ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jen Naumann grew up in southern Minnesota as an addict of such flicks as Indiana Jones and The Goonies until she discovered John Hughes, and spent her high school days locked away writing love stories with a sci-fi twist. Married to a farmer in southern Minnesota, she tries to follow the madness of her four active children while balancing an imagination that never shuts down. As the author of CHEATING DEATH, SHYMERS, AND PARANORMAL KEEPERS, she writes stories with strong female leads who have a good sense of humor and tend to fall in love despite their better judgment.
Did
you always want to be an author?
Pretty
much, yes. I remember in 3rd grade writing a story about My Little Ponies and
declaring I would grow up to be a writer. I stuck to my guns and wrote dozens
of novels up until college, when I felt overwhelmed in declaring a major. Then
I started a family and the writing thing got lost until recently when someone
in my family had a major medical issue, and I realized life was too short not
to go after what I love. So I was in my 30s before it finally became a reality.
What
drew you to the YA genre?
Growing
up in the 80s I was obsessed with John Hughes and Stephen Spielberg films, and
wrote a ton of fan fiction based on their movies (I just realized a few years
ago what I was doing was actually called “fan fiction”). I tried to write an
“adult” book after high school, but was still mesmerized by the magical feeling
of the teen movies I loved growing up. Preparing to go off on your own into
adulthood is such an exciting time! I often think being an adult is boring, and
miss the energy of being young, awaiting new challenges with bright eyes.
Are
there any books and stories that have influenced or stuck with you from your
childhood or young-adulthood?
I
don’t think my parents were aware at the time, but I started reading Stephen
King in 5th grade and was pretty much obsessed with his work by high school.
I’ve always liked the idea of being scared, and using my imagination to explore
what would happen if monsters were real. While I don’t feel I’ve actually dove
into the horror genre quite yet, it’s still something I hope to do one day. I'm
just not sure I could do it justice.
Do
you have any other works published and how do they compare genre/style wise
with your current work?
I’ve
just completed my 8th book for publication. While all of my YA books deal with
some sort of paranormal element, What I’ve Done and Shymers (a dystopian story)
are both told by girls who are a bit more gentle, and naive to the world around
them. Cheating Death is about a popular girl who makes bad decisions, and deals
with some pretty dark subjects. The heroine in Mind Static is confident with a
little attitude, giving the story a fun and lighter feel. My favorite YA so far
is Paranormal Keepers in which the girl is smart, good humored, and brave. My
8th book, Adam’s List, is my debut as a NA contemporary romance author (for
readers 18+) under the pen name Jennifer Ann, and is set to release June 17th.
Do
you have any current writing projects? Can you tell us a bit about them?
Although
there are at least five other projects I’d rather be working on, I just started
the sequel to my most popular book, Shymers. Since I left readers with a big
cliffhanger, I’ve felt a tremendous amount of pressure with the second book and
kept putting it off. I finally decided I owe it to my fans to finish Olive and
Harrison’s story. As with my zombie series, it will most likely become nothing
more than a two-part series, although I’ll never rule out more books in the
future if I feel like adding to it. It’s just that my ADD won’t allow me to
focus on one project for very long. I’m also hoping to get a sequel to my NA
romance novel out by the end of the year.
MIND STATIC
Mind Static by Jen Naumann
Publication date: August 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Barnes and Noble
Synopsis:
Keyanna Sanders is about to get everything she could ever wish for on her 18th birthday: a hot guy who’s really into her, the sports car she’s always dreamed of owning, and the party of a lifetime that no one will forget any time soon.
But before long, she’ll understand these wishes are more than a coincidence, and that they come at a steep price. Keyanna is more than just an average high school senior, her best friend is more than the innocent boy next door, and her sudden good fortune isn’t just by chance. When her estranged father suddenly re-enters her life, she’ll have to decide who to trust, and whether or not the man she loves has become the enemy.
Excerpt:
The
smell of burning leaves mixed with the usual stench of the big city drifts
through the cooler air when I step outside. Nestled on the edge of residential
homes, our school starts just blocks from where chain businesses like tanning
salons and women’s boutiques begin. The large oak trees lining the busy street
have just begun to turn a bright orange, bringing color to the otherwise dull
grassy courtyard. I’ve always loved this time of year, although it may just be
because of my birthday.
Nora waits for me in the half-full
parking lot, leaning against the BMW with her arms crossed. Although it’s
halfway mild for a Minnesota fall, she almost looks ridiculous in a miniskirt
short enough to fail the school’s somewhat loose dress code. The skinny jeans
and knee-high boots I wear are more my style. I’m thankful for them when a cool
wind throws strands of wet hair across my face.
When I’m a few strides away, Nora scowls.
“Took you long enough. Didn’t you have to come outside for the fire drill? And
why are you wet?”
“It was no drill.” I walk around to open
the passenger’s door, wringing out my hair in the process. “It was the real
deal. There was an actual fire in my class.”
With her eyes wide, Nora opens her own
door and slides in next to me. “What do you mean? Did you have something to do
with it? I always knew you had a dark side to you, but pyromania is taking it a
bit far.”
I shut my door. “I didn’t start it.” Then
I stop a minute and add, “Well, not technically.”
“What in the hell is that supposed to
mean?” Nora sighs dramatically when shutting her own door. “Either you started
it, or you didn’t.”
