Behind the Pages of RICH BOYS, and another winner!!

First of all, thanks to everyone who's entered the contest and written to me about the books. I'm glad you're enjoying them. Now, on to business - another winner! This week's winner of an Island Summer t-shirt is Kelly. Congrats!

Also, over on the Simon Says Website they'll be giving away t-shirts as well. As soon as I have the exact url and the contest begins, I'll pass it along. And Girls Life magazine just gave away a bunch of books - so much free stuff!

OK, RICH BOYS. Last fall I was driving on the highway and came upon a line of cars by the side of the road. As I got closer I also noticed a group of people, all clustered just off the road on the grass. I'll never forget what I saw as I passed, the image was so unexpected. And eerie. The people were gathered around a makeshift cross around which they were placing all sorts of items - flowers, sneakers, pictures, a basketball.

I've seen them before, these sort of memorials by the side of the road, commemorating someone whose life was lost in that very spot. I've never known anyone who's participated in this sort of memorial for someone they've lost, but whenever I see one it makes me pause imagining that right there before me is where someone tragically lost their life.

After seeing that scene on the highway it stayed with me, and that's why Winnie and Jay have a similar experience when they come upon a roadside memorial. It's eerie and tragic and yet somehow hopeful at the same time, hopeful that someone will continue to be remembered as they were long after they're gone, a way to celebrate their life and what they loved. And it just seemed that Winnie and Jay would have that experience together given what they're both going through.

Win a LOCAL GIRLS/RICH BOYS t-shirt that is so cool for summer. It's so easy:
1. email me at jenny@jennyoconnell.com and put "contest" in the subject line
2. I will email you back (see I said it was easy)
3. When you receive my email forward it to as many friends as you want, but make sure you cc: me. This way I'll know that you passed it along.
4. As soon as I receive the email you've forwarded, you're entered!Want to have even more chances to win?
5. Have your friends forward the email on to their friends, but make sure you have them cc: me so you get credit (you'll be entered each time and they'll also be entered in the contest).

So, basically, email me, I'll email you back, you forward the email to your friends and the chain begins!

Touring...
I belong to a group of authors who blog known as the Girlfriend Cyber Circuit (started by Karin Gillespie, who manages to keep us all in check and blogging, I have no idea how). Anyway, I'm touring this week for LG and RB and had to answer a bunch of questions for the group. Each author has different questions she asks. I decided to post some of the answers to a few here:

From Karin Gillespie: Q: What’s the backstory behind your latest novel? A: I’ve gone to Martha’s Vineyard every summer for the past ten years. I love the place and everything about it, from waiting to get on the ferry for the ride over to the smell of the grocery store. My agent had been asking me if I had any ideas for a series, and I didn’t. Until I did. I wanted to write about the Vineyard, but from the perspective of the different people who are there during the summer. The place swells with summer visitors and the locals have their lives disrupted for three months. So I decided to write a series that takes place on the island but each book is a story unto itself told by a single character. The first book, LOCAL GIRLS, is about Kendra, and the second, RICH BOYS, is about Winnie. Winnie is just introduced in passing in LOCAL GIRLS, via her sister who works with Kendra. So each book is new and different and can stand alone, but the Vineyard provides a familiar stage for them.

From Sara Hantz: Q:What inspired the plot for your book? A: The books take place on Martha’s Vineyard, so first and foremost summer was the greatest inspiration. I’ve always felt like summer is a time when anything can happen, it’s all about possibility. LOCAL GIRLS and RICH BOYS have very different plots, but they’re both about the possibilities, opportunities and changes summer brings.

From Laurie Stolarz:
Q: What's your favorite fast food?
A: cheeseburger with no mustard from Burger King (I swear, I could four of these in five minutes flat)

From Melissa Walker:
Q: What parts of you can we see in your books / characters?
A: Actually, Kendra (in LOCAL GIRLS) and Winnie (in RICH BOYS) do share my favorite ice cream!! We all prefer chocolate with sprinkles. There is a lot of me in my characters, even some similar experiences. The thing is, when it’s happening to Kendra or Winnie I get to choose how it turns out!

From Elizabeth Lenhard:
Q: What do you love about _______ (the main characters in your books)?A: In LOCAL GIRLS, I love Kendra because she’s fiercely loyal to her best friend but still ends up hurting her.In RICH BOYS, I love Winnie because she can’t stand to see the people around her unhappy and wants to fix everything – even if she can’t.

From Stephanie Kuehnert:
Q: 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?A: Bad experiences. I think back on ex-boyfriends, dumb things I did, dumb things my friends did. I have a great memory for horrifying stuff.

Win a LOCAL GIRLS/RICH BOYS t-shirt that is so cool for summer. It's so easy:
1. email me at jenny@jennyoconnell.com and put "contest" in the subject line
2. I will email you back (see I said it was easy)
3. When you receive my email forward it to as many friends as you want, but make sure you cc: me. This way I'll know that you passed it along.
4. As soon as I receive the email you've forwarded, you're entered!Want to have even more chances to win?
5. Have your friends forward the email on to their friends, but make sure you have them cc: me so you get credit (you'll be entered each time and they'll also be entered in the contest).

So, basically, email me, I'll email you back, you forward the email to your friends and the chain begins!