HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEATHER!!!Everyone, please give
it up for birthday auntie, Heather
Brewer, author of the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, EIGHTH GRADE BITES, NINTH GRADE SLAYS and the upcoming TENTH GRADE BLEEDS and ELEVENTH GRADE BURNS.
Heather, thank you!
My son, Jacob, is a terrible liar. I know it. He knows it. Everyone who knows him knows it. He can't lie, because the moment he tries, the truth is written all over his face. He sputters and his eyes go all wide and guilty, and if I stare at him for a few seconds, he crumbles and confesses immediately. That's why he doesn't do it often—because he just sucks at it. But as I always tell him, the truth will get you further than a lie.
Unfortunately, I am way better at giving great advice than adhering to it.
When I was in high school, my best friend's name was Jen. We were super close, and basically spent every waking moment together. For her 16th birthday, we formulated a plan of celebration: we'd get pizza, and whip cream-topped hot cocoa at our favorite restaurant on the corner, and spend the night hanging out, maybe watch The Princess Bride. It was all we needed, and all Jen really wanted for her birthday. But her mother had other plans.
As the big day approached, Jen's mom let me in on a little secret: she'd organized a huge surprise sleepover birthday party for Jen and her "friends"—me and a group of roughly fifteen girls that Jen had casually chatted with at one time or another. It was an awful idea, something that Jen absolutely wouldn't have wanted. Her mom swore me to secrecy and made me promise her over and over that I would say nothing to Jen about the party. I swore on my life that I would never say a word.
"What?!"
That was Jen's reaction when I told her about ten minutes after hearing the news.
Yeah. I'm a bad person. But at least Jen was forewarned of the impending unwelcome streamers and balloons. And to this day, I'm still glad I lied.
To be entered to win a copy of Eighth Grade Bites and one of three iTunes cards, be sure to leave Heather a happy birthday message below!!!
