I sat down with Jennifer Jabaley over the summer and am just getting to post our discussion now. Lucky for you, I’ve made up for it by giving away a SIGNED copy of LIPSTICK APOLOGY to the person who comes up with the best “LIPSTICK APOLOGY” comment below! Full contest details are posted at the end of the interview.
Jennifer is not only talented but adorable and funny! Check out what she had to say about her awesome book and find out how to properly pronounce her name–Jabaley–not Jennifer…
1. I love the story from your website about you and your sister discussing what to do if her flight went down as the inspiration for LIPSTICK APOLOGY (read it here ). But really, there seems to be a deeper, perhaps unintended meaning. Lipstick is used to make us feel prettier, more attractive. Does Emily have an adverse reaction to it after the accident knowing its what her mother used to write her apology?
Wow, great, great question! Actually in the first drafts of the book I had a lot more “grief” scenes in the beginning of the book. Indeed Emily couldn’t look at lipstick at all, which of course became difficult when she moved in with her aunt who is a make up artist. I loved the irony of that. In revisions, however, we all agreed that the book flowed better in the lighter scenes so we whacked a lot of the grief and therefore the struggle with the lipstick disappeared.
2. Emily spends a night of fun partying all the while worrying that she’s going to get busted when her parents come home. I’ve been there and It’s a scenario I’m sure many of your readers can relate to. Why is this feeling of anticipation so important to the story?
I think that basic anticipation can really sum up that Emily is at heart, a good girl – a rule follower, but also and perhaps I think most important – I tried to in one scene emphasize that Emily did not want to disappoint her parents. I wanted to depict the kind of relationship that Emily had with her family. Yes, she was a teen and wanted to rebel but also she loved her parents and didn’t want to disobey them. And of course ultimately it’s Emily’s mom who disappoints Emily – such a twist from where the story starts.
3. Coping with the loss of parents can be hard for anyone, but Emily must do it publicly. How does the attention impact her?
She hates it, of course. The media coverage makes her so nervous to start a new school because the whole idea of making a good first impression has been ripped from her. In her mind they all have seen her at her worst.
4. Does having a change of scenery help? New school, new town, new friends–or does it just send her further into her pain?
See above So yes, I think it makes it harder at first. But then of course all the change is actually a nice distraction, which of course doesn’t help the grief process but delays it. But maybe she needs that delay before she can really process everything.
5. Having two boys to choose from can’t be all that bad can it? I should have this problem, LOL.
Well, she doesn’t think she has two boys to chose from – I think she’s baffled by Anthony – is he a friend or more? Plus I don’t think Emily feels like she has much control in her relationship with Owen. I think she spends most of the time wondering why he’s interested in her (such typical teenage insecurity I think!).
6. Tell me about the book trailer. It’s very cool and I should know, I’m a book trailer snob!
Well that’s an okay kind of snob to be!! I’m so glad you like it!! Incidentally by luck of the draw I actually had two trailers made. One was made by a friend of my agent and the other was made by the book blogger The Compulsive Reader. I had a contest where I asked for viewers to vote. What was so interesting was that almost 100% of the teens voted for the trailer made by the teenager and all the voters who are no longer teens (that’s a kind way of saying older voters) voted for the trailer made by the adult!! I found that unbelievable! It makes me wonder if YA publishers have teen input on book cover art – they should!! Ultimately the teen trailer won out the contest so that is the one I posted on my website although I personally love both trailers equally.
7. I hear you’re working on a new fiction book for adults. Are you taking a break from YA?
Just a short break Originally I thought this might be a YA novel, but after talking to my agent about it, we both feel it would do better in the adult genre. The main character is in college so it could go either way. But I have a YA idea percolating and I’m really excited about it
8. OK. People mispronounce my married name all the time. So, when I write, I use my maiden name. Help me out. How do you pronounce your last name–properly. Shall we give a signed copy of LIPSTICK APOLOGY away to the first person to upload a video on You Tube pronouncing it properly?
Sure! It’s JAB (like poke) a lee. But you know what? People butchered my maiden name, too (Lovelidge) which suprsied me – it sounds just the way it’s spelled! But Jabaley is a tough one, almost everyone says it wrong the first time!
Thanks so much, Georgia!!
ABOUT LIPSTICK APOLOGY
Four Little Words Written in Lipstick…
mean Emily must say goodbye to everything she knows. Emily Carson has always been a good girl. So when she throws a party the night her parents leave for vacation, she’s sure she’ll get busted. What Emily doesn’t know is that her parents will never return.
Available now from RAZORBILL
ABOUT JENNIFER
Born in New York and raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey, Jennifer Jabaley is a graduate of James Madison University and Southern College of Optometry. She began writing in 2006 and tries to manage optometry, writing and motherhood. She lives in Blue Ridge, Georgia with her husband and two children.
Visit Jennifer Jabaley’s Website
Meet Jennifer at an upcoming Signing
Saturday, October 24th, 4pm
Hometown Book Signing
Borders Bookstore
Bridgewater, NJ
Friday, November 6th, 5pm Debutantes of 2009
Park Road Books
Book Signing
Charlotte, NC
Pick up a copy of LIPSTICK APOLOGY online at Amazon.com
The LIPSTICK APOLOGY CONTEST
Enter until October 31, 2009 for a chance to win a signed copy of LIPSTICK APOLOGY. All you need is the best, most creative, awesomest LIPSTICK APOLOGY comment below. There is, of course, a catch! Each apology must begin with the following: “Dear Emily, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to…” You must complete the rest. Winner will be announced on November 10, 2009. One entry per person, please. Jennifer will judge entries and winner will be announced on this blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment