| Getting to know "The Genius" |
| Otherwise known as Jennifer Wardrip, the owner of TeensReadToo.com. |
Why did you start TeensReadToo.com?
I love books. Any and all types. From horror to romance and
everything in-between, I've been an avid reader for as long as
I can remember. Over the last couple of years, I've become
devoted to YA/Teen books. There are so many wonderful
authors out there who write for this market, and my only regret is
that it took me so long to find them! All my favorite genres are
there--vampires, witches, romance, suspense, mysteries,
thrillers, paranormal, social issues. I remember all too clearly
what it was like to be a teenager (although, yes, it's been quite a
number of years ago!) and wish that I had been reading these
books back then! So I took my love of the genre, mixed it up with
my position as a quasi-professional book reviewer (I reviewed in
the past for both Romantic Times BookClub Magazine and the
on-line book review website Romance Junkies), my history of
being a published author (so far my books are for adults only),
my love of creating my own websites, my inability to give up
reading, and came up with TeensReadToo.com!
You ask great interview questions of YA/Teen Authors in your
interviews--can you answer some of the same questions?
Sure!
What’s your greatest comfort food?
Homemade vegetable soup. This great taco dip that I make that
you eat with tortilla chips. Reeses Peanut Butter Cups!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the
morning?
Make coffee. Drink coffee. Drink lots more coffee! (Followed by
checking my email, doing updates on the website, and checking
out Amazon.com for the latest releases.)
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement,
what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?
How totally disorganized and messy I am. You'd think with my
type-A personality and need for everything to be in its place
I'd be tidy, but I'm totally the opposite when it comes to my
house. I think having two children, ages 11 and 7, has something
to do with that. At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which
tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a
color, which color would it be, and why?
Purple. Deep, dark purple. It's been my favorite color since I
can remember, and I still love it to this day.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon
character is most like you?
I love Spongebob Squarepants. But I'm not yellow, a sponge, or
square. Plus, I don't have any friends that are as stupid as
Patrick Star. So, who is most like me? Probably Dexter from
Dexter's Laboratory. I'm an evil genius. Muhahaha! I also love
the characters on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends!
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me
up, Scotty!"), during any time in history, where and when would it
be—and why?
Scotland during Medieval times. I want to be in the movie
Timeline, and find a man who will fight through enemy lines,
language barriers, and the loss of an ear to win my love.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to?
Current Billboard Top 40 hits. I also get in the mood
occasionally for Country music, but new country, not the old stuff.
Who are your favorite musical artists?
Chris Daughtry, Leona Lewis, Fall Out Boy, Evanescence, Three
Doors Down, Matchbox 20...the list could go on and on.
Right now I'm partial to Paralyzer by Finger Eleven, See You
Again by Miley Cyrus, Sorry by Buck Cherry, Bleeding Love by
Leona Lewis, Feels Like Tonight by Chris Daughtry, and many,
many more!
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows?
I rarely watch TV (I'm usually reading or working on the
computer) but I love CSI, CSI: MIAMI, DR. G: MEDICAL
EXAMINER, and ANIMAL COPS (on the Discovery Channel). Oh,
and I can't miss IRON CHEF! The Food Network rocks!!
What are your favorite movies that you watch over and over
again?
BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, LADYHAWKE, DANCES WITH
WOLVES. Those are my three favorite movies of all times.
But I can watch lots of others no matter how many times they're
on: any of the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, all of the HARRY
POTTER movies, GOONIES, TIMELINE, FIRST KNIGHT, A
KNIGHT'S TALE, both of the PRINCESS DIARIES movies, SHREK
1-3, MADAGASCAR, THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE, ELLA
ENCHANTED, EVER AFTER--and if I let it, again, the list could
go on and on!
What was the last movie you saw at the theater?
I took the kids to see ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS. It was really
good!
When you're not dealing with TeensReadToo.com or reading,
what do you do for fun?
You can find me at www.pogo.com. I've been a member since
2000, and spend a lot of time there.
If you had one piece of advice to give to teens, what would it be?
It ends. Eventually, you're finished with school, puberty, and the
cruelty of human nature. When it all gets too overwhelming, find
someone to talk to, no matter who it is--your parents, a school
counselor, a religious affiliation. Or, if you need to, find a phone
number or a website link to a teen hot-line. Whatever it is that
seems so horrible right now (and believe me, I remember just
how horrible it can be) it will all come to an end--and then you'll
be able to do what you want and learn that the only person you
really need to please is yourself. And when you attend your ten-
year high-school reunion, you'll find out that the hot guys all
have beer bellies and receding hairlines, the valedictorian with
the IQ of 5000 is selling car insurance, all the pretty, popular
girls are all married and stay-at-home moms with four bratty kids,
and that guy that used to torment you three times a week now
spends weekends in the county jail. Believe me, you'll be just
fine!
If an author or reader wants to talk to you, how can they do that?
