geek-girls, good guys, and bacon: part 2 of my interview with author jenny b. jones

Listening To: Clocks by Coldplay

I also hope readers also connect with Lucy and her struggles because we all have lies we buy into, lies that look exactly like truth and run interference for our real potential in God’s plan. (John 10:10) - Jenny B. Jones

There aren't many social situations where I feel like I fit in. I always have been, and most likely always will be, the wallflower. The wallflower in cowboy boots.

The wallflower in cowboy boots who makes lots of Harry Potter references.

This is one of the reasons I carry a book with me at all times; so that I can slink away to corners and read and not feel so weird about not feeling so involved. Mostly, I've learned to overcome my shyness to the point where I manage fine in group settings. But sometimes, tossed into a big group of people, I still fold in on myself. I get antsy and nervous. I hear this is a common thing among introverts. The weird part is that I love people, I truly, truly love people. I like meeting them. I like getting to know them. I don't care if they're shy or outgoing or proud flag-flyers of quirk and awesome. I tend to mesh pretty well with most personalities. Still, in many group settings, I tend to feel out of sorts at first. I still get a little shy. I'm fairly certain that my first impression isn't my best one.

And yet! There are some groups of people who don't make me feel shy at all. There are some groups I click with from the word "go." (Or the word, "Gryffindor.") I always feel at home around book lovers. Who do you read? What's your favorite novel? What's your favorite fictional place? Those are ice-breakers I can run with. Book lovers are a people-group that I get, a group I know gets me. I like to be around people who know how to obsess over a novel, who stay up until 3 AM because they have to finish, who sometimes say, "did you SEE the part" instead of "did you READ that part" because the experience of reading so vivid. I get that. I love when somebody else gets that too.

You people get that. Thanks so much for participating in this book giveaway and for sharing your most favorite couples in the comments. I wish we could give a copy of Jenny's book to every single one of you. But she and I would go broke and her publisher would throw deviled eggs at us.

So. After tossing the numbers into the random number generator, the winner of a singed copy of Save the Date is ....

Allyson!!

This was Allyson's favorite couple:

The first one that comes to mind is Jim and Pam from the Office, for sure. I enjoy so many, I just can't place them. They usually have to do with an adorable boy falling in love with his less than perfect best friend who has been in love with him for quite some time. Because, well, we can all relate to feeling a little less than perfect and falling for a friend who just doesn't seem to NOTICE you are perfectly wonderful for each other!

I so agree, Allyson. Have I ever shown you guys my "I heart Jim Halpert" coffee mug? Jim and Pam are the stuff. Congrats to you! You are in for such an awesome read. Email me your mailing address (nat.lloyd [at] yahoo.com) and we'll get that book out to you pronto.

Thanks so MUCH to all of you for making that giveaway such fun! What a turn out! I would highly, highly recommend scraping enough change out of your bedroom floor to go and buy your own copy of Save the Date. You won't regret it.

Let's get to Part 2 of the interview with Save the Date's lovely author, Jenny B. Jones.

(My questions to Jen are bolded. Her answers are regular type.)

*Natalie puts down the bag of trail-mix in order to better concentrate on the mental olympics of interviewing that lay ahead*

Okay, Jen. This is the part of the interview that gets very ... very serious. So take some time to think about these answers, if you need to. Would you rather watch an all day Lord of the Rings marathon with Lucy and The Hobbits or an all day ESPN marathon with Alex?

I would watch a broken, powerless TV with Alex.Amen, sister.

Actually my choice would be to watch LOTR with Lucy. Because I’ve never seen the movies. (I’ve never told anyone that. But you guys are my friends. . .)
Confession is good for the soul.

And even though I thoroughly dislike sports, I like ESPN. They have top-notch commercials and the writing for the sportscasts is brilliant, not to mention the sharp personalities of their hosts and commentators.You're very cool that way. I wish I was one of those cool girls who loved football and ESPN but I'm not. I like to watch Tennessee play football (Vols not Titans). (My dad and I saw all of Peyton Manning's home games when Peyton was a senior at UT - which I still think is awesome!) But. In the past few years, I haven't followed very much. I'm a horrible fan. I'm kind of the way you are about ESPN when it comes to reading about athletes though. The mentality of an athlete really interests me. There's this writer, Gary Smith, who writes for Sports Illustrated. Occasionally, I pick up the mag and scan for his articles because they are incredible: so well-written and smart. More human interest than just sports and facts and stuff.That's pretty cool that we just talked about sports! *Tangent!*

