College Life 101: Freshman
Orientation
by J.B. Vample
Genre: NA Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: December 18th 2015
Summary from Goodreads:
Leaving home for the first time to attend college is stressful enough. But when the roommate lottery of Paradise Valley University strikes, it produces couples who have absolutely nothing in common; causing personality clashes which takes the stress to a whole new level. Dismay hits Sidra Howard, the prim and proper princess, when she contemplates spending an entire semester with Chasity Parker, the troubled beauty with a sharp tongue and even sharper claws. Malajia Simmons, a boy crazed, attention seeking diva, is no happier. Not only does she get stuck with the upper bunk bed, she has to share a triple room with Alexandra Chisolm, a nosey and overbearing, self proclaimed “know-it-all”. But even the meddling Alexandra isn’t as bad as Emily Harris, the shy, mommy’s girl with a non-existent backbone.
Coming to college to escape her home life, Chasity hopes to get through the semester without any problems. Her hopes are tainted once she begins to have to resist the advances of a determined football star, on top of dealing with family drama which seems to have followed her. Alexandra’s need to fix everyone’s problems not only rubs her roommates the wrong way, it also causes her to fall blind to the problems brewing with the boyfriend that she left behind. Eventually she’ll be forced to face the issues head on. Emily’s refusal to come out of her shell is too much to handle for party girl Malajia, whose main purpose is to have fun and be seen. The same doesn’t apply to Sidra, who’s more concerned with trying to keep her over-the-top stress level under control.
These five young women try to handle family drama, pressure, and conflicts; all while trying to maintain their grades. They quickly learn that college life isn’t what they expected and must adapt to their new environment if they ever hope to make it through their first semester.
by J.B. Vample
Genre: NA Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: December 18th 2015
Summary from Goodreads:
Leaving home for the first time to attend college is stressful enough. But when the roommate lottery of Paradise Valley University strikes, it produces couples who have absolutely nothing in common; causing personality clashes which takes the stress to a whole new level. Dismay hits Sidra Howard, the prim and proper princess, when she contemplates spending an entire semester with Chasity Parker, the troubled beauty with a sharp tongue and even sharper claws. Malajia Simmons, a boy crazed, attention seeking diva, is no happier. Not only does she get stuck with the upper bunk bed, she has to share a triple room with Alexandra Chisolm, a nosey and overbearing, self proclaimed “know-it-all”. But even the meddling Alexandra isn’t as bad as Emily Harris, the shy, mommy’s girl with a non-existent backbone.
Coming to college to escape her home life, Chasity hopes to get through the semester without any problems. Her hopes are tainted once she begins to have to resist the advances of a determined football star, on top of dealing with family drama which seems to have followed her. Alexandra’s need to fix everyone’s problems not only rubs her roommates the wrong way, it also causes her to fall blind to the problems brewing with the boyfriend that she left behind. Eventually she’ll be forced to face the issues head on. Emily’s refusal to come out of her shell is too much to handle for party girl Malajia, whose main purpose is to have fun and be seen. The same doesn’t apply to Sidra, who’s more concerned with trying to keep her over-the-top stress level under control.
These five young women try to handle family drama, pressure, and conflicts; all while trying to maintain their grades. They quickly learn that college life isn’t what they expected and must adapt to their new environment if they ever hope to make it through their first semester.
Buy
Links:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble
~ iTunes ~ Kobo
Interview
with J.B. Vample
What
inspired you to write (College Life 101: Freshman Orientation)?
The idea for this book, and ultimately the series came to me while I was in high
school. I was a senior and was months away from going to college. I started
thinking about what type of people I could meet, what scenarios could take
place; and from there, I created character names, gave them characteristics,
personalities and just started creating. Knowing that I would soon be in the
place that my characters were, and the anticipation of my soon-to-be life as a
college student, is what inspired me to write this. This is a character driven
series, so through each book, the characters develop a little more. You learn a
little more about what makes them who they are. There is plenty of drama and
humor.
Can
you tell us a little bit about the next books in (The College Life Series) or
what you have planned for the future?
The series will be nine books in total, with
the first eight books taking place during the characters’ college years and the
ninth book following them about five years after their graduation. The next two
books of the series are also published, “College Life 102: Social Learning”
which takes place during semester two of their freshman year, and “College Life
201: Sophomore Studies” starts their sophomore year.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters
in (College Life 101: Freshman Orientation)?
There are five main characters in this series. Five black woman,
who are so different in appearance and personality. Chasity Parker is a feisty sharp-tongued girl who most people are
afraid of. Her words alone can tear a person's feelings apart. But what people
don't realize is that Chasity is angry because of how she was brought up.
Having a mother who hated her and a father who ignored her, turned her from a
loving child to an angry, guarded young woman. What's special about her, is
that under her tough exterior is a caring person who just wants to be loved and
accepted like everyone else.
Malajia Simmons, is the loud, silly, boy-crazed
party girl. The girl loves attention, and her need for it comes from being
the middle child of seven girls. She certainly gets it due to her
outgoing, flirty personality and barely-there clothing. But she soon realizes
as her journey goes on, that not all attention is good attention. And she
learns that she must change how she comes off, if anybody is ever going to take
her seriously. The special thing about Malajia is that although her exterior
seems shallow, she has a big heart and will go to bat for her friends at the
drop of a dime.
Sidra Howard, the prim princess with the
business attire and neat up-dos, initially comes off as snobby, despite her use
of manners and her polite persona. Being the butt of jokes because of her
wardrobe, reserved presence and usage of proper words, never bothered Sidra.
What will send her over the edge is stress, and blatant disrespect. Sidra has a
side to her that rears it's ugly head when pushed to the limit. What's special
about Sidra is her ability to be the calming, pacifying voice among her
friends.
Alexandra Chisolm (Alex), being the oldest child
in her family, has a "mothering" personality. Her need to be in
everyone's business, and her need to fix problems for everyone but herself,
lands her in a lot of hot water. What Alex doesn't realize is that not everyone
needs another mother, and that not everybody handles their problems the same
way. Alex learns that the person she needs to focus most on, is herself. The
special thing about Alex is that she genuinely loves her circle of friends, and
no matter how she comes off, she has their best interest at heart.
Emily Harris is shy, quiet and a total mommy's
girl. So much so, that her mother seems to control her even when she's not
around. Emily's meek personality, her bad wardrobe, and her inability to stand
up for herself, makes her the most unlike-able character in the very beginning.
But the events that she goes through, helps her discover her voice and her
backbone. The special thing about Emily is that deep down, she knows that her
strength is there, she just needs a way to find it.
You
know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and
why?
I would say at this time, that my favorite
author is Rochelle Alers. She wrote this great romance series called “The
Hideaway series” that I love.
If
you could time-travel would you travel to the future or the past? Where would
you like to go and why would you like to visit this particular time period?
If I could travel to the past, I would go back
to certain times in my childhood because of the memories that were forged
during that time. Those are times that I miss.
Do
you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?
Yes, I have one temperamental, two faced cat
and her name is Sarabi. I’ve had her since she was a baby.
Thanks
for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us today.
You’re
welcome, and thank you for having me.
About the Author
J.B. was born in Philadelphia, PA but has lived in California, Arizona
and Maryland (while attending The University of Maryland Eastern Shore).
Although she works as a Lead Time Entry Analyst, her first love is and has
always been writing. She admits to having an over active imagination and to
being a chronic day dreamer, both have helped with her writing. (She says that
the scenes from her books play like a movie in her head). Aside from writing,
she enjoys martial arts and reading.
Author
Links:
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