Visit with Jennifer Brown

www.jenniferbrownya.com

Today we're visiting with author Jennifer Brown. Before we go any further, I just have to state, yet again, how much I love this author's name - since it's the same one I was born with! So, from one Jennifer Brown to another, let's get down to business!

Jennifer's debut novel, HATE LIST, was published by Little, Brown on 9/1/09, and will be out in paperback on 10/5/10!



Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

I had a chance to ask Jennifer a few questions about her life and writing, and I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did!

1) If you could bring any character from one of your books to life, who would it be and why?

Valerie’s art teacher, Bea, because she was soft and comfy and creative and sort of mystical and really supportive. I think we could all use a pocket-Bea for the days when we really need to hear that everything will be alright. Wouldn’t that be nice?

2) Twitter your newest or upcoming release in 140 characters or less.

BITTER END releases May 2011: Girl falls in love with new boy at school, but finds he has a very dangerous side. Too late to get out?

(Incidentally, this is why I quit Twitter. I am the worst tweeter ever.)

3) You have the chance to spend the day with any character from one of your favorite books. Who would you choose and why?

I would want to hang out with the ladies in Lorna Landvik’s ANGRY HOUSEWIVES EATING BON BONS, because they were so colorful and fun and dramatic and they loved one another and…they loved books!

4) What was your favorite book growing up as a teen?

I was very into Stephen King as a teen. I don’t know if any one of his would’ve been considered my favorite at the time, but I really loved NIGHT SHIFT, IT, and THE TOMMYKNOCKERS. THE TOMMYKNOCKERS gave me nightmares, and I thought that was the coolest thing ever, for a book to get into my head like that.

I also remember being really blown away by a book I read in 10th grade Contemporary Fiction class. It was MR. AND MRS. BO JO JONES, by Ann Head. I remember thinking how incredible it was for an author to write so boldly about such a touchy topic, given the time it was written (teen pregnancy in the 1960s).

5) When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An English teacher.

6) Your favorite subject in high school – and your least favorite.

I loved all of my English classes. Probably my favorite was Honors Shakespeare, because it was really tough, but I loved memorizing those long Shakespearean quotes for tests and I loved figuring out what he was trying to say, sort of like solving a puzzle. Not a coincidence that HATE LIST's Nick was also into The Bard.

I’m horrible at math, but oddly those classes weren’t my least favorite. My least favorite class was, hands-down, Biology. Ack.

7) The one book everyone in the world should read.

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA by Ernest Hemingway, because the metaphors in that book are so powerful and empowering, and I really think that no matter who you are or where you are in your life, you can apply them to yourself.

8) The book you wish you had written.

All of Marian Keyes’ books. There’s something about her style that is so light and engaging and romantic and fun, and I’d love to crack that code.

9) Your five favorite reads from 2010 (books you read during the year; they do not have to have been published during 2010).

JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta
CRASH INTO ME by Albert Borris
EVERY LAST ONE by Anna Quindlen
I AM A GENIUS OF UNSPEAKABLE EVIL AND I WANT TO BE YOUR CLASS PRESIDENT by Josh Lieb
WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green and David Levithan

10) You have the chance to go back and change a scene from one of your previous releases. What book would you choose, what scene would you change, and how would you alter it?

I would add a scene into HATE LIST, where we find out what happened to Jeremy and hold him responsible for his part in the shooting.

11) You’ve invented a new national holiday. What is it called, and what does it celebrate? (Plus, would we get the day off of school and work??)

Classic Literature Day, and yes, we would all take off of school and work and just sit and read and talk about classic stories all day long. I have dibs on GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

12) What is your astrological sign? How closely does it match your personality?

I’m a Taurus, a hard-headed bull, somewhat withdrawn, and determined. You bet it describes me!

13) You’re going off your diet for one day and only eating food from restaurants. What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? (Include the restaurant each meal comes from.)

I’m not a huge breakfast-eater, but I could maybe be talked into grabbing an Orange Julius.

Lunch would be dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves) from a local Greek restaurant called Tasso’s. Comes with some great rice and veggies and a yummy salad topped with feta cheese and “the good olives.”

Dinner would be a spinach salad, a cheese and fruit plate, a rich and delicious buttery fish entrée with risotto and grilled veggies, and about ten trips to the chocolate bar at The Peppercorn Duck Club, my favorite restaurant of all time.

14) What is your ultimate vacation destination?

Walt Disney World, of course. Dreams, wishes, magic…what’s there not to love?

15) The world has suffered from a one-day only loss of power. You have no cell phone, computer, lights, or anything else that requires a computer, cell battery, or electricity. What do you spend the day doing?

Reading, playing board games with the kids, and maybe writing some poetry with pencil and paper, which I haven’t done in a long time.

16) If you weren’t an author, what job would you be doing?

Before I was an author, I worked in Human Resources as a recruiter for a computer company call center. I liked my job, so I would probably go back to that. But I’d also go back to secretly penning poetry at my desk when the boss wasn’t looking. Shhh!

17) You get the chance to star in an upcoming film release. What movie would you star in for your acting debut? (If you can’t choose an upcoming film, you can choose a past release.)

Forrest Gump, one of my favorite movies of all time. And I already have the name—Jenny!

18) You’re invited to a White House function, and you have the chance to give a 10-minute speech to the President and everyone else attending. What do you speak about?

Bullying, and how we as adults need to model caring and tolerance to our children, both online (where the temptation is to be anonymous and anonymously vile) and in public discourse.

19) Remember those “classics” that you were made to read in high school English class? What was your favorite, and which title should students never have to be subjected to reading?

THE GRAPES OF WRATH is one of my favorite books of all time and I’ve read it (willingly) more times than I can count.

Students should never again be subjected to A LESSON BEFORE DYING.

20) Someone tells you that you’ll never publish another book that you write. Do you still keep writing?

Yes, but probably poetry instead of fiction.

21) A group of teens ask you the best way to become a published writer. How do you answer the question?

Never give up. The published author isn’t always necessarily the best at writing or storytelling, but is sometimes just the best at believing in themselves.

**Thanks so much to Jennifer for visiting with us today! Be sure to visit her website, listed above, or you can find her on Facebook or at Mom2MomKC, or even email her directly at jenniferbrownya@gmail.com.

She's been kind enough to offer up an autographed hardcover copy of HATE LIST to one lucky poster today, so be sure to leave any comments or questions you have for her in the comments section!