In Save the Date, we briefly meet Alex's little sister, Finley. And because I happen to be one of the luckiest ducks on the planet, I know a thing or two about Finley Sinclair. I know: 1.) that Finley's story, There You'll Find Me, is your next YA and will be sitting pretty on shelves in October. And when I say pretty I mean pre-taaaay, because that is my most favorite cover you've EVER had. Bravo, Thomas Nelson cover wizards! I also know that 2.) Finley's' story might have something to do with Ireland. And with a handsome movie star. And a broken heart. And a new beginning. Can you share anything else about that novel yet?

In There You’ll Find Me, Finley is a senior and spending the year in Ireland in a foreign exchange program. She is trying to come back from a devastating loss, but pretty much failing. While she stays with her host family, who own a B&B, she meets Beckett Rush, the hottest teen actor in Hollywood and star of a series of popular vampire films. While Finley tours the countryside, determined to walk in the same steps her brother did when he was there years ago, she finds her stay in Ireland not nearly as inspiring. Between an assignment that has her babysitting a cranky old woman with troubles of her own and working as Beckett’s personal assistant against her wishes and her good judgment, Finley is finding little time to do the healing God is calling her to do. And little time to deal with the secrets from her own past that threaten to pull her under.Sounds incredible. I love those names - Finley and Beckett. What do you most hope that your readers take away from Save the Date?

I hope they enjoy the book, priority one. I hope when they finish reading it, it was a good time, a break from reality, and it made them feel a little happier for a few hours and hopefully provided a smile or two.I'm like that too. When I hear from girls who actually finish reading my books, I get a major happy-rush. There are so many books I try to read and never finish. That's a sweet thing, when you know somebody read your work and didn't want to throw it violently toward their least favorite wall.

I also hope readers also connect with Lucy and her struggles because we all have lies we buy into, lies that look exactly like truth and run interference for our real potential in God’s plan. (John 10:10)Thanks for sharing that. John 10:10 is a verse I hold up against my heart a lot.
I'm going to tangent from John 10:10 to a very serious portion of the interview I (creatively) refer to as: This or That.

This is my favorite part!!!Oreos or Bacon?

Oh, are you kidding me? Tough one.Right?!

I love both so much.That's probably why we're friends.

But I gotta go with Oreos. I could eat an entire bag all by myself. Truly. And not double-stuffed. I like the original.Me too! Something about "the stuff" tastes a little waxy to me when it gets doubled. I mean, I wouldn't turn down a Double-Stuff Oreo. But I like the original more.
Mountains or Beaches?

Beaches! Love going to the beach.Cowboy Boots or Converse?

I love cowboy boots on other people, but they look goofy on me. So I’d like to be cool enough to pull it off, but I better go with Cons. But I’m a total ballet flats girl. Ballet flats at work almost every day then get home and immediately put on the Nike running shoes. And pretend like I’m going to run. Which I’m not.I like flats too. I don't wear heels very often. I always snicker when I read about how heels add "height" and therefore, supposedly, make you feel more confident. "Added height" for me takes me up to ... a whopping 5'1" or so. Flats are fabulous. Daisies or Roses?

Daisies! But I also like roses that aren’t your traditional red. Wildflowers are my favorite.Wildflowers are the best. And they sound the best, don't they? Was it Will Shakespeare who said the thing about "... a rose by any other name?" I get that it would smell the same, but I'm a snob about flower names. I love the way peonies look but I hate the word "peony." Wildflowers are perfection though. They look as unruly as they sound.

Luke or Han?

Han. Definitely. Alpha male. Cute, macho, warrior, smart, and good with a one liner. Luke? Yeah, he can wield a light saber, but what else can he bring to the table?I concur. Luke always seemed like a whiner to me. Plus he fell in love with his sister. Just saying. This blog is Team Han territory.
Let's re-visit the junkfood topic. We all know the very best part of Valentine's Day ... is the day after when candy is marked down to 50% off. What's your favorite Valentine's Day candy?

I’ll eat any discounted candy. Probably favorite VD candy is Dove dark chocolates. I opened one the other day and...it didn’t have a message inside. I felt a little slighted, a little unworthy.

What the deuce, Dove?!

Favorite candy in general is Mike and Ikes. Great portability. And they’re fruity, so they have to be healthy, right?

