I hope you all enjoy:) Also have a good 4th of July!!!
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What sparked the creation of the The Elite?
I went to high school on the Upper East Side, and I always wanted to write about that world—but from an outsider’s perspective, which is how I first came up with the character of Casey McCloy, who moves to Manhattan from Normal, Illinois, and really struggles to fit in. I always felt like an outsider in that world, so I wanted to bring that perspective to the series.
Are you more like Madison or Casey?I’m probably a bit of both! People probably view me as a
Right now I’ve been asked to write three books in THE ELITE series—whether or not it continues depends on readers like you! I, for one, would love the series to continue. So, if you enjoy the books, let either me, or Berkley Jam know so that I can write the next installment beyond books two and three. Book two will drop in January 09 and is titled IN TOO DEEP, and book three will be released in June 09 and is titled SIMPLY IRRISESTIBLE.
What was your favorite part about writing The Elite?My favorite part of writing the series is getting to go back to my hometown every day—even if it’s only in my mind. I get very homesick sometimes, and being able to live a fantasy life in
My father left my mother and I when I was just a baby—he came back to visit me for my second birthday, and it was the last time I saw him before he literally disappeared—he was on a flight that was lost in the mountains and was never found or recovered. In any case, when he visited me on that birthday, he brought me a typewriter—not a kid’s Fischer Price toy, but a real typewriter. I always wonder if that gift, at least subliminally, influenced my decision to become a writer. I think, in some small way, it must’ve. He stayed missing, was finally declared dead seven years later, and I never saw him again.
Are you going to stick with the glam world of The Elite when you write in the future or are you going to branch out and try something new?I will probably always write about things that are fairly escapist and glamorous—simply because those are the kinds of book I love to disappear into as a reader. My next series is a revision of DRACULA, entitled BITTEN. The plot revolves around two
The best part about being a writer is getting to talk to readers, hearing what they liked and disliked about my work is the joy of this whole experience for me as an author. The hardest part about writing is deadlines—having to work on a novel, regardless of whether or not you FEEL like it, or are burnt-out, can be really tough. I wrote all three ELITE books in one year while I was finishing my PhD in English, and that was really exhausting!
What’s your ideal writing location?My kitchen table—or the local café—which is the best, and often worst location as I tend to eat many, many more chocolate-chip muffins than I should . . . They don’t have any calories anyway, right?
What’s one quirky fact about yourself that you want to share?My friends and I all call each other tranny hookers on a regular basis. Like, I’ll pick up the phone and hear “What’s up, tranny?” or some variation on that theme. Don’t ask—we have no IDEA where it came from, but I suspect Christian Siriano on Project Runway may in fact be the culprit . . . :)
3 comments:
The Elite was excellent. And Jennifer is so nice. :)
Great interview. I can't wait to read Bitten and In Too Deep!
hope.
My lovely sister read "The Elite". She enjoyed it too! Thanks for the interview.
I'm going to start saying Tranny a lot... It's totally a CS thing.
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