Book Nerds Across America: jessica brody

Monday, July 18, 2016

A WEEK OF MONDAYS - Blog Tour!

Jessica Brody's A Week of Mondays goes on sale August 2, 2016 . For this tour, bloggers are talking about the Monday they would MOST like to re-live for seven days straight and the Monday they would LEAST like to re-live for seven days straight.

Yes! Seven Mondays of THIS in a row!
My perfect Monday would start with my alarm going off. But instead of being the annoying buzzing that I usually hear around 7 a.m., it would be the voice of Russell Crowe around 11 a.m. He would be saying, "Good morning, beautiful Flo. Work is canceled today; however, you are still getting paid for it. You're welcome. In about 15 minutes, your front doorbell will ring, and it will be Matt Damon delivering you brunch, complete with mimosas." I don't snooze it, in hopes that he will keep talking. He stops, though. Oh well.

Exactly 15 minutes later, the doorbell rings. I have thrown on a cute little tank top and boxer shorts, so when Matt sees me upon the opening the door he says, "You are adorable, Flo! Here is your breakfast. By the way, the mimosa glass is magical. It will have a continual full glass of mimosa, no matter how much you drink." He sets it on my table, gives me a kiss on the cheek, and walks off.

This is great! I sit down, sip my magical mimosa and notice there are two books waiting for me. One is A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody. The other is an ARC of my most anticipated read. It's a pre-ARC actually. The ARCs aren't even out in the while, but I have a copy to read. I get lost in these for several hours, so I am thrown for a loop when I get a text message. It says, "Hey Flo! I know you are behind on Wahlburgers, so I am bringing you all the seasons on DVD, complete with lunch from the restaurant: your favorite burger, sweet potato tots, and a keg of Wahlbrewki. I feel a marathon. Can I bring Joey, too? xoxo Donnie." What a minute! Did Donnie Wahlberg from NKOTB just say he is coming over with his bandmate Joey McIntyre?!? I quickly respond, "Yess!!!" He texts back a smiley face emoji.

About 30 minutes later, Donnie and Joey are at my doorstop with DVDs and lots of food. They walk right in like they own the place and head straight to the couch. This is happening! Thank goodness I decided to take a shower and put on my cutest NKOTB t-shirt. We watch Season 3 (since I've seen 1 and 2 already) and it's the best thing ever. The guys are cracking on each other and on me, and it's so chill. I''m freaking out, but not -- ya know?!

After the season finale, Joey says, "We've got a surprise. Come with us?" Naturally, I nod numbly and follow them out of my front door....where I see a limo waiting! There is a limo outside my door! I turn to look at them. Donnie smiles and nods. I go running and dive in. A collective squee fills my ear and I look around to see my fiance, my sister, and my closest friends! My fiance gives me a kiss on the cheek. "Ready for a road trip??" he asks.

To be continued....

This is the WORST Monday ever!
My Monday would start with my alarm going off. But instead of being the annoying buzzing that I usually hear around 7 a.m., it would be the voice of Russell Crowe around 11 a.m. He would be saying, "Good morning, beautiful Flo. Work is canceled today; however, you are still getting paid for it. You're welcome. In about 15 minutes, your front doorbell will ring, and it will be Matt Damon delivering you brunch, complete with mimosas." I don't snooze it, in hopes that he will keep talking.

Unfortunately, the next time the alarm goes off, it's actually the annoying buzzy alarm. I blink in surprise. While trying to orient myself, I grab my cell phone. I have gotten approximately 15 texts and voice messages from work asking me why I'm running late.

Oh well. Another week begins...

Monday, June 20, 2016

THANK GOD IT'S MONDAY! Blog Tour!

Guest post by A Week of Mondays author Jessica Brody

ELLISON “ELLIE” SPARKS: An idealistic, ambitious sixteen-year-old junior with a lot on her plate.

Those were the first words I ever wrote about Ellie Sparks. They were written in a synopsis for my publisher when I was first trying to sell them on the idea for a book called A WEEK OF MONDAYS.

Of course, you can’t write an entire book about a one-sentence character. Just like you can’t live your entire life as a one-sentence person. But every character has to begin somewhere. And this is where Ellie began for me.

As an idealistic, ambitious sixteen-year-old junior with a lot on her plate.

In my mind, this is who she had to be. I thought, if you’re going to write about a girl who relives the same horrible Monday over and over again, trying to “get it right,” these are the adjectives that must describe her. She has to be idealistic enough to think she can fix everything in her life. Yet, she also has to be ambitious enough to try it. And how else are you going to fill seven Mondays with interesting storylines if the main character doesn’t have a lot on her plate.

So there was Ellie. And there was me, ready to write her, thinking I understood her. Thinking I knew everything I needed to know about her.

This is the writing process for me. I start with an idea of who someone is. I draw a box around them, like an identity fence. I stuff them inside and I lock the gate. I tell them, “This is who you are. Don’t try to change that. Don’t try to be or do anything else. I don’t have time for detours. I’m on a deadline.”

I never learn.