Interview: Anna Godbersen

Quick! Describe Bright Young Things in 7 words or less!  

Innocence, experience, sin, gin and friendship.  

What inspired you to write about the Jazz Age?  

I had just written four books set in the uptight Gilded Age, so I wanted to write about a time that was really wild and anything-goes. Plus, I think our culture is perpetually fascinated with Gatsby-era tragic romance, and I wanted to take a crack at all that myself. 

Any teaser lines for Bright Young Things that you can share? 

“Cordelia’s eyes were wild, and there was so much electricity in every corner of her head and heart—she was too alive with awake dreams to try to have any of the other variety. She wanted to see the sun coming up in another state, and everything else the world had been holding just out of reach.”  

What do you absolutely need in order to write a novel (example: caffeine, music, et cetera)? 

A comfy sweater and a dreary day. (Okay, obviously ‘need’ is strong re: the dreary day, but it does help!)   

If you could spend a day in any time and place in the past, when and where would you choose & why? 

I don’t have any particular historical episode I’d want to drop in on, but I wouldn’t mind sitting on the beach on some sunshiny day in the mid-1920s French Riviera, where F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald lived for a while, along with their sometime friends and foils Gerald and Sara Murphy, who were fantastical bohemian hosts to the big names of their day (Picasso, etc).  

Thanks so much to Anna, and to The Teen {Book} Scene for setting up the tour! Want to know the next stops? Click here! 

Bright Young Things is in stores now (and I highly recommend it)! 

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Bright Young Things
by Anna Godbersen
Release: October 12th, 2010
Pages: 400 (hardcover)
Source: Bought
Summary:

The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties. 

Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star… 

Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes....read more at Goodreads. 

Thoughts: Just as addictive as the Luxe series, Godbersen does not disappoint with Bright Young Things.

After an intriguing and mysterious first-person prologue, the narration switches to third person and follows Cordelia, Letty, and Astrid: The girls of 1929. Letty, the sweet and slightly timid yet talented girl trying to make it in a big city. Cordelia, confidant at any cost, is attempting to fit into her new life. And then there's Astrid, sassy and a bit impulsive, who calls everyone "darling" and will have you wrapped around her finger in moments.

Each girl different and unique in her own way, and I always found it easy to be interested in each of their stories. Even when one of them was about to do something foolish, I still cared about them and hoped for the best. Some the young men of Bright Young Things could use a bit more page-time, but they each manage to stand out in their own ways.

The description is wonderful and the city comes to life with every turn of the page. From lavish parties to breathtaking views of the city to sweet romantic moments, each is described perfectly to the point where it's easy to feel as if you were right beside the characters. There's mystery, romance, secrets, drama, and by the breathtaking end you'll be wishing for the second installment.

Highlights: Godbersen knows how to write in such a way that leaves the reader incapable of setting her novels aside. The pages fly by quickly and the writing flows effortlessly. I can never get enough of her books, they always manage to completely and utterly captivate me from the cover to the very last page.

Lowlights: A few times where the pace slowed (it may bother some readers, but I enjoyed it nevertheless).

Rating: 5 out of 5

Waiting On Wednesday (two picks!)

Book: Enchanted Ivy

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Release: October 12, 2010

Summary: 

What Lily Carter wants most in the world is to attend Princeton University just like her grandfather. When she finally visits the campus, Grandpa surprises her: She has been selected to take the top-secret Legacy Test. Passing means automatic acceptance to Princeton. Sweet!

Lily's test is to find the Ivy Key. But what is she looking for? Where does she start? As she searches, Lily is joined by Tye, a cute college boy with orange and black hair who says he's her guard. That's weird. But things get seriously strange when a gargoyle talks to her. He tells her that there are two Princetons—the ordinary one and a magical one—and the Key opens the gate between them. But there are more secrets that surround Lily. Worse secrets.

When Lily enters the magical Princeton, she uncovers old betrayals and new dangers, and a chance at her dream becomes a fight for her life. Soon Lily is caught in a power struggle between two worlds, with her family at its center. In a place where Knights slay monsters, boys are were-tigers, and dragons might be out for blood, Lily will need all of her ingenuity and courage—and a little magic—to unite the worlds and unlock the secrets of her past and her future.

Love the cover and summary!! This one sounds incredible,

Book: Bright Young Things

Author: Anna Godberson

Release: October 12, 2010

Summary: 

Bright Young Things is the first in an epic four-book series about three teenage girls finding their way in the glittering metropolis of New York City and the glamorous mansions of Long Island. It’s 1929 and Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey have escaped their small Midwestern town to chase big dreams and even bigger secrets. In New York, they meet Astrid Donal, a flapper who has everything she could ever want, except for the one thing Letty and Cordelia have to offer—true friendship. Set in the dizzying summer before the market crash, against the vast lawns of the East End and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls will find romance, intrigue, and adventure. 

How can I not be excited for this one? Godberson's Luxe series was so addictive!

AND as a side note, Denise Jaden's trailer for Losing Faith just premiered at The Contemps website, so go check it out! I love the music for it :)

What are you all waiting on?