Andy and the Extroverts - Book Tour and Giveaway

When shy 17-year-old Andy winds up at a summer leadership camp, she'll have to muster up all her courage to survive, meeting friends and a very special guy along the way.

Andy and the Extroverts
by Jessica K. Foster
Genre: YA Contemporary Sweet Romance 

Seventeen-year-old bookish Andy has no friends. When her over-involved mother has the audacity to ship her off to summer leadership camp, she's thrust into an introvert's nightmare. Everyone is a Communicator with a capital C, icebreaker activities are scheduled into every waking moment, and horror of all horrors: there's no coffee. Even the girls who take her under their wing are the kind of self-assured people Andy could never dream of becoming.

Then she meets Lucas—hot, attentive, and everything Andy reads about in her books. Though the girls in her cottage try to warn her about him, she's swept into the first romance of her life. But when she discovers her friends may be right, she'll have to find her inner confidence to save her summer and become the leader she was always meant to be.


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​ “Okay, campers!” Suzie screeched the second we got back to the cottage.
It was like doomsday every time she used that phrase because right after it, she’d announce the next stupid activity and expect everyone to be excited about it.
“It’s time for the next awesome leadership activity! I know you’ve been enjoying them so far, but you’re really going to like this one.” She gave an exaggerated wink. Wait. That meant…
“We’re going to do this with our male counterparts, Beavers, so pair on up so we can get started.”
Pair? I looked to Paige helplessly, but she was already out the door. I sighed and followed her to where the Hippo cottage stood outside waiting for us. How did they get here so fast? Even more alarming was how fast everyone broke off into pairs. My hands tingled as Marshall sidled up next to Paige. I craned my neck and looked for Emma.
“Good thing I’ve forgiven you,” Lucas said as he walked toward me. “Or this might be awkward.”
I rolled my eyes. Like it was so hard to get pushed off a dock when you had the skills of a gold medal swimmer. I raised my eyebrows, but he didn’t say any more. Unlike me, he focused his attention on the instructions Tyler gave the group.
“…so choose who the person with the blindfold will be and who will give directions. We’ll start once you’ve got it sorted out.”
I peeked between Lucas and Paige and held back a groan when the course came into view. A grove of trees spanned the area in front of us, and pieces of red tape were strung between their wide trunks like trip wires. Stumps littered the ground. I’d seen this before on reality television. Minefield. One of us would have to be all yelly and tell the other one to go right or left or whatever to get through an obstacle course.
“What do you want to be?” Lucas asked like I had a choice. I couldn’t yell for crap, so it looked like I’d have to trust him not to kill me.
“Blindfolded.”
He frowned. “What?”
I snatched the red bandana from his hand with a scowl. I wasn’t talking that quietly.
“Oh, okay.” He smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
No, he wouldn’t. He’d be yelling at me every step of the way.
“Now, remember,” Suzie chirped as I struggled to tie the bandana around my eyes. “You can be next to your partner, but don’t touch the unless they look like their about to fall. This is a trust exercise. It’s also an exercise in giving clear, concise directions. Learn how to be the kind of leader who knows how to follow. Don’t peek!” She giggled.
Lucas brushed my hands away when the bandana came undone an tied it snugly around my eyes. He pushed the folds into layers until it blacked out everything.
“Good?” he asked.
If good meant helpless, then yes. I should’ve chosen to be his voice if partners could walk with each other the whole way—too late now.
I nodded.
“Okay, partners,” Tyler shouted, “the goal is to get them around—that—and back to your starting positions. It isn’t a race. It’s about finishing. Good luck! And go!”
“Okay, walk ten steps forward and then stop.” Lucas’s hot breath on my neck made my heartbeat triple. This was such a bad idea. A very sexy, very bad idea.
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Jessica K. Foster writes funny, heartfelt Young Adult Contemporary fiction with a dash of romance. She is a middle school Language Arts teacher with a penchant for hot tea and romantic beach reads. Jessica lives in West Michigan with her husband, two boys, and their ragtag crew of rescue animals.


