GCC presents Jessica Brody

Woot, I'm so close to finishing this book that I can almost smell it (and between you and me, it could use a shower) but I'm delighted to take a break from tormenting my heroine so that we can all hang out with the utterly fabulous Jessica Brody. But before we do, just let me say that I love Jessica. She is so cool and funny and has the most adorable accent EVER (of course apparently Americans don't think they have accents, but trust me they do and I love, love, love them!!!!!)

So anyway, now that I've got that out of the way, let's get down to business. The Karma Club is Jessica's first YA novel, but she is also the author of two books for adults as well as the founder of Free Book Friday (which, if you couldn't figure out is a website where she gives away free books every single Friday so make sure you check it out because it's awesome!)

But wait, there's more! Not only does Jessica have the most amazing book trailer, complete with Deepak Chopra (who rocks btw, and if you haven't read his books and need some inner calm, then he's your man!) but she has also got a fab competition going on at her website with FOUR Flip Video Cameras up for grabs!



But first, let's get down to chatting with Jessica to see what really makes her tick!


What is The Karma Club all about?

When you mess with Karma,Karma messes back...

Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. Do good things and you'll be rewarded, do something bad and Karma will make sure you get what you deserve. But when Maddy’s boyfriend cheats on her, nothing bad comes his way. That’s why Maddy starts the Karma Club, to clean up the messes that the universe has left behind and get back at the people who have wronged them. Sometimes, though, it isn’t wise to meddle with the universe. It turns out Karma often has plans of its own.

What was the inspiration behind this book?

This was definitely one of those ideas that just “came” to me. A friend of mine had told me some horrendous story about how a boy dumped her (I don’t even remember the story, I just remember it was infuriating!) and the entire time she was talking, I kept thinking, “Someone needs to do that right back to him. He can’t just get away with that. He needs a taste of Karma!” And then boom, the idea came to me. A secret society of girls who help each other out, dosing out Karma to those who deserve it when the universe is slow to do it on its own. And thus THE KARMA CLUB was born. Of course, as soon as the idea came to me, I also knew that my characters would never be able to get away with it. Karma is a tricky thing. And you definitely don’t want to meddle with the universe!


Are you a panster or a plotter and do you find your writing process changes from book to book?

I’m definitely a plotter. I use a book called SAVE THE CAT to plot out all my manuscripts. It’s actually a screenwriting book but it works just as well for novels. Blake Snyder, the author, is a genius. He created 15 “beats” or story points that every story (film or book) can be broken down into. So I try to figure out what those beats are before I ever start writing.

I'm a quote queen and there's nothing I like more than reading other people's words of wisdom. Do you have a favorite quote that motivates you or sums up the way the you write?

“Leap and the net will appear.” I don’t know who said it. It’s probably an ancient proverb or something but it’s what I’ve always done and what I will always continue to do. You can’t wait for the perfect moment, the perfect timing, the perfect safety net to appear before you can follow your dreams. You have to just go after what you want, jump and trust that the universe will line up to catch you. And it will.

What's your favorite television series right now? Okay, I know this isn't a writerly question but I'm a very nosy person who has a very large television habit to feed!

Ahh! Too many to choose from. I LOVE TV. Especially scripted TV. I’ve even managed to convince myself that watching TV can be counted as research. Hey…TV writers are writers too! Right now some of my favorites are Dexter, Weeds, Fringe, The United States of Tara, The Tudors, and Glee.


Everyone has a talent. Mine is being able to discover chocolate no matter where it is hidden in the house. What about you? What is your secret talent (apart of course from being a fabulous writer!!!!!)

I could use you in my house! LOL! I have an unusually strong sense of smell. It can be a blessing or a curse. I can sniff out a bag of Runts candy from a mile away. But when someone steps in something unpleasant…ooh! Not fun for me

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GCC presents Kay Cassidy

Huh, will you look at that. Apparently it's almost been a month since my last blog post. No idea about how that happened but I'm sure you will forgive me when you see who I've got visiting! Yup, it's one of the nicest, coolest, sweetest authors around, Kay Cassidy.

For anyone who doesn't know Kay, then please let me assure you that she is a force of nature, and not only has her debut book, The Cinderella Society just hit the shelves, but she is also the founder and creator of The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest (which, if you live in the US and haven't checked out, then you really must. It is a super cool reading program that Kay runs via libraries and all you need to do is complete a quiz on your favorite books and then hand it into a participating library. Each month there are loads of prizes up for grabs for both you and your library). She is also the host of Living Your Five, which is a very cool website (see what I said about force of nature - I bet Kay doesn't forget to blog for a month!!!!!)

Anyway, let's get done to business. Kay's debut book is called The Cinderella Society and here is the skinny:

What a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn't want to wear it anymore?

Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it's like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys' magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she's finally found her chance to fit in.

Then the Wickeds--led by Jess's arch-enemy--begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there's more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.

Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn't want to be seen with her in public? And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?

How cool is this book going to be???? And because it wouldn't be a tour without my fabulous questions, it's now time to put Kay through her paces!

1) What was the inspiration behind this book?

The Cinderella Society actually came from a magazine article about high school sororities. I'd never heard of that before and, once I started thinking about the kind of society I would create if I could, I realized I would've wanted it to be an organization devoted to fighting the everyday battle of good vs. evil. It all snowballed from there and The Cinderella Society was born.

2) Are you a panster or a plotter and do you find your writing process changes from book to book?

I'm a huge plotter. I plot every scene in advance. Not in great detail, usually just a paragraph that explains why that scene matters. I've discovered that trying to pants my way through a story is the shortest path to a writerly meltdown because I'm constantly writing myself into corners which drives me nuts. :-)

3) I'm a quote queen and there's nothing I like more than reading other people's words of wisdom. Do you have a favorite quote that motivates you or sums up the way the you write?

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." by Mahatma Gandhi. This is the quote I live by and what inspired me to create Living Your Five^TM.

4) What's your favorite television series right now? Okay, I know this isn't a writerly question but I'm a very nosy person who has a very large television habit to feed!!!!

I haven't watched a whole lot of TV in the last few years. But this season, I've fallen in love with Glee and Flash Forward. It's fun to have something to watch that I can't wait to see each week! (And I get endless enjoyment out of the fact that Glee returned on the same day that The Cinderella Society debuted!)

5) Everyone has a talent. Mine is being able to discover chocolate no matter where it is hidden in the house. What about you? What is your secret talent (apart of course from being a fabulous writer!!!!!)

My secret talent is being able to improve the feng shui of a room. I'm a big believer in using feng shui principles to make a room feel more open and peaceful, and I love how a room feels after making some basic adjustments to the flow of the space. My husband is a feng shui guru as well and the funny thing is that he learnt it all from the feng shui page at the back of my weekly magazine!!!!

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