For Writers - LOVE STORY with Jennifer Echols

Today I'm pleased to bring you a special edition of Tip Tuesday, celebrating the release of LOVE STORY by Jennifer Echols.

We're big fans of Jen in our house. Her ENDLESS SUMMER is a permanent fixture on my daughter's bedside table. Now we're looking forward to diving into LOVE STORY. Jennifer is a former newspaper editor and college writing teacher. We're glad she is now writing books for teens. You can find more about Jennifer on her website, on facebook, and by following her on twitter.

Here's the official blurb on LOVE STORY:

SHE’S WRITING ABOUT HIM. HE’S WRITING ABOUT HER. AND EVERYBODY IS READING BETWEEN THE LINES.

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions—it’s her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family’s racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin’s college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a local coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she’s sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He’s joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin’s heart with longing. Now she’s not just imagining what might have been. She’s writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

And here's Jennifer's tip:

It’s great to get feedback about your writing, but you should only pay attention to revision suggestions that ring true to you. I’ve overheard so many writers talk about making every change their writing groups want them to make, whether they understand those changes or not. Writing a novel may be a collaborative effort--especially after you sell it, and you are under contract to produce something your editor wants to buy--but *you* are still the author.

When I was trying to sell my novel *Going Too Far*, an editor said she was interested in buying it, but only if I made one very significant revision. As it stood, the book was a romantic drama with a happy ending. This editor wanted me to KILL THE HERO at the end of the book. When my agent relayed this message to me, she asked me if I was sitting down first. And when I started to cry, she told me she had expected me to react that way and assured me that she didn’t think it was strange at all.

In my heart, I knew that the revision the editor was suggesting might make the book sell better. Witness the success of the movie *Titanic*, in which Leonardo DiCaprio bites it at the end. Personally, I hated that movie. I did not want to see it because I knew how it ended. I suffered through it because I was trying to get a YA novel published even then, and I felt that for the sake of my writing, I needed to keep up with popular culture for teenagers. But observing that teenagers loved this tragic love story did not make me want to write one. I knew what I wanted to write, and that wasn’t it.

I was afraid that if I didn’t make the change this editor was suggesting, I would not be able to sell *Going Too Far* anywhere at all. But that was a risk I was willing to take. Writing is difficult. Selling writing is even harder, at least for me. If I am not writing the book I want to read, none of this is worth it. I want to produce books that other people want to read, but my most important reader is myself. Luckily, there were two other editors who were willing to buy *Going Too Far* just as it was, and we sold the book to one of them. But if we had not, I would have stood by my decision to stay true to my own artistic vision.

Thank you, Jennifer! I for one am glad you stuck with your original vision!

And now, this week's links:

The Gift Writers Give (Great Thoughts) Inspiration

The Learning Curve (BethRevis) It has its ups and downs...

The "new" Author Platform (TheBookDeal) How's your visibility?

Visual Story Maps (The Creative Penn) Fun... but don't use to procrastinate!!

Embrace Failure (FromTheMixedUpFiles...) From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success. (First one to tell me where that's from wins a five-page critique.)

Writing vs. Acting (BeyondtheMargins) From scratch or script.

Procrastination (WriterUnboxed) Something I understand much too well...

Write What They Don't Know (TheOtherSideofTheStory) Plot the unexpected.

Writer as Observer (BeyondtheMargins) Enter the trance...

MG/YA Question Roundup (TheOtherSideoftheStory) Good stuff.

Dealing with Critique Feedback (WriterUnboxed) Also, see Jen's tip, above.

When to Show & When to Tell (AdventuresinChildrensPublishing) Bonus: links within the link!

Indie, Small Press, or Big 6? (AnneRAllen) From someone who has published w/all three.

Writing life: Ideal vs Reality (JodyHedlund) "Barking Dog Days of Writing Life"

Preparing for Luck to Strike (AdventuresInChildrensPublishing) Luck is what happens when
opportunity meets preparation.

