Get to Know Author Jessica Brody
Check out this Q&A with Jessica Brody in which she tells-all about her favorite shoes, her inspirations, and her guilty pleasure.
Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.
Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.
But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else decide which book I read for English. And whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!
Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.
But don’t take my word for it. Read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.
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“…fun and inventive take on the secret-blog concept…” –Booklist Online
"MY LIFE UNDECIDED is a super-cute read. Brooklyn constantly makes the wrong decisions, but it ultimately leads her to discovering her true self. I loved the blend of technology with modern day. A fun book!” –Teensreadtoo.com
“You'll love it if... you want a book that you can read anywhere, from the airplane to the pool. This engaging story will grab your attention and leave you wanting more!” –Seventeen.com
“My Life Undecided is Jessica Brody's story of fifteen-year-old Brooklyn, who feels like she's never made a good decision for herself. She decides to start a blog and asks her followers to make her choices for her, only to find there are some choices no one can make for her.” –TeenVogue.com
“Brody (The Karma Club) taps into a universal human desire--who, at some point, hasn't wished to surrender all responsibility for one's decisions?” –Publishers Weekly
“My Life Undecided has a certain charm that will make it a popular read.” –VOYA
“Brooklyn is a sympathetic protagonist with whom teens will identify. Her journey is fun to read, and decision-challenged readers will learn an important lesson about self-acceptance along the way.” –School Library Journal
Praise for THE KARMA CLUB
"Equal parts fresh, funny, and engaging, The Karma Club is the story of one girl’s attempt to speed Karma along only to discover that Karma plays by its own rules. Jessica Brody has created a witty, endearing heroine in Maddy Kasparkova—this is one YA debut you won’t want to miss!" —Alyson Noel, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Evermore and Blue Moon
"All the fun and intrigue of Gossip Girl, with the heart of a Sarah Dessen novel and the soul of the I Ching." —Gabrielle Zevin, author of Elsewhere and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
“Written with wit and panache. Readers will have fun with this one, and it might make them think a little, too.” —Booklist
"The action-packed narrative builds an impressive amount of suspense for what is essentially a comic romance, and readers might learn a thing or two about Buddhist philosophy along the way." --Kirkus Reviews
"The Karma Club is exactly the book you’d want to read after getting dumped. With an effortless understanding of the teen landscape, Jessica Brody takes the classic tale of “what goes around, comes around” and crafts a fresh, funny, relatable story that proves it’s never to late to admit your mistakes and set Karma back on its natural course." —Rosalind Wiseman, New York Times best-selling author of Queen Bees & Wannabees
About the Author
Jessica Brody knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started "self-publishing" her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples and electrical tape.
Brody graduated from Smith College in 2001 with a double major in Economics and French and a minor in Japanese. She went to work for MGM Studios as a Manager of Acquisitions and Business Development, and then, in 2005, she quit her job to follow her dream of becoming a published author.
Brody is the author of the young adult novel The Karma Club and two novels for adults--The Fidelity Files and Love Under Cover. Jessica's books are published in over ten foreign countries including the U.K., France, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, Brazil, China, Portugal, and Taiwan. She now works full time as a writer and producer, and currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Colorado.
Jessica Brody knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started self "publishing" her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples and electrical tape.
After graduating from Smith College in 2001 where she double majored in Economics and French and minored in Japanese, Jessica later went on to work for MGM Studios as a Manager of Acquisitions and Business Development. In May of 2005, Jessica quit her job to follow her dream of becoming a published author.
In four short years, Jessica has sold nine novels (two adult novels to St. Martin's Press and seven young adult novels to Farrar, Straus, Giroux.) The Fidelity Files, her debut, released in stores (in real binding) in June of 2008 and the follow-up, Love Under Cover in November 2009. The Karma Club, Jessica's debut young adult novel released in April of 2010 and her second YA release, My Life Undecided hit bookstores in June 2011.
52 Reasons to Hate My Father (which was recently optioned for film) just recently released in July 2012 and Unremembered, (also optioned for film), the first book in a new teen sci-fi series, will be released in March 2013.
Jessica's books are published and translated in over fifteen foreign countries including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Russia, Brazil, Portugal, Poland, Bulgaria, Israel, and Taiwan.
Jessica now works full time as a writer and producer. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Colorado.
Once I read the description, I knew that I had to read this, and My Life Undecided did not disappoint. It is such a neat and original premise, and Ms. Brody executes it amazingly. It actually started out with a much more serious problem than I anticipated, but the main character, Brooks had a voice that kept me entertained, and managed to keep it lighthearted. The characters were great, and it was fun to watch Brooks learn from her blog readers' input and how she grew into making her own decisions. Her best friend turned frenemy was well written and she really fit into her role. Her crushes, Brian and Hunter were completely different and desirable in their own ways. Another secondary character, Ms. Moody was great. I love how elderly have been featured in a few YA books recently, they have so much to offer, and I love old people. It was fun to watch everything play out, try to figure out what the readers would pick for her, and how she reacts to her new experiences and choices she otherwise wouldn't have made. This is a spectacular contemporary, with lots of laughs and some tender serious moments sprinkled in.
