Monday, May 12, 2008

May we introduce you to...Jennifer Bradbury

We're very pleased to introduce you to Ms. Jennifer Bradbury, a YA author who's spinning onto the scene with her enthralling debut novel SHIFT.


Jennifer Bradbury used to teach high school English, now she is a stay at home mom who writes (mostly) during her two-year old daughter's naptime. She and her husband took a two month long bicycling trek from Charleston, South Carolina to Los Angeles, California for their honeymoon, changing more than fifty flat tires along the way.

SHIFT tells the story of what happens when Chris Collins returns home from a cross-country bike trek without his former best friend and riding partner, Win. As Chris deals with pressure from Win's father, a persistent investigator, the challenges of his first semester of college and his own concerns about Win, he recounts the trip in flashbacks. Ultimately, the story asks what it means to outgrow a best friend. Want a sneak peek? Click here.

Advanced praise for SHIFT:

"Bradbury's keen details about the bike trip, the places, the weather, the food, the camping, and the locals add wonderful texture to this exciting first novel, as Chris remembers the trip and returns to find what really happened. Best of all is the friendship story; many teens will recognize how even between close buddies, there's rivalry, anger, and heartbreak."
-Booklist, starred review

" Fresh, absorbing, compelling."
-Kirkus, starred review

"I found SHIFT to be an exceptional coming of age story about fathers and adolescent sons."
-Richie's Picks

"Though the element of mystery is always there, Shift is not a whodunit. Instead, it asks: Why did Win leave? Who is he, really? How well do we really know anyone?"
-Little Willow

" Making skillful use of flashbacks to tell the story, Bradbury does a terrific job of balancing details of the bicycle trek with development of the relationship between the friends (and their parents), and Chris's attempts to uncover/accept what really happened. Part road trip, part mystery, SHIFT is at all times compelling and thought-provoking."
-Greg Leitich Smith

Tune in tomorrow, as we have a more in-depth talk with this fascinating author and discover how she came to write SHIFT in India, why it's cool to be considered one of the guys and how she'd like to bring debutantes and mummies together.

10 comments:

Sarah Prineas said...

Happy book launch week, Jen!

Barrie said...

Enjoy your week on the blog, Jen! I can't wait to read Shift!

Tasha said...

Congratulations!! I LOVED Shift, it was amazing. I highly suggest everyone go grab a copy and devour it as you will not be dissapointed.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your debut, Jen! I loved Shift and hope that everyone checks it out.

Jessica Burkhart said...

Yay, Jen! Can't wait to read it! :)

PJ Hoover said...

Congratulations, Jen! Yay, SHIFT!

Lisa Schroeder said...

Yay - Congrats Jen! Your book is amazing! I know it's going to be a huge success!!

daphne grab said...

hooray for jen!! i'm so glad SHIFT is out in the world for everyone to enjoy!

Regina Scott said...

Congratulations, Jen! Enjoy the ride!

Little Willow said...

Happy release week, Jennifer!