Happy Fourth of July!!

Hope you all had a great Fourth. It was finally sunny here in Massachusetts, I'd almost forgotten what a blue sky looks like!

I hung out by the pool, read a whole bunch, had lots of lemonade and ate Cheez Doodles like they were going out of style (and proceeded to feel totally sick for eating so many Cheez Doodles and promised I would never eat so many ever again).

Not that the weather finally feels like it should, it's beginning to feel like the start of summer. Which is sort of sad, because growing up I always felt like July Fourth was the middle of summer. Now summer will be a short two months long. Sigh.

Anyway, hope you're all having a good summer so far!!!!

No Bathing... Really?

Was in New York City for the day today. In Penn Station there was a sign that made me smile because I was feeling so sweaty and gross and hot and just generally disgusting. The sign said NO BATHING. It was as if they'd read my mind. Only I was thinking a nice clean shower, not the sink of the rest rooms at Penn Station.

Michelle is my Favorite Person for Monday!

I just saw this comment on the prologue I posted a bit ago. 

I really love it. Then again, I love all of your books so I was bound to like this as well. ;)

That was from someone named Michelle. Well you know what? It's raining out, it's crazy windy, it's hovering around 60 degrees and feels like it's more like 40, and it's Monday. 

So thank you, Michelle, for making my day. You made this miserable excuse for a summer day seem not so bad.  

Win Sarah Dessen's New Book!

Obviously I love to write books but I'm a crazy fast reader, too. I LOVE to read (and it's so much easier to do than write!). 

So when I saw that Sarah Dessen was coming out with a new book this summer I pre-ordered it so I'd have it on day one. Well, I guess I was so enthusiastic I pre-ordered it twice! Good for Sarah, not so good for me because I don't need 2 books! 

So I decided to share the wealth. Because it's summer, and everyone needs a good summer read.

Now I haven't started ALONG FOR THE RIDE yet so I can't offer any insight into the book other than what I've read. 

But if you email me with an answer to the question below, I'll enter you to win my second copy of ALONG FOR THE RIDE. No strings attached. You have 2 weeks to email, then I'll announce the winner. So... go!

Q: What do you look for in a good summer read?

Email your answer to jenny@jennyoconnell.com and put 'Contest' in the subject line.

Good luck!

Melissa Walker's new book is out!

LOVESTRUCK SUMMER is the story of Quinn, an indie rock girl who came out to Austin, Texas for a music internship. She also plans to spend long, lazy days in the sun at outdoor concerts--and to meet a hot musician or two. Instead, she’s stuck rooming with her sorority brainwashed cousin, who now willingly goes by the name “Party Penny.” Their personalities clash, big time.

But Sebastian, a gorgeous DJ, definitely makes up for it. Sebastian has it all: looks, charm, and great taste in music. So why can’t Quinn keep her mind off Penny’s friend cute, All-American Russ and his Texas twang?

Sebastian is the kind of guy Quinn wants, but is Russ the guy Quinn needs? One thing’s certain: Quinn’s in for a summer she’ll never forget!

To Blush or Not to Blush...

I received this comment on my blog and I thought it was interesting. It referred to my comment about how I'm so sick and tired of reading how girls blush in books.

"u have no right to go around saying that girls dont blush."

Um, I didn't say that. I did say, "I am so sick of characters being described by their ability to blush. Honestly, I can't think of a single person who I have witnessed blush to such an extent. Yet it seems to be the physical trait of choice for teen girls who are feeling flustered/embarassed/caught off guard/attracted to someone/stupid/inept, etc."

Case in point: I just started reading a new book and in the first 8 pages the main character "flushes" twice. In 8 pages!! And there wasn't even anything terribly mortifying or embarssing that happened. One book I read had a character blush a total of 12 times in the book. Was there no other way to describe her feelings? How the situation made her feel?

It has nothing to do with blushing. If books were having characters clear their throats or scratch their chins as much as they have characters blushing it would be just as annoying.

Sure, people blush. They also look away, cast their eyes down, feel their stomach do flip flops, want to throw up, want to run away and hide, etc. I still think there is way too much blushing going on in teen books. I think it's just an easy way to describe how someone's emotions are communicated to the outside world physically. But it loses its impact when it's the go-to reaction for every uncomfortable situation.

I also said, "To think that teen girls are simply a hotbed of cheeky blood vessels is to do them a supreme injustice to their emotional range," because I believe that - girls feel a million different ways and react to those feelings differently depending on who they're with, who saw them, how big the mistake was, if they were caught off guard, etc. Blushing isn't always the answer when writing how a girl feels. Sometimes they don't blush but they do something else, like twirl their hair. Everyone is different and yet characters all seem to blush. I don't get it.

And to answer the commenter's last words, "i guess u and ur friends r just so perfect that u have never done anything remotely embarrassing."

We do embarassing things all the time, it's a big reason why we love each other. We do stupid things, make mistakes, say dumb stuff, make idiots of ourselves in front of other people. I just think there are more interesting ways to describe how that makes us feel then to sum it up by saying our cheeks turned red.

I read 5 books on vacation - all teen books, the oldest being from 1999, the latest a print proof for a book that hasn't even come out yet.

And some I loved, some I liked and some not so much. But you know what I hated the most? Blushing. Yes, I have never read so much about "flaming cheeks," "prickling cheeks," "red burning cheeks," blah, blah. I am so sick of characters being described by their ability to blush. Honestly, I can't think of a single person who I have witnessed blush to such an extent. Yet it seems to be the physical trait of choice for teen girls who are feeling flustered/embarassed/caught off guard/attracted to someone/stupid/inept, etc.

I hereby boycott all flaming cheeks in every book I write. I don't think I've ever blushed in my life. I've never seen my best friends blush, and believe me, they've had plenty to blush about. Enough with the blushing. I shall seek new innovative ways to physically demonstrate an emotion - or not.

To think that teen girls are simply a hotbed of cheeky blood vessels is to do them a supreme injustice to their emotional range.

NOTE: I just started to read a new book, main character "flushes" twice in the first 8 pages due to embarassment - does it never end?