Handpicked
by Dani Oden
Publication date: August 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New AdultSynopsis:
College freshman Jill Holloway takes one look at the stuck-up girls going through sorority rush and nearly returns her borrowed dress and heels. Against her best judgment, she ends up falling for the prestige and parties, and snagging a bid from a top house. After moving in, she quickly grows skeptical of her too-perfect sorority sisters. She tries to ask questions, though no one will take time from their busy social calendar to give her any real answers.
Jill wastes no time digging for everything she’s not supposed to find, and soon comes face-to-face with a big and bloody secret hidden in her sorority’s basement. She knows she’s in over her head, but taking off so soon would raise the perfectly-plucked eyebrows of her suspicious new sisters. She’s stuck until she can make a smooth exit.
But the closer she gets to leaving, the more it becomes clear that it won’t be as simple as she hoped. A tempting fraternity guy, a best friend who needs her, and new details about what has really been happening in the basement have her questioning what her next move should be, and whether or not it’ll be worth the risks.
HANDPICKED is a New Adult coming of age, with elements of suspense and romance.
Goodreads
Excerpt 1
“We shouldn’t be talking out here,” Sister President said, and the three of them swiftly set their glasses down and disappeared through a doorway on the other side of the room.
Once the door had closed behind them, Hannah predicted, "Something's about to go down.”
"Where'd the pourers go?" Lindy asked, glancing around.
"You guys are weirding me out." I interjected. "Can't we just enjoy this? There's food and good drinks and we won't have hangovers. Maybe we should try to meet some of the other-"
I didn't get a chance to finish. All the lights in the room went out at once, and the tall curtains lining the wall of windows fell dramatically in front of the glass, blocking out the sunlight. Someone shrieked, and a frantic hush fell over our group.
A strong female voice grabbed our attention. "Get ready, bitches."A candle flickered, illuminating a face I didn't recognize. "Your new life starts now."Excerpt 2
Under a moonlit, starless sky, I joined the crowd of passing girls who’d just been released from preference parties at neighboring sororities. Recruitment counselors lined the sidewalks, forbidding us from talking and herding us toward the biggest lecture hall on campus to fill out our preference cards. If I wasn't in the middle of it, I would have thought that hundreds of dressed up young women walking silently in rows might seem a little creepy, but who was I to judge? I was one of them. One of us.
At the end of the block, below a streetlight, was a line of guys in dress pants and collared shirts. A couple of them were all disheveled and wrinkly, clearly out of their element in the nice clothes, though for the most part they were a hot bunch. I tried not to stare but one in particular, with grayish pants, a light blue shirt and a face that rivaled the boyband posters that hung in my old locker, was particularly difficult to look away from.
When the wave of girls I was with passed, they handed each of us a rose with a crookedly cut tag tied on with ribbon. My cheeks burned as the one in blue held his back as a few girls went by and then handed it directly to me, smiling.
I wanted to stop and say something, but the sea of girls behind me pushed me along, forcing me to keep walking. I settled for a smile, the best one I could muster through shaky lips and soggy eyes. Once I was down the block, I peeked at the tag hoping to see his name, but all it said was, Congratulations on completing rush, from the gentlemen of Nu Mu Chi. We hope to see you at our parties this year.
I made a mental note to go to every single one of them.
Excerpt 3
The commotion in the center of the room seemed to grow, and I leaned my head back against the barrel behind us. "How are we going to keep up with these girls?" I asked.
"What?" Lindy leaned toward me, nearly tipping over.
"These girls! They drink hard!" I shouted.
"Yes," she said, and I wondered if she heard me.
"What's happening?" Hannah interjected, staring at the mob of colorful dresses directly in front of us.
Our pledge sisters had stopped dancing and were all crowded together. A handful of actives seemed to be trying to organize the group, and once they managed to get everyone to step back and give space, I could see a girl in a bright turquoise dress lying in a heap on the ground.
"Oh no," Hannah cringed, sensing the emergency.
"Someone hurt?" Lindy said.
Within seconds, actives swooped in and scooped the girl up. Whoever it was, she was completely limp. Her limbs dangled and swayed as they stealthily carried her away through a set of double doors in the back corner of the room.
The music never stopped, and the lights never came on.
"Who's that?" Hannah slurred.
"Was she okay?" I asked, knowing neither of them was actually going to answer.
Lindy scrunched her face in concentration. "Kimmy?"
"Kimmy?" I repeated.