Totally counts as fruit. I like dark chocolate too. I'm also partial to the Sweet Tarts that come out around spring holidays: the little conversation hearts they have (I don't like chalky convo hearts but the Sweet Tart hearts are the bomb). And the Chicks, Ducks, & Bunnies that come out at Easter. I like to bite the heads off the ducks. I find it strangely therapeutic. (Too much info?)

Favorite lipstick? (I'm always on the lookout for the perfect shade of lipstick and the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, so this questions is very important to me.)

I'm a lip gloss girl because it wears off more uniformly (usually within 5 minutes of putting it on unfortunately), but for years I’ve always kept L’oreal Mulberry in my purse and in my bathroom. It’s just a good neutral pink. It’s the “beige” of pinks. Looks good with gloss or matte.

I was going to link the gloss but I can't find it online. Here's the lipstick version, though. That's super pretty! I need to give that a whirl! One of my longtime favorites was a lipstick by Stila called Natalie. Sadly, Stila broke my heart and discontinued it. I have one little tube left that I only use for special occasions (like going to Target). I really like this new color Cover Girl came out with called Hibiscus, it's a great pink too. Easy to wear. The color looks potent in the tube, but it isn't at all (it's a sheer, barely-gloss consistency that wears off uniformly.) (Also it's easy to put on while driving - not that I ever try to put on makeup in my car. But if I did ...)

Favorite romantic movie? (P.S. You are totally allowed to say Dodgeball. Romance has many different interpretations.)

Ha. So true. I loved the romance in Nacho Libre.

This one is hard. So many. I'm gonna have to go with Charade with Audrey and Mr. Grant. Their chemistry is untouchable. I love how you find yourself rooting for the bad boy, as she falls for the bad boy, and yet...it all ends up being okay. To quote Hannah Montana, you get the best of both worlds.

That is a really horrible trailer and does not even come close to demonstrating the coolness of the movie.1.) That's hilarious that you just quoted Hannah Montana. 2.) I adore Audrey Hepburn. She was stunning. You know that KT Tunstall lyric that says, "She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white?" That makes me think of Audrey every time. She had such a presence on screen. Have you seen the new children's book about Audrey? I want it like whoa.

What’s your movie pick? Splendor in the Grass, with Natalie Wood and Warren Beaty. I'm crazy about that film. The trailer for that one is cheesy too (or maybe not cheesy - just dated). But I think the movie is incredible. I like movies and books that hinge around obsessive love. Cathy/Heathcliff stuff. The movie is full of great acting and beautiful scenes. But my very favorite scene is the last scene in the movie. There's an unanswered question at the very, very end that is incredible. The way she plays it gives me chills. I love that movie.
Favorite Disney Princess? (Or, if you aren't in a frilly mood, you can pick your favorite Disney villain.)

Sleeping Beauty was the prettiest. Rapunzel got to save herself. Ariel got the best songs. (can you believe that’s from 1989?)
Wow. That makes me feel quite old.

Snow White has her own posse. Cinderella looks a little formal and snooty. I don’t know. Um, Jessie from Toy Story? (Sorry, Disney)Good one!

What’s yours?

I would go with Anastasia, but she's not Disney either. Flynn Ryder and Rapunzel are definitely my favorite Disney couple. If I had to pick a Disney girl, I would go with Ariel. Prince Eric was kind of a throw away, but Ariel was great. Belle is cool because she's a booknerd who looks for real beauty in people. But I've always liked Ariel most of all. Even though she lives a very cool life, she seems to always feel like she's on the outside looking in. She has a gypsy-heart; that seriously intense longing to see more of the world. To have a new adventure. I know what that's like. Now all I need is a purple seashell bikini top.
And ... that seems as fitting an end to this interview as any.

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Now that we've talked about books and boys and bacon and Han Solo and seashell bikinis ... I think we can call it a successful interview. (Beat that, Oprah!) Thanks so much for dropping by the blog this week, Jenny! And thanks again for writing such incredible stories. Please never, ever stop. (And please crank them out a little faster, mmkay? OCTOBER?! Good grief, Jen. *sigh*)

You can follow along with Jen's adventures on her blog and pick up a copy of Save the Date by clicking here.
Thanks for reading along with the interview this week! If you have a killer chocolate chip cookie recipe, or a most-favorite lipstick that hasn't been discontinued *gives the stink-eye to Stila*, or a favorite Disney(ish) princess, holler down in the comments!