Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit Starring: Jeri Smith-Ready's THIS SIDE OF SALVATION

Jeri Smith-Ready (author of the Shade trilogy) makes her contemporary debut in what Kirkus calls "a captivating story of family heartbreak."

THIS SIDE OF SALVATION

Everyone mourns differently. When his older brother was killed, David got angry. As in, fist-meets-someone-else's-face furious. But his parents? They got religious. David's still figuring out his relationship with a higher power, but there's one thing he does know for sure: The closer he gets to new-girl Bailey, the better, brighter, happier, more he feels.

Then his parents start cutting all their worldly ties in to prepare for the Rush, the divine moment when the faithful will be whisked off to Heaven...and they want David to do the same. David's torn. There's a big difference between living in the moment and giving up his best friend, varsity baseball, and Bailey---especially Bailey---in hope of salvation.

But when he comes home late from prom, and late for the Rush, to find that his parents have vanished, David is in more trouble than he ever could have imagined...

What Others Are Saying:

"THIS SIDE OF SALVATION is impossible to pigeonhole. It's a mystery, a love story, a tale of friendship, of prejudice, and of a family overcoming tragedy...Jeri Smith-Ready has her finger on the pulse of American youth." --- Printz Honor winner and NYT Bestseller Elizabeth Wein

"This is a frighteningly realistic story that delicately handles the issues of religion and family---an emotional mystery sure to be popular and perfect for discussion." --- VOYA, **Highlighted (Starred) Review**

"[A] smart, well-rounded, and unpredictable tale...bringing to light issues of belief versus free will, spirit versus body, and family versus self---while never being heavy-handed." Booklist, **Starred Review**

"This book has some of the best written, strongest, and most satisfying character dynamics that I have read in a long time...There are no extreme moral rights and wrongs in this book. These people just are, and they work, and they make this story beautiful." --- Bibliopunkk

Giveaways Galore!

Jeri has two ongoing giveaways to celebrate the release of This Side of Salvation.

Join the Rush swag fest: free EXCLUSIVE swag for everyone who orders TSOS on or before Monday, April 7.

Superfan contest (March 31 -- April 9): share the TSOS characters' "trading cards" on your social networks to earn points. Biggest Superfan wins the grand prize, but there's a chance to win a book and a gift card every day you play!

Here's the first day's card, featuring the main character, David Cooper:

Cat blogging meets book birthday!

Meet Misha and Twinkle, the real-life inspiration for the cats of This Side of Salvation, on PulseIt, the official site of Jeri's publisher, Simon Pulse.

Order the hardcover:

• Indie Bound
• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble

Order the ebook:

• Kindle
• Nook
• Kobo

Find Jeri

Visit Jeri's website, or follow her on one of these sites:

• Twitter
• Tumblr
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Goodreads

Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit Starring JERI SMITH-READY AND ENTHRALLED

I’m so excited Jeri Smith-Ready is here to talk about the new anthology she’s in and what she’sup to now.

ABOUT THE BOOK

ENTHRALLED: PARANORMAL DIVERSION, edited by Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong

This collection of original paranormal YA short stories grew out of the 2010 Smart Chicks Kick It Tour, a multiauthor, multicity, author-organized tour of the US and Canada. With it, these 16 authors hoped to bring a little taste of the Smart Chicks experience to readers everywhere.

Contributors to ENTHRALLED:

Claudia Gray

Carrie Ryan

Margaret Stohl

Kami Garcia

Jackson Pearce

Rachel Vincent

Melissa Marr

Kelley Armstrong

Sarah Rees Brennan

Jeri Smith-Ready

Kimberly Derting

Ally Condie

Jessica Verday

Mary E. Pearson

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Rachel Caine

ABOUT THE STORY “BRIDGE”

In the world of the SHADE novels, everyone seventeen and under can see and hear ghosts, but no one else can. So when Logan Keeley dies and his eighteen-year-old brother Mickey blames himself, they can’t ease each other’s pain or reconcile their rage. Over the course of SHADE and SHIFT, Mickey sinks into a near-suicidal depression over Logan’s death.

