Our next debut author won a Gold Moonbeam Children's Book Award! Let's welcome and congratulate Jennifer Walkup!
1. What do you feel about the number '13'?
Funny you should ask! 13 is my absolute favorite number. I was born on the 13th. Lucky 13, all the way!
2. What's the best thing that happened after your book was published?
Well, Second Verse has only been out a few weeks, but it’s been really fun so far. We just found out that it won a Gold Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, which was exciting.
(Sidenote: Congratulations!)
3. How did you celebrate the publishing of your book?
I had an amazing launch party with lots of family and friends. It was great!
4. Do you read reviews of your book?
From time to time.
5. What is your best or most unforgettable moment with a fan?
I haven’t had too many interactions yet, but I’ve gotten a few emails from readers telling me they stayed up all night to finish reading Second Verse or that it gave them crazy dreams. That was really fun!
6. Was there any book/s from other debut author of 2013 that you loved?
So many good books came out this year! One in particular that I really enjoyed came out about a month before mine – Kara Taylor’s Prep School Confidential. It’s a really fun mystery. Also, Jamie Blair’s Leap of Faith is a really great contemporary YA.
7. Are you interested in writing in a different genre or for a different audience?
I have written various genres and for various age groups over the years, but for now, YA is my favorite place to be.
8. Share us one embarrassing moment you've had.
Oh I’ve had many! First of all, I’m really klutzy, and have fallen or otherwise tripped, etc., in the most inopportune places. On the first day of one of my first professional jobs, I literally fell, ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND, right in front of my boss’ office. Way to break the ice and get to know everyone – as they are helping you off the floor!
9. Favorite color? Yellow
Favorite movie? Impossible to pick just one. I’m going to say Almost Famous because I loved it back when it came out. My brother and I used to fall asleep watching it every night.
Favorite ice cream flavor? Something with peanut butter and vanilla
Favorite song? Anything Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ultimate celebrity crush (dead or alive)? Anthony Kiedis
10. What's next for you?
Working on finishing up the Second Verse sequel right now. After that, who knows!
***
More about Jennifer!
When Jennifer Walkup isn’t writing or reading, she’s spending time with her husband and young sons, listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers, and coming up with costume ideas for Halloween. She’s obsessed with good coffee and new recipes and likes broccoli on her pizza, flowers in her hair, flip-flops on her feet, and the number 13. A member of SCBWI and RWA, Jennifer also serves as fiction editor for The Meadowland Review and teaches creative writing at The Writers Circle. Second Verse is her first novel.
Check out Jennifer's debut novel!
Second Verse
by Jennifer Walkup
Published October 1st 2013 by Luminis Books
Blurb (Goodreads):
Bad things come in threes. In Shady Springs, that includes murder.
Murder Now
Lange Crawford’s move to Shady Springs, Pennsylvania, lands her a group of awesome friends, a major crush on songwriter Vaughn, and life in a haunted, 200-year-old farmhouse. It also brings The Hunt: an infamous murder mystery festival where students solve a fake, gruesome murder scheme during the week of Halloween. Well, supposedly fake.
Murder Then
Weeks before The Hunt, Lange and her friends hold a séance in the farmhouse’s eerie barn. When a voice rushes through, whispering haunting words that only she and Vaughn can hear, Lange realizes it's begging for help. The mysterious voice leads Lange and Vaughn to uncover letters and photos left behind by a murdered girl, Ginny, and they become obsessed with her story and the horrifying threats that led to her murder.
Murder Yet to Come
But someone doesn’t like their snooping, and Lange and Vaughn begin receiving the same threats that Ginny once did. The mysterious words from the barn become crucial to figuring out Ginny's past and their own, and how closely the two are connected. They must work fast to uncover the truth or risk finding out if history really does repeat itself.
Head over Oops! I Read A Book Again for debut author Shandy Lawson!
Yesterday: Patrick Matthews (Dragon Run) and Leigh Ann Kopans (One)
Tomorrow: Kelley Lynn (Fraction of Stone) and Jody Casella (Thin Space)
Calling YA/NA/MG debut authors of 2014! Want to join us on this fun event? Fill out this form! Don't forget to spread the word with your debuting friends!
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