Jen's Blog
Liverpool UK, July 2010
This is the clock I saw from the tall glass windows of the apartment we rented in Liverpool.
This is the clock I saw as I stared out across the top of a city I didn’t yet know but already loved, just by the snatches of cobblestone streets I saw in the short cab ride from the train station to the apartment and by the beautiful lilting accents circling my ears.
This is the clock I saw as an old friendship was brought back to life and as new ones were made to a backdrop of clouds, rain, even hail, and maybe the greatest video game of all time. Wooop!
This is the clock I saw as I discovered the awesomeness that is goat cheese, tomatoes and peppers on toast.
This is the clock I saw as I laughed so often and so hard that my stomach muscles and my cheeks may never recover.
This is the clock I saw when I tried to spot the dozens of birds that insisted on yelling their heads off at all hours of the day.
This is the clock I saw against the pink glow of early morning, muted city lights and exciting new hopes and dreams.
This is the clock I saw as I attempted to master a one pound yo-yo. And failed.
This is the clock I saw as a shooting star lit up my world, leaving white hot streaks behind.
This is the clock I saw as inspiration filled me up and overflowed, giving me words and ideas I couldn’t wait to write down.
This is the clock I saw when I didn’t want to close my eyes to sleep because I knew when I awoke, it would be time for me to leave.
This is the clock I saw when I gave one last glance behind me and thought, “I’m going to make my way back here.”
And I will.
SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready
Oh, Shade. How I love thee. Let me count the ways! 
From the moment I first heard about SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready, I wanted to read it. The premise is awesome. Everyone in the world born after a certain point can see and talk to ghosts, most of the time to their annoyance, but when Aura’s (the main character) boyfriend dies in a tragic accident, he becomes a ghost, and she’s suddenly very, very glad that she is one of the many with this ability.
The thing that struck a chord with me about this story is how well the author was able to get inside the mind of a girl in this situation and how simultaneously happy and depressed she would be. Even though Logan (Aura’s boyfriend) was gone, it was like he was actually still there since she could see, hear and speak to him. Laugh with him. Listen to music with him. And even though Aura desperately needs to move on with her own life, if someone really could see and hear the ghost of a boyfriend, it would be so tempting to pretend that things were the same. That the person they loved was still here, even if not fully. It’s hard enough to let go when we lose someone we love. Imagine if they were kind of still around, haunting us and speaking to us. Smiling at us like they used to. It would be easy to get lost to that. And this is why I think SHADE is such a powerful novel because the author digs deep and explores what that experience would be like for someone. Just that alone creates an emotional roller-coaster of a ride which has really stuck with me (and, I admit, made me a little teary when reading).
Another thing that hooked me about this story is how fully realized the world is. How would the world be different if everyone sixteen and under could see ghosts? How would that affect the government? How would that affect life in general? How would something like this even happen? The author developed some really cool answers to these questions while leaving enough unsolved to make me hungry for more. As soon as I read the last page, I went online to see how many more books we would be getting because I can’t wait to learn more about this world and the characters in it.
In essence, an amazing YA debut from Jeri Smith-Ready. SHADE is a haunting, emotional and thrilling story with a plot that kept me turning pages well into the night.
The Tale of the Deodorant Thief
This week, someone stole deodorant from my backpack on the way into work. I was so confused (and slightly amused?) by this odd form of theft that it inspired me to write a sort of “flash fiction” about it. The first bit is actually what happened to me while the part after the break is my attempt to jump into the brain of a Deodorant Thief.
I wish I had an iced coffee, I think, as the train rumbles into the station, brakes squealing. My feet shift into a surfer’s stance to keep me from stumbling, although the claustrophobic number of 9 to 5ers crammed into the car ensures I won’t fall. I glance at the page number in my Raised by Wolves hardcover before closing it on my finger. And today I really wish my train ride was more than seven point five minutes so I could find out what’s going on with Bryn’s werewolf pack.
We spill from the car and onto the platform like a swarm of bees. Elbows jostle me. I keep my face forward just like everyone else around me. My feet tread a familiar path to the stairs, to the exit. There are hundreds of people but no words. Just a steady pound of footsteps on concrete, and the occasional whir of the World Trade Center construction nearby.
I take one step, and then another, each one taking me away from the billowing exhaust cloud and closer to the street. Bringing my book up to my side, I fold it back open and let my eyes scan the words again. No need to watch where I’m going. I’ve done this so many times, I might as well take these precious seconds to read.
