Who's ready for Pretty Little Liars to come back on? You? I thought so! Until then, take a look at Jacqueline Green's Truth or Dare, and this interview with Jacqueline herself, where she says, "Truth" whenever her turn comes up, and dishes on both her embarrassing secrets and one of the characters in her book, Tenley Reed. Check out an excerpt of Tenley's story, then read on for the interview.
Tenley blew out an angry breath as she stalked into her bedroom, yanking the door shut behind her. She was being paranoid. It was a nasty joke and nothing more. She stopped in front of the mirror, turning a little to admire her new additions. She’d gotten them done last year, when she lived with her mom’s cousin in California for the month of August. She’d gone to one of those famous L.A. surgeons whose résumé read like a who’s who of celebrity boobs. Tenley lifted her dress off, letting it fall to the floor. Even in her bra, they looked perfect. It was only when you looked really closely that you could tell. She unhooked her bra, dropping it on top of her dress. The scar lines were tiny and growing fainter by the day, but still, they were there.
She couldn’t believe someone had made such a lucky guess last night. She just hoped none of her pageant competition would notice.
Her mom had signed her up for the Susan K. Miller Scholarship Pageant, which was taking place in Echo Bay next weekend, and technically plastic surgery was against the rules. But it was fine; she would just have to make sure no one saw her topless.
Tenley and best friend Caitlin have a favorite place to hang out — a crappy nail salon in the next town over. Did you have an unconventional hang-out spot in high school? What about now?
In high school, my parents had a little shed in our backyard. It was mainly meant for storage, but my best friends and I decided it was the perfect place to hang out. We'd spend hours on end in there, all crammed inside, practically siting on top of each other. I have such good memories from that storage shed! Now, most of my hang-out spots are pretty conventional, which is kind of sad! Maybe I should get a shed…
If you could be a pageant queen (like Tenley) or a gymnast (like Tenley), which would it be, and why?
I'd have to say a gymnast. My sister was a gymnast growing up and I've always been awed by what they're capable of. I'd be terrible at the sport (I'm the least flexible person ever!), but I love watching the gymnasts in the Olympics and imagining for just a moment what that would be like.
Tenley has a crush on her new step-brother (eww). Name an embarrassing celebrity crush (of any decade).
My biggest celebrity crush was Jonathan Taylor Thomas as a kid. That in itself probably isn't too embarrassing (I imagine I was one of millions in the 90s!), BUT my reason for liking him was a little different than most. I was a pretty ardent vegetarian growing up (I might possibly have had PETA posters hanging in my bedroom...), so when I found out that JTT was a vegetarian, my heart was instantly stolen!
A piece of jewelry plays an important role in the book. Do you have a piece of jewelry that means the world to you?
Now, it's definitely my wedding ring because it connects me to my husband. But growing up, I had a different ring I wore all the time. It was a band of tiny, colorful gemstones which my grandfather had given to me, my sister, and our cousin. My sister and I were really close with our cousin, but we didn't get to see her all that often. Knowing we were all wearing those matching rings made me feel like we were tied together, even through time and space.
Tenley is known throughout Echo Bay for throwing parties which involve outrageous games of truth or dare. What is the craziest dare that you accepted?
On vacation, my friends and I once accepted a group dare to go to the local townie bar, which supposedly didn't ID. (We were under 21 at the time.) We were nervous at first, but we went through with it! We were just starting to feel the rush of a successful dare when suddenly two scruffy-looking, middle-aged men approached us. My first thought was: are they REALLY going to hit on us? They're twice our age! Then they flashed their badges. My second thought was: crap. They were undercover cops. Apparently we'd chosen a bad night to accept that dare! Luckily, we were let off with just a warning. The bar didn't fare as well, though; afterwards, the cops permanently shut it down. I've always felt a little responsible for the closing of that bar!
Thanks, Jacqueline! Now the fun part: There are FIVE copies of Truth or Dare up for grabs. All you have to do is head to the comments and answer one of the questions Jacqueline faced (no dare option, sorry, although if you want to make up your own dare and post a video in the comments just for fun, we won't object). I'll pick the winners* in ONE WEEK (also known as Tuesday, May 21). Truth or Dare is available now.
*US only, sorry!
ABOUT TRUTH OR DARE
In Jacqueline Green’s highly charged debut thriller, perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars, an innocent game of TRUTH OR DARE spins out of control for three girls who find it’s no longer a party game. It’s do or die.
It all started on a whim: the game was a way for Tenley Reed to reclaim her popularity, a chance for perfect Caitlin “Angel” Thomas to prove she’s more than her Harvard application. Loner Sydney Morgan wasn’t even there; she was hiding behind her camera like usual. But when all three start receiving mysterious dares long after the party has ended, they’re forced to play along—or risk exposing their darkest secrets.
Paranoia builds as each little slip of paper taunts the girls with dares that threaten not just their reputations but also their lives. How far will Tenley, Caitlin and Sydney go to keep the truth from surfacing? And who’s behind this twisted game?