JK Rowling dishes on how to write and publish (TheAdventurousWriter) "It's LeviOsa, not LevioSA..." (Quick! Which Harry Potter book/movie is this line from?)

The Intern on How Books Work: THE HUNGER GAMES (part 1) (part 2) ***Excellent***

Can your character change? (Genreality) If not, why do we care?

Performing Plot CPR (JulieMusil) Great spreadsheet idea

Performing Scene Open Heart Surgery (James Kilick) (What is up with these emergency medical references this week? Too close to home at the moment!)

Pacing Checklist (TheOtherSideoftheStory) Finding and fixing pacing issues

Voice Tips from the Pros (TheBookshelfMuse) Don't forget this blog as an excellent resource for emotional, setting, character, etc. thesaurus listings. Love!

Testing the Idea (Kristin Lamb) Is it Strong enough to make a novel?

60 Tips on Craft (TheEditor'sBlog) The down and dirty...

45 Flaws that Expose Inexperience (Plot to Punctuation) Scroll down for part I.

10 Rules for Manuscript Evaluation (TheKillZone) Especially for thrillers

8 Steps for More Concise Writing (DailyWritingTips) my favorite remains: Omit needless words.
7 ways to Structure Your Picture Book (Writers' Digest)

7 Steps to Better Villainy (BeyondtheMargins) How to make 'em so bad, they're good.

6 Vital Signs of a Healthy Plot (BeyondtheMargins) Good tips in comments, too.

5 Ways to build coherent scene transitions (HeroNation) "most scenes should build on the preceding scene."

4 Step Strategy for Research (LetTheWordsFlow) Research provides authentic details

Now go. Write!!!

FF- ENDLESS SUMMER by Jennifer Echols

Just in time for summer reading! Please join me in welcoming GCC sister Jennifer Echols to the blog, celebrating the release of her new YA novel, ENDLESS SUMMER.

The Author:

Jennifer Echols grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama--a setting that has inspired many of her books. Always interested in creative writing, she finished her first (and still unpublished) novel soon after graduating with a degree in English from Auburn University at age 20. She worked as an editor for newspapers, a writer for business publications, and a writing instructor for three major universities, completed a master's degree in English, and finished the coursework for a PhD in genre studies before selling a book. Since then, she has written many young adult novels for Simon & Schuster, including Major Crush, which won the National Reader's Choice Award, and Going Too Far, which is a finalist in the 2010 RITA, the National Reader's Choice Award, and the Book Buyer's Best. Her next novel, Forget You, will be released on July 20. Currently she works as a copyeditor and lives in Birmingham with her husband and son.

You can read more about Jenn and her books on her website, on facebook, on her blog, and by following her on twitter.

The Book:

The Boys Next Door and the sequel, Endless Summer, in one volume!

Two irresistible boys. One unforgettable summer.

Lori can't wait for her summer at the lake. She loves wakeboarding and hanging with her friends--including the two hotties next door. With the Vader brothers, she's always been just one of the guys. Now that she's turning sixteen, she wants to be seen as one of the girls, especially in the eyes of Sean, the older brother. But that's not going to happen--not if the younger brother, Adam, can help it.

Lori plans to make Sean jealous by spending time with Adam. Adam has plans of his own for Lori. As the air heats up, so does this love triangle. Will Lori's romantic summer melt into one hot mess?


The Interview:

What inspired you to write ENDLESS SUMMER?

I grew up on a beautiful lake in Alabama, and this book captures the essence of those hot and lovely summers. It starts Memorial Day weekend, too, so I’m really excited that the book is being released at the perfect time, almost to the day.

Have you ever wakeboarded like Lori in the book?

I have not. I learned to water ski on the lake when I was five years old, but wakeboarding hadn’t been invented yet!

What songs would make the playlist for ENDLESS SUMMER?

