, 2013 08:00

January 15, 2013

UNREMEMBERED – Special Pre-Order Gift!

I’ve teamed up with the fabulous indie bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy to bring you a special pre-order offer!

Everyone who pre-orders UNREMEMBERED from Mysterious Galaxy will receive an autographed copy of the book AND a special gift–an Unremembered “Extra Memory” flash drive, loaded with TONS of exclusive bonus content including:

The first EVER released sneak peek of UNFORGOTTEN (book 2 in the trilogy!)
“Seraphina’s Stolen Memory Files” (a collection of memories that have been erased from Seraphina’s mind…and the book)
A special interview with moi, the author, in which I talk about the book and the trilogy
And more!

Mysterious Galaxy ships internationally. This offer is open to ALL countries!

Simply click the button below, add the book to your cart, and follow the check-out directions on Mysterious Galaxy’s site*. The autographed book and bonus gift will be sent to you when the book releases on March 5th, 2013.

*If you would like your book personalized, simply include a note in the “Order Comments” box during the check-out process.

You may also pre-order the book in-store at their Redondo Beach (California) or San Diego (California) location or over the phone by calling 310-542-6000. (In-store and phone orders are also eligible for the special pre-order offer!)

Offer expires 2/26/13

The UNREMEMBERED launch party will take place at the Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach location on March 5th at 7:30 pm.

More about the book:

The only thing worse than forgetting her past . . . is remembering it.

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.

Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.

Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.

Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?

From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

“Brimming with brimming with mystery and suspense, star-crossed love and mad scientists” - Marissa Meyer, bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles

“An awesome book!” – P.C. Cast, bestselling author of the House of Night series

“Intriguing and fast-paced, Unremembered kept me turning pages” – Mary Pearson, bestselling author of the Jenna Fox Chronicles

Click here to download the first five chapters for FREE!

You can also pre-order UNREMEMBERED from any of these awesome retailers:

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Published on January 15, 2013 14:30

January 14, 2013

Unremembered Monday: Anna Banks

Welcome back to the second installment of UNREMEMBERED MONDAY!

What is Unremembered Monday?

In honor of the book (which releases March 5), every Monday, I’m featuring an awesome guest author (and book giveaway) and asking them to answer the following question:

Which memory would you most like to be Unremembered?

This week’s guest author is the lovely and talented Anna Banks, author of OF POSEIDON (which I just finished and am TOTALLY obsessed with!) and the forthcoming sequel, OF TRITON (check out the swoon-worthy cover that was just unveiled!) which will be released in May.

AND I’m giving away a copy of OF POSEIDON right here on my blog this week!

So without further ado…here’s Anna!

When Jessica asked me if I’d be interested in doing a guest post about unremembering stuff (unremembering is officially a verb now), I knew I had to do it. I know her new release UNREMEMBERED is a whole lot deeper than what I’ve got listed here. Deeper, and better, and will blow your mind. My post is not intended to blow your mind, just five minutes of your day.

As you can guess, there are many complications to undo memories—memories that make you who you are. Even the smallest things we say or do become a part of us. So you can be assured I kept that in mind before I wrote this. Mostly.

But I’ve chosen some memories that I feel in my heart wouldn’t affect me one bit if I got rid of them. In fact, dumping these memories from a plane over the Bermuda Triangle might actually improve my life. My self-image. My self-worth.

As you all may know, I’m about as deep as a tablespoon. As such, I can’t be easily embarrassed. So I stand a lot to lose when I actually DO get embarrassed. (Imagine the self-worth spilling from the tablespoon).

So. These are the few times I DID get embarrassed. And since there doesn’t seem to be a “lesson learned” attached to them, I’d be willing to unremember. More than willing.

1.) This haircut. I mean, really? Can you imagine what the photographer was thinking? Probably worried about breaking his lens, and wondering what kind of parents would dress their little boy up in a frilly green dress. And why the eff was I smiling?

2.) This tweet sequence. It was just a few days ago. I was watching Step Up Revolution, and I was uh, admiring the lead male role (who is Ryan Guzman, FYI). Fellow author Scott Speer (author of IMMORTALCITY) happened to be the director of the movie, so I casually tweeted him this:

“OMG @_scott_speer ! Who is the leading male in #StepUpRevolution and where can I get one? *swoons*”

And he responded with this:

”@ryanAguzman you have yet another fan. @ByAnnaBanks would like to borrow you for the weekend.”

Oh. My. God. Yes, fine, I deserved it. But OHMYGOD! Oh. My. God.

3.) I sprained my ankle falling off the toilet. Third degree sprain. And that’s all I have to say about that.

LOL! Hilarious, as usual, Anna! What? No picture of number 3? Thanks for participating in UNREMEMBERED MONDAY!

