Author Tales: Jennifer Banash

Jennifer Banash is the author for this Thursday’s Author Tales. Jennifer is the author of The Elite and the upcoming sequel In Too Deep! Which will be released January of 09! You can check out my review of The Elite, here! This is your first chance this month to sign up for the Monthly Contest!
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What were you like as a teen? Did it have any influence over your characters in The Elite?

I went through a lot of different stages as a teen—I was a punk, then a goth kid, then became a club kid and threw parties at some of the biggest clubs in NYC. I’m not sure how much of it influenced my ELITE characters, except for the fact that when I was heavily into nightclubbing, I was attending high school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and running with a fairly glamorous crowd. I moved out of my parent’s house when I was sixteen, so I didn’t have much of a typical childhood.

As well as the dramatic aspect of The Elite you also tackled some serious issues in the book, why did you think that was important? (Adoption, Divorce, Adultery)

Because no one’s life is perfect—no matter how many pairs of Marc Jacobs sunglasses you have, or how much money is in the bank. My own family life was pretty rough—regardless of the zip code we lived in, so I wanted to bring some of that reality to the series, and the characters themselves.

Madison is obviously very beautiful, yet she struggles with self insecurities. What is your take on the media’s portrayal of beauty and how it affects today’s youth?

I think we live in a society that fosters completely unrealistic standards of beauty for women, and that it’s only getting worse. But I’m as much of a slave to that system as anyone else, no matter how much I might criticize it. I really feel for kids growing up right now, because the deck is entirely stacked against them in this arena. Beauty is so celebrated and rewarded in American culture that it’s borderline destructive. Or can be. Which is why it’s important to give characters like Madison flaws—otherwise she’d just become this completely narcissistic, un-relatable monster.

What is your idea of beautiful?

Beautiful to me is someone who knows exactly who they are and lives in the moment. Passion is beautiful, honesty is beautiful. Anyone who refuses to settle and who makes their dreams happen through sheer determination is beautiful to me. Of course, cheekbones to break your heart and a nice ass doesn’t hurt either!

Speaking of beautiful lets talk a little bit more about you! Who or what inspired you to become a writer?

I became a writer because I was a reader—I love books. Writing was a natural extension of that love. My mom is a voracious reader, and she really passed on her love of reading to me very early in my life. I actually started out as a poet. Shortly after my parents got divorced, my father gave me a typewriter as a birthday present—a real grown-up typewriter, not one of those plastic kids toys. I was two years old. I remember it vividly because it was the last time I saw him—a few weeks later a plane he was on crashed in the mountains, and the wreckage was never found. Thinking back on it, I always wonder if the choice of a typewriter had something to do with my decision to become a writer—at least subliminally.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

For adult fiction: Virginia Woolf, Bret Easton Ellis, Carole Maso, Oscar Wilde, Jeffery Eugenides, A.M. Homes, Kate Braverman.

YA: Barry Lyga, Jay Asher, Lois Duncan, Francine Pascal, Robin Benway, R.A. Nelson, Cecily Von Ziegesar, Alexa Young.

Any advice for aspiring writers out there?

Just keep writing—and write what you know—that way it will always ring true.

The Elite was your first published YA novel, what don’t you or do you like about writing for young adults?

I love writing for Young Adults—I’ve had the kind of contact and dialogue with ELITE readers that I never dreamed was possible as a writer of adult fiction. In all honesty, there’s nothing about writing for a YA audience that I don’t like—with the possible exception of the way the YA genre is often looked down upon by writers of “serious” fiction—that tends to piss me off.

In Too Deep in the next novel, can you tell us what’s going to happen next?

Um, nope! All I can say is that someone’s about to have the birthday celebration to END all celebrations, and that the Upper East Side’s newest and hottest couple are in for some real challenges now that Madison Macallister’s little green monster has officially reared it’s ugly head . . .

I’ve read that you are also working on a new series called Bitten, can you tell us a little bit about that?

Bitten is the story of two identical twin sisters—Mina and Lucy—whose parents trade their fabulous Manhattan lifestyle for a dilapidated stone castle when they impulsively buy Dracula’s castle inn Romania in a mid-life crisis moment. But before both girls begin attendance at a posh boarding school in Geneva, Switzerland, they’ll spend the summer at their new home sweet home—a castle situated in the heart of Romania, just off of Highway 73—better known as the intersection of creepy and get-me-the-hell-out-of-here—worlds away from their sophisticated Manhattan lifestyle where they’re used to getting whatever they want, whenever they want.

Upon their arrival, Mina quickly falls in with Jonathan Marlowe—the town’s resident hottie, who’s left London to visit his grandfather for the summer and spends his days attempting to pen the next great British novel at the towns lone cafÈ. But after Lucy suffers a “bite” from a mysterious apparition one evening while trolling the grounds of the castle, her love life will never be the same again. Expressions like “can I have a bite of that?” take on a WHOLE new meaning, and suddenly, the most notorious identical, inseparable twins in all of Manhattan have never been quite so different . . .

Do you see yourself branching out to any other genres? (Historical fiction, fantasy)

I’m actually writing an adult novel that takes place at the court of Versaille under the reign of Louis XIV right now! It’s very, very different than anything I’ve ever written, and, as a result, extremely challenging.

I also read that you are the co-founder of a publishing company are there any more surprises about yourself you’d like your readers to know?

I just finished my PhD in English. Whew! I’m in the process of moving to LA right now to teach at a very exclusive private school—much like Meadowlark Academy! My life is truly imitating my art lol! The love of my life is my beagle, Sigmund. His paws smell like corn chips. OK, that was probably an overshare . . .

Do you have any television shows you watch obsessively or an all time favorite movie?

I am obsessed with reality TV. It’s a sickness, so just pity me J I count Rock of Love, A Shot at Love, America’s Next Top Model, Project Runway, and Top Chef among my favs. I am also highly addicted to Gossip Girl, The L Word, and The Tudors. All time fav movie would be either Lost in Translation or Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Or anything by Woody Allen. As you can see, I am horribly indecisive . . .

What are you currently reading?

I am currently taking a break from reading YA, and am about halfway through Stephen King’s latest DUMA KEY, which is pretty good so far—although I prefer early Stephen King to his later stuff.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

IN TOO DEEP will be released from Berkeley Jam on January 6th and the book trailer will premiere right here on THE STORY SIREN sometime in late October! If you just can’t wait until the next installment comes out in January, you can now follow Drew, Mad, and Casey around on Twitter.com! Their user ID’s are: drew_van_allen, madmacallister, and casey_mccloy. They usually update at least twice a day—sometimes more if they’re really in the mood!
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For more information on Jennifer Banash and The Elite Series visit the following links:
Website: http://theelitebooks.com/ MySpace: http://myspace.com/theelitebooks

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