Welcome to today’s stop for Shark Bait! This is a bit outside my usual genre, but I thought I would change it up a bit, you know, keep it fresh and all that. Today I am honored to have the star of Shark Bait, Camie, sharing with us why she is so excited to go to school this year! Please give her a warm welcome!
Hi there, my name is Camie and I’m the main character in a book called Shark Bait, which was written by Jenn Cooksey. She and I would like to thank Laura for participating in the Shark Bait Back to School Blog Hop and for having me on her blog today. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I’m excited but kinda anxious at the same time… You know how it is; putting yourself out there even though you’re petrified that you’ll screw up and people will think you’re an idiot or something.
So anyway, I guess I should tell you a little about the book, huh? Well, it’s Jenn’s debut novel, and it’s the first in the 6-book Grab Your Pole series, which is a contemporary, YA/NA series chronicling the high school years of myself, my friends, and, my sister. Well, not the high school years of my sister exactly, seeing as how she’s 12 and she’s going into the 8th grade. I’m 15 and going into my sophomore year, but whatever; you get the gist. Jenn likes to say that Shark Bait and the GYP series is “fictional reality,” and that it’s basically about what teenagers do and say when they think no one is watching. If you want to learn more about it, check out Jenn’s blog, or you can find information about Jenn as well as Shark Bait on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and even Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Okay, so, I know this is supposed to be a “Back to School” blog hop thing, and I don’t know about most people—you know, because I’m not most people—but the idea of starting school scares the crap out of me. See, I’ve been home-schooled my whole life and a few weeks ago, my sister, Jillian, and I found out that life and our education as we know it is over. She and I will be going into public school—different public schools from each other mind you—and while that’s huge on its own, we also just moved back to San Diego so we have like NO friends. So, in keeping with the blog hop’s theme, Laura asked if I could do a Top 10 list for you guys. You know, like my top 10 favorite things about going back to school.
Ummm… (<— That’s me trying to think of just ONE thing I might like about “going” to school…) Yeah, so top 10 favorites is out. But, I was told I have to do a top 10 list, so what I decided to do was give you my top 10 reasons for NOT wanting to go to school. I mean come on, you guys feel me here, right?
Camie Ramsey’s top 10 reasons for NOT wanting to go “back to school” (er…public school)
1) Not knowing anyone. I mean don’t know a single living soul out of the thousands that go to my new school. And it’s not that I care about being popular or anything, however, I’ve never really had to “make” friends before and I don’t really know how. But, if I don’t make some friends, I think eating lunch alone for the next three years might have long-term effects on my sanity. Plus, I’m afraid people might look at me weird when I start having conversations with myself out loud.
2) Waking up before God. Enough said.
3) Not being able to do school in my pajamas. I really don’t think this one needs any explanation either.
4) Homework. Umm… Forgive me if I’m wrong, but if you “go” to school, shouldn’t the work be done there? I mean I sort of thought that was point.
5) Standardized tests. Just ugh. I don’t test well to begin with, but in my opinion; giving kids a standardized test that does absolutely nothing to help them learn how to succeed in life is stupid.
6) Getting lost on campus. You know, I never had a problem finding my way at my old school—‘cause you know, my bedroom wasn’t all that far from the kitchen or the family room—but seriously, you should see the size of the school I’ll be going to. I think it might even cross a time zone or two…
7) Being judged. Because you just know if I show up sporting a pair of jeans or something that went out of style last year, someone’s bound to call the fashion police.
8) Forgetting my locker combination. I can just picture it, you know? I have like 7 minutes to get to and from class and even without getting lost, it’ll probably take me 11 minutes just to get into the metal box imprisoning my history book—like that stuff needs to be locked up tight in the first place. I mean I seriously doubt a stolen biology book would get you much on the black market.
9) Throwing my back out from lugging this ludicrously heavy backpack around. I mean isn’t that what the stupid lockers are for? You know, putting our books and stuff in them so we don’t have to carry them all the time? I don’t get it…
10) Boys. I know, I’m like super excited that there’ll be so many of them around me every day, but that’s kind of the problem too. I um…don’t really have any “experience” with boys, if you get my meaning. And even the thought of gaining some of that kind of wisdom makes me break out in a nervous sweat, which I imagine being all sweaty and sick looking will probably deter any decently cute guy from tutoring me in any way.
So there you have it, my reasons for not wanting to go to school! Oh and just so you know, those reasons aren’t in any particular order—mainly because I have no idea if I was supposed to put them in order of least to greatest or whatever.
Thank you again to Laura for having me today and oh! Before I forget… I guess there’s some kind of giveaway you guys can enter to win an e-copy of Shark Bait here on Little Read Riding Hood, so don’t forget to enter! And for a chance at the grand prize, the Ultimate Shark Bait Swag Bag (there’s a cool picture below), make sure you travel to every blog on the hop and jot down the highlighted letters and what blog you found them at in order to answer the scavenger hunt question which will be featured at the final stop of the hop over on Jenn’s blog on September 21st!!! Grand prize details as well as the hop schedule can be found on Jenn’s blog too!
Can I enter to win from my own blog?
Thank you so much Camie! It was great having you! So … did you get your highlighted letter for the scavenger hunt? Also, Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter for your own e-copy of Shark Bait! Thanks for stopping by!
Previously homeschooled Camie Ramsey is being shoved into the shark-infested waters of public high school, where even helium filled, penguin bespeckled arm floaties likely won’t help keep her inexperienced, fifteen-year old head above water in that rip current of hormones and emotions.
Camie’s worldly wisdom might be severely lacking (i.e., the closest she’s come to being kissed was sitting too close to the TV whilst Jake Ryan leaned in to give Samantha that fateful 16th birthday kiss), but she does understand her only hope for survival is if she’s thrown some kind of “social” life preserver before she sinks like a freaking rock. However, what will her fate be when she endeavors to flag down the only lifeguard on duty, the enormously popular and ridiculously beautiful Tristan Daniels? The most sought after and virtually most unattainable guy in school who not only makes Camie’s heart flatline on a recurring basis, he’s also the one guy who seemingly doesn’t know she exists.
Feeling like an inept piece of chum that could ultimately be swallowed by Jaws, can Camie get Tristan to rescue her from floundering in the treacherous deep, or is she destined to be Shark Bait?
Entered the giveaway, Laura!
Thanks Samina! You are the best!
Can’t wait to hear your story!