I love getting email! Yes, I'm an email junkie! You can always
send a message to admin@teensreadtoo.com and I'll get back
to you as soon as I can.
I love books. Any and all types. From horror to romance and
everything in-between, I've been an avid reader for as long as
I can remember. Over the last couple of years, I've become
devoted to YA/Teen books. There are so many wonderful
authors out there who write for this market, and my only regret is
that it took me so long to find them! All my favorite genres are
there--vampires, witches, romance, suspense, mysteries,
thrillers, paranormal, social issues. I remember all too clearly
what it was like to be a teenager (although, yes, it's been quite a
number of years ago!) and wish that I had been reading these
books back then! So I took my love of the genre, mixed it up with
my position as a quasi-professional book reviewer (I reviewed in
the past for both Romantic Times BookClub Magazine and the
on-line book review website Romance Junkies), my history of
being a published author (so far my books are for adults only),
my love of creating my own websites, my inability to give up
reading, and came up with TeensReadToo.com!
You ask great interview questions of YA/Teen Authors in your
interviews--can you answer some of the same questions?
Sure!
What’s your greatest comfort food?
Homemade vegetable soup. This great taco dip that I make that
you eat with tortilla chips. Reeses Peanut Butter Cups!
What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the
morning?
Make coffee. Drink coffee. Drink lots more coffee! (Followed by
checking my email, doing updates on the website, and checking
out Amazon.com for the latest releases.)
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement,
what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?
How totally disorganized and messy I am. You'd think with my
type-A personality and need for everything to be in its place
I'd be tidy, but I'm totally the opposite when it comes to my
house. I think having two children, ages 11 and 7, has something
to do with that. At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which
tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a
color, which color would it be, and why?
Purple. Deep, dark purple. It's been my favorite color since I
can remember, and I still love it to this day.
Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon
character is most like you?
I love Spongebob Squarepants. But I'm not yellow, a sponge, or
square. Plus, I don't have any friends that are as stupid as
Patrick Star. So, who is most like me? Probably Dexter from
Dexter's Laboratory. I'm an evil genius. Muhahaha! I also love
the characters on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends!
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me
up, Scotty!"), during any time in history, where and when would it
be—and why?
Scotland during Medieval times. I want to be in the movie
Timeline, and find a man who will fight through enemy lines,
language barriers, and the loss of an ear to win my love.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to?
Current Billboard Top 40 hits. I also get in the mood
occasionally for Country music, but new country, not the old stuff.
Who are your favorite musical artists?
Chris Daughtry, Leona Lewis, Fall Out Boy, Evanescence, Three
Doors Down, Matchbox 20...the list could go on and on.
Right now I'm partial to Paralyzer by Finger Eleven, See You
Again by Miley Cyrus, Sorry by Buck Cherry, Bleeding Love by
Leona Lewis, Feels Like Tonight by Chris Daughtry, and many,
many more!
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows?
I rarely watch TV (I'm usually reading or working on the
computer) but I love CSI, CSI: MIAMI, DR. G: MEDICAL
EXAMINER, and ANIMAL COPS (on the Discovery Channel). Oh,
and I can't miss IRON CHEF! The Food Network rocks!!
What are your favorite movies that you watch over and over
again?
BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, LADYHAWKE, DANCES WITH
WOLVES. Those are my three favorite movies of all times.
But I can watch lots of others no matter how many times they're
on: any of the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, all of the HARRY
POTTER movies, GOONIES, TIMELINE, FIRST KNIGHT, A
KNIGHT'S TALE, both of the PRINCESS DIARIES movies, SHREK
1-3, MADAGASCAR, THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE, ELLA
ENCHANTED, EVER AFTER--and if I let it, again, the list could
go on and on!
What was the last movie you saw at the theater?
I took the kids to see ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS. It was really
good!
When you're not dealing with TeensReadToo.com or reading,
what do you do for fun?
You can find me at www.pogo.com. I've been a member since
2000, and spend a lot of time there.
If you had one piece of advice to give to teens, what would it be?
It ends. Eventually, you're finished with school, puberty, and the
cruelty of human nature. When it all gets too overwhelming, find
someone to talk to, no matter who it is--your parents, a school
counselor, a religious affiliation. Or, if you need to, find a phone
number or a website link to a teen hot-line. Whatever it is that
seems so horrible right now (and believe me, I remember just
how horrible it can be) it will all come to an end--and then you'll
be able to do what you want and learn that the only person you
really need to please is yourself. And when you attend your ten-
year high-school reunion, you'll find out that the hot guys all
have beer bellies and receding hairlines, the valedictorian with
the IQ of 5000 is selling car insurance, all the pretty, popular
girls are all married and stay-at-home moms with four bratty kids,
and that guy that used to torment you three times a week now
spends weekends in the county jail. Believe me, you'll be just
fine!
If an author or reader wants to talk to you, how can they do that?
I love getting email! Yes, I'm an email junkie! You can always
send a message to admin@teensreadtoo.com and I'll get back
to you as soon as I can.