Wednesday, September 1, 2010

THE JULIAN GAME by Adele Griffin

If you haven't had the chance to meet Adele, she is one of the nicest/charming/quirky/funny/entertaining people on the planet. And when you read her newest book THE JULIAN GAME you'll see exactly why we have a total girl crush on her.

A bit about the book:
All new girl Raye Archer wants is a way into the in crowd, so when ice-queen Ella Parker picks her to get back at her ex, the gorgeous Julian Kilgarry, Raye is more than game. Even if it means creating a fake Facebook identity so she can learn enough about Julian to sabotage him. It's a fun and dangerous thrill at first, but Raye hadn't counted on falling for Julian herself and igniting Ella's rage.

As Raye works to reconcile the temptress Elizabeth with her real-life self, Ella serves up her own revenge, creating an online smear campaign of nasty rumors and trashy photographs. Suddenly notorious, Raye has to find a way out of the web of deceit that she's helped to build, and back to the relationships that matter.

Adele Griffin's riveting novel explores the issues of generation Facebook: the desire to be someone else, real versus online friends, and the pitfalls and fallouts of posting your personal life online for all the world to judge.

Lila's Take:
We seriously think any and all aspiring YA authors should read this book for a lesson in authentic dialogue. Adele NAILED it! And obviously this book should be required reading for every ACTUAL young adult out there. Not only does Adele build an incredibly entertaining and believable cast of characters, but she addresses the super-timely and important subject of online personas and their potential repercussions. THE JULIAN GAME is a fascinating and fun read. You will NOT be disappointed!

Check out Adele's take on our standard fare...spoiler, she's HILARIOUS.

1. Tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

The Julian Game is a cold, fierce, short novel about revenge, betrayal, and "real" versus online identity.

2. Where did you get the idea for THE JULIAN GAME (as the official idea whores, we have a vested interest here.)

I am not only an Idea Slut of Note, but I am also a Creepy Eavesdropper. I think my very first inkling of this story was listening to a group of girls at a CVS talking about how their soccer team was going to pee on the captain's (of the opposite team's) yard. First I thought: ew! Then I thought: kids today! Then I thought: I really need to hang out at CVS more, because that mess should go in a story. And it did.

3. Someone has a pair of scissors to your head (oooh, SCARY!) and you have to choose: Awesome title or gorgeous book cover?

The image is everything; my husband is dyslexic and he is a sucker for presentation; he'd buy a box of fried smelt if the smelt looked yummy on the box. And I was thinking lefty scissors, so I wasn't that scared.

4. When did you know you had to be a writer?

I was seven years old. I wanted to run away from home but didn't want to approach my grandparents directly, because it seemed impolite. So I wrote them a story about a girl who went to live with her grandparents, and how it improved the quality of her entire life. It was not a very good story, and so I had to remain with my parents.

5. Twizzlers or M&Ms?

M&Ms because you cannot shake Twizzlers into your popcorn. It's not even a choice, L&L, it's not even a choice!

So admit it, you have a girl crush, don't you? It's okay, we've already fessed up to Adele and we feel MUCH better getting it all out there. In fact, you can confess in the comments and we'll enter you in the contest to win all of the amazing books featured on our blog this week. Two birds, one stone. We're all about efficiency.

29 comments:

kiri said...

FOr some reason, the cover makes me think more of teenagers dissecting bodies (which I would read, too).
Sounds like it could contain a pretty good lesson as to how easily you get tangled up in your lies, so I'd def. give it a try.

Also, do you notice an M&M trend this week? Oh yeaaah.

Aik said...

Julian's Game sounds like a must-read. I'm sure teens would love to read this book as there is always this "fake identity" problem online.

Christina Lee said...

ON my List!! Definitely! Great interview too!

S.A. Larsenッ said...

I love this!! And the cover...Mmmm. I am breathless. Thanks ladies.

Katie Anderson said...

I'm totally running out the door to get this. Is it out yet?

Jemi Fraser said...

Definitely adding this to my wishlist! Sounds fabulous :)

Fi-chan said...

LOLOL I agree with kiri! or something like spy, detective. But then it kinda reflects the fake identity thing, the wig, and gloves, and the thiing covering her eyes. woo I like.

and ahahahaha, creepy eavesdropper!

Kerri Cuev said...

Yeah this sounds good! Oh Facebook! Yup sounds like every teen could read this one!

I just love where inspiration can come from. CVS, who knew lol!

Laura S. said...

"And I was thinking lefty scissors, so I wasn't that scared." LOL!!!

I've heard a lot of awesome thing about The Julian Game, and I'm looking forward to reading it!

And now I want M&Ms in popcorn. YUM!

Meredith said...

Yay for authentic dialogue! I'm putting this on my TBR list, and I love that cover!

Tamika: said...

I love the premise of this book, very relevant for today's young adult audience!

Alex Bennett from Electrifying Reviews said...

This one looks so great! I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Danielle said...

Why are you doing this to me? Why do you keep recommending all of these awesome books? Don't you realize I still have 152 books on my 'to read' list? And now there's yet another one! 153...

Lola Sharp said...

Another fun interview. :) Plus, blue hair is yummy.

And, Adele is right...Twizzlers aren't even in the same ballpark.

Lisa Potts said...

Another great book. How am I gonna choose which one to read first?

I'll definitely be sure my facebook kids read this one, though.

Tahereh said...

haha! she sounds AWESOME.

i must read this book posthaste!

Krispy said...

M&Ms! But on another note, I really like the theme of real vs. online personas and friendships. Indeed, quite timely!

Tere Kirkland said...

Sounds very topical. Thanks for the recommendation, and the interview, ladies!

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

So. Awesome.

A definite must read. I'm really intrigued by the social networking aspect of this and the notion of creating a new self for yourself online.

*whines* But M&Ms? Why? Whyyyyyyyyyy? Twizzlers are good with popcorn. Just get the kettle corn. You'll seeeee!!!

Becky B. @ Bibliognome said...

Sounds pretty good to me. :)Indeed M&Ms are only the better candy if it's not hot so they won't melt. I have grown to love the Sweet & Sour filled Twizzlers.

Unknown said...

Ummmmm Adele is completely hilarious! I wouldn't be as scared of lefty scissors, either.

And M&Ms win EVERY TIME!

Claire Dawn said...

This sounds awesome! I'd never heard about it before. And I'm always on about the lack of facebook in YA. Added to (eternally-long) TBR.

Llehn said...

This is the first time I've heard of the book. I have to admit that I am intrigued now!

And yay for M&Ms!

Lori W. said...

Sounds like a great book, and I love those green gloves and blue hair. Cool cover!

Stina said...

Oooh, another book for my pile. Good thing I just got a bunch of gift cards from my aeromile points. :D

Aleeza said...

Fake internet identities. That in itself makes it a must-read!

Lisa_Gibson said...

I've heard such wonderful things about this book. The blue, green, red, along with black & white on this cover is so striking. M&M's in popcorn rock!
Lisa ~ YA Literature Lover

Mia said...

I adore the cover to this book.

I knew a few girls in school (back in the days of AIM and hotmail) that managed to get themselves in similar situations. I can't wait to read The Julian Game and see how Raye handles it.

Lisa B. said...

The cover first drew me to this book. The back cover copy held my interest. This is one of my must reads!

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