MY LIFE UNDECIDED starts on the day Brooklyn Pierce gets arrested. She's not necessarily surprised, as she tends to get herself into bad situations, but she is determined to change her ways. She starts a blog and posts polls with questions ranging from which school activities to try out to which boy to date, then waits for random voters to decide her fate. Along with the new blog, she spends time completing community service hours (due to her arrest), which leads to a secondary storyline that really brings home the heart of the story.
Brooklyn is witty, smart, and fun, while also being flawed in her own spot-on teen girl way. She makes bad decisions and has spent too much time trying to be perfect for misguided reasons. You'll stay engaged throughout, as you'll know which decision you and the voters want her to make, but she keeps you guessing about what she's going to do until the end. There is just enough blogging to keep the storyline moving, but not so much that it's like you're reading a website.
MY LIFE UNDECIDED is a fun, fast-paced read that feels like you're watching a movie (and hopefully one day you will be)! This is contemporary YA at its best.
Read more of my YA book reviews at StoryboundGirl{dot}com.
I loved the concept of this book. Brooklyn is known for making bad decisions so she decides to let others make decisions for her. She creates an anonymous blog and puts the decisions she has to make out there and lets the people reading decide what course of action she will take. Of course she's not always happy about the decisions made but she's promised to follow them, regardless. And on occasion she re-states her case because she's sure they didn't quite understand the implications of how they voted.
It's a fun, fast paced book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I highly recommend it.
I had the pleasure of hearing Jessica Brody talk about My Life Undecided at Anderson's Bookstore in Naperville, IL and the book is every bit as wonderful as Jessica. What a cool premise - Brooklyn Pierce has spent her entire life making poor decisions so she decides to create a blog [...] (It really exists and is fantastic, so check it out!!!) This is a a novel that will have you smiling, laughing, misty-eyed. Doesn't matter what age you are, there are plenty of situations to relate your own life to. Who hasn't made mistakes? Who hasn't wanted others to make decisions for them (at least once in their lifetime)? My Life Undecided flows so well you'll find yourself plowing through the novel and cheering for Brooklyn. The supporting characters are so appealing, including the grumpy Mrs. Moody. Ooooh, and just wait until you meet Heimlich! And when you reach the end, make sure you hit the website. Perhaps you have some wisdom to share with others or maybe a question you need help deciding what to do anonymously? Go for it!
This book was fantastic! The concept was great and refreshing. Also, it's funny and always entertaining. Jessica Brody knows what she is doing and I will be definitely be reading anything else she writes!
I adored Brody's THE KARMA CLUB and have been anxiously awaiting MY LIFE UNDECIDED for months. After all, MLU combines a teen girl, cute boys, bad decisions, funny decisions, and a BLOG. Really, the blog alone (okay, and maybe the boys) would have done it for me, but Brody goes above and beyond, which is always a good thing in an author...
At first, I worried that Brooklyn's age, 15, coupled with this particular plot would make the novel feel a bit too immature for my tastes, but I shouldn't have worried. While Brooklyn does, for the most part, act like a 15 year old, Brody's use of humor provided a healthy balance and served as a distraction. I never felt like the story was slowed... she was able to just be a confused 15 year old girl, even if the reader is a few years older. Additionally, I would feel comfortable handing this novel to a younger reader as well... Perhaps not any younger than Middle School, but there wasn't anything particularly scandalous.
I love the whole concept of this novel. It may not be entirely realistic, but, as a real life blogger, I can say there are parts of this novel that ring true. I've never had an entire blog dedicated to my life decisions, but I can't tell you how many times I've utilized Twitter when making a decision... Should I buy this? Did anyone see this movie and like it? I'm bored... what should I do? Brooklyn takes this idea to a whole new level... and learns quite a few things in the process.
The endeavor might have been slightly misguided, but many teens will empathize with Brooklyn. She's really screwed up this time around... And making the wrong decision is sometimes entirely too tempting. Having someone else make your decisions takes all the pressure off you.... If it's a good decision, great! If it's a bad decision, hey... I didn't make it! At some point in your life, you'll realize that, ultimately, only you can make your decisions - it's just the way the world works - but it was an adventure to watch Brooklyn discover this for herself (and in a much more fun and exciting way than most of us do)!
I can't wait to read Brody's next offering... I fully expect it'll make me laugh... and think.Read more ›