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What inspired you to write this book?
Andy and the Extroverts was inspired by a lot of different things. Setting-wise, I used to be a camper at Lake Ann Christian Camp as a kid here in Michigan. I was a Leadership Safari Guide at Central Michigan University. I drive through Vermont whenever I go to visit my grammy in Maine. Character-wise, I wanted to write the kind of person who wouldn’t enjoy the extroverted rah-rah leadership camp she found herself in. I wanted to write something that was escapist and summery, and that ended on an empowering note. I hope I accomplished that.

What can we expect from you in the future?
Andy and the Summer of Something drops this summer! Though Andy and the Extroverts can be read as a standalone and so can the sequel, this book will follow her back to camp, this time as a counselor. I also have a book called The Framing Game coming out a bit after that. It’s rather different from Andy, but still captures that high school feel, this time in a prep school. Think Scooby Doo meets Gilmore Girls. It’s a comedic mystery/romance where the main characters are better at getting stuck together in closets than chasing down the bad guy. You don’t want to miss it!

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
The drama! I live for the emotions that boil over, for the confrontations between characters. Because Andy is so introverted, this only happens once in the book in a scene between her and Lucas. That was a really fun scene to write because I really feel for the characters.

How did you come up with the title?
This one is pretty straightforward. I wanted something that would immediately scream out what the book was about. “Andy is stuck with Extroverts” felt a little off, so I tweaked it.

If your book was made into a movie, who would you want to play the lead?
This is a fun question because my editor asked me the same question. I don’t know that I ever landed on someone to play Andy, but Lucas could totally be played by Gavin Casalegno (who plays Jeremiah in The Summer I Turned Pretty franchise). I’m always here for the cinnamon roll man.

Have you written any other books that are not published?
Oh my, yes. The first book I wrote (that shall not see the light of day) was an ode to my hometown and about a dramatic girl who falls for a tortured artist. I’ve written a book called What Happened at Band Camp that is enemies to lovers in the nerdiest way. It still needs heavy revision. I’ve written a book about a girl who works backstage in the drama department and strikes up a friendship with a mysterious penpal. It also needs revision. I’ve started a book about sisters and a book about a fake relationship fueled by popularity and desperation. I’m planning to write a book set in Michigan’s upper peninsula that is part survival, part romance. I write about ten times more than what has been published, so if you’re in the same boat, take heart. Have fun!

Who did you write your book for?
This book is for anyone who loves summer romance. It's for sarcastic introverts who don't say half of what they'd really like to. It's for extroverts who love to laugh at themselves. It's for people who romanticize summer camp and are looking for a book to escape into. I'd rate it middle school and up in terms of reader age.

Is there a central message in the book?
If a reader gets anything besides a moment to escape from this book, I hope it is self-acceptance. Andy doesn’t have to become an extrovert to fit in, and we don’t have to conform to enjoy life.

If you had to choose, what would you say is the single most important idea you’re sharing in your book that is really going to add value to the reader’s life?
 This book has a very specific brand of humor that I think is incredibly relatable to people who don't always like to be around others. The inner monologue of Andy is where a lot of the funny in the book comes from. It's a very satisfying read because she will go from absolutely hating camp to something quite different by the last page--and in the way you might think. I think it’s a satisfying young adult read that will hit the sweet spot with readers looking to feel seen. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is remain true to yourself.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since publishing your work?
I love signing books for people and meeting readers. I've gotten a couple of emails about my book that have made me cry. All I wanted when I wrote this book was to give people a way to feel seen, and when someone tells me they are Andy, I tear up every time.

How would you describe your writing style?
Formally, I would say I write witty teens in emotional settings who undergo personal growth.
Informally, I write snarky teenagers with weird problems and the cinnamon roll guys who love them.

Who should buy this book?
If you’re looking for a light, funny read with interesting characters, you should consider this book. If you liked the movie Camp Rock or the show Bunk’d you should try this book. If you’re into books by Kody Keplinger, Marni Bates, Jenna Evans Welch, or Jenny Han, you should try this book. Anyone who likes fast-paced summer camp fun, really.

If you were asked to compare this book with any book out there we might already be familiar with, which book would it be and why?
This book would resound with those who enjoy Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty books. Except when I write, it’s all about the Jeremiahs of the world. The nice guy always wins. It could also be likened to Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch in that it is all about self-discovery in the midst of summer romance.
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Do you have a website?
Yes! It’s jessicakfoster.com

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