Celebrating Debutantes 2013: Jessica Brooks (13 Random Facts + Giveaway)

Jessica Brooks, author of Pity Isn't An Option, is here today for 13 cool random facts about her and a giveaway of her books! Check out this lovely debut author who loves bloggers and dresses and coffee! 

Jessica Brooks

13 Random Facts

1) I love bloggers. (You guys rock in many ways; the most important one being that I find tons upon TONS of awesome books to read because of you guys. <3 font="">

(Sidenote: Aw, thank you! We love authors too! Without you, books are non-existent; there's nothing we can talk about on our blogs. So thank you! <3 i="">

2) I love dresses. If I could wear (long-ish) ones to wear all year long, I would. They're comfy, and make you feel nice and pretty, and... I just love 'em. :)

(Sidenote: Me too! <3 i="">

3) I have finger toes. As in, I can pick things up with my toes. Comes in quite handy. (Get it? Toes, as fingers? Handy? Ahem.)

4) Me and coffee are like this: meandcoffee <--- coffeelvnmom="" ence="" everything.="" font="" much="" my="" nbsp="" on="" pretty="" re="" see="" tight.="" username="" we="">

5) I'm not a morning person. Perhaps this would be obvious with my need for coffee, but if it wasn't, now you know. I can't type much until I've been up for at least an hour. Or it won't make sense. And I won't be able to see it (my eyes really won't open enough). Yeah. Morning + me = ew.

6) My favorite tattoo is the owl one on my right shoulder -- my family and I have affectionately named her Violet. :D

7) I read on my ereader and phone, but still love actual paper books the most! (Hardcover, preferably.)

8) My middle daughter and I are currently arguing about which books I should buy next. She's further along in one series than I am, so she's whining for me to get James Dashner's The Death Cure and Veronica Roth's Allegiant;  and I want to order Nancy Farmer's The Lord of Opium and just finished Myra McEntire's Hourglass series (ebooks) so I want to order those hardcovers to push off on my friends! ;)

(Sidenote: You should get Allegiant for your daughter! It was heart-breakingly amazing.)

9) I love Mayday Parade. In fact, when I first wrote If I Speak True (forthcoming), I used their lyrics a lot. But... copyright issues. :( So I had to write my own lyrics and make up my own band name!

(Sidenote: *goes to Youtube to search for them*)

10) I recently came across this and wish I was crafty enough to make it: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/280771357992321433/

11) I think Tumblr is amazing and is now a bigger time-sucker for me than Pinterest. *le sigh*

12) Cantalope = a big no-no for me. Just... nope. No cantalope. Ever.

13) After having some roasted corn with lime chile powder recently, I am addicted to that stuff. I even put it on my eggs! Yay for lime-flavored chili powder! :)

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More about Jessica!

Jessica L. Brooks resides with her husband of over fifteen years, three awesome daughters, and a plethora of pets in Central California, where fog, frost, triple-digit heat and various items of produce arrive bountifully, depending on the season. She has an affinity for both coffee and owls, and loves to connect with fellow readers and writers on most social networks like Goodreads, Twitter and Pinterest. You can also connect with her on her blog, Let Me Tell You A Story. 

Jessica writes both young adult and adult fiction. PITY ISN’T AN OPTION is her debut novel -- IF I SPEAK TRUE, the first in the Flora series, will be available 1/27/14.

Find her: Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Pinterest

Check out Jessica's debut novel!

Pity Isn't An Option
(Cozenage #1)
by Jessica Brooks

Published March 8th 2013 by CreateSpace

Blurb (Goodreads):

Seventeen year-old Jonas Norton is trying to come to terms with what his blood disorder has robbed from him, including his two most favorite things: basketball, and competing in Hatchet Racket, Wanless’ annual hatchet-throwing contest. The facts that his father works constantly to pay for his blood tests and Jonas can actually see the disappointment in his eyes for being such a failure only make matters worse. And even worse than all of that? Jonas' own twin brother, Micah, is perfectly healthy and becoming quite the basketball player. Also, Hattie, the girl Jonas has loved for forever? She has no idea how he feels.

Sixteen year-old Hattie Akerman lives down the hill from Jonas. Though her father, Heath, tries to hide his lack of mental clarity behind the bottle and she's pretty much given up on having any kind of relationship with him, she would still rather her younger sister, Lucy, not have to deal with the consequences of his behavior. Hattie helps her mother by baking food to sell at Market and looking out for Lucy. No matter what the rest of the town says about her crazy father, Jonas sticks up for them. He is, by far, her very best friend.

As if things aren’t complicated enough already, Heath and Micah are unexpectedly drafted into President Kendrick's army (an army from which no one ever returns) just days before Thanksgiving. When Heath disappears instead of arriving at the Meeting Place to check in, Hattie and Jonas decide they’ve had enough, and take matters into their own hands. And though nothing could have prepared them for what happens next, Hattie and Jonas learn that hope can be seen in every situation. You just have to know where to look.

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Head over to Oops! I Read A Book Again now for debut author Hilary T. Smith!

Yesterday: Cori McCarthy (The Color of Rain) and Carly Anne West (The Murmuring)

Tomorrow: Suzanne Sutherland (When We Were Good) and Renee Collins (Relic)

Check out the full schedule here.

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!

GIVEAWAY!

- ebook or audiobook of PITY ISN'T AN OPTION + eARC of IF I SPEAK TRUE

- open internationally

a Rafflecopter giveaway