Lori is a tomboy struggling to be more feminine so she can catch the boy she has a crush on. The music mentioned in the book reflects this: girl vs. boy = Kelly Clarkson/Christina Aguilera/JoJo vs. Nickelback. There’s also a really special love song playing at the end of the book. I took out the name of it, but you can think it in your head while you’re reading: “Endlessly” by Green River Ordinance. Oh man, I get shivers just thinking about it. I wish I could have included a CD with this book.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?

I have most of a PhD in genre studies, which is a subspecialty of English. All I lacked for my degree was writing my dissertation. But I’m glad I wrote a novel instead.

What are you working on now?

My next novel, Forget You, is coming out with MTV Books on July 20. Right now I’m writing still another novel for MTV Books that will be published in July 2011.

If ENDLESS SUMMER were made into a movie, who would you like to see in the role of Lori and Adam?

I used to say Lucas Black from the movie Friday Night Lights, because he’s dreamy and perfect and he grew up in Alabama, and Ashley Tisdale from…well, everything, because she’s hilarious. But a reader informs me that both of them have gotten too old. Now I’m not sure!

What kind of chocolate best describes you?

Instead of it describing me, can I just eat it? In that case, Cadbury Creme Eggs.

The Freebie:

To win a copy of one of Jenn's other fabulous novels, GOING TOO FAR, leave a note below, telling us - have you ever tried to change who you are to get your crush's attention? How did that turn out for you? This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, June 2.

Winners and Hints

First of all, thanks everyone, for making Haley feel welcome and for the well wishes! I appreciate it! Now that I'm back online, I have sooo much catching up to do!

Let's start with the announcement of last week's Freebie Friday winners:

Winner #1 is Lalaland
Bonus winner is Pinktooth2

Congrats! Since these are egift cards, make sure I have your name and email addy and I can get them sent right out to you. And Pinktooth, if you could send me your snail mail addy, I can send your bookmarks off.

Everyone else, make sure to join us back here on Friday for two more chances to win. Lucienne Diver will be joining us and giving away her brand spanking new YA novel, VAMPED. I know you won't want to miss that!

Meanwhile, to give you *ahem* a head start on this week's bonus feature, here's where I'm popping up around the web this week:

Celebrating Bookluver Carol's Blog anniversary and talking about writing and research here.
You can also win a copy of DEATH BY DENIM as soon as it's released here.

Remembering the most exotic thing I've eaten abroad on Wendy Toliver's blog.

Getting fired up (again) about Women's Ski Jumping being banned from the Olympics on Jennifer Echols' livejournal.

Confessing my writing bloopers on Amanda Ashby's blog.

Intriguing Diana Wallach about trance writing on her blog.

Talking backstory on Alyson Noel's blog.

Dishing writer advice on Karin Gillespie's Granny Panty Chronicles. (Don't you just love that name?)

Aand I think that's enough for now, don't you? But you might want to peek in tomorrow for more...

Winner!

Greetings from beautiful Myrtle Beach. This has been such a great break so far, even though it's too chilly to go into the water much. Doesn't matter... I'm all about catching up on all the books I kept adding to my list while I was pushing for the deadline. Nothing like sitting on the beach (albeit in a sweater) with a Diet Coke and a pile of books. Ah. Heaven. : )

Congratulations to this week's Freebie Friday winner, who will receive a signed copy of GOING TOO FAR by Jennifer Echols:

xdaisyx

Please drop me a note at gerb(@)lindagerber(.)com with your mailing info and we'll get that sent out to you!

Meanwhile, I wish you all a spectacular week! I'll see you right back here on Friday for a FREEBIE with Liz Funk, author of SUPERGIRLS SPEAK OUT.

Ciao!

FREEBIE FRIDAY with Jennifer Echols

Happy first day of spring!

Does it look spring-y where you are? Not here. It's 40 degrees outside. Blurg. But! We escape for spring break in warmer climes tomorrow. Woot!

Meanwhile, thanks for your votes in the Show me the Green contest. The winner is: Roxanne!

(Since you included your addy with the photo, no need to do anything. I'll get the books sent off to you.)

