Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn’s celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.
Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn’s last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn. . . and ruggedly good looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn–but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?
Find Jessi Online:
www.JessiKirby.com
FACEBOOK
TWITTER @JessiKirby
Early Reviews of IN HONOR:
“A beautiful, engaging journey with heart, humor, and just a pinch of Texas sass. Hands down my favorite contemporary of the year.”
–Sarah Ockler, bestselling author of Twenty Boy Summer, Fixing Delilah, and Bittersweet
“An amazing novel about first kisses, last goodbyes, and what it means to finally let go. I absolutely loved it.”
–Lauren Barnholdt, author of Two Way Street
Check out our Q&A with the Author:
What kind of research did you have to do to bring IN HONOR to life on the page?
In this book, I was writing about many places I hadn’t been before, so naturally I had to take a “research trip.” For me that meant taking my mom and my sister with me to Sedona, AZ. I was convinced I couldn’t write about something so gorgeous without actually seeing it, and I was so glad I did. It’s a gorgeous, magical place!
If you could have dinner with one of your characters who would it be?
Rusty, without a doubt, because I picture him a lot like Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights, who was one of the inspirations for his character. J
Be honest, how many drafts did you have to write for this book? Any horrific scenes that were cut from the original that you want to share?
It took 4 drafts for this one, and I don’t think I cut anything! My early drafts are always just the bare bones of the story, and very spare and quick, so my revisions tend to consist of going back in and adding and slowing things down.
What’s your favorite part of the writing process? Your least favorite part?
My favorite part is revision, which surprised me at first. I absolutely HATED revising in school, but I’ve come to see it as the fun part. My least favorite? Drafting. No matter how hard I try, I haven’t yet figured out a way to do it without constantly editing, which makes for some very slooow writing.
What are you working on next?
I just finished the first draft of my 3rd novel, GOLDEN, which is the story of a girl who finds the journal of a town legend who went missing 10 years earlier. Before I begin writing another story, I’ll be revising that one so it’s ready for 2013!
About the Author:
Jessi Kirby is the author of Moonglass, published in May 2011 by Simon and Schuster. She is also a wife, mom, English teacher and former librarian, beach bum, runner, and lover of Contemporary YA, strong coffee, and dark chocolate. For more information, please visit her Web site at: www.JessiKirby.com