As I take another step up, I feel a small vibration at my back. I stiffen, always paranoid of sneaky fingers in the midst of so much movement. I crane my neck over my shoulder to find myself looking down at a nicely dressed middle-aged man, face forward, looking nowhere near my backpack or seeming at all alarmed I’m eyeing him. The only odd thing about him is the ratty baseball hat he’s wearing with his crisply pressed suit. Somewhat satisfied, I turn back to my book.
—————-
I can’t believe she didn’t catch me. I was sure I’d been made when she turned around. Guess I don’t look all that fearsome, huh? I bet I could steal everyone’s deodorant here, and they’d never even expect me. I blend. I’m like smoke.
Or better yet, a ninja!
I watch the girl stride off away from me, backpack flap hanging open, feeling kind of lucky I found what I was looking for so easily. I mean, I knew she looked like the kind of girl who carries an extra stick of deodorant around with her.
Okay, so I tried three backpacks before hers, but still. I knew somehow when I saw her. Maybe I’m lucky or maybe I’m psychic. Hmm, maybe if I don’t get this job, I can try out my newfound ability in Atlantic City this weekend.
I make my way outside to the suffocating humidity and tell myself for the twenty-seventh time what a moron I am for scheduling the Interview of a Lifetime on the hottest day of the year, sleeping through my alarm clock so that I don’t have time to shower and then, THEN, forgetting the most important thing in the world for someone with the Interview of a Lifetime on the hottest day of the year who has forgotten to shower. DEODORANT.
I may be psychic, but obviously that’s not stopping me from being a moron.
Luckily (or psychically?), Miss Oblivious Nose-In-Her-Book-While-Walking has delivered me just what I need. I sniff the deodorant stick and gasp at the overwhelming girl smell it has. Another suit-clad man walks by me and raises his eyebrows.
“I know how this might look,” I say to him, but he just turns his face forward and trots away from me.
Okay, so maybe sniffing chick deodorant on a New York City sidewalk isn’t the best way to blend in like smoke. Whatever, it can’t get any worse, right? I stare down at the deodorant, taking a few more quick whiffs. Geez, why does it have to smell like roses and vanilla candles? I mean, really. Of all things.
“It looks like I have three choices here,” I mutter to myself. “No deodorant for the interview of a lifetime. Attempt to steal some dude’s deodorant. Or, suck it up and put on the roses.”
I close my eyes and wait for my new Spidey senses to tell me what to do.
I Gotta Feeling Writers Mix
I gotta feeling this idea’s gonna make a good book…
This is the last video for awhile. Probably. Maybe. 
All About Cupcakes
What happens when a writer who is avoiding revising a chapter gets a new Macbook with Garageband on it?
This:
Win MATCHED and THE DUFF!
Watch the video for info on how to win two awesome ARCs: MATCHED by Ally Condie and THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger. (Seriously, both these books are amazing. I devoured them!)
Or, if you’re in a hurry, to enter, just go to my Youtube channel and subscribe. Once I reach 150 subscribers, I’ll pick a random winner of both books.
(AND there will be more BEA book prizes to come after this contest ends!)
BEA Roundup
I’ve finally recovered from the insanity of BEA! Let me tell you, BEA was one of the best (and craziest) experiences I’ve had. There were so many books, so many people and so many online pals I got to hang out with, including Shana Silver, Shelli Johannes-Wells, Denise Jaden, Jennifer Hoffine, Michelle Hodkin, Kody Keplinger, Vania and many more (I know I must be leaving someone out. I’m sorry!).
I also got to hang out with evil genius, Vordak, in the Egmont booth and practice our evil laughs together.
And I got so many books. So many ARCs I’m excited to read. Here’s a sampler:
One of the things I loved about BEA was the buzzing excitement that crackled throughout the entire Javits Center. I’m telling you, everyone there LOVED books. It was so awesome to see so many people going crazy over ARCs like I went crazy over N’Sync when I was 16…I mean, what? Did I just admit that out loud?
Speaking of ARCs…I’m going to be doing a contest for some of these next week. So, check back this coming Monday when I’ll post details on which books are in the contest and how to enter. I’m planning to have lots of awesome upcoming books up for grabs. I’ve already read some of these, and I have to say, there are some really fantastic books coming out later this year!
Just One of the Many Reasons Why I Love Judy Blume
“I would go to sleep at night feeling that I’d never be published. But I’d wake up in the morning convinced I would be. Each time I sent a story or book off to a publisher, I would sit down and begin something new. I was learning more with each effort. I was determined. Determination and hard work are as important as talent.”
- Judy Blume, who often felt like she’d never be published, yet has gone on to have over 25 books published, now has over 80 million copies in print and has been translated into 31 languages. If that isn’t inspirational…