Camp Boyfriend Blog Tour/Giveaway by JK Rock

Yay!!! I am soooo excited to be on this tour:)

Let’s start off with talking about the book, then we can move on to a special post!!!

Published July 2, 2013 by Spencer Hill Contemporary

The summer of her dreams is about to get a reality check.

They said it couldn’t be done, but geeky sophomore Lauren Carlson transformed herself into a popular girl after moving to a new school halfway across the country. Amazing what losing her braces and going out for cheerleading will do. Only trouble is, the popular crowd is wearing on Lauren’s nerves and she can’t wait to return to summer camp where she’s valued for her brain instead of her handsprings. She misses her old friends and most of all, her long time camp-only boyfriend, Seth. This year she intends to upgrade their relationship to year-round status once she’s broken up with her new, jock boyfriend, Matt. He doesn’t even begin to know the real her, a girl fascinated by the night sky who dreams of discovering new planets and galaxies.

But Matt isn’t giving her up without a fight. As he makes his case to stay together, Lauren begins to realize his feelings run deeper than she ever would have guessed. What if the guy she thought she was meant to be with forever isn’t really The One? Returning to Camp Juniper Point was supposed to ground her uprooted life, but she’s more adrift than ever. Everything feels different and soon Lauren’s friends are turning on her and both guys question what she really wants. As summer tensions escalate, Lauren wonders if she’s changed more than she thought. Will her first big discovery be herself?

Camper of the day…Lauren:)

Each week of the Camping Out Blog Tour, we’ll feature at least one Camper of the Day. This will let you meet some of the characters from Camper Juniper Point and help you get to know them a little better. You’ll snag some insider information you won’t get in the book!

Lauren Carlson

Age: 16 (in Camp Boyfriend)

Hometown: recent transplant to a Dallas suburb after growing up in Ithaca, NY

Siblings: Kellianne, aka, Bridezilla

Pets: Hershey, a chocolate lab

Hobbies: stargazing, cheerleading, camping, watching reruns of Bill Nye the Science Guy

BFF: Alex

Voted at camp to be most likely to: pilot a mission to Mars- take that Kirk!

Boyfriend: No comment

Her secret: Her new friends don’t know about past as a science geek. Her old friends don’t know about her cheerleading present. Worlds are colliding…

Favorite things about camp- marshmallows, bonfires, being goofy with friends

Worst things about camp- the drama between the cabins is too much like the drama between cliques at school. Also, setting up for breakfast.

It made sense to start with Lauren Carlson, the heroine of both Camp Kiss and Camp Boyfriend. Smart and kind, Lauren has had a tough year by the time we catch up with her in Camp Boyfriend. She moved across the country and her dad checked out of the family, up-ending the relationship dynamics in her household and leaving her in the clutches of her uber-girlie mom and sister. The trouble is, Lauren discovers she likes being a cheerleader and hanging out at

football games as much as she always liked watching the stars and working on science projects. But how to straddle both those worlds, especially when the rest of her school is either a science geek or a jock, when no one ever seems to crossover?

Lauren is a fun character to write because she has a broad perspective and changing schools has really changed her. Well, opened her eyes to new possibilities. But she’s so busy searching for herself, trying to figure out the disconnect between the Old Lauren and the New Lauren, that she’s not always a good friend – or a good girlfriend! She makes mistakes but they come from trying to be a better person.

What was it like to write Lauren’s character? –

J: I felt very connected to Lauren because she is a lot like me. She’s very sensitive and empathizes with other people’s feelings, which is sometimes a distraction because you think too much about what other people think and not enough about yourself. I mean, it’s great to be sensitive and empathetic, but at some point you have to focus on YOU and being the best you that you can be! Lauren contends with a lot of conflicting inner voices and that is a distraction. But underneath the drama and the conflict, she’s a good person.

K: Our idea of Lauren changed and focused as we wrote. She’s not a character who storms into a scene and makes her presence felt like Alex or Hannah. She’s more subtle, so it took us awhile to get to know her. But once we did, we felt like readers would really identify with her because she has a tender heart and wants the people around her to be happy. She’s the kind of character you can really root for.

***We’re taking a poll to see who will be our next Camper of the Day! Tell us which Camp Juniper Point character you want to know more about OR tell us what you think of Lauren so far. Would she be the kind of girl you’d choose as a friend?

Website / J’s Twitter / K’s Twitter / Facebook / Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Goodreads

Giveaway

Daily Prize: Camp journal, pen, bookmark, friendship bracelet and I ❤ Camp temporary tattoos – colors and style may vary (see picture).

Grand Prize: Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols, Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles,The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt, That Summer by Sarah Dessen, Always You by Kirsty Moseley, an autographed Arc of Wait For You by Jennifer Armentrout as J.Lynn and autographed copies of Camp Boyfriend and Camp Kiss along with ‘I ❤ Camp’ temporary tattoos, a ‘I ❤ My Camp Boyfriend’ t-shirt, a Camp Boyfriend bookmark and friendship bracelets- puppy

not included 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

J.K. Rock

Joanne and Karen Rock- writing sisters-in-law- formed a partnership to pen YA novels as J.K. Rock. Their debut book, Camp Boyfriend, is available July 2, 2013 from Spencer Hill Contemporary.

Prior to joining creative forces, Joanne Rock began her career as an author of adult romance for various Harlequin series. Published in twenty languages and twenty-seven countries, Joanne writes both contemporary romance and medieval historicals in addition to the occasional romantic suspense. She is a three-time RITA nominee and Bookseller’s Best finalist.

Karen Rock sold her first adult romance to Harlequin’s new Heartwarming line. The Forever Wish (September 2013) is an uplifting tale of love against the odds during the hero’s battle with cancer. In addition to writing, Karen is an eighth grade English teacher who has written and published screenplays for production by school theater departments. She is a regular blogger at Cynthia Leitich Smith’s popular “Cynsations” blog.

Together, Joanne and Karen write Young Adult stories that don’t back down from real issues. Whether their characters are falling in love at summer camp or facing the consequences of tough life choices, the authors enjoy helping them navigate those challenges. Their “Camp Boyfriend” books are romantic dramas with a strong emphasis on teen friendships and self discovery. Fun, warm-hearted and emotional, the series includes Camp Boyfriend (July 2013), Camp Payback (April 2014) and Camp Forget-Me-Not (August 2014).