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Writing from the heart

Photo credit: Rachel Breakey Jennifer Bardsley believes in friendship, true love, and the everlasting power of books. A graduate of Stanford University, she lives in Edmonds, Washington, with her husband and two children. Bardsley’s column, I Brake for Moms, appeared in the Everett Herald for eleven years. She also writes young adult paranormal romance under the pen name Louise Cypress. When…

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Writing from the heart Jennifer Bardsley believes in friendship, true love, and the everlasting power of books. She lives in Edmonds, Washington with her her husband and two children, and walks from her house to the beach every chance she gets.

"Ecosystem" by Joshua David Bellin

“Ecosystem” by Joshua David Bellin

Welcome to the first day of the ECOSYSTEM blog tour! Since I’m known as “The YA Gal” on Facebook, and my friend Joshua David Bellin’s blog is called “YA Guy,” I always get really excited whenever Joshua has a new book out. ECOYSTEM is book one in Joshua David Bellin’s thrilling new YA Fantasy trilogy that proves once again that he is the master of YA survival stories that explore the devastating…

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Win some book money!

Luck of the Irish $250 Giveaway March 1st to 31st Feeling Lucky? Enter to win $250 in PayPal Cash or a $250 Amazon Gift Code Hi folks! I’ve joined forces with some awesome authors to sponsor a giveaway. This is your chance to win money to buy new books. Sponsors include: I Am A Reader Coupons and Freebies Mom Rockin’ Book Reviews Laurisa White Reyes, Author Helen Smith Simple Wyrdings Author…

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YA Scavenger Hunt Spring 2017

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes! Be sure to enter my Rafflecopter giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for…

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Win some book money!

Luck of the Irish $250 Giveaway March 17th to 31st Enter for your chance to win a $250 Amazon Gift Code or $250 in Paypal Cash!! Thanks to this awesome group of bloggers and authors who have joined with me to bring you one fabulous prize!! Click on a Rafflecopter giveaway to enter! SPONSOR LIST I Am A Reader, Lori’s Reading Corner, Laurie Here – Cont Fiction and MORE, Helen Smith, Stacy…

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#Giveawy

A Giveaway to LOVE!

Romance is the in Air – $250 Cash Giveaway February 1st to 14th Who loves book money? Kathy from I Am a Reader has organized another fabulous giveaway that I am delighted to be a part of. Enter for your chance to win a $250 Amazon Gift Code or $250 in Paypal Cash!! Click on a Rafflecopter giveaway to enter. Sponsor List I Am A Reader, Rachael Anderson, {A Leisure Moment}, Angelica Kate, Amy…

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#Giveaway

Bookstagram Giveaway!

Who loves Instagram? I sure do. I’m on there all the time as @the_ya_gal. That’s why I’m so excited that my friend Melanie McFarland has organized a giveaway that specific to Bookstagram. The prize is a $100 gift card to Amazon. Click over to Melanie’s website, Hidden Worlds Books, to enter the rafflecopter. Good luck!

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$300 Holiday Cash Giveaway

$300 Holiday Cash Giveaway – December 1st to 21st Tis the season for giveaways here at “The YA Gal.” Who doesn’t love the chance to win book money, am I right? This giveaway is organized by Kathy, from “I am a Reader,” and I am delighted to be a co-sponsor. Kathy’s giving away a $300 Amazon Gift Code or $300 in Paypal Cash!! Click on a Rafflecopter giveaway to enter. Would you like to find out…

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This Elf wants book money!

Does your elf love books? Well, guess what! Some of my favorite author-friends have banded together to giveaway a $175 e-gift card to Barnes & Noble. Click on a Rafflecopter giveaway to enter. Would you like to find out more about the authors behind this giveaway? Jingle on over to their websites. Jennifer Bardsley Jennifer DiGiovani Melanie McFarlane Suzanne VanRooyen Dorothy Dreyer Shaila Patel…

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#Giveaway

Book Marketing From Your Couch

Social media can be confusing, but book marketing from the couch is easy once you learn how. Discover how to grow your Facebook author page from zero to thousands of followers. Learn how to reach readers on Instagram and Twitter. Have fun connecting with your audience from the privacy of your own home! Start a Facebook Page Here’s how. Post a couple of times a day. Be brief and witty.…

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#AuthorsLife #book marketing #Social Media

DAMAGED GOODS Cover Reveal!

Today Month9Books is revealing the cover and first chapter for my newest book, DAMAGED GOODS, the sequel to GENESIS GIRL which releases January 17, 2017! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to be one of the first readers to receive a eGalley!! Do you have a friend who has such a messed-up home life that you wonder if they will ever grow up to be normal? That’s how I feel about Blanca, the…

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#GenesisGirl #Cover Reveal #Damaged Goods

Just in time for Black Friday!