“Bridge” is the story, told in free verse, of how two brothers, with the help of a stranger, forge the chasm between them to find a lasting peace.

OUR INTERVIEW

KRISTINA: In two or three sentences, can you tell me what “Bridge” in the ENTHRALLED anthology is about?

JERI: “Bridge” is a short story written in free verse from the point-of-view of Logan, the 17-year-old dead punk rocker from the SHADE trilogy. In the time and place of the story, Senior Week at Ocean City, Logan’s been a ghost for 233 days and wants desperately to reconcile with his suicidal older brother Mickey, who blames himself for Logan’s death. Problem is, in the SHADE world, only those seventeen and under can see ghosts, so to save Mickey, Logan has to convince a total stranger to communicate between them.

KRISTINA: In my book, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, Jane, a coffee barista, matchmakes people based on their favorite coffee drinks. What’s your favorite coffee drink? (If you don’t like coffee, tell me what your favorite drink in general is. But I am sorry, you’ll never find love. Kidding!)

JERI: My favorite coffee drink is black coffee, as dark a roast as possible. Sumatran, French Roast, Italian roast. Especially with something sweet—HEAVEN!

KRISTINA: What is the title of the first book you ever wrote?

JERI: WAITING IN AMBUSH (never published, and never TO BE published). It was a thriller/romance with environmental themes. It was really fun to write and had a lot of good lines, but the plot and characters had…issues. But that’s okay—I learned so much about the process of writing and editing, that when I wrote my second book (which became the first published novel, REQUIEM FOR THE DEVIL), things went much more smoothly.

KRISTINA: What three things must you have while you’re writing?

JERI: Coffee, music, and a decent night’s sleep.

KRISTINA: What are you reading right now?

JERI: The manuscript for Christine Johnson’s 2012 novel, THE GATHERING DARK. It is so cool and creepy! It takes me back to my teen years and my Stephen King-reading days.

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

JERI: I am all over the twitter, LOL! I’m on there waaaaaay too much, @jsmithready. It’s the only addiction I’ve ever had. It’s like my lifelife to other people. I have this fear that if I leave it for a day, everyone will forget about me. So it’s more than an addiction, it’s a full-blown existential crisis! ;-)

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

JERI: I’m still revising/perfecting SHINE, the third part of the SHADE trilogy, which comes out May 1. Then I’ll write the final book in my adult vampire series, LUST FOR LIFE, which comes out next October.

Then I start my first YA contemporary, slated for a Fall 2013 release. We’ll be announcing more details next month, but I can tell you this much: 1) it’s about a boy and 2) I am very, very excited about it!

REVIEWS

“A solid collection of stories...Sarah Rees Brennan's ‘Let's Get This Undead Show on the Road’ follows a vampire in a boy-band and stands out with its perfect blend of snark and sincerity. It's followed in a one-two punch by Jeri Smith-Ready's intense and earnest ‘Bridge.’...This collection is ideal as a sampler tray for paranormal readers looking to pick up new authors to follow or to further explore the fictional worlds they already know. —Kirkus Reviews

A standout among the many paranormal-themed anthologies. -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (Recommended review)

Buy links:

Constellation Books (signed by Jeri): http://www.constellationbooks.com/book/v/9780062015785

B&N: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Enthralled/Melissa-Marr/e/9780062015785

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062015788/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jerismithread-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0062015788

On 12:01am eastern time, Tuesday September 20, the lyrics to a song Logan wrote for Aura (mentioned in SHADE) will be posted here: http://blog.jerismithready.com/2011/09/lyrics-to-logans-song-forever.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeri Smith-Ready has been writing fiction since the night she had her first double espresso. Her nine published books include two series for adults and the SHADE trilogy for teens, about a world of ghosts only the young can see, which concludes May 2012 with SHINE. Like many of her characters, Jeri enjoys music, movies, and staying up very, very late. Visit her at www.jerismithready.com, or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JeriSmithready) or Twitter (http://twitter.com/jsmithready), where she spends way too much time. Logan himself can be found on Twitter @keeley_logan, as can his rival/”brother-in-pulp,” Zachary Moore (@moore_zachary). The boys love to chat with each other and with their real-life fans.

