GCC Presents: Jennifer Echols!

While I was off at BEA, one of my favorite YA writers, Jennifer Echols released a new book called Endless Summer. Jenn blogs with me at MTV Books (though her next MTV Book, Forget You, won't be out until next month) and she is part of the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit, which is why I'm bringing her her to you today.

So let's find out about Endless Summer, shall we?

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?

Now, let's meet Jenn!

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 Always interested in creative writing, she finished her first (and still unpublished) novel soon after graduating with a degree in English from Auburn University at age 20.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. Please visit her online at jennifer-echols.com.

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

Jennifer: Lori is a tomboy determined to become more feminine to catch the boy next door, whom she’s had a crush on forever. But his younger brother has a crush on her and does everything he can to stand in her way. The story is set in summertime on a lake in Alabama like the one where I grew up. None of it really happened to me, but it should have.

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?

Jennifer: “Miss Independent” by Kelly Clarkson and “Figured You Out” by Nickelback—Kelly Clarkson and Nickelback are symbolic of Lori trying to eke out her own feminine identity while surrounded by boys who make fun of her and insist on listening to their Nickelback albums over and over.

“Lights Out” by Santogold—This song just feels like summertime to me.

“Light Up the Sky” by Yellowcard—There are a lot of fireworks and other explosions in this book.

“Endlessly” by Green River Ordinance—This is the awesome love song at the very end, and you’ll just have to read the book to find out if it’s the soundtrack to Adam and Lori’s happy ending.

Q: Who were some of your inspirations to become a writer or the inspirations that keep you writing?

Jennifer: I am so thankful for the internet, because it puts me in touch with author friends I never would have met otherwise. Any time I need help or encouragement, I have lots of people I can ask. Authors are a wonderful group of people.

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?

Jennifer: I make a soundtrack for each book and listen to it over and over when I’m writing. It helps with revisions, too, because even if I haven’t looked at the book in months, I can turn on that soundtrack and I’m right back in the story.

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

Jennifer: My next romantic drama, Forget You, comes out on July 20. Right now I’m writing still another romantic drama that will be published by MTV Books in July 2011.

Stephanie, thanks so much for having me on your blog!

Thanks for coming, Jenn!

I'm really excited that these two books are packaged in one volume and am definitely going to pick this one up to read outside in the sun this summer. It seems like a perfect poolside or beach read, as a love a romance for that. I hope you'll check out Endless Summer too and please tell me about the summer reads you are looking forward to!