Man, it's almost April. April is not only the month that brings spring flowers (because down South, we do that sort of thing early. In fact, the trees are already blooming and it's making me HAPPY.) It is the month that Chicks with Sticks (Knit two together) comes out in paperback!!!!
Just wanted to give you fair warning.
But first, other books are coming out! Specifically, a new novel by GCCer Carrie Jones, whose blog is incredibly charming and whose books are incredibly brilliant.
Especially, this latest, Love (and Other Uses for Duct Tape) , the sequel to Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend. (Love them titles, Carrie. Excellent use of parentheses.)
The interior looks even better, of course:
LOVE (AND OTHER USES FOR DUCT TAPE) tells the story of 18-year-old Belle Philbrick, who watches love blossom in the lives of all around her while she and her boyfriend seem to be treading water. As she barrels toward the end of her senior year, Belle watches as everything around her changes…and not all for the best. And in the midst of dealing with the changes comes the revelation that her best friend might be pregnant. Through Belle, Jones examines issues of labeling, making choices, and the anxiety of “what next?” as Belle looks ahead to life beyond high school.
This looks like just just the meaty, affecting read I could use right now that I'm spending my work-hours writing for seven-year-olds on a work-for-hire gig. Maturity! Love it.
Carrie kindly e-chatted with me recently. . . .
Elizabeth: You walk into a bookstore and make a beeline to. . .
a) chick lit
b) YA lit
c) lit-lit
d) biographies
e) a big stack of gossip mags and a cappuccino
f) the ________ (please fill in) section
. . . and why?
Carrie: B) Young Adult Literature because it's right by the sports magazines where the beautiful guys hang out.
Elizabeth: Tell me about your childhood, part 1: When you were a teenager, what young adult novel a) saved b) changed c) okay, made a big wallop on your life?
Carrie: I was really into Judy Blume's FOREVER, which probably is not something I should admit, although Judy Blume is a goddess. And it was all because of the sex scenes. I was really REALLY into the sex scenes. I would memorize them basically and hope that someday it would happen to me. That's just sad, isn't it?
Kissing Chris Paquette on his mom's couch just didn't match up to the Judy scenes.
Elizabeth: Tell me about your childhood, part 2: If there was no such novel, what kind of book do you WISH you'd had to change/save/wallop your life?
Carrie: Um. Possibly HOW TO MAKE CHRIS PAQUETTE NOT KISS LIKE A ST. BERNARD by HIS LAST GIRLFRIEND
Elizabeth: Tell me about your childhood, part 3: Where did you grow up and what kind of role does that setting play in the books you write?
Carrie: I grew up in Bedford, N.H. Sarah Silverman, the actress/comedian, was in my grade and used to come over to my house, and we were in a song and dance troupe together. This is another embarrassing tidbit. But, anyway, Bedford was really wealthy, only my family wasn't really wealthy. We were pretty poor. And it was really safe. There were a lot of rolling hills, and subdivisions and big trees, but the best thing about it was the school system. Seriously. Our teachers tried very hard to make us all creative, free-thinkers and as a result there were a lot of quirky people with weird senses of humor. Not just Sarah, who is sort of in one of my later novels, but also the Meyers brothers, who are on Saturday Night Live and Mad TV. I think that quirkiness and class division comes through in some of my books.
Elizabeth: What do you love about Belle, the star of Love (and other uses for Duct Tape)?
Carrie: I love that she cares so much about people and that she tries so hard to be a good person, and an honest person. She's really huggable.
Elizabeth: Finally, which Chick with Sticks are you? If you haven't read my book, please refer to this handy quiz.
Carrie: I am Bella, and I am totally cool with that! YAY!
Thanks, Bella Carrie. (I couldn't post Carrie's picture, so you can't see how bella she actually is, but trust me.) Can't wait for your next book, Girl, Hero, coming out in August. Two novels in one year? You're my hero.
xoxo
Elizabeth
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