Check out this fun post on The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. The author herself stops by to give you a challenge to solve!
Welcome to my stop on The Fixer blog tour!! The Fixer is about a teenage girl who’s suddenly whisked into the world of the rich and powerful in Washington D.C., a world in which the connected can pay a “fixer” to make their problems go away.
I’m thrilled to welcome author Jennifer Lynn Barnes to the blog today. She’s stopping by to present you with a problem for you to fix.
But first, more about her book, which came out this week:
The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
When sixteen-year-old Tess Kendrick is sent to live with her older sister, Ivy, she has no idea that the infamous Ivy Kendrick is Washington D.C.’s #1 “fixer,” known for making politicians’ scandals go away for a price. No sooner does Tess enroll at Hardwicke Academy than she unwittingly follows in her sister’s footsteps and becomes D.C.’s premier high school fixer, solving problems for elite teens.
Secrets pile up as each sister lives a double life. . . . until their worlds come crashing together and Tess finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy with one of her classmates and a client of Ivy’s. Suddenly, there is much more on the line than good grades, money, or politics, and the price for this fix might be more than Tess is willing to pay.
Perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and Heist Society, readers will be clamoring for more in this exciting new series.
Now, a little about author Jennifer Lynn Barnes. She has written several acclaimed young adult novels, including the Raised by Wolves and the Naturals series. She has advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science. She received her PhD from Yale University and is now a professor in psychology.
“You’re telling me that my sister is a professional problem solver?” I asked tightly. “She just goes around, solving other people’s problems? How is that even an occupation?” “Supply and demand?” Vivvie suggested. “Around here, we call them fixers.”
Jennifer Lynn Barnes Presents: Your Fixer Challenge!
In honor of THE FIXER’s release, I’m challenging readers try their hands at being a fixer. And I thought it would be doubly fun (and also: personally embarrassing) if the problems you guys had the opportunity to suggest fixes for really happened to me in high school.
So, without further ado, I present to you…
THE CASE OF THE DUCT-TAPE PICTURE
My senior year in high school, a couple of my guy friends were playing around with a roll of duct-tape.
“Hey, Jennifer,” one of them said, “can I duct-tape your hands together?”
I suspected that was a rhetorical question, so I said, “Okay.”
A few minutes later: “Hey, Jennifer, can I duct-tape your feet together?”
I said no. He—and several accomplices, also good friends of mine—duct-taped my feet together anyway. And then they duct-taped me to a chair. And then they picked up the chair and carried me into the boys’ bathroom and left me there. Which, I will admit, was kind of funny at the time. Having read quite a bit of Nancy Drew as a child, I had flexed my wrists while they were taping my hands together, so that I could wiggle my hands loose behind my back. I eventually freed myself. Unfortunately, I did NOT free myself before said guys had posed at the urinals all around me and taken some digital photos.
Picture this: a girl in a private school uniform with a strip of duct-tape over her mouth, tied to a chair in the boy’s bathroom.
Ha ha, so funny, I’m going to END YOU GUYS.
Flash forward a few days. That picture started showing up EVERYWHERE. It was in the school newspaper. It made the email rounds. Even the teachers got copies! I know this, because some of them asked me about it, and some of them printed it out and hung it up in their offices. One of my teachers thought it was so funny that she made it the wallpaper on her office computer. That picture even made it into the yearbook, and I was the freaking yearbook editor. How did my friends manage THAT one? I DO NOT KNOW.
So here is my assignment for you: imagine that you, like Tess, are a high school fixer. Teenage Jen comes to you, tells you about the duct-tape picture, and asks you to handle the situation.
What do you do?
Thanks so much to Jennifer for stopping by. Don’t just leave her hanging — help her fix her problem! You can leave your answer in comments.
Jen has been blogging about books since 2011. In that time, she has read and reviewed over 1500 books. She loves helping readers find their perfect next read and helping books find their audience.
