The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy
Publication: January 11th, 2016
Emma has been best friends with Eli since she moved to his neighborhood ten years ago. Tired of being cast in the role of the girl next door, Emma creates a fake Facebook profile in the hopes of starting an online friendship with Eli, which would hopefully lead to more. Like...way more. From friend request to In a Relationship--it all seemed so completely logical when she'd planned it.
Eli can't figure out what Emma is up to. He’s pretty sure she's the one behind the Facebook profile, but then again, why would she do something so drastic instead of just admitting she wants to be more than friends? And who the heck is this new guy he saw her with? Eli starts to think that just maybe...he missed his chance with the girl next door.
Two best friends, one outlandish ruse. Their status is about to become way more than It’s Complicated…
This Entangled Teen Crush book contains one fake Facebook profile, two best friends who secretly crave each other, and a dreaded sex talk with parents…boy crush in the room included. Pushing a relationship beyond the friend zone has never been so crazy…
About the Author
Jodie Andrefski has been passionate about reading ever since she was a little girl, when she used to climb trees to escape with a favorite book. She now lives and writes in a small town in Pennsylvania with her teenage daughter. Though still an avid reader, she now prefers a comfy chair over the crook of a tree. An unapologetic coffee fiend, she's even happier if her java comes with pie. Jodie often draws on her background in education and mental health counseling to bring real world experience to her writing. She is a firm believer in the magic of a first kiss, and insists that you should never, ever give up on your dreams.
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Interview with Jodie
1.
Tell us a little about yourself and your latest/upcoming
release.
A little about me…I live in Pennsylvania
with my sixteen-year-old daughter, which is great to have a built in
beta-reader! I also have an older son who is on his own now. I have my B.S. in
English Education and am pursuing my Masters in Mental Health Counseling. I’ve
previously taught a high school Creative Writing class which I developed, and
was a contracted writer for several websites/blogs.
THE GIRLFRIEND REQUEST is being released
January 11, 2016 through Entangled Teen – Crush. It’s about a sixteen year old
girl, Emma, who is in love with her best friend/boy next door and decides to
take matters into her own hands to get him to really notice her. Unfortunately,
her plan is not super well thought out since she decides to create a fake
Facebook profile to attract his attention. As you can guess, things definitely
go wrong as a result before they get better.
2. What do you
normally like to read when not writing?
Definitely YA, just about any genre,
although Contemporary is probably my first love. I think I am drawn to how raw
and real YA can be. Teens are experiencing so many “firsts” which are great to
re-visit. First love, first kisses, even first heartbreak. I also enjoy reading
YA Science Fiction.
3. Describe
your main character in six words.
THE GIRLFRIEND REQUEST is written in dual
POV through both Emma and Eli. So to describe them both:
Emma – intelligent, insecure, creative,
loyal, idealistic, shy
Eli – sporty, outgoing, loyal, funny,
intelligent, closet-romantic
4. What are you
working on now?
I am currently working on a YA
Contemporary/thriller. This WIP (work in progress) definitely draws even more
strongly on my experience in mental health. THE GIRLFRIEND REQUEST touches on
issues of self-esteem, and my book, THE SOCIETY, (which is coming out in May
through Entangled Teen) also delves into mental health issues. That one is
related to bullying and depression manifesting through a girl with very real
abandonment issues who is also diagnosed as bi-polar, when she seeks revenge on
the girl who has been bullying her for years.
But in my WIP, I wanted to focus even more
strongly on issues related to mental health in teens. I’m passionate about
mental health advocacy, and believe that both teens and adults need to
understand that it is not only okay
to talk about, but it is important to
address. My WIP looks at the fact that struggles can come to anyone, not just
the kid in class who most people perceive as “the outsider.”
5. What was
your favorite scene to write?
This is hard, because there are so many fun scenes in THE
GIRLFRIEND REQUEST that really show the awkwardness of first love and all that
can go wrong when you don’t communicate well. I’d say one of my favorites is
when Emma’s parents decide to have a sex talk with Emma and Eli over
dinner—before Eli even knows that Emma likes him. Talk about embarrassing! But
thankfully, Eli being Eli handles it like a trooper!
6. How much of
the characters are based on your traits or someone you know personally?
I’d say there are definitely pieces of the high school me in
Emma especially, although I’ve never created a fake online profile to get
someone’s attention. I was (like most teens) somewhat insecure, and didn’t feel
confident enough to come right out and tell someone I liked them. When I did
crisis counseling, I worked a lot with teens, and saw that it didn’t matter
which group a kid ran with—be it the “popular” crowd or not, they all sometimes
felt alone and like they are on the outside without anyone really getting how
they feel. If I could encourage teens, especially teen girls, about one thing,
it would be to not measure their self-worth based on anyone else, including a
love interest. But instead, to realize how amazing they are on their own, which
actually leads to much healthier relationships.
7. Can you
share a teaser of THE GIRLFRIEND REQUEST with our readers?
Somehow, he’d figure out that the perky Barbie
lookalike who just sent him a friend request didn’t even exist. I’d made up the
entire Facebook profile in the hopes of starting an online friendship with Eli,
which would hopefully lead to more. Like…way
more. As in going out, full-on girlfriend more. From friend request to
girlfriend—it all seemed so completely logical when I’d planned it out over the
past couple of weeks, although I was starting to question that logic right
about now.
THIS OR
THAT:
Coffee or Tea?
Coffee. I consider it a basic food group.
Heels or flats?
Flats. I haven’t really mastered the art of comfortably
walking with a few inches under my feet. I am clumsy as it is and manage to
trip over air while barefoot.
Action movies or chick flicks?
Chick flicks all the way. I am a sucker for romance.
Thanks so much for having me on your blog today, and I hope
that you and your readers enjoy THE GIRLFRIEND REQUEST as much as I loved
writing it!
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Giveaway
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