And now, I'm pleased to welcome GCC sister Jennifer Echols to the blog! Jennifer is the author of the Simon Pulse comedies THE BOYS NEXT DOOR, MAJOR CRUSH, and THE EX GAMES and is celebrating the recent release of her new book, GOING TOO FAR - which Teenreads Too calls "a novel readers won't want to put down."

Check out the official blurb:

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO? All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far… and almost doesn’t make it back.
John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won’t soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won’t be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge—and over…

And now, for the interview:
What inspired you to write GOING TOO FAR?
I love the TV shows COPS and RENO 911. I had an idea to write a romantic comedy about two teenagers stuck doing a ride-along with a cop. Then I thought the story would be a lot more interesting if the cop could actually be the hero or the heroine, rather than a bystander in the romance. I did some research and discovered some agencies hire 19-year-olds as cops, and voila. Then the novel turned dramatic on me, no longer a romantic comedy, and I decided not to call it back.

Are any of your characters based on real people that you know?
Meg is my dark side, but I didn’t really base her on me. She just came out that way.

What excites you?
A great book, movie, or TV show. My latest discovery is CASTLE, a TV show about a novelist.

What turns you off?
Unhappy endings.

What's the biggest lie you ever told, and what happened as a result of the telling?
I am not much of a liar. Not that I’m so upstanding and honest, but I figured out pretty early that I’m a terrible actress and will always get caught in a lie.

What's the most suspenseful thing that's happened to you in real life?
Before I sold my first novel, I had several literary agents who said they wanted to call me to talk about representing me. We were in the process of moving, my husband had already moved to our new city, and I had stayed behind with our three-year-old. Every time the phone rang, I thought it might be a literary agent, but it was always a realtor wanting to show the house. Then the three-year-old and I managed to drop the phone in the bathtub.

It worked out okay.

If you could invite anyone you wanted - living or dead - to hang out with you at a weekend retreat, who would you invite and why?
I would love to have a writer’s retreat and plotting party with Jane Austen, E. M. Forster, and Jennifer Crusie.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?
I almost earned a PhD in English, but I never finished my dissertation on hypertext fiction. The degree didn’t seem important after I got a novel published.

What's your favorite quote?
“Human beings have their great chance in the novel.”--E. M. Forster

Milk Chocolate or Dark?
Cadbury Creme Eggs!

Jennifer has generously donated a copy of GOING TO FAR for this week's lucky FREEBIE FRIDAY winner. To be entered, leave a comment below, telling us either your plans for spring break, or your own real-life cop story. This contest will remain open until Tuesday, March 24th.

LATTE 5 - JENNIFER ECHOLS

Our first partier today is Lori McGillicuddy, c/o Jennifer Echols, author of the Simon Pulse romantic comedies MAJOR CRUSH and THE BOYS NEXT DOOR and the upcoming hot drama, GOING TOO FAR.

Hi, I’m Lori McGillicuddy. Stop laughing. I am a fabulous actress. Stop laughing! I didn’t think I was such a hot actress either. I am a terrible liar. But I had to do SOMETHING to get Sean, the boy next door, to notice me before he went off to college. First I tried glamming myself up (which was more difficult than it sounds, with nearly sixteen years of dirt under my fingernails), and I thought at first that he was wowed by the enhancement of my natural beauty *snort*. Then he turned around and stole his younger brother Adam’s girlfriend Rachel instead of me!

But now I had an ally. Adam and I conspired to pretend to date each other, thus driving Rachel and Sean mad, I tell you, MAD with jealousy and lust. That was the theory, anyway. It’s been a week, and Sean and Rachel only seem to be growing closer. Luckily Adam and I get along great. We’ve hung out together all summer long since we were kids, so we hardly mind going to the movies together and flirting with each other. We can even stand making out.

Let’s stop and examine this for a moment, shall we? Adam and I are making out, Rachel and Sean know this, and yet Rachel and Sean are not scrambling to tear us apart and reclaim us for their own. What to do? I say Adam and I continue down this path in the hope that our ploy works eventually.

I will let you know.