How to use this Page

Jen Echols is not only a fantabulous writer, but she also oversees the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies blog (www.simonpulseromanticcomedies.blogspot.com), which means that she will always get my vote. She rocks! Here's what she had to say on the subjects of popularity, voting, and etc:

1) What's the most outrageous/silliest/weirdest thing you've ever done for the sake of popularity?

When I was drum major of my high school marching band (the student who stands in front of the band at football games and directs the music), I fell down the stairs at my house (well, okay, one stair--that's all it takes for me) and strained a ligament in my ankle badly enough that the doctor had to put me in a cast. The band was performing at a football game that night. This was my junior year, and drum majors were elected by the band. I was deathly afraid if the band thought I was being a princess, oh-oh-oh-I-hurt-my-ankle-I-can't-march, they wouldn't re-elect me drum major for my senior year.

So, I insisted the doctor put me in a cast I could walk in. I insisted the band director find me some band pants to replace my drum major skirt and cover up the cast. And I marched that night in excruciating pain. Two trombones had to pick me up and put me on the podium because I couldn't climb the stairs. It was all very melodramatic and Kerri Strug.

I did get re-elected, but I'm pretty sure now that if I'd missed that night as drum major and the band director had to do my job for me, nobody would have remembered later, or blamed me for falling down the stair.

My ankle still hurts though.

2) Do you have any horror stories (or sweeping success stories) about participating in student government back when you were in school?

We had the coolest teacher and student government sponsor who was all about student liberation. He HATED the principal. He tried to get the student government more power and more say in what went on at the school. When the principal absolutely refused to budge on anything, the teacher insisted that we re-name ourselves a student council instead of a student government, because we obviously weren't governing anything. At the end of the year he was fired and/or quit. I have no idea what happened to him after that, but I hope he went on to stir things up at high schools all across Alabama. He remains one of my favorite teachers ever.

3) What's the most unexpected cause you ever found yourself lobbying behind?

Free speech, and I mean for anybody. I am all about the ACLU, even though some of the people they support are reprehensible. It's not about the message, it's about the right of anyone to express it.

Jennifer Echols is the author of two Pulse Romantic Comedies available now: MAJOR CRUSH and THE BOYS NEXT DOOR. Her next romantic comedy, THE EX-GAMES, will be out in October 2009, and her romantic drama GOING TOO FAR will be published by MTV Books in March 2009. Please visit her web site at www.jennifer-echols.com.

Prizes: a copy of MAJOR CRUSH and a copy of THE BOYS NEXT DOOR. Win one today!