My Invented Life Guest Post

Not long ago, I reviewed Lauren Bjorkman's latest young adult novel, Miss Fortune Cookie via Crossroad Reviews Blog Tours. Both Crossroad Reviews and I were so impressed with Lauren and her book that we wanted to help introduce the world to another masterpiece she wrote some time ago: My Invented Life. You'll find a guest post from Lauren Bjorkman after the book info and a giveaway!!

Book Description

Release Date: September 29, 2009

With Roz and Eva everything becomes a contest—who can snag the best role in the school play, have the cutest boyfriend, pull off the craziest prank. Still, they’re as close as sisters can be. Until Eva deletes Roz from her life like so much junk e-mail for no reason that Roz understands. Now Eva hangs out with the annoyingly petite cheerleaders, and Roz fantasizes about slipping bovine growth hormone into their Gatorade.
Roz has a suspicion about Eva. In turn, Eva taunts Roz with a dare, which leads to an act of total insanity. Drama geeks clamor for attention, Shakespearean insults fly, and Roz steals the show in Lauren Bjorkman’s hilarious debut novel.

Biography

I grew up on a sailboat, sharing the tiny forecastle with my sister and the sail bags. Against all odds, we are still friends. We started sailing in California and ended in Argentina. My favorite stops along the way were Costa Rica, Panama, Isla Providencia, Key West, the Azores, the Canary Islands, and Brazil.

During our voyages, my sister drew beautiful paper dolls for the both of us. We sewed amazing wardrobes for our stuffed animals. We became excellent swimmers and beach combers. We made up new lyrics for old songs. Canned food dominated our meals on crossings, so we really appreciated fresh fruit when we came into port. I dreamed of ice cream on the open ocean.

We kept up with school through a program called Calvert out of Maryland.

My dad read to us at night by the light of a kerosene lamp. Since then, I've always loved stories and wanted to write my own.

I live in Taos, New Mexico with my husband, and two sons. We often see coyotes outside our window.

For more, please visit my website at http://www.laurenbjorkman.com

Tour Date List

Jan 7th	Jan 8th	Jan 9th	Jan 10th	Jan 11th
Review @ Overflowing Bookshelves	Review @ Cherie Reads	Guest Post @ Doctor's Notes	Review @ Asha Butterflys	Review @ YA Book Addict
Review @ The Bookworm	Review @ Broad-Minded Books	Guest Post @ YA Reviews and News	Review @ SnifferWalk	Review @ Icy Cold Reads
Q and A @ 3Ps in a Pod	Review @ WTF Are You Reading?	Review @ Little Library Muse	Review @ Hey Wanna See My Indies?	Review @Crossroads
Review @JennRenee Read	Review @ So Many Books So Little Time	Review @ Coffee Beans Bookshelf	Excerpt @Andi's Book Reviews	Q and A @Andi's Book Reviews
Review @ The Cover Contessa	Excerpt @ A Dream Within A Dream	Giveaway @ Crossroads	Excerpt @Wanted Readers	Guest Post @Drugs Called Books

Please not that these prizes are for both this and Miss Fortune Cookie (toured in Dec.)

why i adore roz

 My Invented Life came out three years ago. Since then over a hundred readers have reviewed it online. Most reviewers loved it, but a few had trouble connecting with my main character, Roz, a high school junior, adoring little sister, and a drama queen. Roz drove certain readers crazy. Or she was crazy. Or both. I absolutely adore Roz, though. She is brave, outspoken, and takes risks. Her obnoxious sense of humor makes me laugh. Sadly, in read life, I spend excessive amounts of time worrying about everyone else’s feelings. Roz does not. She is my true alter ego. Lit Hacker said this about Roz: Roz is a total drama chick, in both senses of the word: she's a self-described drama geek AND due lack of tact and love of gossip she creates a lot of drama wherever she goes. At first I was annoyed at Roz's narration. She is one of those people who is constantly "on" ALL THE TIME which I can find exhausting in real life. But after a while, Roz grew on me as her big heart came out and she gained some self-awareness. By the end of the book, I wanted to be her friend! I hope other readers have LitHacker’s experience with Roz. I hope their positive feelings grow and grow until they outweigh their annoyance with her. Why? Because, like everyone else, I want to be loved despite my flaws.