"Her dress," Lindy said, as if it was an explanation.
"Cammie," Hannah mumbled, tilting her head against her barrel and closing her eyes. "Cammie ruined her dress."
"The Idaho girl from our lunch table?" I asked. She'd been with us in the limo, too.
Neither of them responded.
"Where'd they go?" Lindy wondered, staring at the closed set of double doors. The party had started up again, and girls were back on the dance floor, standing and swaying on the same spot where she'd just fallen.
"Away," Hannah mumbled.
I wanted to get up to inspect, but I didn’t trust my jello-y legs to navigate through the pulsing crowd. "I think something's wrong, you guys," I said.
Purchase:AUTHOR BIO
Dani Oden, est. 1983, has the entertainment tastes of a twelve-year old. When she's not consuming content meant for people less than half her age and blogging about it while her baby sleeps on her lap, she can be found writing novels, road tripping, wine-tasting, and asking her husband to snuggle with her.
Author links:
- Twitter: @MsDaniOden
- Blog: www.trapperkept.com (blog on pop culture & nostalgia)
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Guest Post: Deleted Scenes
Thank you so much for having me! I thought I’d offer readers a “behind-the-scenes” peek at some sections that were part of earlier drafts of HANDPICKED, and why they didn’t make the final cut.
This first one is part of an extended version of the opening scene. Our main character Jill is trying to get ready for her final night of sorority rush in her dorm bathroom…
The girl from the stall emerged, wearing a gold lacy number and looking movie-star perfect except for her red, watery eyes. She reached around me, grabbed a paper towel, and daintily dabbed her mouth. "I can't effing handle this," she said, squeezing into my mirror space and fluffing her wavy brown hair. "I haven't been able to eat for days."
Blond handed her a piece of gum. "Couple more hours, and it'll all be worth it. And that dress looks amazing on you now."
The brunette caught me staring at her reflection and raised her eyebrows. She sized me up, clearly not approving of how I was still in my yoga pants and a tank top, and how my long red hair was in a loose ponytail. "Where are you preffing?" she said casually, asking which sorority parties I was visiting for the final round of rush that night. Thankfully, I had just learned the jargon earlier that day.
I shrugged. "I can't remember, my list is back in my room."
She gaped at me. Her hand stopped not even an inch from her face, her lip gloss still pointed to her mouth. "You can't remember?"
Blond started to laugh as if I'd been joking.
I bristled. "Well, all their names sound the same, don't they?"
They stared at me.
"I guess some do," the brunette said slowly, like she didn't really think so at all.
My cell phone started buzzing from my pocket, so I quickly grabbed it and scooped up my small make-up bag. "Excuse me," I said, glad to get away. They smelled like a Victoria's Secret store mixed with throw-up.
Ultimately, this exchange was cut simply for pacing. I wanted to speed up the time it takes Jill to get back to her room so we can get her out the door and to the sororities faster.
This second one is from a scene when Jill dozes off next to her crush, Tad…
In my sleepy state, I was less guarded than I would have been under most circumstances. He started tugging at my sweatshirt, and instead of encouraging him to explore underneath it with his hands, I simply raised my arms up high. Obediently, he lifted it. The hood was tight over my head, but he managed to squeeze it off me, pulling out my ponytail holder. My long red hair fell loosely over my face and I imagined it looked quite sexy. Well, sexy for me, which is about as sexy as like, one of those live-action Disney movies that gets played on Sunday night cable.
This section was cut because of Jill’s reference to being less guarded because she was tired. I was concerned that her comment it made it seem like she wasn’t that into Tad, which was not at all what I was going for – the final version of the scene makes it *pretty* clear that she’s excited to be with him J
Thank you for giving me the chance to share these scenes!
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Interview - On Writing
Where did your interest in writing come from?My interest in writing goes wayyyy back. I have memories of dictating stories to my mom and then illustrating the pages she wrote with stick figures. I was around four or five at the time. When I got older, my dad had a home office so I’d go in at the end of his work day and use his typewriter to type up my stories. It was only a matter of time before it turned into something bigger!
How did you come up with the setting and plot for HANDPICKED?HANDPICKED takes place in a university Greek system, with the majority of the action in a sorority house. I was a member of a sorority when I was in college and for me it was a fantastic experience. But, like everyone else, I’ve heard all the buzz about what people think happens behind their closed doors, so I wanted to explore the rumors, and both confirm and contradict some of the stereotypes.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?Oh my gosh! This book was a great exercise in editing. The first draft was over 90,000 words, while the final version is just shy of 65,000.
