Hi Jennifer! Welcome to Teen Readers' Diary and congratulations on your upcoming release. Can you tell us some things about yourself that the bookish world may not know about yet?
Thanks so much for having me here on your blog! Hmmm, some things you may not know about me … Well, Halloween is my favorite holiday and favorite day of the year! Also, I love daisies and hate roses, and I love reading, hiking, and hanging out with my family. I could also spend an endless amount of time at the beach.
I read in your bio that you are an advocate for Epilepsy awareness; just by reading the blurb for This Ordinary Life, I can tell that it is manifested in the story. What ultimately lead you to this particular cause?
Epilepsy is a topic that is near and dear to my heart and my family, as a few members of my family suffer from the disorder. I wanted to write a book that shows a little bit more about epilepsy, but even more importantly, a book that shows that these characters having epilepsy is secondary to them just being regular teens who like to do teen stuff. Epilepsy is a part of their life, but certainly not what defines them.
Did you have a playlist while you were writing the book? If yes, what are some of the songs in the playlist?
Did you have a playlist while you were writing the book? If yes, what are some of the songs in the playlist?
I didn’t have a specific playlist for This Ordinary Life, but I do listen to music when I revise, and often before I start writing, to clear my head and get me in the writing mode. I listen to lots of instrumental/background music when I’m revising, as well as a good amount of classic rock, and lots of Red Hot Chili Peppers (my favorite band!).
Do you have any other books currently in the works?
I’m working on a few different projects – all YA contemporary. My favorite at the moment is a summer YA where an unlikely duo teams up and tries to lose their real-life fears and worries in one crazy-fun and insightful summer at the beach.
This Ordinary Life
by Jennifer Walkup
by Jennifer Walkup
Publisher: Luminous Books, Inc.
Release Date: October 1st, 2015
Blurb:
Sometimes Hope is the Most Extraordinary Gift of All.
High-school radio host Jasmine Torres's life is full of family dysfunction, but if she can score the internship of her dreams with a New York City radio station, she knows she can turn things around.
That is, until her brother Danny’s latest seizure forces her to miss the interview, and she’s back to the endless loop of missing school for his doctor appointments, picking up the pieces of her mother’s booze-soaked life, and stressing about Danny’s future.
Then she meets Wes. He’s the perfect combination of smart, cute, and funny. He also happens to have epilepsy like her brother. Wes is living a normal life despite his medical issues, which gives Jasmine hope for Danny. But memories of her cheating ex-boyfriend keep her from going on a real date with Wes, no matter how many times he asks her.
Jasmine can’t control everything. Not who wins the internship, not her mother’s addiction, not her brother’s health--not even where her heart will lead her. She wishes she could just have an ordinary life, but maybe what she already has is pretty extraordinary after all.
Sometimes Hope is the Most Extraordinary Gift of All.
High-school radio host Jasmine Torres's life is full of family dysfunction, but if she can score the internship of her dreams with a New York City radio station, she knows she can turn things around.
That is, until her brother Danny’s latest seizure forces her to miss the interview, and she’s back to the endless loop of missing school for his doctor appointments, picking up the pieces of her mother’s booze-soaked life, and stressing about Danny’s future.
Then she meets Wes. He’s the perfect combination of smart, cute, and funny. He also happens to have epilepsy like her brother. Wes is living a normal life despite his medical issues, which gives Jasmine hope for Danny. But memories of her cheating ex-boyfriend keep her from going on a real date with Wes, no matter how many times he asks her.
Jasmine can’t control everything. Not who wins the internship, not her mother’s addiction, not her brother’s health--not even where her heart will lead her. She wishes she could just have an ordinary life, but maybe what she already has is pretty extraordinary after all.
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Award-winning author Jennifer Walkup is most often found writing, reading, and spending time with her husband and young sons. A member of SCBWI and RWA, Jennifer also works as an editor and creative writing instructor, and is an advocate for Epilepsy awareness. This Ordinary Life is her second novel.
To hear about Jennifer's upcoming books, sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/belmjH.
To hear about Jennifer's upcoming books, sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/belmjH.
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Win (1) hardcopy of SECOND VERSE by Jennifer Walkup and a swag pack (INT)
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