Welcome to the next stop on the campaign trail (errrr… blog tour!) for Jenn Marie Thorne’s The Wrong Side of Right! I am so thrilled to be hosting an author interview and giveaway here in Wisconsin!
Here’s a bit more about the book and author:
When Senator Mark Cooper shows up in recently orphaned 16-year-old Kate Quinn’s living room, she finds out she’s not quite so orphaned as she thought. And, oh yeah, he’s running for President—and he wants her on the campaign.
Joining the family she never knew she had on the presidential campaign trail, Kate tries to find her place in both. Sticking to the script seems safe at first, until she meets, and falls for, rebellious Andy, who just happens to work for the rival campaign. In fact, he’s the incumbent president’s son. Can she trust him, or is he just trying to cause a scandal? To make matters more complicated, when her best friend’s family is threatened with deportation, Kate learns that falling in line with her new family’s politics might not be a compromise she’s willing to make. Under a level of scrutiny she never thought possible, Kate must figure out what she really wants, and how to get it, especially when she finds herself on the wrong side of right. Set against a backdrop of politics, family, and first love, THE WRONG SIDE OF RIGHT is equal parts My Life Next Door and The Princess Diaries—with a dash of Aaron Sorkin for good measure.
Jenn Marie Thorne tried out many jobs before settling on writing. A sampling of her career list includes:the Voice of Ban Antiperspirant, Game Show Question Writer, SAT Tutor, Dog Food In-Store Rep, Web Series Superhero, Nanny, and “Promotions Model”—which encompasses all sorts of embarrassing jobs, like being strapped to a giant, windblown balloon in Manhattan the day before Thanksgiving, crashing Fashion Week parties wearing a fake blonde wig, and walking cashmere goats around the Upper East Side for Saks Fifth Avenue. (Sadly none of these jobs took her on the campaign trail.) An NYU graduate, Jenn and her family currently live in Florida with their dog, Molly.
Interview:
- I’ve read very few young adult novels that deal directly with American politics. What drew you to this topic?
Exactly what you just said! I thought it was a world that I hadn’t yet seen through the eyes of a YA protagonist, but one that would be ripe with excitement and conflict for a teen. The media tends to shy away from centering stories on the kids of politicians (as they probably should!) but I wanted to explore a perspective that’s so often overlooked.
- Kate is adjusting to life with a “new” family as well as being on the campaign trail. What kind of research, if any, did you have to do to write about her experiences?
I read some really juicy political nonfiction and watched this great documentary, The War Room, about the Clinton ’92 campaign to get a feel for the structure and day-to-day culture of a presidential campaign. I had a few friends who worked for the Obama ’08 campaign, too, so I was able to mine their old Facebook updates and video posts. And I kept Google and YouTube open while I was drafting, in case I had any questions.
- The Wrong Side of Right is your debut novel. What has been the most exciting part of the process of getting a book published? The most surprising?
The most exciting thing has been how welcoming the YA community is. It’s been wonderful to have made such wonderful friends in the run-up to my book coming out—and then, last week, I celebrated the book’s launch in New York and got to see so many book-world friends in person. It was one of the most wonderful, surreal and lovely weeks of my life. The biggest surprise was how long the publication process takes. People really have no idea. When I first announced my book deal, my family asked if they could buy the book as a Christmas gift. Well, three years later, they can!
- It sounds like you’ve had a lot of interesting experiences working at a variety of jobs before writing The Wrong Side of Right. What was the most interesting job you’ve done?
Oh man. It’s really hard to pick. I’ve had so many preposterous jobs. While I was pursuing an acting career, I worked in “promotions,” which pretty much means that you make a complete fool of yourself in public for fairly good pay. For one promotion, I walked a cashmere goat around New York during Fashion Week. That was pretty memorable.
- If you had the opportunity to travel across the country like a campaign trail (without the campaigning!) where are a few places you’d want to stop?
I would absolutely love to do this. I used to go on epic road trips with my dad when I was a kid. When my kids are a bit older, we are definitely hitting the road. I’d love to see some spots I’ve never hit before, like Nashville, Ashville, Austin, the Mohave Desert, and go back to some places I haven’t seen in years, like the Pacific Northwest, Jackson Hole, Chicago, and every national park. Shouldn’t take too long, right?
- I always love to hear what people are reading! What have you been enjoying lately? YA or not… whatever you like to read!
Just finished a fellow 2015 debut, Susan Adrian’s TUNNEL VISION. It’s a fast-paced thriller, a ton of fun to read, and I can’t stop imagining it as a TV series, so somebody get on that! I also cracked Sally Green’s HALF BAD this afternoon and had a hard time tearing myself away. I was struck right away by how idiosyncratic it is, so I think I’m really going to enjoy it. I do read everything, but YA tends to cross my path more than other book categories now that I’m writing it.
Giveaway:
Win a fun prize pack including this fun campaign button! 
US only.
Must by 13 or older to win.
Book Trailer:
Tour Schedule:
3/17 – Candace’s Book Blog – WA
3/19 – The Reading Nook Reviews – Sacramento, CA
3/23 – The Reading Date – LA, CA
3/25 – Mostly YA Book Obsessed – AZ
3/27 – Gone With the Words – Houston, TX
3/30 – YA Bibliophile – WI
4/1 – Coming at YA – SC
4/3 – The Reader Bee – TN
4/6 – Into The Hall of Books – NC
4/8 – Ticket to Anywhere – MA
4/10 – Lost in Literature – CT
4/13 – Effortlessly Reading – NYC
4/15 – No BS Book Reviews – Annapolis, MD
4/17 – Book Revels – DC
Blog Tour: The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne + Giveaway | Book Revels
[…] Angeles, CA 3/25 – Mostly YA Book Obsessed – AZ 3/27 – Gone With the Words – TX 3/30 – YA Bibliophile – WI 4/1 – Coming at YA – SC 4/3 – The Reader Bee – TN 4/6 – Into The Hall of […]