High School Flashback - Author Jen Nadol

High School Flashback Tour is a fun week-long feature, with peeks at Young Adult authors as actual young adults! There will be four authors featured, each providing goodies for a great giveaway that five of you lucky ducks will win. Just leave a comment below and you'll be entered. (And be sure to visit all five blogs for more chances to win.)

Today I'm featuring Jen Nadol, author of The Mark (Bloomsbury). This was one of those "great idea" books—while reading it I just kept saying, "Why didn't I think of this? What a genius plot!" Seriously, people, this is a book you'll want! Total page-turner.

Now, shall we dig up some high school memories?

-- So, Jen, let's learn a bit about your high school years. What clique(s) were you part of in high school?  Cliques weren’t a big thing at my school.  It was really small and people didn’t divide up in the usual ways.  I hung out with cheerleaders, jocks, kids in College Bowl and on the bowling team, smokers and non-, people who wore pink, people who wore black…it was pretty random.

-- Please describe one outfit you absolutely LOVED but now that you look back on you cringe. Junior year I was really into wearing nylons with shorts in the winter.  Not sure where I picked that up, but it really didn’t look that good.

--If you could give your teen self one piece of advice, what would it be? Step a-waaayy from the hair salon.

Exhibit A:

Killer hair! I totally remember that hair do. I actually wanted it really badly but I had phorehead phobia and this particular style did not work with my Wall of Bangs. There's another great shot of Jen in High School here. I wish I could say I was shocked about the whole shorts over nylons in winter thing, but I am no stranger to that combo! We did that too, and I believe with all my heart that shorts over coffee colored nylons will never be cool again. Ever.

Obviously all that time in perm rollers did no lasting damage to Jen. Here's her great book:

When sixteen-year-old Cassie Renfield realizes the glow she’s always seen around certain people means death is imminent, she struggles to understand her “gift”.  How does the mark work?  Why is she the only one who sees it?  Most importantly, if you know today is someone’s last, should you tell them? Here's the Amazon link to read more.

Jen Nadol grew up in Reading, PA and has lived in Washington DC, Boston, NYC and now, in a 150 year-old farmhouse in Westchester County, NY with her husband and three young sons.

Check back tomorrow for a trip back to high school with Kay Cassidy. (Two words: Chevette Scooter.) For a choice 1984 photo of me, you can check out Christina's blog. Can you spot the macrame?

Christina's Blog   Kay's Blog   Jen's Blog   Kimberly's Blog