GCC Presents: Elizabeth Scott!

I'm back from my adventures in Madison, Wisconsin. (I went to do a reading and hang out with old friends. In case you missed it, I posted on the MTV Books blog about my time living in Madison. I moved there on my own when I was 17.) And while I was there, spring finally arrived!!! But I will post about both of those things next week sometime when I'm (hopefully) a little less crazed (yeah right!). Right now I need to get ready for my reading tonight as part of the Story Week Festival of Writers, an awesome fest put on by my alma mater Columbia College Chicago. I'm doing a reading at Smart Bar (3730 N Clark) in Chicago that starts at 7 pm. It's 21+ and gonna be a blast so if you are of age I hope to see you there.

Today I am honored to bring you an interview with the amazing Elizabeth Scott. The thing I love about being part of the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit is it puts me in a sisterhood with these incredible authors who I idolize (and honestly sometimes don't feel worthy of hanging out with in the cyber sense) and I get to interview them. Elizabeth's books are pure awesomeness. I stayed up all night in my bathroom one night (because hubby was sleeping and I'd gotten home from a slow night at work where I'd started reading it) to finish Living Dead Girl. So intense. The Unwritten Rule sounds different, but equally as good and I can't wait to pick it up myself.

Here's the lowdown about The Unwritten Rule:

Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like you best friend's boyfriend.

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...

Now let's meet Elizabeth:

Elizabeth Scott grew up in a town so small it didn't even have a post office, though it did boast an impressive cattle population. She's sold hardware and panty hose and had a memorable three-day stint in the dot-com industry, where she learned that she really didn't want a career burning CDs. She lives just outside Washington, DC, with her husband; firmly believes you can never own too many books; and would love it if you visited her website, http://www.elizabethwrites.com.

And here is my interview with Elizabeth:

Q: Please tell us what your new book is about and what inspired you to write it.

Elizabeth: The Unwritten Rule actually came about because my editor at Simon Pulse, Jennifer Klonsky, and I were talking about friendships and high school and the things you just instinctively knew you could never ever do then, like be interested in a friend's boyfriend and I said, "Yeah, it's like the unwritten rule," and bam! There was the story. It just popped into my head--all the characters, everything that was going to happen--and I love my editor for letting me take the idea and run with it!

Q: If there was a soundtrack for your book what are five songs that would be on it and how do they relate the story?

Elizabeth: I don't listen to music when I write, so I have no idea what would be The Unwritten Rule's soundtrack--but I'd love to hear from readers about it!

Q: Who were some of your inspirations to become a writer or the inspirations that keep you writing? Feel free to include other authors, teachers, parents, or people in other creative fields, whoever is an inspiration to you!

Elizabeth: I started writing because I was bored out of my mind during a meeting. (No, seriously, that's really how I started!) As for inspiration--that would be my friends, who have believed in me for far longer than I believed in myself and who actually got me to get out there and try to get published! Plus they read all my crappy drafts. (I have some VERY nice friends!)

Q: 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?

Elizabeth: I don't listen to music at all because I get so sucked into what I'm doing that I don't notice anything. (My husband has had to pretty much come up and yell right into my ear to get my attention more than once!)

Q: What is next for you? What are you working on now?

Elizabeth: My next book, Grace, will be out from Dutton in September. It's about a girl who's been raised to be a suicide bomber--and what happens when she decides she wants to live.

Wow, that sounds like another truly intense book. Elizabeth is an amazing writer so do check out her books if you haven't yet guys!

Hope everyone has an amazing weekend!