BOOKS

Author Crush Friday: Jodie Andrefski

Glitter girls, you have pressing questions for your favorite authors and we have their answers. Welcome to our  weekly segment, Author Crush Fridays.

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We love asking questions and we love the answers from some of our favorite authors. Today we’re talking to Jodie Andrefski, author of  The Society (May 3, 2016; Entangled Teen).  Thank you for talking to us today, Jodie! We’re honored!

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GLITTER: How would you describe The Society to a new reader?

JODIE: First, thanks so much for having me on your blog, I’m so happy to be here! I’d describe The Society to a new reader kind of as Mean Girls meets Gossip Girl.

There are two girls (Sam and Jessica) who attend an elite private school and who used to be best friends until their friendship was ripped apart due to family issues. After that, Jessica was absolutely horrible to Sam, and from there, cue all the drama that you can imagine would ensue as a result. When Sam decides she’s had enough of Jessica’s bullying, she comes up with a plan to take Jessica down by using the school’s secret society against her. In Sam’s case, she was pushed to her limits after years of bullying, and we see the fine line between a victim of bullying and becoming a bully herself. Throughout the story, Sam had to decide how far she was willing to go to get revenge, and what was she willing to give up to get back at Jessica. She has to answer the questions of if she willing to give up her best friend, the possibility of love, and most importantly, herself.

 

GLITTER: What three words would you use to describe this novel?

JODIE: Revenge gone wrong.

 

GLITTER: Is The Society a social commentary on how the school systems operate now?

JODIE: I wouldn’t describe it as a social commentary of how our school systems operate now exactly. I think it is more a peek behind the curtain of what is actually going on every single day in the lives of teens at schools. Bullying exists everywhere….even when schools hang signs about being a “Bully-Free Zone” it is still happening. Kids are hurting other kids—physically, verbally, and emotionally. I know sometimes people read books or see movies that deal with bullying and they might respond with questions like “Well why didn’t the school do anything? This is unrealistic, kids don’t act this cruelly.” The fact is kids do act that cruelly, and it is sad and horrible. And teachers don’t always see it, or maybe some do and don’t step in…though I hope that’s not the case. I believe the vast majority of our teachers truly care about their students and want to help them. But it’s like a rising tide swelling all around them.

We need to bring awareness to the reality of bullying in all of its forms, and let those being bullied know that they are not alone, and to speak up. And to encourage those who see it happening to step up and speak up for the victim. Silence is not helping. Be a friend to someone you see being bullied or excluded. As a society, we need to stop accepting the “kids will be kids” attitude, and stand up and be the change. Our kids are hurting, they are suffering from alarming rates of depression, self-harm, and suicide as a result of bullying. We can’t keep quiet any longer.

In The Society, Sam went from the victim of a bully to a bully herself after years of torment. There will be times kids will have a very real breaking point. That does not mean it is okay for anyone to act out and harm others because they’ve been bullied, I’m not saying that at all. But it’s something we have to look at—we have to acknowledge bullying is still a very real issue and it can go full circle. Sometimes people think if they don’t see a person being hit or kicked or physically injured that it’s not happening, and that’s not true. Teens (like some adults) can act irrationally without thinking things through, or thinking of the consequences. Schools are not the only ones responsible to help bring change. Parents need to talk to their kids—really talk about bullying. Teens need to be willing to talk about it and stand up for each other and what they know is right.

 

GLITTER: Did you always want to be an author? Did you ever feel like giving up? Did you receive rejection letters in the beginning? How did you get over them?

JODIE: I didn’t always know that I wanted to be an author. I’ve always loved to read, and would spend hours with my nose in a book for as far back as I can remember. It was probably about eight years ago that the idea of writing a book first came to me. There were many, many times I felt like giving up. When the words wouldn’t come, or when I’d compare myself to other writers out there, or when I’d receive rejection after rejection. That’s really hard. But I knew I had stories I wanted to tell, so I kept pushing through the doubts and discouragement and kept writing.

 

GLITTER: How much research went into writing The Society?

JODIE: There was some research for The Society. I researched a men’s penitentiary to be able to get that scene right when Sam goes to visit her father. I also researched a type of plant that could hurt someone without killing them, and that would be easily accessible to someone living in New York. I researched to come up with the name of their school’s secret society as well. I also researched Sam’s Aunt Loretta’s illness, so that would be realistic. A few other things…but this book didn’t take a ton of research, to be honest.

 

GLITTER: What book are you currently reading?

JODIE: The Crown by Keira Cass

 

GLITTER: What are you working on next? 

JODIE: I am actually working on two new YA books. The first is a fun summer romance about Laney, a seventeen-year-old girl who takes off with her two best friends to compete in a twenty-one day contest similar to “The Amazing Race” to try to win money for college. Along the way, they bump into two guys, Chance and Max, who are also competing. Plenty of mishaps ensue throughout the trip as the girls at first suspect the guys are trying to sabotage them, then come to need their help several times. At first, Laney can’t stand Chance, but the closer they get to the finish line, she wonders if the real prize is the check she could win…or Chance’s heart.

The other novel I’m working on is a YA science-fiction about Sky, a sixteen-year-old girl who begins to dream about people and places she’s never seen before. Shortly after that, she finds herself actually waking in the body of someone who looks just like her, someone living a life she knows nothing about for bursts of time before she returns to her real body. No one believes Sky when she tries to tell them what’s going on. These jumps begin to happen more frequently so Sky searches to find answers to understand what is happening to her. She finds clues that lead her to believe that that she’s not the only one this is happening to and that she, as well the other jumpers may be in danger. Sky has to figure out what’s going on, before the people around her decide she’s crazy and lock her up for good, leaving room for those who masterminded the genetic experiment to finish their plan, regardless of the cost.

 

jodie andrefski

Jodie Andrefski has been passionate about reading ever since she was a little girl, when she used to climb trees to escape with a favorite book. She lives and writes in a small town in Pennsylvania with her teenage daughter, and has an older son who is out and about on his own. Though still an avid reader, she now prefers a comfy chair over the crook of a tree. An unapologetic coffee fiend, she’s even happier if her java comes with pie.

Andrefski often draws on her background in education and mental health counseling to bring real world experience to her writing. She is a firm believer in the magic of a first kiss, and insists that you should never, ever give up on your dreams. #AlwaysKeepFighting

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