GCC Presents: Jennifer Banash

Today I have Jennifer Banash on her Girlfriends Cyber Circuit tour for her brand new book (just released on Tuesday!) Simply Irresistible. Here's the lowdown on the book:

Third and last in The Elite book series – Jennifer Banash brings us more adventures from the spoiled, rich teens in Manhattan who nearly ate Casey McCloy alive when she first arrived in the Big Apple from her small town of Normal, Illinois. Casey learned very quickly after she moved in with her grandmother at The Bramford, the most exclusive luxury apartment building on New York’s Upper East Side and got into the prestigious Meadowlark Academy on a full scholarship, that it’s not who you are but who you know!

Simply Irresistible (Penguin) brings us a whole new set of adventures now that Casey has had a big city-haute makeover, courtesy of her classmate and neighbor Madison Macallister – part teen icon and part queen diva-bitch. Wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and meeting the right people, has given Casey the look and the attitude – she’s “in” and loving it! Much to Madison’s dismay, her rival is climbing up the social ladder in a big way and could end up just as popular as Madison now that the two are set to star in their own TV reality show, “De-Luxe.” Yes, showbiz came knocking on two of The Bramford’s most illustrious doors and, as much as Madison thrives on the attention the show brings, she’s not thrilled about having every bit of her life of privilege caught on tape. However, fame comes at a price and Madison is one chick who is willing to pay anything…especially if it means becoming the next reality “it girl.” Casey, on the other hand, is realizing that Reality TV can sometimes beunreal, causing her to wonder if she even knows who she is anymore. With her relationship with Drew, Madison’s ex, currently more off than on, she can’t help wondering if everything in her life is really just an illusion – and how much longer the illusion can last….

Although The Elite series is obsessed with fashion and glamour, Branash does an impressive job of examining real issues that teens face, such as cutting, divorce, infidelity, and drug addiction. Having personally attended high school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan provided the author with the background for her ample insight and imagination portrayed in The Elite Series.

"If you love all the drama, scandal, and high-end fashion of Gossip
Girl...you'll want to check out...The Elite!"--Seventeen.com

"The Elite is Pretty in Pink for the millennium generation."--Romance
Reviews Today

"An awesome tale of friendship and betrayal with just the right amount
of humor and heart. Seriously irresistible, and impossible to put
down."-Alexa Young, author of Frenemies and Faketastic

I think this series sounds like a really fun summer read. Here's an interview with Jennifer to give us a little more insight!

Please list five songs that would be on the soundtrack to your book and explain how they relate to your story or characters.

Jennifer: 1. I'm good, I'm gone: Lykke Li (This could be Madison Macallister's theme song)

2. Kim and Jesse: M-83 (This entire CD sounds like the soundtrack to a John Hughes movies circa 2009. I listen to it on repeat while I write)

3. It's Never Over: Kate Walsh (Casey listens to this song in a scene in the book where she's lying in bed, wondering if she'll ever speak to Drew again)

4. One Time Too Many: Phoenix (Could be Drew's theme song--he's so self-destructive and indecisive)

5. A&E: Goldfrapp (Just because I love it)

Name some of your main character's favorite musicians or bands.

Jennifer: See below. My character's like the music I like. It's easier that way--and we fight less :)

Who are some of your favorite musicians or bands?

Jennifer: M-83, Bat For Lashes, Phoenix, Sufjan Stevens, Rufus Wainwright, Juliana Hatfield, Cocteau Twins, Elliot Smith, Jesus and Mary Chain, Goldfrapp, The Radio Department..

Even though music plays in so heavily into my storytelling, I rarely can actually listen to it while I'm writing. Can you? How does music fit into your writing process?

Jennifer: I have to listen to music when I'm writing, but only with headphones. I have to really block out the outside world in order to become submerged in the world I'm creating. Sometimes the songs even show up in a scene--this happened a few times while I was writing Simply Irresistible.

While music is my muse, I know other writers find their muse in theater, sports, art, the great outdoors, etc. What is your main muse?

Jennifer: Film. I get tons of ideas form watching really great movies, and I adore the John Hughes films of the 1980's like The Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles.

Thanks, Jennifer for visiting my blog and I hope everyone enjoyed the interview and is off to check out the book!