Author Jennifer Brown Puts MCPL On Her LOVE LIST!

September 21, 2010

Okay, so I am admittedly the biggest book geek on the planet (or at least among the top 100 in Kansas City), and some of my most exciting moments in life are when I get to meet authors of books that I have read and loved. With the way I gush and swoon and rush to get in line for autographs and photos, you’d think I was meeting the latest Hollywood heartthrob. But honestly, I think authors are the best celebrities ever. I maintain an ever-growing collection of signed books and pictures of me with my biggest, geekiest smile standing next to some super famous writers; it’s fantastic. My most recent author thrill was meeting Jennifer Brown, author of Hate List, an incredible book about the aftermath of a school shooting.

Last Thursday, Jennifer joined us at the Boardwalk Branch for our Teen Book Club to chat and answer questions about Hate List with a large group of middle and high school students (and a few teachers), mostly from the Park Hill School District. She talked to us about her writing and publishing processes, how the characters of her book developed, the differences between the writing she does for blogs, the newspaper, and her novels, and anything else we wanted to know.

Some of the best questions asked had to do with the characters’ motivations, (especially for the shooter, Nick, and his girlfriend, the heroine/victim, Valerie) as well as Jennifer’s personal reactions to such situations (i.e. Would she take a bullet in defense of others?). After the Q&A, Jennifer hung around to sign books and chat one on one with a few of us.

I have to say that I never get tired of talking with authors. Jennifer Brown was AWESOME, and she only got me more excited to try to host more author visits!

What author(s) would you love to meet in person?

~Erin D.
Boardwalk Branch