The BEbabes lounge is open and we’re talking FIDELITY! But relax, it’s only fiction, ladies! Join me in welcoming best-selling author Jessica Brody to talk about her new book LOVE UNDER COVER.
If Oprah invited you on her show to talk about your book, what would the theme of that show be?
Definitely “Trust.” Women who have trust issues. Men who cheat. Relationships that have faced betrayal. As my main character is a “fidelity inspector,” she obviously sees a lot of those kinds of relationships in her job. But in this book, she’s now in a relationship of her own. And although she may be a pro at figuring out someone else’s love life, she’s pretty clueless when it comes to her own.
What was the most fun scene in your book to write? The most difficult?
I loved writing any of the scenes with Jennifer’s friends. They’re all fun in their own way. Zoë has a terrible road rage problem and she has a habit of talking on the phone while driving so those conversations with Jen and Zoë on the phone are always really entertaining for me. I get to channel my inner turrets patient. John is the flamboyant gay boy from West Hollywood who is always quick with his sarcasm and wit. Sometimes I don’t know where his remarks come from. I must be channelling my inner gay man because I’ll write something that he says and think, “That’s really funny. Where the hell did that come from?”
The most difficult scenes in this book were definitely the scenes when she’s in her staff meetings at The Hawthorne Agency. All the characters were brand new to me and it was hard to get a handle for each of them individually, let alone how they would interact in a room together. It was definitely a challenge!
Do you have a muse, good luck charm, writing vice?
This year I discovered the wonders of coffee. I’m 30 years old and I’d never drank coffee in my life! But then one day I had a Café au Lait at the coffee shop where I like to write and an hour later, I looked down at my screen and saw that I had written ten pages. Like it was nothing! It was like someone had replaced me with a writing robot. It’s hard to say no to a cup of coffee when I write now. A very, very dangerous habit…
What do you write on (type of computer, or notebook, etc.) and where do you write?
I have a desktop and a laptop but I prefer to write on my laptop. I do all my “busy work” like emails, interviews, website stuff, on my desktop and I found that switching computers helped me switch focus.
I used to not be able to write in a public place. But then I discovered “white noise” mp3s. They basically play nothing but…well, white noise. Now I go to my favorite coffee shop, pop in my ear phones, crank up the white noise and the world around me dissolves away. Plus…that coffee helps. ☺
Have you had a “rock star” moment regarding your writing career? If so, what was it?
Okay, this is lame but the other day my boyfriend and I were talking to an insurance agent about insuring our home and he told me that because I was a “bestselling author” he had to check some box on our form claiming that a “famous person resides here.” I’m sure it ended up costing us a hundred bucks more a month, but I still felt pretty smug about the whole thing.
Praying the paparazzi don’t stalk you, darlin’. What do you do to celebrate your writing successes?
My boyfriend always have about three bottles of champagne chilling at all times. It feels like there’s always some big and exciting news that I’m waiting on at all times, so I like to be prepared just in case it comes today!
Oh, and then I usually treat myself to a massage.
*note to self* three bottles of champagne are better than one. Heck, I could use some bubbly AND a massage right now. Describe your personality with five adjectives that would make your 5th grade English teacher proud.
Okay, 5th grade English teacher I can do. If you had asked for 12th grade English teacher, I might have to forfeit. But let’s see. Motivated, sensitive (sometimes overly so!), passionate, obsessive, and hilarious (but usually only to myself).
About LOVE UNDER COVER:
In her job, she’s an expert on men…
In her own relationship, she doesn’t have a clue.
Boyfriend behaving badly? Suspect your husband of straying? Jennifer Hunter can supply the ultimate test. She runs a company which specializes in conducting fidelity inspections for those who suspect their loved ones are capable of infidelity.
An expert on men, Jennifer can usually tell if they’re single, married or lying… Unfortunately, her new boyfriend, Jamie, is one of the few men that she’s never been able to ‘read.’ Has she finally found the perfect man or is he too good to be true?
A captivating new novel from the bestselling author of The Fidelity Files.
Available November 10, wherever books are sold.
Praise:
Currently in development as a TV series by the executive producer of Crash!
“With a complicated, sympathetic protagonist, worthy stakes and a clever twist on the standard chick lit narrative, Brody will pull readers in from the first page.”
– Publisher’s Weekly
“Those who enjoyed Brody’s debut will be eager to catch up with Jennifer, but newcomers will be intrigued, too…an honest, witty portrayal of modern love.”
- Booklist
“With her usual smart, deft, and witty prose, Brody delves deep into the psychology of a woman who tests the fidelity of strangers for a living but struggles with commitment in her own life.”
- Joanne Rendell, author of Crossing Washington Square and The Professors’ Wives’ Club
Watch the trailer:
About the Author:
Jessica Brody graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts with degrees in economics and French. In 2005, she left her job at MGM Studios in Los Angeles to become a full-time freelance writer and producer. Jessica currently lives in Los Angeles, where she is working on her next novel. Visit Jessica’s website at: www.JessicaBrody.com
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Love Under Cover – Commercial Fiction -November 2009 – St. Martin’s Press
The Karma Club – Young Adult Fiction – April 2010 – Farrar, Straus, Giroux
The Fidelity Files – Commercial Fiction -Available Now! – St. Martin’s Press
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Book trailers, reviews, excerpts and more at: www.JessicaBrody.com
THANKS, JESSICA! Readers, leave a comment on what you think should be done to guys (or gals) who cheat for a chance to win our Impulse prize this week: the darling Watt’s Up notecard set. RT on Twitter for an extra entry! Drawing held Sunday at 10 p.m.! Be creative. 