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?
Sounds amazing, right? Well, it gets better: It's 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
If you ask me, praise like that couldn't be given to a nicer girl! Don't believe me? Let's start our chat with Jessica!
Tell us about your most recent novel in 25 words or less.
LOVE UNDER COVER is the compelling story of a woman who runs a “fidelity inspection” agency, hired by suspicious spouses to test the faithfulness of their loved ones.
When did you first begin writing?
In the second grade we were assigned to write a one-paragraph book report on the book of our choice. I turned in four pages. I remember my teacher showing it to every other teacher in the school saying, “We have a little writer on our hands.” I wouldn’t realize until 20 years and three corporate jobs later that she was right. I truly believe we’d all be a lot of happier if we could choose our careers at age 7. Although we might have an excess number of princesses, ninjas and astronauts on our hands.
What are you working on right now?
I’ve got some really fun stuff in the works. I’ve been revising a manuscript which is going to be the first book in a new young adult series about time travel. I’m really excited about it! Also I just wrapped up my second young adult novel, MY LIFE UNDECIDED, which will be out in Spring of 2011 and I’ve just sold my third YA novel to my publisher so I’ll be starting that in the next few months. I like to keep very busy. Idleness is my worst enemy!
What is your favorite part of writing? Least favorite?
My favorite part? Definitely the first 50 pages. They fly by. They’re brilliant and fresh and exciting and full of promise. I feel like I could do anything. I feel like I write an entire novel in two weeks.
My least favorite part? Everything that comes after that.
What tips would you offer to aspiring writers?
Take criticism. Believe in your work and stand behind it, but don’t be afraid to make changes. Use rejections to evolve yourself as a writer, not just to line your waste basket. When someone rejects your work and offers a reason, don’t just blow it off and claim that they “didn’t get it” or that they clearly didn’t read it closely enough, dissect it and try to figure out if what they’re saying makes sense and if it will inevitably help your work. There’s a fine balance between staying true to your art and being open for suggestions, try to stay somewhere in the middle. If they “didn’t get it,” chances are, readers won’t get it either. And you won’t be there to explain it to them in the middle of Barnes and Noble.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Jessica! It's always so nice to have you!
To enter to win a copy of LOVE UNDER COVER, just leave a comment below. Winners will be announced on On November 26th!
Since Jessica loves to give away books just as much as I do, she's giving away not one, but TWO COPIES of THE FIDELITY FILES! Details on how to enter are at the bottom of this post.
How do you fight writer’s block?
I never use the term “writer’s block”…well, except right there. I’m a firm believer in the law of attraction. What you resist persists. What you focus on only gets bigger. If I went around saying, “Crap, I have writer’s block,” then yes, I would have writer’s block. If I refuse to even acknowledge the concept, then it doesn’t exist. And guess what? I’ve never had it. Of course, I get stuck from time to time as any writer does. To deal with it, I usually just mediate and tell myself, “the solution already exists; I just have to remember what it is.” By the time I wake up the next morning, the problem is always solved.
If your book were to become a movie, who would you cast?
Well, we’re really hoping for a TV show! The Fidelity Files was actually just optioned by the executive producer of the movie, CRASH and she’s working on developing it as a TV show. Fingers crossed! There are some amazing actors that she has in mind (I can’t reveal them just yet!) but my dream casting would probably be someone like Megan Fox (on the sexier side) or Rachel McAdams (on the sweeter side). And I’ve always pictured Patrick Dempsey playing Jamie, the love interest. Damn, he’s hot!
What are you working on right now?
The short answer: Lots! The (slightly) longer answer: I just finished the first book in a new YA series that I’m really excited about! It’s the fourth book I’ve ever written (well, technically the fifth if you count that one I refuse to talk about stashed away in my proverbial desk drawer). And now I’m starting on book 5—another YA. It’s the second book in a two book deal I signed with FSG. After that…who knows! I have tons of ideas!
What is your favorite part of writing? Least favorite?
My boyfriend could answer this question for me. In a heartbeat. Actually, let me ask him. Hold on…
Yep, just as I suspected. “Favorite part: Act 1. Least favorite part: Act 2. “
Very good, honey!
For those of you who haven’t read as many screenwriting books as I have, Act 1 is the first quarter of the book. The set-up. When everything is fresh. The character is new and fun and novel. You get to lay the groundwork for the story, build suspense, layer in complex plot points that will be resolved later. And then comes the dreaded Act 2. The heart of the story. The “promise of the premise.” Also known as “my nemesis.” The character is now totally grating my nerves, everything I set up in Act 1 absolutely sucks, I have no idea why I’m even a writer to begin with, I have the vocabulary of a five year old, all the “complex plot points” I thought I was setting up now actually have to be dealt with (yikes!) and I become nearly impossible to live with (my boyfriend will second that.) And yet, somehow, incredibly, magically (as if little elves snuck in my house in the middle of the night and fixed everything that was wrong with my story), I finally arrive at act 3, the conclusion and then I’m like, “That wasn’t so bad. I don’t know why I was so freaked out!”
And then I start all over again with the next book!
