3xA MA: Jessica Verdi

I feel like authors deserve so much from the readers. I believe that authors are people who really connect with us. It was actually an author who I "sorta" owe my life to. Authors and their words make us feel and they can help us.
In this event, I want to get to know the authors. I’d like to get interviews or blog posts about THEM in connection to their book. Who is the mind behind each author?

For each post, I leave links to connect with the author. Please take the time to use one of those links and leave a message for each author, if you can. It can be towards the book or it can be something as easy as “I love the post you wrote on Out of Time! <33”

When I asked Jessica for a blog post, I am very happy to see that it's about music. Whether people realize it or not, music is so influential on the way we think, feel or act. It's crazy how we can connect to music and how it really does wonders on building in the story.

The Music in The Story - With Jessica Verdi

Whenever I start a new project, I choose a theme song for the book. Sometimes it's the lyrics that remind me of the story I'm attempting to tell, and sometimes the song simply conveys the mood I'm trying to capture. Other times there's no specific reason I chose the song, apart from the fact that it's beautiful and makes me feel inspired. Sometimes it's a mix of all three. 

For The Summer I Wasn't Me, the theme song was the very first thing I had, even before I had a premise or a character. The song was Lady Gaga's "Hair," and I found it so profoundly inspiring that it actually pushed me to write the book. Here's Gaga performing the hauntingly beautiful acoustic version of her song on the Howard

The chorus of the song goes, "I just want to be myself and I want you to love me for who I am." I thought about how this is such a universal feeling, and something that everyone, at some point in their lives, regardless of their situation, probably feels.

And that got me thinking -- what about the teens who aren't loved for who they are, but desperately want to be? In most states today it is still legal for community leaders, religious organizations, and mental health "professionals" to practice "reparative therapy" on youths -- a process that they claim will turn gay people straight (though most of us know better). Parents send their children to these programs because they believe there is something wrong with their kids, something that needs to be fixed.

Thinking about the kids who experience this kind of conditional "love" from their parents breaks my heart, and I knew it was something I wanted to explore in my book. Suddenly Lexi's world started coming to life for me, and I have Lady Gaga to thank for it! :)

I actually love Lady Gaga, despite the way she may have shown herself in the past. Her music is fun to listen to and I can always find a song that I relate to. She's definitely someone who makes me feel good about myself.

Enter the giveaway below! Thanks for checking out my blog and remember:  
Be kind to one another. - Ellen 

For more giveaways (because these giveaways really rock) and awesome author posts, be sure to check out the opening post with the schedule of authors so far and links! Click here for the opening post and if you're awesome.

Author Info

Jessica's Facebook | Goodreads | Goodreads for her Book | Twitter | Website |

Jessica Verdi lives in Brooklyn, NY and received her MFA in Writing for Children from The New School. Her favorite pastimes include singing showtunes at the top of her lungs (much to her husband’s chagrin), watching cheesy TV, and scoring awesome non-leather shoes in a size 5. She’s still trying to figure out a way to put her uncanny ability to remember both song lyrics and the intricacies of vampire lore to good use.

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