Uhm difficult one. And so not funny. I would make an even more embarrassing picture of someone else. Hanging from the flagpost in underwear. Quarterback in a girlschearleaders outfit something like that.. Delete every bathroom picture and make sure it is forgotten by everyone.
What a really, really hard situation! I'm not sure what I would do, but I know I would be pissed because I wouldn't want something like that done to me without my consent. Even if it was a joke, I don't think I'd be pleased my discomfort was made some sort of amusement for others 😐 I'd probably hire some IT guy to hack into some guy's computer (maybe the one who spearheaded the "joke") and flash it all over school. See how he gulps his own medicine. (that's probably illegal though lol)
I guess it depends what teenage Jen wants to do. Survive the embarassment? Get the picture deleted? To survive the embarassment, you could turn it into a selfie olympics sort of thing, so that people think you are a trendsetter. If you want to get rid of the picture, that's harder. The problem is that digital pictures are easy to copy and share and there is no way to track down all the copies and delete them. This means, you have to get the people to delete the pictures themselves, so I would spread a rumor that the picture was created specifically to create a backdoor into people's computers. If people think it is a Trojan Horse, they will delete the file. Obviously, the original picture takers will know this is not true, so you'll probably have to actually get a hacker to get rid of those copies. 🙂
PS-I'm so excited for this book. I LOVE JLB's books!
And I like the idea of teenage Jen pretending that she was in on it, and that it's a joke. Maybe get some friends to pose for a similar photo and pretend it's part of some club initiation?
You're really good at this, Steph! I love the Trojan Horse solution. And as long as your hacker is getting rid of the original on the boys' computers, said hacker may as well replace it with something else! I also love the idea of the selfie olympics! You think very much like Tess (she does something somewhat similar to this in book 2!)
Oh god, I'm awful at this type stuff. lol I'd probably just lie down and die of embarrassment. But I would suggest teenage Jen keeping her head held high and trying to make it more like a joke she was in on. And perhaps plan some light and fun revenge. Nothing too awful but something playful so it seems more like a little prank that didn't get to you.
I think some light and fun revenge could be in order here… if Tess were handling the situation, she might suggest letting the boys dread what was coming for a while first. So, for instance, I could see Tess and company making a bunch of little strips of duct tape with a date and a time written on them and sticking them all over the school, counting down to the moment of revenge…
Electronic copies are horrendous…especially if they hit the internet. The internet is forever. We must assume this is the case – or is GOING to be the case. Quite frankly, the only thing the rich and powerful understand is BLACKMAIL. So, I would create situations substantially worse for each of the perpetrators (whether real or fictional is irrelevant; it only matters that the perp understands that people will BELIEVE him to be the creature shown) and threaten massive exposure for each of the guilty parties. I have a very creative imagination, and with knowledge of those involved, could come up with some very nasty scenarios. 🙂
As much as I'd like to believe that was a prank, it sure as heck doesn't sound like it. I like to think of myself as a civilized person, but if Tess came to me qith this I would be all for REVENGE! Get back at the boys who taped me and the ones that took the picture!… I just hate bullying and this scenario seems to fit the description…
Ohmygod that sounds mortifying. I'd probably run away to another planet and build my own castle there and live forevermore and not face any of it…but we can't really do that, can we? XD Also, is the giveaway INTL?
Oooh. Maybe find a way to make it look like the picture was doctored? Get something on the people who took the picture and force them to say it was doctored?
Can't wait to get my hands on a copy of The Fixer, it sounds fabulous! Ann S
Uhm difficult one. And so not funny. I would make an even more embarrassing picture of someone else. Hanging from the flagpost in underwear. Quarterback in a girlschearleaders outfit something like that.. Delete every bathroom picture and make sure it is forgotten by everyone.
Ooh, Marjolein, I like that. Distraction and re-direction!
I think re-direction (or taking control of the story) is a must here!
Change schools and get new friends? 🙂
Yeah, that is a thought…
Haha! I don't even know how I would fix that situation. I'm also not sure I would want to fix it. 🙂
What? Nick, that is kinda evil….
