FREEBIE FRIDAY with Jessica Burkhart

Today we have a special freebie. Instead of an interview, tween series author Jessica Burkhart dropped by to tell us about the photo shoot she attended this week for books 9-12 in the series. I have to tell you, this is a kind of dream of mine. How cool would it be to meet the real life personification of characters you created?

If you aren't familiar with Jessica's books, she writes the CANTERWOOD CREST series, which follows a young riding student, Sasha Silver, as she attends the Canterwood Crest Academy, an exclusive (and highly competitive) school for gifted equestrians. (Sasha is living my dream! (One of them, anyway...) )

And now, I'm going to turn the post over to Jessica:

I was so excited when Linda asked me to stop over and talk about the Canterwood Crest photo shoot that happened on Wednesday. I’m lucky, as an author, that I got to attend the shoot and was even luckier that I got to vlog and take photos this time. I interviewed each Canterwood model, talked to the stylists about what every girl needs in her wardrobe and took some candid shots of the girls relaxing in hair and makeup. So. Much. Fun. I’m dying to spill everything on my blog right now, but I want to save it and show it to everyone in bits and pieces.

It’s the third time I’ve met and worked with the models who play Sasha, Callie and Heather so it was like a Canterwood reunion. :) I see their faces when I write their characters, so it was good for me to see them and spend time hanging out. And there was a LOT of that going on since it was a solid 12+ hour day of work. I thought being a writer was hard some days—the CC models are rock stars! We added two new models to the group (one for a character we’ve yet to feature and one who is a fan fave) and they fit right into the mix and started working.

I love that I’m able to come to the shoots and that I’ve got the best team of people who are as invested as these books as I am.

The best moment of the shoot: laughing hysterically (it sounds mean, but it wasn’t, I swear!) when a horse nibbled on Editor Kate’s jacket and she almost had a coronary.

The worst moment of the shoot: getting up at 4:15am. Ugggh.

I can’t wait to see what our designer puts together with the covers. She’s a genius, seriously, and I know the final products are going to be fab.

You can read more about the photo shoot over on Jessica's blog, and check out the CANTERWOOD CREST books on the website. You can also follow her on twitter!

Jessica has generously offered a signed copy of TRIPLE FAULT for this week's freebie. To be entered to win, leave a comment below. Do you love horses? Do you ride? Have you ever wanted to ride? Have any horsey stories? Share them here!

This drawing will remain open until Wednesday, September 16.

FREEBIE FRIDAY with Jessica Burkhart

Happy Friday! Today we have a treat for all you horse lovers out there - tween author Jessica Burkhart is in the house!

But first, the winner of Jennifer Banash's IN TOO DEEP is:
Tetawa

Congratulations! Please send me a note with your mailing instructions to gerb @ lindagerber. com and we'll get that sent out to you.

Meanwhile, please join me in welcoming teenfictioncafe sister Jessica Burkhart to the blog! Jessica is the author of the Canterwood Crest series and an all-around nice person. Now, I don't know about you, but when I was a tween, I was obsessed with horses! When TAKE THE REINS came out, I instantly fell in love all over again. Better yet, I have a 12-year old daughter who devoured the book and is chomping at the bit (hehe) for the next book in the series, CHASING BLUE, which comes out next month. And look at these gorgeous covers! Love, love, love! (Yes, you know how much I adore Melissa Walker's Cover Stories feature... here's the Canterwood Crest cover story.)











If you have a tween in your life (or if you're like me and love great stories - especially when they feature drama and horses), you're going to want to pick up these books!

Now on to the interview:

What inspired you to write TAKE THE REINS?
I was a serious (read: obsessed) equestrian most of my life. When I was thirteen, I had a spinal fusion for severe scoliosis and I couldn’t ride after that. It felt as if I’d lost a giant part of me—it was devastating. So, I started freelancing and I ignored horses for six years. I couldn’t stand to think about them.

In November 2006, I decided to try NaNoWriMo. Great, except for the small problem that I had nooo ideas. And you kind of need one to write a book…

Then, an idea for a horse novel hit and I couldn’t shake it. I ignored the “don’t write about horses, it’ll be too painful” voices in my head and started the draft of TAKE THE REINS. It was a blast to write and I was so, so happy when I went back into Horse World. I’m never leaving again!

Are any of your characters based on real people that you know?
Only every single one! Sasha is—oops. Better not say! ;)

What excites you?
The future! I’m making big changes in my life this year and I’m sooo excited. Change is good!

What turns you off?
Laziness, literary snobs, intolerance and people who are mean to animals.

What's the biggest lie you ever told, and what happened as a result of the telling?
I lied to a friend and myself and said, “I’m okay!” when I wasn’t. By saying I was fine, I put myself in a bad situation for a few weeks. If I’d told the truth, I would have really been fine.

What's the most suspenseful thing that's happened to you in real life?
Oooh, I’d say the time I passed out while driving! I was driving through the mountains in Virginia (I think?) and I looked over the guardrail and fainted for a couple of seconds. I should have known better than to look because I’m scared of heights. Smart move! I got lucky that someone was in the passenger seat and that few cars were around us. I was able to pull over and switch seats. But it was scary!

If you could invite anyone you wanted - living or dead - to hang out with you at a weekend retreat, who would you invite and why?
Instead of taking someone I’d never met before (what if we totally don’t get along?!), I’d take my closest friend. We’d sip pretty pink drinks by a pool, have hot guys fan us with palm fronds, gossip and watch lots of bad TV. Oh, and we’d invite Johnny Depp too. We’d convince him to give us a Captain Jack impression. My friend, poor girl, just doesn’t understand the magic that is Captain Jack Sparrow. But I think she’d change her mind after an in-person Captain Jack impression. Don’t you think?

What's one thing most people don't know about you?
Hmmm…they probably don’t know that I’d never been in a Starbucks until January 2009. Yes, 2009! I remember blogging about this a long time ago and author-friend Alyson Novel was like, “What?! Are you kidding me?”

What's your favorite quote?
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” –Jack London

Milk Chocolate or Dark?
Dark! For sure. Mmm.

If you would like to be entered to win a signed copy of TAKE THE REINS and a way cool CANTERWOOD CREST postcard, leave a comment below and tell me about your love affair with horses or why you should win this book. This drawing will remain open until Tuesday, February 24.