Best Of 2012 Blog Hop

Guest Post/Author Interview with Jillian Dodd

What do you think makes a good story? 

I’ve been an avid reader. Books have always been an amazing way to escape my life and live someone else’s for a little while. For me, if I fall in love with the characters and invest in them emotionally, it’s a good book.

What was different while writing STALK ME as compared to other books you’ve
written? Challenges? 

Because Stalk Me is the first of a six book series, there was a huge amount of planning that went on prior to the first book’s release. My books tend to be character driven and this series has a lot of characters. Each character got their own character profile, their own character arc. I also did a ton of research for this series. My notes and research on real life stalking cases, sociopaths, personal security firms, and boarding schools could fill a book of their own. I traveled to Malibu for more research. I tried to live out a day in Keatyn’s life. I shopped where she shopped. Went to restaurants she goes to in the book. Walked the beach in the private Malibu Colony where she lives. Talked to surfers. Saw some celebrities. I researched daughters of famous actors. How many of them do stay out of the spotlight. Clint Eastwood’s daughters in particular. I shop for and plan outfits for Keatyn to wear. I created a fictional boarding school. Complete with their own mascot, colors, and school uniforms. I even did horoscope work ups for Keatyn and her love interests to help me delve further into how they would relate to each other.

 
What is your favorite scene in STALK ME or was your favorite to write?  

Pretty much any scene with Cush or her little sisters was fun to write. Even though I
do a lot of planning, sometimes characters decide they want bigger roles than
what I planned. Cush is one of those characters. Keatyn’s going over to help him
clean up after a party was really just supposed to show that she can be a caring
and helpful friend. But this quote from Cush pretty much guaranteed that he was
going to become someone more than a party boy in the background. “You taste
salty too. Maybe I should grab a bottle of tequila and we should have some fun.”

Is there anything you would like readers to take away after reading the book
they may miss that you want to point out?  

I think most people will both love and hate Keatyn in the first book. She really is living two lives in a way. She’s the perfectly dressed popular bitchy girl at school, but then you see the way she is with her little sisters at home. Everything that happened in book one was to show you where Keatyn starts out. If you are mad at me for what happens in her life at the end of the book, if you are sad about the choice she makes, I’m glad. It means that you did invest in the characters. If you are Team Cush, I’m also glad. Also, remember that although Keatyn is pretty mature, she is still only seventeen. She’s going to make some mistakes. But you will also see her grow incredibly throughout the series.

Any tidbits or hints you can give readers for book #2? 

The books are aptly titled: Stalk Me, Kiss Me, Date Me, Love Me, Hate Me, and Come and Get Me. Book two, Kiss Me, involves a lot of kissing. A lot of cute boys. The book moves very quickly and covers just one month of her life. There are some scary moments. Some sad moments. Some extremely steamy moments.


What do you like to do when you are not writing?  

I love college football. I like to paint. Spend time with my family. Shop. My latest addiction is Polyvore. If I’m not writing, I’m probably shopping for future Keatyn outfits.

Thanks so much Jillian! 

The Book:

STALK ME (Keatyn Chronicles, #1)

Author: Jillian Dodd
Genre: Romance
Age Group: Mature Young Adult

Release date: September 1, 2012 

Gossip girl meets Hollywood in this new series by That Boy author, Jillian Dodd.

Keatyn has everything she ever dreamed of. Her life is following the script she wrote for the perfect high school experience. She’s popular, goes to the best parties, dates the hottest guy, and sits at the most coveted lunch table.

She’s just not sure she wants it anymore.

Because really, things aren’t all that perfect.
Her best friend is threatening to tell everyone her perfect relationship is a scam.
Her perfect boyfriend gets drunk at every party they go to. It’s exhausting always trying to look and act perfect.
And deep down, she isn’t sure if she has any true friends.

To add to the drama, her movie star mom’s long-time fan has turned stalker.
An older man is flirting with her and telling her they should make a movie together.
And she’s crushing on an adorable surfer. Dating a guy like him would mean committing social suicide.

So she writes a new script. One where all the pieces of her life will come together in perfect harmony. 

But little does she know, there’s someone who will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo

(Also available through iTunes) 

KISS ME (Keatyn Chronicles, #2) will be released Nov. 28, 2012. STALK ME (Keatyn Chronicles, #1) will be on sale for .99 the week of the tour then return to its normal price of $2.99 on Dec. 2.

Author Bio:

Jillian Dodd grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She has drank from a keg in a cornfield, attended the University of Nebraska, got to pass her candle, and did have a boy ask her to marry him in a bar. She met her own prince in college, and they have two amazing children, a Maltese named Sugar Bear, and two Labrador puppies named Camber Lacy and Cali Lucy.

   

Pinterest  |  Jillian Dodd | Facebook | Twitter

GIVEAWAY TIME 
(10) eBook copies of STALK ME (copies will be gifted from Amazon or
Barnes and Noble) – Open International and (2) Signed paperback copies of STALK ME – Open to US/Canada.

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