Jennifer E. Smith’s Valentine’s Day Blog Tour & Giveaway!

JenniferSmithAuthorPhotoI’m thrilled to be hosting Jennifer E. Smith as part of her Valentine’s Day Blog Tour! I finished Jen’s newest title, THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE, this past weekend and I know you are going to love it! It hit’s shelves this April, so be sure to pre-order your copy!

Sticking with the whole Valentine’s Day theme, I’ll be asking Jennifer some “love” questions!

Q: Tell me five things that you LOVED about writing your newest novel, This is What Happy Looks Like.

1. The Emails: I’ve never done something like this in a novel, and it was so much fun to create this sort of ongoing banter betweenEllie and Graham (especially the conversation at the very beginning!).

2. The Setting: With The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, half the book was set in the limited space of an airplane, and the other half was confined by the actual geography of London. So with Happy, I loved getting to create and then explore the fictional seaside town of Henley, Maine.

3. Wilbur the Pig: Graham’s pet pig doesn’t actually make a cameo in the book, but he’s mentioned quite frequently, and I have to admit, even I was sort of amused by the whole thing. I started out thinking it would be a dog, and then all of a sudden, I found myself writing about a pig instead. But it opened things up to quite a few Charlotte’s Web references, and that’s always a good thing!

4. The Movie Set: I had the opportunity to do some research for this on the set of a TV show that was filming in Brooklyn, which was kind of cool, and the scenes where Graham’s shooting the movie were some of my favorite to write.

5. The Happiness Theme: Is there anything more fun thanlisting all the things that make you happy?

Q: What do you enjoy the most about writing stories about teens falling in love?

I’m a romantic at heart, but love stories can be tricky. It’s so easy for them to tip into unrealistic territory, especially if they happen too fast. So I think there’s a challenge to it that I really enjoy – taking two teens whose lives are completely different and bringing them together through chance or timing or fate, and then seeing what happens from there…

Q: Why do you think people enjoy reading stories about falling love?

I think every book is a love story on some level, and there’s something deeply hopeful in that. It doesn’t matter if you’re single or married, young or old, cynical or optimistic. The right kind of story can open your eyes to the possibilities and make you see the world in a different way.

Q: What is your favorite romantic book of all time?

I realize this is about the most obvious answer I could possibly give, but I’m going to give it anyway: Pride and Prejudice. What can I say? Darcy is timeless!

Q: And un-love related, but I’m going to ask because I’m nosey…. What YA books are in your reading pile?

I recently read The Perks of Being a Wallflower for the first time, and I just finished revisiting two of my favorites: The Book Thief and The Fault in Our Stars. I’m hoping to finally get around to Code Name Verity next, because I keep hearing such great things about it…

Giveaway!!

I have a fabulous prize pack complements of Little Brown/Poppy! You can win a paperback of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and an ARC of This is What Happy Looks Like!

statisticalprobabilityoflove_hcWho would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he’s British, and he’s sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it.

smith_thisiswhathappy_hcIf fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O’Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie’s Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media’s spotlight at all costs?

Official Contest information:

  • to enter please follow the instructions in the rafflecopter form
  • entrants must be 13 years of age or have parental permission
  • this giveaway is open to US
  • the winner will be announced on this page in the rafflecopter form shortly after the conclusion of the giveaway
  • the winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen
  • as to protect your privacy and prevent spam mail, please DO NOT leave your email address in the comments section
  • for official giveaway rules and guidelines please consult the contest policy
  • for privacy information please consult the privacy policy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Related posts:

  1. Valentines Day Themed Giveaway: Love. Maybe? by Heather Hepler
  2. Blog Tour: Salvation by Anne Osterlund & Giveaway
  3. OPAL Blog Tour & Giveaway!
  4. Blog Tour: Boy Meets Girl & Giveaway
  5. Blog Tour: Until I Die by Amy Plum & Giveaway!
119 Comments