Jeri Smith-Ready

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit Tour - Eileen Cook

Interrupting my self-imposed Desperate Deadline Exile (which should be said in a deep, movie-trailer voice with plenty of reverb) to catch a quick football game (note to self: have agent include in next contract that deadlines will not occur during NFL playoff season) and post the latest Girlfriends Cyber Circuit interview!

Everybody welcome Eileen Cook and her brand-new novel, The Education of Hailey Kendrick!

About the Book

Hailey Kendrick always does exactly what's expected of her. She has the right friends, dates the perfect boy, gets good grades, and follows all the rules. But one night, Hailey risks everything by breaking a very big rule in a very public way...and with a very unexpected partner in crime. Hailey gets caught, but her accomplice does not, and Hailey takes the fall for both of them.



Suddenly, Hailey's perfect life--and her reputation--are blowing up in her face. Her friends are all avoiding her. Her teachers don't trust her. Her boyfriend won't even speak to her for long enough to tell her that she's been dumped.



They say honesty is the best policy--but some secrets are worth keeping, no matter the cost. Or are they?



The critics are loving Hailey! Here's what some of them had to say:

"Hailey may be an A student headed to the Ivy League, but when it comes to taking a chance on life, she’s clueless. She’s also enormously appealing and great company throughout this breezy read. Yes, it’s chick lit, but of the highest quality—like a gourmet truffle. Cook has whipped up a real treat.” --Kirkus ***starred review***

"Cook effectively builds both Hailey's (justified) feelings of rebellion and the social dynamics of her ostracism, especially in her growing friendship with a challenging townie, Drew, who supervises her punishment working with the janitorial staff....Cook coaxes considerable empathy for the otherwise privileged Hailey as she abandons the achievement treadmill to explore her independence." --Publishers Weekly

And now...my interview with the lovely Eileen herself!

1. If you could inhabit the life of any of your characters, enter their world and deal with it as that person, which one would you choose?

I would never choose to be my characters because I have this tendency to torture them through out the book coming up with more and more ways to make their lives miserable. Poor things.

2. On the flip side, which of your characters would you most like to bring to life in our world (as a friend or a little bit more ;-) ?

I will admit to being a bit smitten with the character Drew in this book. He is willing to try anything and is one of those people who never sits back and let life happen to him.

3. What's the weirdest tidbit of research you've ever incorporated into a book?

It is a little known fact that more people are killed every year by being crushed by falling vending machines than in shark attacks. Sort of makes you feel uneasy when you see a bank of Diet Coke machines doesn’t it?

4. Do you have any phobias?

I get the whim whams when I come across spiders and I don’t like to touch worms either. This is due to an unfortunate incident when I was a kid and someone threw a worm in my hair at recess. In my frenzy to get it out I squished it and then had worm guts in MY HAIR for the rest of the day. (shudders)

5. Which author, living or dead, would you most love to collaborate with?

I would love to write a book with Meg Cabot and Judy Blume. I would even volunteer to make fresh cookies to keep us going.

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Aww, poor little Eileen! I get the whim whams, too, when I think of any creepy crawlies in my hair. I dreamed the other night that my hair was full of very pale ants. *shudders*

Ahem...anyway, congrats to Eileen on her new book, which looks like yet another fun-filled adventure from this talented novelist!

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• posted by Jeri @ 10:18 PM
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