Lexi Middleton has been socially invisible to her classmates, but starting her junior year, that’s going to change. First, she’s determined to hook a boyfriend, ensuring dates with flowers and possible kisses on the doorstep. Second, she wants to be a writer for the school paper, even though it freaks her out to think of everyone judging her by her punctuation and metaphors. High school is difficult enough—keeping up her grades, dealing with increasing sibling rivalry, and trying to stay out of the way of her personal nemesis, Amberlee—but when Lexi catches the eye of her long-time crush, she also becomes the focus of mean-girl tactics. Caught between who she was and who she wants to be, Lexi must decide how to confront a bully, and choose who to let into her heart.
About Jo Noelle:
Jo Noelle grew up in Colorado and Utah but also spent time in Idaho and California. She has two adult children and three small kids.
She teaches teachers and students about reading and writing, grows freakishly large tomatoes, enjoys cooking especially for desserts, builds furniture, sews beautiful dresses, and likes to go hiking in the nearby mountains.
Oh, and by the way, she’s two people—Canda Mortensen and Deanna Henderson, a mother/daughter writing team.
Author Interview Questions and Answers
1. What music do you like?
Deanna: I don’t know how to answer that. Do you mean today? I listen to everything, rock, classical, rap, alternative, opera. And I know the words and sing along—with the opera songs sometimes I sing gibberish until I know the words again.
Canda: Rock. I like rock. Not soft rock—it’s not really rock. I like alternative too. My favorite bands are (in order of their appearance in my life) KISS, Aerosmith, (I really liked the BeeGees but I’ll deny it in public), Nirvana, Good Charlottte, and Linkin Park.
2. Who is your favorite character?
Deanna: Tilly, Lexi’s best friend in Lexi’s Pathetic Fictional Love Life. I like sarcastic, pushy people probably because they’re more like me.
Canda: Marc, he’s Cassie’s love interest in Damnation. He’s a lot like my husband. I think he’d do the same kinds of things in heaven if he were at the Gate.
3. What kind of books do you like?
Deanna: I like “issue” book. I like self-helpy books. I like YA romance and Chick-lit. Oh and travel books especially the ones with itineraries that tell you what to eat where and give you maps.
Canda: I like snarky characters, romance is the story not the subplot, and paranormal is a big plus. I hate contemporary literary fiction. Gahhh! Too many issues to deal with in my spare time.
4. What is your favorite snack?
Deanna: chocolate covered macadamia nut with caramel cluster things you buy at Costco.
Canda: Peanut M&Ms
5. Teaser for your book in one sentence?
Damnation: Cassie is going to heaven—if she can get amnesty from hell in the next twenty days.
Newbie: The housing market is crashing, and Sophie’s life is crashing with it.
Lexi’s Pathetic Fictional Love Life: Falling in love is easy in fiction--
in high school, not so much.
6. Describe the book in 1 sentence:
Damnation: Drunk driver turns into do-gooder to gain entrance into heaven.
Newbie: Teaching school is not so bad when you have a friend and a hot co-worker.
Lexi’s Pathetic Fictional Love Life: In high school, sometimes it’s easier to choose to be invisible than to be forced to stand out.
7. What is your writing process?
We make an outline, chuck it out the window before chapter 2, we argue, negotiate, plead, pout, sometimes threaten to quit. Then we compromise and keep writing. And we laugh a lot.
8. What was your road to publication like?
We wrote the books, rewrote them a few times, got lots of feedback, rewrote them again, sent them to an editor, rewrote, another editor, rewrote.
9. Which character was the most difficult to write?
Talese! There were things we wanted her to be or to do, but it didn’t fit who her character is.
10. Favorite dessert?
Deanna: Muddy Buddies
Canda: chocolate mousse
11. Music or silence?
Deanna: Music, always
Canda: Either, but music only in the genres I like.
Author Page on Amazon
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Website:
https://sites.google.com/site/authorjonoelle/
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Get the Details
1 winner will receive a $100.00 Amazon.com giftcard.
Blog hop and Rafflecopter registrations Begin 9/1/14 and End 9/7/14 MDT
This drawing is open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Card. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Check back on this blog between Sept. 8-10, 2014. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized and sponsored by Canda Mortensen & Deanna Henderson DBA Jo Noelle. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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