What a really, really hard situation! I'm not sure what I would do, but I know I would be pissed because I wouldn't want something like that done to me without my consent. Even if it was a joke, I don't think I'd be pleased my discomfort was made some sort of amusement for others 😐 I'd probably hire some IT guy to hack into some guy's computer (maybe the one who spearheaded the "joke") and flash it all over school. See how he gulps his own medicine. (that's probably illegal though lol)
Faye at The Social Potato
I love a good hacking plot!
A hacker would definitely come in handy at a time like this. (And as it so happens, Tess does know one in the book!).
I guess it depends what teenage Jen wants to do. Survive the embarassment? Get the picture deleted? To survive the embarassment, you could turn it into a selfie olympics sort of thing, so that people think you are a trendsetter. If you want to get rid of the picture, that's harder. The problem is that digital pictures are easy to copy and share and there is no way to track down all the copies and delete them. This means, you have to get the people to delete the pictures themselves, so I would spread a rumor that the picture was created specifically to create a backdoor into people's computers. If people think it is a Trojan Horse, they will delete the file. Obviously, the original picture takers will know this is not true, so you'll probably have to actually get a hacker to get rid of those copies. 🙂
PS-I'm so excited for this book. I LOVE JLB's books!
Steph, you're going to love this one.
And I like the idea of teenage Jen pretending that she was in on it, and that it's a joke. Maybe get some friends to pose for a similar photo and pretend it's part of some club initiation?
You're really good at this, Steph! I love the Trojan Horse solution. And as long as your hacker is getting rid of the original on the boys' computers, said hacker may as well replace it with something else! I also love the idea of the selfie olympics! You think very much like Tess (she does something somewhat similar to this in book 2!)
Oh god, I'm awful at this type stuff. lol I'd probably just lie down and die of embarrassment. But I would suggest teenage Jen keeping her head held high and trying to make it more like a joke she was in on. And perhaps plan some light and fun revenge. Nothing too awful but something playful so it seems more like a little prank that didn't get to you.
I LOVED this book!
I think some light and fun revenge could be in order here… if Tess were handling the situation, she might suggest letting the boys dread what was coming for a while first. So, for instance, I could see Tess and company making a bunch of little strips of duct tape with a date and a time written on them and sticking them all over the school, counting down to the moment of revenge…
Electronic copies are horrendous…especially if they hit the internet. The internet is forever. We must assume this is the case – or is GOING to be the case. Quite frankly, the only thing the rich and powerful understand is BLACKMAIL. So, I would create situations substantially worse for each of the perpetrators (whether real or fictional is irrelevant; it only matters that the perp understands that people will BELIEVE him to be the creature shown) and threaten massive exposure for each of the guilty parties. I have a very creative imagination, and with knowledge of those involved, could come up with some very nasty scenarios. 🙂
Michelle, you play hardball and should be a Fixer yourself!
This is tough! I would say change schools or publicize that it was a top-secret audition for a movie! I would love to win this book!
Love the movie audition idea, Suz. That's genius!
not sure; change schools
I think that would be everyone's first reaction 🙂
As much as I'd like to believe that was a prank, it sure as heck doesn't sound like it. I like to think of myself as a civilized person, but if Tess came to me qith this I would be all for REVENGE! Get back at the boys who taped me and the ones that took the picture!… I just hate bullying and this scenario seems to fit the description…
That's a hard one. Maybe own it, turn it around as a joke you were in on, return the favor for whoever did it
Ohmygod that sounds mortifying. I'd probably run away to another planet and build my own castle there and live forevermore and not face any of it…but we can't really do that, can we? XD Also, is the giveaway INTL?
Oooh. Maybe find a way to make it look like the picture was doctored? Get something on the people who took the picture and force them to say it was doctored?
Can't wait to get my hands on a copy of The Fixer, it sounds fabulous!
Ann S
Hmm, I feel like revenge is the way to go. Find a way to spread pictures of the guys in an even more embarrassing situation would work. 😉