Do you have any strange writing habits?Building playlists for the project I’m working on! For HANDPICKED, I listened to a lot of Paramore, Alexz Johnson, Hey Monday and Marianas Trench. I try to find music that evokes the same moods I’m trying to create.
What was the toughest part about this process?I had a few challenges with plotting HANDPICKED, but it was nothing compared to figuring out what I wanted to do after I finished it. I probably spent just as many hours writing it as I did researching independent publishing, traditional publishing, small presses, agents, etc. Ultimately, I’m happy with the decision I made to independently publish.
Do you have any advice for other writers?Unplug your modem J
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?THANK YOU for reading! And, please don’t be strangers – I can’t wait to hear from you!On HANDPICKED
Is HANDPICKED based on events in your own life?Yes and no. I had a sorority experience of my own in college, though it was nothing like what our main character goes through. She’s suspicious and skeptical and constantly questioning things, with good reason to. Though, I did tap into my memories of things like rush and pledge education and bid day to bring some realism to the story.
How did you come up with the title of your book or series?I wanted to play off the exclusivity stereotype in sororities and –spoiler alert!—there is a pretty big plot point involving a hand, so it was a natural choice.
Who is your favorite character from your book and why?I feel closest to our narrator Jill, since we see everything through her eyes. But, I have to admit I liked writing Hannah, with all her f-bombs, snark, and fraternity connections.
If you could change ONE thing about your novel, what would it be? Why?I would have loved to have introduced more of the members of Jill’s sorority. I had to really hold back in that area since most weren’t necessary for this particular story, but I’m excited to explore more of their personalities in future books.
Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series:Hmm, let’s see. The girls are part of the Alpha Gamma chapter of Iota Beta, and each of those are Greek letters that stands for something important to me. I, B, A, G. That’s the fun part about using the Greek system as a setting, there’s lots of room for symbols and hidden meetings…
Can you tell us about your upcoming book?I can say that Jill is still our narrator, and the story picks up just a few months after HANDPICKED ends, still in her freshman year of college. And, she has more responsibilities now so the stakes are much higher. I’m going to leave it at that! I’m also working on a prequel, which I’m pretty excited about. Readers will see that Jill mentions that she used to be a camp counselor, so I’m going to release some stories from that part of her life.
Anything else you want to add?Thank you very much for having me!
************Getting to Know Dani Oden
Tell us three interesting facts about yourselfMy dream vacation is an RV roadtrip across the USA, my favorite food is macaroni and cheese, and I’m a boyband enthusiast.
What made you decide to sit down and write an NA novel?It happened the other way around, actually. It was a couple years ago, when I was about mid-way through the first draft of HANDPICKED that I first heard of New Adult as its own category. The more I researched, the more I realized how much of a fit it was. I can still remember telling my husband that I’d heard of a new genre that I just happened to be writing already. It was good timing!
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?I had a baby this year, so snuggling him is pretty high on my list. I also love thrift shopping, reading, and anything involving coffee and/or wine. I’m a semi-ambitious DIY-er, I make a lot of my own jewelry. I also have a real-world career in educational outreach, so that takes up a lot of my time as well.
Who are your favorite writers?All time favorites? Curtis Sittenfeld, Judy Blume, Rebecca Wells. I’m also getting into Jennifer Weiner lately, and I’m having a lot of fun discovering other NA authors, too. My to-read list is almost all NA since so much has come out since I’ve been in my writing bubble!
Where can you see yourself in 5 years time?Probably still living with my family somewhere on the West Coast (where I’ve spent most of my life already), with more books out. Hopefully I’ll have traveled a bit more by then, too – I really want to see the southern states and the UK.
What is your favorite movie and why?So many! I have the entertainment tastes of a teenager. My husband teaches film and just rolls his eye at the movies I love…Mean Girls, Pitch Perfect, all the Harry Potter Films, Wedding Crashers, Wet Hot American Summer. Though, if you twist my arm, I think I’d say Dirty Dancing. It’s such a classic New Adult story, and I love the soundtrack.
What advice would you give to your younger self?Keep reading and don’t worry so much J
Hi Dani I love to host you too !!!
Today is the day, my friends! The digital version Handpicked is live and AVAILABLE. To celebrate, I had to offer this fantastic 80s music video:
GIVEAWAY
Individual giveaways:
One (1) ebook copy of
Handpicked.
Open internationally.
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