If you’re reading this on Tuesday morning, it’s already too late. You have until 11:59PM EST Monday, September 5th to LIKE the MOST LIKED casting suggestion in the comments section of this FB post. Everyone who LIKES the MOST LIKED option will get the SECRET PASSWORD to the video made by would-be director Anna Christopher sharing her vision for SLOPPY FIRSTS on screen. I’ve seen it. It’s awesome. And with enthusiastic responses from readers like Sarah M. from Paterson, NJ, it could one day come to a theater near you:
“Jessica made it cool to be from New Jersey and she made it cool to be a smart, independent, strong woman. I hope you can feel (even just a small bit) the amazing positive impact you’ve had on me and so many girls, women, boys, men…everyone that’s ever picked up and read a chapter of your books.”
I do feel it, Sarah. I really do. Thank you and everyone.
Yes. You read that correctly. There is a SLOPPY FIRSTS movie in the works. And we’re celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the series with a contest that gives YOU a chance to view the exclusive video introduction to the director’s vision of SLOPPY FIRSTS on screen.
But before I give you those details…
I must first acknowledge the many amazing tributes I received for the Epic Giving Away of Rare and One-of-a-Kind Stuff. You all made me so MISTY. A small sample:
“SLOPPY FIRSTS was more than just the first book in the Jessica Darling series, it was an introduction to a world– though fictional–but was in every bit of sense real and true…. at least it will always be for me.”–Lianne J., Davao City, Philippines
“As I watched Jessica grow, mature, fall, fail, love, learn, cry, and dance, I saw my own life transcribed on the pages in front of me…Thanks for creating a character that kept me company through the years, that was the best inspiration a girl could have, because she was the me I wanted to be.”Kelly W.,You Can Read Me Anything
“This series will make you laugh, cry, smile, and then get angry, it will horrify you but you won’t be able to stop. Jessica Darling is everything you never wanted to admit you were and everything you wanted to be all at the same time. SLOPPY FIRSTS defined a generation, and will continue to aid High Schoolers for years to come. Jessica Darling will be the best friend of young [and old!] girls forever. I know she will always have a special place in my heart! Happy 10th Anniversary, Jessica Darling..you deserve it! And thanks for all the help growing up!”Beth R.,The Secrets In the Telling
SLOPPY FIRSTS is a word-of-mouth success story. Since it was first published in 2001, I’ve been so flattered to hear from readers who have found out about my book from a friend who gushed, “You have to read this!” Even better is when that reader says she’s compelled to spread the gospel of Jessica Darling to her friends until it seems like everyone has fallen madly in love with Marcus Flutie. Girls (and even a few guys) from all over the popularity spectrum see themselves in Jessica Darling because she’s both an insider and an outsider, a wry critic of (and reluctant participant in) high school traumas and dramas. It’s a great compliment that even now, ten years later, new readers are just discovering Pineville High. Y2K may be a distant memory, but young (and not so young) readers still relate to Jessica’s struggle to become the person she was always meant to be.
So thank you. Thank you all.
To commemorate the 10th Anniversary, I’d like you, the biggest supporters of my series, to share with me (and the world) what SLOPPY FIRSTS has meant to you. What form should your tribute take? That’s up to you. Write a heartfelt blog post about discovering SLOPPY FIRSTS in the bookstore. Make a video re-enacting the infamous “lip nip” with finger puppets. Compose a song incorporating one of Jessica’s many graphs, charts and lists. Create a line of SLOPPY FIRSTS inspired t-shirts. EXPRESS YOUR LOVE ANY WAY YOU WANT TO. Send me the link(s) to your awesome tributes via Twitter or my Facebook Page, tagged #sloppyfirsts10th. (If you are a nonparticipant in these social networks, you can always email me at megan@meganmccafferty.com.)
It’s my hope that your creative lovefest will inspire a whole new generation of readers to laugh, cry and cringe along with Jessica Darling. In return for your efforts, I’ll provide you with the opportunity to get special (even one-of-a-kind) SLOPPY FIRSTS swag. I’ll reward the THREE entries that best say to me, “WOW. These readers really, really love SLOPPY FIRSTS…Maybe even more than I do.”
Two Runners-Up will win autographed UNCORRECTED PROOFS of SLOPPY FIRSTS. These are the original Advanced Reader Copies that went out to reviewers in the Spring of 2001, months before the finished book was published. They are very rare indeed. Have fun playing SPOT THE ERROR as these UNCORRECTED PROOFS are filled with typos and other boo-boos that were fixed (um, mostly) in the final book.