Girlfriends' Cyber Circuit: Starring Jeri Smith-Ready!

Another Girlfriend is stopping by to talk about her book! Jeri Smith-Ready's new book SHADE is out and isn't the cover gorgeous?!























ABOUT THE BOOK:

Love ties them together.

Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

OUR INTERVIEW:

KRISTINA: In my book, THE ESPRESSOLOGIST, Jane, a coffee barista, matchmakes people based on their favorite coffee drinks. What’s your favorite coffee drink?

JERI: I’m a purist—I love a good strong cup of black coffee. Preferably dark French roast. I’ll occasionally get a skinny dark chocolate coconut mocha, though.

KRISTINA: Why do you write MG/YA as opposed to other types of fiction?

JERI: It was a very natural path for me to take, because all of my books have a young focus. My Aspect of Crow fantasy trilogy had 16- and 18-year-old protagonists, and the heroine of my vampire books, WICKED GAME and BAD TO THE BONE, is only 24 and has a very young, contemporary voice. My adult books have a large teen readership because of these factors.

More important, in writing for teens, I get to focus on the elements of storytelling I enjoy most and that I think I’m best at: character development and voice, especially dialogue. Writing for teens usually requires a faster pace, and I’m all for that. Whether I’m writing for adults or teens, I believe in following Elmore Leonard’s #1 rule of writing: leave out the boring parts.

KRISTINA: How do you come up with the names of your characters?

JERI: One way I pick names that fit a character’s age—especially for minor characters—is to use the Social Security Administration’s Baby Name database. You can plug in a year and find out the top 1,000 names in order of popularity. It helps in keeping a name “generationally correct.” For instance, there are a lot of thirty-something guys named Scott, but when was the last time you knew a teenager or child with that name?

But with main characters, somehow their names just come to me and right away they feel perfect.

KRISTINA: What is the title of the first book you ever wrote?

WAITING IN AMBUSH. It had its moments, but in general, I look at it as a practice novel. There were a lot of plot points that I look back on and go, “Huh?”

KRISTINA: What three things must you have while you’re writing?

JERI: Cats, coffee, and a comfy chair.

KRISTINA: Are you on twitter? Where can we follow you?

JERI: A better question would be, when am I NOT on Twitter? I’m totally addicted. It’s my portal to the wider universe. Sometimes I even dream in Twitter—yes, I am pathetic. You can follow me at http://twitter.com/jsmithready.

KRISTINA: What are you working on now?

JERI: I’m writing the sequel to SHADE, called SHIFT, which will be out in May 2011. I also just finished page proofs on the third book in my adult vampire series, BRING ON THE NIGHT, which comes out in August. I can’t wait to see what fans of the series think of this installment! After I turn in SHIFT, I’ll get back to work on the fourth vampire book, which is still deciding what it wants to be named.

Thanks for interviewing me, Kristina!

KRISTINA: Thanks for stopping by Jeri! I wish you tons of success with your book!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Award-winning author Jeri Smith-Ready lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and the world’s goofiest greyhound.

Jeri's plans to save the earth were ruined when she realized she was more of a “problem maker” than a problem solver. To stay out of trouble, she keeps her Drama Drive strictly fictional. Her friends and family appreciate that.

When not writing, Jeri she can usually be found—well, thinking about writing, or on Twitter. Like her characters, she loves music, movies, and staying up very, very late.

Jeri loves to hear from readers, so please visit her at www.jerismithready.com, or even better, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jerismithready) or Twitter (http://twitter.com/jsmithready), where she spends way too much time.

Click here to order Shade!