“You know that thing that happened in
chem earlier? It happened again. I wished the new guy would come over and talk
to me—”
Her jaw drops, and she punches my
shoulder. Hard. “You totally hooked up with him!”
Rubbing my tender shoulder, I frown.
“Right. We did it right in the middle of communications class with everyone
watching. It was magical.”
“That’s never stopped me before.” A smug
smile crosses her lips, as if she would really do such a thing.
I click on my seatbelt, giving her a
sideway sneer. “Yeah well I’m not like you. I have boundaries and a little
thing I like to call morals.”
“Yeah, well, you’re just jealous.” She
pulls down the visor to check herself out in the mirror. “You should totally
try it some time.”
“Are you going to let me finish?” I cross
my arms.
Nora waves her hand in a whatever motion
before flipping the visor back and starting the car. “Talk fast, because we
have a lot to do before the party.”
Just the mention of the party brings
butterflies to my stomach. The feeling that this night will get out of control
has multiplied throughout the day. “Anyway, Lock came over and—”
Mid-backing out of the stall, Nora slams
on the breaks and we both jolt in our seats. “Wait! His name is Lock? What kind
of name is that? Lock and Key? Are you jerking my chain?” She begins to giggle
manically.
“I think it’s British or something.
Seriously, Nor. You’re killing me here.”
She stops giggling and squints, her lips
pushed out. “What? I can’t ask any questions?”
“Not until I’m done. Are you going to let
me talk now?”
A few cars honk at us. It’s no
wonder—we’re sitting at an angle in the middle of the parking lot. Nora rolls
down the window to flash them her middle finger before driving forward.
“You’re right. That hand signal was
totally called for, ‘cause they’re the idiot,” I mumble.
“I thought you were so eager to talk to
me about something,” Nora volleys back.
“I’m trying to tell you that there are
way too many strange things happening to me today. Whenever I wish for
something, it happens. I don’t know if I’m going crazy, or if maybe there
really is some kind of birthday fairy, but something is going on and it’s
really starting to freak me out!”
Nora raises her hand. “Can I say
something now?”
I huff, waving my hand at her. “Go
ahead.”
“This totally sucks. Why hasn’t anyone
told us about this magical eighteenth birthday fairy thing before? Is it like
some secret adults are sworn to keep or what?” She bursts out in an evil laugh,
and slaps my arm. “Really? You think there’s more to this than just dumb luck?”
“You’re saying you don’t believe me?” It
suddenly strikes me how completely ludicrous this whole conversation sounds. Birthday
fairy? Magic? Yet there has got to be some kind of reasoning behind all of it.
“Fine, we’ll test it out some more. See if my ‘wishes’ are really coming true.”
Nora pulls alongside a semi on the
highway. After a beat her face lights up, and she claps her hands together with
a squeal. “I know!”
“Hands!” I yell, reaching for the
steering wheel.
She casually takes the wheel back. “You
should totally wish for the Imagine Dragons or some other awesome band to show
up for your party! It would be so epic!”
Although the thought of Dan Reynolds
showing up to wish me a happy birthday in person is so appealing I could die,
somehow I think my “wishes” have all been of coincidence or just “dumb luck” as
Nora suggested. “That seems a bit ambitious. Maybe I could wish for the most
epic party to end all parties, only we don’t get caught and no one steals
anything of value.”
Nora snorts, slapping the wheel as if
taking her aggression out on the car instead of me for once. “You are so lame!
That’s seriously what you’re going to wish for? What if you only have one
more?”
“I
haven’t done this before!” I throw my hands up to the roof. “I don’t know how
it works! What if I only had a few and I’ve already used them up?”
The whites of Nora’s orbs expand. “You
mean like a genie with the three wishes and shit?” She laughs in more of a
cackle, taking in gulping breaths until her face turns red. “You’re totally
making yourself believe in this crap, aren’t you?”
“Do you have a better explanation for
what’s going on?”
“Fine. I won’t laugh at you if you can
prove this is really happening. But you have to come up with a really good
wish. Something that we can see actual proof of. Something that would never
happen to you, like a guy getting down on one knee and asking you out on a date
or something.”
I cross my arms. “Remind me again why
we’re friends?”
“Because you love me.” Her dark lashes
flutter as she flashes a toothy smile.
Grumbling, I tap my fingers on my knees.
“Okay, fine. A good, plausible wish...hmmm...”
“Just make sure it’s not dumb. Wish for
something really good, like—”
Looking back at her, I yell, “Nor! Shut
up!”
The car becomes silent. Nora glances
between me and the road with her mouth held in a tight line. I groan loudly,
knowing she’s a good one for giving the silent treatment when I piss her off.
“I’m sorry!” I say. “You just never let me think.”
She shakes her head wildly, her eyes the
size of saucers.
“I said I’m sorry.” I huff deeply.
“What’s your problem?”
She continues shaking her head, her
expression filled with alarm. Panic, even. For a minute I worry she’s going to
either be sick or she’s having an adolescent heart attack.
I grab her arm. “Nor, are you okay?” Just
like that, it hits me. I totally made her shut up! I gasp. Even though I’ll
admit I get a little fangirlish about Harry Potter, I’m not an idiot. I know
magic is not real. But how do you explain this?
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