Author Guest- Jess Riley

Hey Friends, I'm thrilled to introduce you to this week's author guest, Jess Riley. When I read about Jess' debut novel, DRIVING SIDEWAYS, (gotta love that title!) I had to go out and get a copy of the book. OMG, am I ever glad I did. Talk about an hilarious read! Riley covers a pretty serious topic in her novel, but does it in such a unique way, you can't help but wish you were with the characters experiencing everything with them. Now THAT'S a story! So go check it out already.....

DRIVING SIDEWAYS by Jess Riley www.jessriley.com

Cellular Memory: Is it possible for our organs to retain our energy if donated to another person?

Can we really channel someone else's tastes in music, food, or hobbies?

And what happens if you've had a transplant and simply CONVINCE yourself this is true?

Jess used these questions as the premise of her entertaining debut novel Driving Sideways, which tells the story of Leigh Fielding, a twenty-eight year-old kidney transplant recipient who--six years, hundreds of dialysis sessions, and a million bad poems after being diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease--finally feels strong enough to pursue a few lofty goals she's been mulling for years: find herself, her kidney donor's family, and the mother that abandoned her over twenty years ago.

And what better way to do just that than a solitary road trip across the country? Well, maybe not entirely solitary, because Leigh suspects she may have inherited more than just an organ from her deceased donor. It's this sneaking suspicion that takes her trip down some unexpected detours--and the juvenile delinquent who blackmails Leigh into giving her a ride is only the beginning.

Driving Sideways (Random House, May 2008) just went into its second printing and has been hailed as 'hugely entertaining and genius' by Marian Keyes, and "a hopeful and hilarious debut" by New York Times bestselling author Jen Lancaster. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Smart and funny without being forced, sentimental without being maudlin, Riley's funny, picaresque vision of America will make readers wish they could go along with Leigh on her next trip." --Booklist

"Brilliant...Jess Riley proves herself a huge new talent." --Kristy Kiernan, author of Catching Genius

Selected as a Target "Break-Out Book" for display June 19, 2008 – August 9, 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BIO: When she's not reading or writing fiction, Jess Riley is reading or writing school grant proposals--which some would say are still pretty fictitious. Jess lives in Oshkosh, Wisconsin with her husband and their neurotic terrier. Driving Sideways is her first novel, and she's hard at work on her next.