Picture it: Thanksgiving morning you wake up and get a lovely email from Jennifer Bardsley, aka “The YA Gal,” telling you that you won $220 to spend on a book buying shopping spree on Amazon. Wouldn’t that be fun? That lucky person could be you!!! I’ve teamed up with twelve YA and KidLit authors to cosponsor a raffle. The grand prize is a $220 USD e-gift card to Amazon. There are multiply ways to…

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#Giveaway

"Into White" by Randi Pink

“Into White” by Randi Pink

“Into White“ by Randi Pink is an #OwnVoices book you don’t want to miss. It tells the story of a teen girl named LaToya who goes to a lily-white public school in Birmingham, Alabama where she feels unloved by everyone but her older brother. In the first few pages of the book Toya prays to Jesus to change her into a white person. Poof! Toya’s prayers get answered…and that’s when her real troubles…

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#OwnVoices WNDB

Boo! A Spooktacular Giveaway!

Wouldn’t it be wicked to win $220 to spend on books? This October I’ve banded together with nine authors to stir up a giveaway. In the cauldron is a $220 USD e-gift card to spend on Amazon. Click on a Rafflecopter giveaway to enter! Would you like to find out more about the authors behind this giveaway? Explore their websites…if you dare. Bwah-ha-ha-ha! Amy Allgyer Jennifer Bardsley Jennifer…

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YA Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our…

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#YASH TeamGreen

libraryonthemoon

INTERVIEW WITH JENNIFER BARDSLEY - AUTHOR OF GENESIS GIRL

I’m very excited to bring you guys this short and sweet Q&A with my good friend and very talented YA author, Jennifer. She’s one of the sweetest people I’ve gotten to know since I’ve started book blogging and reading her debut novel was an absolute treat.

If you guys find repetitive patterns in my interviews, it’s only because there are certain questions I feel I must always ask authors in order to give you guys good insight into the author’s work.

Qs: When did you decide this book/series needed to be written? There are so many YA book out there with similar themes, that I wanted to write a book with a brand new concept that nobody had thought of before. I tried to dream up something unique and different. In 2013 the idea of “No digital footprints makes teens valuable” came to me, and I immediately began writing. I showed an early draft of Genesis Girl to my agent in 2014.

Qs: The story is more plot based than character based, is that something you were going for? That’s an excellent point about Genesis Girl being plot driven as opposed to character driven. I love writing twists and turns into a storyline, and (hopefully) surprising readers with big reveals. In the case of Genesis Girl, Blanca is a character who has grown up in seclusion brainwashed into submission by the teachers at Tabula Rasa School. Blanca moving past that and establishing her own sense of self is a major theme of the book.

Qs: Did you listen to any music to get inspired to write any parts of the story ? ( if so, what did you listen to? ) Blanca and her Vestal Brethren believe in the virtues of revenge. I listened to “God’s Gonna Cut you Down” by Johnny Cash whenever the Vestals would do something particularly nasty. Whenever I wrote a scene involving manipulation or mind control tricks, I listened to “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Everclear. For scenes involving Cal and Seth and their relentless quest to help Blanca lead a better life, I loved “Soldier” by Gavin DeGraw and “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers.

Qs: Could you please tell us a little about the sequel? I would LOVE to talk about the sequel. Thank you for asking! It’s hard to describe the plot of Damaged Goods without giving away spoilers for Genesis Girl, but be assured it is packed with action, adventure, romance, and surprises. We meet the Guardians, which are the Chinese version of the Vestals, and also find out more about Ms. Lydia’s mysterious past. Blanca made some really important decisions for herself at the end of Genesis Girl, but she still has a lot of work and doesn’t always make the wisest choices. Damaged Goods with my publisher right now being edited. I have seen the cover and it blew me away. I love it even more than the cover for Genesis Girl.

Qs: Will we see more or less of Seth and Blanca’s relationship and romance as the series progresses? Oooooh! That would definitely be a major spoiler from Damaged Goods. Nice try, Maddie, but my lips are sealed. ;)

Qs: Lol,Okay! Are you working on any other stories at the moment and will you venture into other genres?

In addition to writing fiction, I also write a newspaper column for The Everett Daily Herald called “I Brake for Moms.” I write about things like my three year old sticking an apple up her nose and our resulting trip to the ER, or about how kids with Dyslexia deserve more help from our Washington State school system. Basically, my editors let me write whatever I want, which is really fun. But it also means I have a 500 word deadline every single Friday.

Qs: As the reviews and reactions for the first book keep rolling in, do you think it will have a role in how this particular series will progress? The funny thing is I wrote Damaged Goods in fall of 2014 before Genesis Girl had a cover, ARCs, or anything. So the reviews that come out now about Genesis Girl, have no impact on the plot of Damaged Goods whatsoever. Whether or not there is a third book is up to the publisher since the YA market is super competitive. But I made sure to give Damaged Goods a satisfying conclusion that will hopefully please readers.

Qs: That’s reassuring to hear. Now, my favorite question to ask authors is why should people read your book? …What do you think makes it a promising read? What sets Genesis Girl apart from other YA books is that it is unique and completely unlike any other book you have read. This actually makes it tough to explain because I can never say “Genesis Girl is like Book X, only with XYZ.” In publishing this is called “comparison titles,” or sometimes “comp books” and I’ve never been able to figure one out that works for Genesis Girl. So if you are looking for something different, Blanca is your girl!

Thank you so much, Jen. It’s been wonderful getting to talk to you and getting to know what’s to come next.

GOODREADS | AMAZON

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