GCC Presents: Daisy Whitney!

I'm proud to present Daisy Whitney as part of the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit tour! Her debut novel, MOCKINGBIRDS, is out today and it sounds absolutely amazing, a truly empowering read for teens and the kind of book I was searching for at sixteen. I can't wait to get my own copy this weekend and I think this interview will convince you that you must buy it as well. But first the details on the book.

About MOCKINGBIRDS:

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

"Bold, intense and timely." - Publishers Weekly, starred review

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

Daisy: I’ve always been intrigued by boarding school and also by the potential teens have to take a stand for what’s important. THE MOCKINGBIRDS - an underground student-run justice system - was born from those twin thoughts as a way to look at what it takes to stand up for yourself and for others.

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?

Daisy:

Ode to Joy - Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

Wake Up - Arcade Fire

Stop, Hey, What’s That Sound - Buffalo Springfield

Black - Pearl Jam

Being Alive - Raul Esparza

Ode to Joy is a character in the novel, Wake Up and Stop, Hey are great songs about justice and taking a stand, Being Alive is a celebration of love, happiness and hope, and Black is just a great song!

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!

Daisy: I am inspired every day by the amazing things teens do - helping in their community, speaking up for their friends, taking a stand for what’s right. They inspire me as so great writers like Emily Giffin, Courtney Summers, Gayle Forman, JK Rowling and Andre Aciman.

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?

Daisy: I MUST listen to music when I write on planes or coffee shops to drown out the sounds of conversation. Otherwise, I like the sound of silence.

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

Daisy: I just turned in a sequel to THE MOCKINGBIRDS, and I am now revising an edgy, sexy, mystery-caper story and just started a new novel about a boy that I’m really digging too!