Band Geek Love was reviewed by The Edge of the Forest, a monthly online journal devoted to children’s literature. I’m still getting used to the fact that people, like, out in the world who I don’t know are going to be reading and having opinions about my book, so after I finished freaking out about that, I read the review and thought it was fair and insightful.
My favorite part:
“…when four years worth of drama catches up with her, Ellie’s insecurities as she negotiates the new world of emotions are pathetic and realistic. Anyone who has tried to control what other people think of them will recognize the flailing and freaking out that Ellie does as she realizes that the world is what it is, and she’s not in control of anything.”
And also, of course:
“…this is a bumbling, geeky little love story that may make you smile.”
Can’t argue with making people smile…it might be my favorite thing to do. Well, next to karaoke and taking naps.
Little Willow listed Band Geek Love as one of the best books of March 2008!
Such coolness…thank you thank you, Little Willow!
This is making me all exclamation pointy!
Whenever I visit a blog (and, oh, dear brand-new readers, I visit many a blog), there are Things I Want to Know Right Away about this stranger on the internet who is taking up my time with his or her opinions and blah blah before I, you know, COMMIT. Therefore, what follows is a short interview of myself by myself and my attempt to answer all the questions that I, as a blog reader, wish I could ask a blogger on that very special first visit to his or her personal space on the interwebz.
Who are you? What are you doing here?
Hi, my name is Josie Bloss. I write Young Adult books and stuff. And I am here to connect with you, as a matter of fact. What’s up? Wow, I love your shirt…where did you get it?
Uh, I don’t remember. So, a writer, huh? Anything I’ve heard of?
Probably not, (yet), unless you’re my agent or my editor or related to me, though I very much hope to change that. As wildly supportive and helpful and good looking as my agent and editor and relations insist upon being, I am hoping to, you know, convince strangers to read my book.
Which happens to be called BAND GEEK LOVE, and is coming out from Flux in July, 2008. FOUR POINT FIVE month countdown! WOOT!
And, as a matter of fact, you can pre-order it right here.
BAND GEEK LOVE…seriously? What could that possibly be about?
Dude, exactly what it sounds like. Band and geeks and love. Trumpets and high school drama and making out in parked cars. Music and sorta-social-outcasts and destructive crushes. Marching and self-discovery and really cute boys with nice tans and SECRETS.
And are these topics with which you happen to have personal experience?
Yes. Well, most of them.
OK, fine, so you’re a writer. Lots of people are writers. What else is there to know about you?
I grew up in Michigan, lived in Chicago for a few years, and currently reside in lovely Bloomington, Indiana. I like to eat Pad Thai with peanut sauce as often as I can get it. My favorite color is purple. I’m 26 years old. I go through jittery separation anxiety when I’m not near enough my computer to hear the fan running. I bite my nails and have no current plans to stop. I get weirdly obsessed with songs, sometimes for years at a time (current infatuation: “Imitosis”, Andrew Bird). I’ve kept a handwritten journal since I was 10 years old. I like dogs. And also cats, especially if they’re in pictures with funny captions.
Alright, whatever that means. So, what do you consider your most annoying writerly traits? Just so I know what to be preemptively irritated by…
I capitalize Random Things WAY too much to be considered cute. I am given to gratuitous use of “sort of”, “kind of”, “a bit”, parantheticals, and ellipses (…if you hadn’t noticed already). Stephen King would despair at my use of adverbs. I exaggerate like crazy for comedic effect (one of my favorite quotes is “Tell the truth, but tell it slant”, said most aptly by Emily Dickinson…I see no reason not to live that quote as often as possible.) I didn’t retain enough from grammar class in middle school to figure out how to avoid occasionally ending statements with prepositions. Writing extreme run-on sentences is my very special joy. I make lots of lazy lists.
Wow, that felt kind of therapeutic. Was it good for you?
Yeah, I’m pretty irritated. Great job. Moving on, what do you look like?
A Very Serious Writer.
This is me…thanks for stopping in and I hope you come by again soon. There is plenty more writerly angst and inappropriate use of ellipses and marching band geekiness in the very near future!
