Author Interview: Jennifer Echols

Jennifer Echols is an author especially known for her Young Adult romantic dramas, such as Going Too Far. This genre has made her become one of my favorite authors, and I can't get enough of her dramas. Thank you for writing, Jenn.

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Reviews – Going Too Far and Forget You

How did you come up with ideas to write Going Too Far and Forget You? What did inspire you to create such wonderful stories?

Going Too Far: One of the first reality shows in the U.S. was COPS, which follows the police on their daily patrols. I love this show and I wanted to write a story about a teenager who rides along with the police. Then I thought there could be two teenagers, and they could fall for each other. And THEN I thought…what if one teenager fell in love with the cop? I did some research and found out that some towns in the U.S. allow 19-year-olds to be police officers, and Going Too Far was born.

Forget You: I had idea for a story about a girl who has trouble with her car. For some reason I could see Doug on crutches, but I didn’t know why he was on crutches. Then I read a book review about a terrible teen novel from the 1980s about a girl who’s in a car accident and gets amnesia. I agreed that the book sounded bad, but I loved the amnesia idea. That’s what my car trouble/boy-on-crutches story was missing, and it brought all of those threads together.

Both your romantic drama books have gorgeous covers. Do you have any say on the matter?

Thank you! The publishers do ask me what kind of cover I would like, and I tell them. Then they show me something that looks completely different, LOL! But I do think both the covers convey the type of story readers will find inside, and that’s what’s important.

I have read another interview where you said that some of your characters have some characteristics based on yourself. For example, Meg (in Going Too Far), who goes jogging every morning. Is it true? What other characteristics of yours are reflected on your own characters?

Yes, I’m about to go jogging as soon as I finish this interview! I also have Meg’s rebellious side, John’s longing to keep everything safe, Zoey’s need to fix things, and Doug’s impatience with people who can’t keep up with him.

How was the creation process of Doug in Forget You? What did you intend for him to be/do/go through during the story?

I don’t remember working very hard on Doug. I worked hard on Zoey, but I think Doug wrote himself—perhaps because he’s a lot like me! I just wrote what I would do and how I would feel in his situation. Poor Doug.

You have announced that you have another Romantic Drama coming up next Summer, in July. How much can you tell about the story?

Yes, I’ve finished it and it’s scheduled for publication on July 1, but I can’t tell you more than that now. I hope I will have a cover and description soon, and I will post them on my web site at www.jennifer-echols.com.

Thank you so much for interviewing me. I really appreciate it! I’m so excited that my books are going to be translated into Portuguese and I can’t wait to see them!

Thank you so much for taking your time, Jenn!

No Brasil, os direitos de tradução e publicação de ambos Going Too Far e Forget You, da autora Jennifer Echols, foram comprados pela Editora Novo Século e serão lançados pelo selo Pandorga em Março de 2011.

Going Too Far – Book Depository | Cultura*
*Ganhe 10% de desconto ao finalizar a compra de GOING TOO FAR através deste link.

Forget You – Book Depository | Cultura*
*Ganhe 10% de desconto ao finalizar a compra de FORGET YOU através deste link.