“Intelligent, witty, and wry BUMPED has given teens the opportunity to learn about moral issues without being preached at, encouraging them to embrace abstinence or glorifying teenaged pregnancy. It speaks to the consequences of both while at the same time exploring the emotional trappings of love and marriage. It’s ingenious and entertaining and thought provoking enough to spark deep and meaningful conversation.” GalleySmith
Get in on the conversation today! Download this brilliant BUMPED Discussion Guide to encourage discussion and debate. (SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!)
BUMPED satirizes what happens when extreme thinking crowds out moderate approaches to social problems. I wrote it hoping to inspire readers to think about the parallels between futuristic fiction and real life…and it already has! But rather than take my word for it, I’ll let book bloggers speak for me:
“BUMPED was one heck of a hilarious book…This is satire done well…What McCafferty does is trust us to go with it and experience the absurdity right along with both the characters. She wants us as readers to draw upon our knowledge and experience of future and dystopian worlds and see what it’s like when every single one of them collides…It’s insane. It’s hilarious. It’s spot on. And in this strange way, it works so well.” Stacked
“BUMPED is a highly intelligent novel that takes a close psychological look at a culture of extremes, vividly illustrating the dangers of going too far in either direction…BUMPED will make readers uncomfortable, and it will make them think. McCafferty isn’t afraid to take risks, and the result is something truly indescribable. Readers may love it or hate it, but they’ll certainly never forget it.” The Bookish Type
“BUMPED is bothersome and intentionally uncomfortable, the disturbing nature of its society presented in a lighter way due to the aforementioned humor but all the more unnerving as a result of this approach…It’s a book that will certainly inspire a wealth of differing opinions, ensuring that it will never be placed on a shelf and forgotten but will rather slither into our subconscious long after we’ve read it, raising new questions and eliciting new emotions with each remembrance.” Supernatural Snark
“This book is intense. Really intense. After seeing a lot of reviews I thought I knew what to expect from Bumped. But honestly, nothing can prepare you for a story like this. Its shocking. Its exciting. Its frustrating. Its REALLY frustating. But most of all BUMPED is the kind of story that sticks with you and makes you question the life that you live…Whether you love it, or hate it there is no question that you will remember BUMPED.” That Hapa Chick
“I think that a lot of people will either love or hate this book. It deals subtly and not so subtly with issues that push people’s buttons…There will be shouts of ‘This book supports teen pregnancy!’ but if you have a brain at all you will clearly see that it does the exact opposite. I ask that you read this book and see for yourself which side you will fall on…Even if you dislike it I guarantee that it will be unlike any book you have ever read before and it will definitely give you some things to think about.” Pure Imagination
“BUMPED is a fantastic dystopian novel that will stand out from the many others that are being released this year. It tackles controversial issues with wit and humor, but still manages the reader to think, What if? BUMPED is definitely my new favorite series and I am counting down the days for the next book.” Muggle-Born.net
“I thought about Bumped long after I finished reading it. I talked about the book to several people, who are now anxiously awaiting it’s April 26th release date. I will say, however, that the book is not for everyone. It might be one that people either love or hate, but it is undeniable that it will be talked about for a very long time. There are several themes that will spark great discussion such as the media’s hypocritical viewpoints of sexuality, in particular teen sexuality, pregnancy, the increasingly blurry lines of where reality and celebrity meet and end. It also touches upon our crazy need to design the perfect person, inject ourselves with medicine to take away/mask our flaws and humanity. All of these issues are current in our society, which is what makes a book like Bumped so important because it makes us feel uncomfortable and forces us to think about things that we would like to push in the back our minds.” Books in the Spotlight
So…what will YOU think of BUMPED? (Of course, I hope you love it.) Get in on the debate April 26th.
P.S. I’ll be thanking readers who purchase BUMPED in its first week on sale with autographed swag. Details to come!
With just two weeks until the April 26th publication of BUMPED (but what are official publication days in a world where you can pre-order at any time?) these book bloggers are making me more excited than ever to share it with you all:
“BUMPED doesn’t just color outside the lines a little bit; it paints its picture in 3D…It is a must read for every teenager entering high school and for anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t fit in.” Sera Rivers
“This was a fantastic book. I’ve been completely burned out on YA lately, especially YA dystopia, but I decided to make an exception for BUMPED. I’m so glad I did. McCafferty took an idea that is frowned upon in our society (teen pregnancy) and made a world that treats it like its salvation. It shows just how strongly circumstance is attached to our ideas of right and wrong.” The Zen Leaf
“I love that Megan takes on the hot-button issues, injects some sarcasm and humor, and still manages to make her reader think, and I mean really think, about the issues at hand…This may be a classic case of a book that is so perfect for YA readers that many adult gatekeepers think it is too much for them. McCafferty does a fantastic job and I highly recommend BUMPED.” The Reading Zone
“The world of BUMPED is cleverly drawn and realistic, and what I loved best about the book was the scary way in which I could really see this happening. As a sensible-minded woman living in 2011, I can’t say that parts of the story didn’t horrify me — but I think that was the point…It’s slightly deranged and creepy, sure, but also somehow . . . plausible. And fascinating. And addictive. That’s what made it work.” Write Meg!