Now let’s giveaway a book! Please use the widget below to enter to win OF POSEIDON by Anna Banks! (Giveaway is open internationally)

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And don’t miss last week’s Unremembered Monday post, featuring yours truly!

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**BLOGGERS: We’d love for you to participate in “Unremembered Monday!”

Here’s how:

1) Write a post answering one or both of the following questions:

Which memory or memories would you most like to be Unremembered?

What book would you like to Unremember so you can read it again for the first time?

2) Click here to download the official Unremembered Monday badge and insert it into your post

Click here for more information about the book and to watch the trailer!

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Published on January 14, 2013 08:00

January 8, 2013

The Fidelity Files and Love Under Cover – Giveaway!

To celebrate the exciting news about THE FIDELITY FILES and its sequel LOVE UNDER COVER being optioned for FILM, I decided it’s only appropriate to give a few autographed copies away!

This week, I’ll be giving away three sets of The Fidelity Files and Love Under Cover to three lucky winners! Use the widget below to enter (open to all countries).

*Please note, these books are women’s fiction (not teen fiction.)

Read all the details of the film deal here!

Here’s a little about the two books:

The Fidelity Files

THE FIDELITY FILES:

“A smart, funny and sexy debut…” – Cosmopolitan UK

Working under the code name Ashlyn, Jennifer Hunter is hired by suspicious wives and girlfriends to conduct her infamous “fidelity inspection” on the men in their lives.

But Jen’s double life starts to take its toll and her friends and family suspect that the reason she never dates is more complicated than the demands of her supposed “investment banking” career. And when a suspicious email surfaces with her picture on it warning men of her real motives, Jen fears that her secret identity is in danger of being uncovered. Just when it seems like nothing is going her way, Jen meets sexy, sophisticated Jamie Richards. She knows there’s no room for real romance in her life, yet she finds herself drawn to him. But before she retires her secret agent self for the sake of true love, she takes on one last assignment – a job which will permanently alter her perceptions of trust, honesty, and love.

Love Under Cover - FINAL

LOVE UNDER COVER (Fidelity Files Book 2):

“An honest, witty portrayal of modern love.” -Booklist

Jennifer Hunter never saw herself as the relationship type. After all, she’d spent the last two years of her life as an undercover fidelity inspector, hired to test men’s faithfulness—not exactly the kind of job that lends itself to intimacy. But when Jamie Richards walked into her life, everything changed, and Jennifer vowed to trade in her undercover lifestyle for something more normal.

That’s why she formed the Hawthorne Agency: Five full-time fidelity inspectors, hired to carry out Jennifer’s mission while she manages the process from a safe (relationship-saving) distance. But a surprise proposal from Jamie leaves her wondering if the “normal” life is really meant for her. Can a former fidelity inspector who’s seen nothing but failed marriages ever come to terms with tying the knot herself? And when she receives a frantic phone call from one of her employees in trouble, she’s faced with a choice: fulfill her obligation to the client who needs her or honor her promise to the man she loves.

THE GIVEAWAY:

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Related Posts:About About THE FIDELITY FILES On Its Way to the Big Screen!UNREMEMBERED US vs UK Covers & ARC Giveaway!Giveaway! 5 Autographed Advanced Copies of UNREMEMBERED!

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Published on January 08, 2013 13:22

THE FIDELITY FILES On Its Way to the Big Screen!

The UK Edition

In case you didn’t happen to catch it from my whirlwind of ecstatic tweets and Facebook posts yesterday, I’m BEYOND excited to announce that THE FIDELITY FILES and its sequel LOVE UNDER COVER (aka THE GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO BAD MEN in the UK) have been optioned for film!!!!!

Click here to read the exclusive announcement in Deadline Hollywood!

The producers, Bella Le and Robert Galinsky (who both live in Australia), are fantastic and have such an amazing vision for the film. I knew from the first time I spoke with them on the phone, that they were the right people for the job and I was thrilled that they’d found the books.

Here’s what I know so far:

Bella and Robert are currently looking to attach the perfect screenwriter who will adapt the script.
They are keeping me very involved in the adaptation process, which is extremely exciting!
Once the screenplay is written, they will attach a director and cast
They plan to film the movie in Australia (and I will DEFINITELY be heading down under when that happens!)

THE FIDELITY FILES (women’s fiction) was my debut novel. The book tells the story of Jennifer Hunter (code name: Ashlyn), a sophisticated L.A. woman who goes undercover as a “fidelity inspector,” to find out who’s faithful and who’s not. Read the full synopsis plus the first chapter.

So far the book has been published in the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, Taiwan, Russia, Czech Republic, and is scheduled to release in Brazil soon. Click here for a full list of foreign publishers.

Order a copy of THE FIDELITY FILES!

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