Em
and Em
by
Linda Budzinski
Publication
Date: Sept 15, 2015
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Genre: YA, Contemporary
The last thing
sixteen-year-old Emily Slovkowski wants is to move away from her home at the
Jersey shore, gorgeous surfer boyfriend Zach, and her entire identity. But
that’s kind of how Witness Protection works, and Em must prepare herself for an
epic do-over as she starts a new life in the Midwest.
Even as she pines for sandy
beaches and the night life of the shore, the newly-named Ember O’Malley finds
herself making new friends, taking photos for the high school newspaper, and
thinking an awful lot about the paper’s editor, an oddly cute cowboy named
Charles.
When Em stumbles upon a shady
beneath-the-bleachers exchange between one of the school’s football coaches and
a student, she refuses to get involved. The last thing she needs is to be
witness to another crime or call attention to herself. Besides, she finally has
some real friends – well, real except for the fact that they don’t know a
single thing about her – and she prefers to keep it that way until the trial.
But as her day in court
approaches, Em begins piecing together what she saw that day beneath the
bleachers. And, as her own past secrets start to catch up with her, Em needs to
figure out who she really is – Em or Em.
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Dream Cast
Emily
Slovkowski/Ember O’Malley: Chloe Grace Moretz
Emily/Ember
is a complex character in the book, not only because she has two identities
(though there is that!) but because she has a vulnerable side and a tough side,
an innocent side and a seen-way-too-much side. Chloe Grace Moretz has awesome
range as an actress and is ultimately a role model for girls today, so I feel
like she’d make the perfect Em!
Charles
Moore: Ben Stillwell
Charles
is nerdy and sweet and maybe a little out of place at his school, but with a
large dose of hotness. So … yeah. Ben Stillwell.
Zach
Reagan: Austin Butler
The
actor who plays Zach has to exude a beach boy, surfer vibe. Zach is gorgeous
and laid back. He’s a little flighty but not stupid. And he’s basically kind
but a bit too self-absorbed. I think Austin Butler would do a great job playing
him.
Claire:
Dakota Fanning
Claire
is pretty much the nicest person on the face of the earth, the girl any of us
would love to have as our best friend. Dakota Fanning just oozes “sweetheart”
both in her acting roles and in real life. And, she’s taking a women’s studies
course at NYU (where Claire wants to go!) to examine the role of women in film.
Ultimately, sweet, mild-mannered cheerleader Claire is the only girl in the
book to address Emily’s slut-shaming in the feminist sense.
Linda Acorn Budzinski decided in the second
grade that she wanted to be a “Paperback Writer,” just like in the Beatles
song. She majored in journalism in college and now works in marketing and
communications. She spent 18 years at a trade association in the funeral
service industry, where she discovered that funeral directors are some of the
bravest and most compassionate people on earth. Linda lives in Northern
Virginia with her husband, Joe, and their chihuahua, Demitria. She has two
step-daughters, Eris and Sarah. THE FUNERAL SINGER is her debut novel. She is
represented by Andrea Somberg of Harvey Klinger Inc.
THE FUNERAL SINGER is Linda Budzinski's
first novel.
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