TFFOS: Christine Seifert -- Guest Post & Giveaway

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Quick Notice: Sorry for the mess. I'll be putting up some deleted posts, updating the masterlist, and extending the duration of the contests. More info soon.

Today I have with me CHRISTINE SEIFERT, the debut author of THE PREDICTEDS! She's been amazing to work with and I'm sure you'll all find her guest post just as relateable... ;)

Very Clickable Links: {website} · {blog} · {goodreads} · {amazon} · {book depository}

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BAD BOYS WE LOVE

It turns out that everybody has a favorite bad boy. I posed the question on Facebook and got hundreds of answers from a pretty wide range of people (from guys and girls, from my family, from my former professors, and from my students).  The weirdest choice was Kronk from the Emperor’s New Groove.  A close second was Ernest T. Bass from Andy Griffith. (Bonus points to anyone who actually knows who that is).The most baffling was a tie between Hulk Hogan and Jesse Venture. (But those answers came from a guy.) The most surprising (to me, anyway) was Charlie Sheen. Does anybody actually like Charlie Sheen? I thought we just sort of tolerate him, but we all secretly think he’s just creepy. And kind of sad. 

Not everyone went for famous bad boys. A few people voted for themselves, including my husband. And my dad voted for the weird kid who used to live behind us and wash his car in his underwear.  We called him “Mean Boy” because we were apparently children who lacked creativity. 

There were definitely some bad boys who stood out as the most popular. Ryan Atwood from the OC got a few of votes, though one person said he’s not really bad; he just has bad social skills. Jess from the Gilmore Girls was a popular choice, as was Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl. Eric from True Blood got a couple of swooning votes. If you watch the show or read the books, you understand why.  Most of the bad boy votes, though, went to iconic bad boys, the ones who have been with us for at least a decade (and in some cases, a century or more). 

One thing was clear, though: We generally like bad boys who have rough exteriors with emotions that they rarely show—usually only in the presence of the girl they love. It appears that we like our bad boys like a good dinner roll: crusty on the outside, ooey-gooey in the center. With just a few exceptions, all of the bad boys on the list are actually decent at heart—they are just misunderstood. Nobody picked Freddy from A Nightmare on Elm Street, for example. Nobody picked Ted Bundy or the Unabomber. We like bad boys who are secretly good. We like our bad boys smart, cocky, swaggering, good looking, and, most of all, lovable. 

So, based on my totally unscientific Facebook poll, I present you a list of ten bad boys of film, TV, and books that we love to love.

10. Fonzie, Happy Days—The leather-jacket-wearing, motorcycle-driving bad boy is the only reason to even consider watching Happy Days re-runs. Richie and Potsie and the rest of the gang were bores; Fonzie had it going on. Aaay.

9. Jordan Catalano, My So-Called Life—Those big Jared Leto eyes made all of us want to make out with him in the janitor’s closet.  Who cares if Jordan’s band never took off?

8. Randy, Valley Girl—My best friend since elementary school, Camille Etter, reminded me how much we loved the movie Valley Girl. We rented it on VHS enough times to memorize the dialogue. An awkward Nicholas Cage played bad-boy Randy from the valley who wins over rich-girl Julie, even though her friends warn her to stay away from a “dude from the valley.” But Randy turned out to be totally “tripendicular.”

7. Mr. Rochester, Jane Eyre—Sure, he’s cranky and moody—oh, and he’s keeping his wife hidden in the attic—but he’s also soulful and passionate and in love with Jane even though she is plain! My friend Amy told me Mr. R makes her swoon.

6. Dylan McKay, Beverly Hills 90210—So he was a James Dean rip-off—and he was scrawny and pale with a receding hairline when he was supposed to be a junior in high school—but that scar on his eyebrow was something else. When he fell for Brenda, we all fell for him.

5. Bart Simpson, The Simpsons—You probably don’t want to date him, but you have to admit that he sounds more fun to hang out with than Milhouse or Martin. Unlike Nelson, Bart’s got a heart of gold buried in that impish exterior. 

4. Oscar the Grouch, Sesame Street—Elmo is cute, Ernie is funny, Big Bird has low self-esteem, the Count has OCD, but what they all have in common is an annoyingly positive outlook. After a while, you’d probably want to tape their furry mouths shut. Nobody but Oscar has the kind of un-self-conscious courage to tell it like it is. One of these days, someone is going to melt that icy heart.

3. Barnabus Collins, Dark Shadows—Dark Shadows is a soap opera from before our times, but I’ve seen a couple of episodes on DVD. My dad’s cousin, Ann, reminded me that an entire generation of girls ran home after school to catch Vampire Barnabus terrorizing the people of Collinsport, Maine.  Ann notes that Barnabus is “much cooler” than Edward Cullen! (Good news: Barnabus is a bad boy coming to a megaplex near you soon. Johnny Depp is slated to play him in a move version coming out in 2012).

2. Danny Zuko, Grease—There’s something charming about Danny trying to turn into a jock for Sandy, but it’s not until Danny hangs up his cleats and goes back to his T-Birds jacket and pegged jeans that we really see the appeal. We like Danny just the way he is: bad.

1. Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean—Pirates of the Caribbean couldn’t exist with Johnny Depp as Captain Jack. There’s something about his pirate garb, his off-kilter walk, his boozy accent, and his kohl eyeliner that makes you think he could definitely save you if you happen to be taken prisoner on the high seas. 

Honorable Mentions: Damon from the Vampire Diaries, Dennis the Menace, Mr. Big from Sex and the City, Sawyer from Lost, and Mal Reynolds from Firefly.

Bonus Bad Boy:  Jesse Kable


In my book, The Predicteds, Daphne, falls for someone who just might be bad. The question for Daphne is whether or not Jesse is a bad boy bad boy (and thus irredeemable) or just a misunderstood guy with a bad boy’s heart.

So who’s your favorite bad boy (or girl)?

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Summary:   
 
Daphne is the new girl in town and is having trouble fitting in. At least she has Jesse... sort of. He wants to be more than "just friends," but there's something he's not telling her about his past. Something dangerous. When a female student is brutally attacked, police turn to PROFILE, a new program that can predict a student's capacity for drug use, pregnancy, and violent behavior, to solve the case. As the witch hunt ensues, Daphne is forced to question her feelings for Jesse -- and what she will do if her first love turns out to be a killer.

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GIVEAWAY

Christine Seifert has been doubly awesome and is offering up both an ARC of THE PREDICTEDS and a cute nebula keychain from Etsy, which represents the luck and fate involved in THE PREDICTEDS. For an extra entry, answer the question Christine posed in purple.

To enter, fill out the form below. Open Internationally.