“It’s interesting, fresh, and plays brilliantly on the growing dystopia trend. It takes real problems that we have now and twists them into something grotesque that captivates us so completely that we can’t look away. I cannot wait to read the next in the series and I can only imagine that it will be even better than this.” The Lady Critic’s Library
“Fundamentally, BUMPED isn’t about capitalism or cults – it’s about the abuses that take place when the youngest and most vulnerable members of society have all vestige of choice stripped from them and instead the older and the upper-class decide how to best use them as human commodities sacrificed to ideology and greed.” Ana Mardoll’s Ramblings
“Reminiscent of Atwood’s THE HANDMAID’S TALE, BUMPED is a fast-paced dystopian novel that distills issues of love, friendship, faith, loyalty, and family to their essence. McCafferty blends drama and humor effortlessly, populating a disconcerting world with refreshingly complicated characters. A cliffhanger ending will have readers clamoring for the sequel.” Points West
P.S. If you’re in the New Jersey area, I’ve got events at Barnes & Noble in Princeton (Marketfair) on 4/26 at @7PM and at Barnes & Noble in Brick on 5/4 @7PM. I hope to see many of you there! (And for those who can’t get my autograph in person, I’ll announce an opportunity to get signed swag very soon…)
BUMPED goes on sale three weeks from today (April 26th! Need I parenthetically remind you that you can always pre-order it now?) but for several weeks running it was the number one most requested title on NetGalley. I’m thrilled by the enthusiastic responses from book bloggers who are under no obligation whatsoever to say such amazing things about it:
“I loved the word choice, the scene construction, the cast of characters, the themes…everything just came together into a damn near perfect reading experience.” (5 out of 5 Zombie Chickens)Presenting Lenore
“Bumped is a richly developed book with layer upon layer of meaning, peppered with humour about a ridiculous world that McCafferty herself is not afraid to mock. A book that deals with the issue of teen pregnancy in a way that I don’t think I could ever forget. If I had to choose one author to read for the rest of my life, right now, right this second, I would pick her. And probably if you asked me again next week, my answer would be the same.”The Crooked ShelfContinue reading Book Bloggers Love BUMPED→
Those who follow me on Twitter or have friended me on Facebook might recall that my brother asked me to put together a list of My Top 40 Favorite Songs of All Time. That he asked me while I was under major deadline pressure to finish the first draft of the sequel to BUMPED should have deterred me from this undertaking..but it did not.
Actually, what really should have deterred me from completing this project is my taste in music. Let’s put it this way: With this list, I’m not looking to impress anyone with my coolness. Roughly 25 songs came to me right away. They were locked in. The other 15 spots shifted constantly as I listened to potential selections over and over again and asked myself, “Am I sick of this song yet?” I made a rule that I wouldn’t let any artist have more than two songs, otherwise this list would probably be limited to The Beatles, REM, Morrissey and Andy Gibb. (Though if I include his back-up vocals on another track, none other than Phil Collins actually appears on this list three times. PHIL FREAKING COLLINS, people.) After some musical soul searching, I opted to include a Band of Horses cover by Cee-Lo that I only just heard for the first time a few months ago but instantly became the kind of song I could listen to a dozen times on repeat and still want to hear it again. (Though I did not extend the same courtesy to LCD Soundsystem or Girl Talk, both artists I’ve loved for a few years now but on a whole album kind of level.)
I am under no illusions that these are the 40 best songs of all time. There might be one or two or a dozen songs on this list that some critics might dismiss as heinous affronts to the auditory canal. For whatever reason—be it nostalgia, awesome singalongability or a deep appreciation for falsetto over a disco beat—this is my Top 40. (As arranged alphabetically by iTunes.) Continue reading These Songs Just Want to Be My Everything→
If you’re reading this on Tuesday morning, it’s already too late. You have until 11:59PM EST Monday, September 5th to LIKE the MOST LIKED casting suggestion in the comments section of this FB post. Everyone who LIKES the MOST LIKED option will get the SECRET PASSWORD to the video made by would-be director Anna Christopher sharing her vision for SLOPPY FIRSTS on screen. I’ve seen it. It’s awesome. And with enthusiastic responses from readers like Sarah M. from Paterson, NJ, it could one day come to a theater near you:
