16 Things About 16 Things by YA author Janet Gurtler and a giveaway!

March 06, 2014

I'm excited to be hosting YA author Janet Gurtler today! Loved her books and her recent release 16 THINGS I THOUGHT WERE TRUE is just as amazing.

My YA Books Central review: http://www.yabookscentral.com/yafiction/16530-16-things-i-thought-were-true

Teaser: What worked: Once again Gurtler has a winner! Loved the writing style that shows us a heroine that hides behind her Twitter account when a video leaks out. Morgan might come across to some as cold and indifferent but I thought this was only her way of protecting herself from being hurt. It's easier to have so-called popularity with thousands of twitter friends but harder to open up to someone close by.

Here's Janet's guest post! Comment for a chance at winning a t-shirt!

1. In Chapter Seven there’s a carving on the table in the staff room. It says JM+LG. That’s me and my husband. (my maiden name is MacLeod)
2. A hospital in the book is named after my niece, Marcede Grace
3. I stayed at a Hostel in Victoria, BC when I was in my early twenties. (as the three do on their road trip)
4. I came up with the idea of doing a road trip to Canada from Seattle when I was at ALA for a conference
5. Morgan’s brother’s car is my husband’s car- a 442 Cutlass. I am happy to report however that he does not have fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view like the one in the book does
6. My editor made me cut the scene in the taxi cab way down (when Morgan goes to visit her dad) because she thought he was acting creepy
7. I got the idea about her obsession with twitter followers from being on twitter
8. I love hashtags a lot. I think everyday life should have hashtags
9. If you love hashtags, comment at the bottom of this post and you could win a t-shirt that says…I (pic of heart) HASHTAGS. Random draw and I’m mail it to the winner.
10. When I subbed the book to my editor it was called, Because of You. I suck at titles.
11. Amy is based on someone I met and I loved the quirk and talking with a filter so much I had to make her into a character. She’s more quirky on the page of course
12. On a less happy note, one of the writing friends who I acknowledged in the end of the book, passed away from cancer before the book got published. Leslie Carmichael was a little bit Amy and she is missed.
13. There was an earlier version of the cover that followed the circle pattern of my past books and it was really nice, but I like the new direction and think it portrays what the book is about better
14. Libby Sally (the doctor) is one of my friends who told me she wanted to be a character in my book. So I made her the doctor. She was very happy
15. I dedicated this book to book blogger, Jean Vallatros. She hung out with me at ALA in Seattle when the book was coming together, and she said something that made me want to dedicate the book to her.
16. Josh’s Movemeber mustache mentioned in the book came to me when a friend of mine grew one in November. He wore 70’s sunglasses and rocked the 70’s vibe the entire month (to raise money for Prostate Cancer) and I thought it was admirable, but also very hilarious.

**Thanks Janet for dropping by!