On May 30th Blue Willow Bookshop had the honor of helping Jennifer Mathieu launch her newest book The Truth about Alice. I was unable to attend the book launch because my husband was out of town, it was a school night, and I couldn't find a sitter for my two boys. However, I'm lucky enough to know someone who did go!! I met Jennifer Haight at a college course we both attended when I was going back to school to get my Masters in Library Science. She is an awesome person and has the coolest hair I know!! I was able to interview her and find out more about the book launch!! So...here it is!!
1. First, tell us a little bit about yourself. What's your day job? What freelance do you do? What books interest you the most?
I don’t have a paid job right now. I’ve been writing for the last couple of years. I have two books written which are close to being ready for submission. I write for my own blog HipMamaJenn. I got the nickname from a friend and it stuck! I also write for the blog Literary Beginnings Red Carpet Endings. On that site I write about film adaptations of books and it includes many free film screenings as a benefit. I love a variety of books. I read fiction and non-fiction, adult, Middle Grade and Young Adult. My preference is contemporary fiction and graphic novels. Some of my favorite books are: The World According to Garp, 5 is the Perfect Number and Where Things Come Back.
2. How did you hear about the book launch?
Jennifer’s book launch had been on my radar for some time. I’m on the email
list for Blue Willow Books and marked my calendar as soon as it was announced.
3. What was it like? How many people were there? Describe the excitement in
the air.
I have probably been to a dozen or more book launch parties at Blue Willow Books but have never attended one with as huge a turnout of fans. The traditional sitting area was filled 30 minutes before the event and the crowd continued to grow. By the time Jennifer was introduced, the standing room at the front of the store was packed full of people and there was a line outside of people waiting to get in. There was a wide variety of ages in attendance. Many people knew Jennifer, she is a popular high school teacher.
4. What's one thing that Jennifer Mathieu said about her book that you think others should know?
There are so many things that I love about this book, it’s hard for me to pick one thing! I found it interesting that although the book is being heralded as a weapon against slut-shaming, which was not Mathieu’s original intention. She wrote the book because she was interested in all of the sides of the story and not as a moralistic tale.
5. Why are you looking forward to The Truth about Alice?
I was fortunate enough to have received a preview copy of The Truth About Alice. I had already read it by the date of the book release and was thrilled to see such a deserving book receive a high level of attention. Mathieu tells a fresh, authentic story in a remarkably short number of pages that is sure to shock, entertain and excite its readers. This is one of the best young adult books to be released this year and Mathieu is a talent worth keeping an eye on.
Thanks so much Jennifer for sharing your love of reading with us!! I'm really looking forward to this YA novel and I hope that teens get their hands on it and share it with all of their friends. I know my students are excited about it!!
Make sure you check out Jennifer's Blog and go out and get The Truth about Alice by Jennifer Matheiu as soon as you can!!
1. First, tell us a little bit about yourself. What's your day job? What freelance do you do? What books interest you the most?
I don’t have a paid job right now. I’ve been writing for the last couple of years. I have two books written which are close to being ready for submission. I write for my own blog HipMamaJenn. I got the nickname from a friend and it stuck! I also write for the blog Literary Beginnings Red Carpet Endings. On that site I write about film adaptations of books and it includes many free film screenings as a benefit. I love a variety of books. I read fiction and non-fiction, adult, Middle Grade and Young Adult. My preference is contemporary fiction and graphic novels. Some of my favorite books are: The World According to Garp, 5 is the Perfect Number and Where Things Come Back.
2. How did you hear about the book launch?
Jennifer’s book launch had been on my radar for some time. I’m on the email
list for Blue Willow Books and marked my calendar as soon as it was announced.
3. What was it like? How many people were there? Describe the excitement in
the air.
I have probably been to a dozen or more book launch parties at Blue Willow Books but have never attended one with as huge a turnout of fans. The traditional sitting area was filled 30 minutes before the event and the crowd continued to grow. By the time Jennifer was introduced, the standing room at the front of the store was packed full of people and there was a line outside of people waiting to get in. There was a wide variety of ages in attendance. Many people knew Jennifer, she is a popular high school teacher.
4. What's one thing that Jennifer Mathieu said about her book that you think others should know?
There are so many things that I love about this book, it’s hard for me to pick one thing! I found it interesting that although the book is being heralded as a weapon against slut-shaming, which was not Mathieu’s original intention. She wrote the book because she was interested in all of the sides of the story and not as a moralistic tale.
5. Why are you looking forward to The Truth about Alice?
I was fortunate enough to have received a preview copy of The Truth About Alice. I had already read it by the date of the book release and was thrilled to see such a deserving book receive a high level of attention. Mathieu tells a fresh, authentic story in a remarkably short number of pages that is sure to shock, entertain and excite its readers. This is one of the best young adult books to be released this year and Mathieu is a talent worth keeping an eye on.
Thanks so much Jennifer for sharing your love of reading with us!! I'm really looking forward to this YA novel and I hope that teens get their hands on it and share it with all of their friends. I know my students are excited about it!!
Make sure you check out Jennifer's Blog and go out and get The Truth about Alice by Jennifer Matheiu as soon as you can!!