Back in the 80's there were a few things you could always count on-that Lisa would be wearing high tops and a jean jacket and that Liz would have a big, fat scrunchy in her hair. Oh, and that we'd both have our noses in the latest SVH book!
The Sweet Valley High series had it all back then. Liz used to dream about naughty Bruce Patman(Is that where she developed her bad boy infatuation?), while Lisa was more of a Todd Wilkins kind of girl. We giggled as they switched identities to mess with people and held our breath when Elizabeth was kidnapped. (We always did love the dramz...)
Long story short, we loved it! In fact, we may go as far to even say that SVH was our first foray into chick lit. And look how that turned out!
So imagine our excitement when we discovered that the fantabulous Francine Pascal was writing a sequel to our beloved Sweet Valley High. Fast forward ten years and beloved identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are back and all grown up, dealing with the complicated adult world of love, careers, betrayal, and sisterhood in Sweet Valley Confidential (St. Martin’s Press), due out in March 2011.
We're dying to know if Liz is on the corporate fast track or if Jess has become a hot mess. If Liz has become a total Facebook whore or if Jess is addicted to You Tube. And we're not the only ones, even blogger Perez Hilton is excited to see what these beyotches have been up to!!
And exclusive to Chick Lit is not Dead readers, Francine was nice enough to give us a little refresher course in all things Sweet Valley in preparation for the sequel. We also have THREE SETS of Team Liz/Team Jess T-shirts to give away to five lucky readers. Just leave a comment and we'll pick the winners on Friday night.
5 Things You Didn’t Know About Elizabeth and Jessica back at Sweet Valley High, by Francine Pascal
I wrote Sweet Valley Confidential for my fans who after all this time, are still curious to know what has become of the twins and their friends. I was curious myself. These characters were so close to me for years and I found that I wanted to delve into their reality as adults and discover who they turned out to be. Just like the people we went to high-school with there is a curiosity about where they are now and what they’re doing. I wanted to give my fans the opportunity to visit Sweet Valley one more time.
1. Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield were perfect size six twins, identical in every way—the same honey-and-sunshine hair, the same aquamarine eyes and a perfect, even feature. The exception was that Liz’s face often wore a concerned expression in contract to Jess’ look of playful triumph. Both mirrored who they really were. Elizabeth worried too much and Jessica not enough.
2. Four minutes older than Jessica, Elizabeth seemed years ahead in maturity and she was more sensible, thoughtful and always there for the friend in need or the underdog. Additionally, she was organized, controlled and studious. The perfect sister who sometimes bemoaned the fact that couldn’t let go and have a little more fun. She was always covering up for her sister and sometimes not so willingly. Her constant defense of Jessica caused her to have more than a few fights off screen with her equally perfect boyfriend, Todd.
3. Jessica was the most popular girl at Sweet Valley High. As head cheerleader, she dated all the hot boys and most of the bad ones, too, and probably defined the term “frenemy.” Jessica was adventurous, always looking for the next big one, sometimes even scaring herself. Enviable in many ways, Jessica was a risk-taker with a “come hither” quality that fascinated. But sometimes it fascinated the wrong people and then she had to run to her sister for help.
4. Both girls had the advantage of fabulous looks. Jessica certainly made more use of them than Elizabeth. But it helped both of them. Always more career-oriented, Elizabeth loved writing for the school newspaper, The Oracle. Even in high school she knew she wanted to be a journalist. Jessica was obsessed with fashion, glamor and social status and had no idea what she would become. Sometimes she worried about that, but then she would find a new boyfriend and all was well again.
5. While both girls had many friends, Enid Rollins was Elizabeth’s best friend and Lila Fowler was Jessica’s. Liz was a one guy girl and that guy was always Todd Wilkins. And, as far as she was concerned, it would always be that way. As for Jessica, she dated just about every popular guy including Bill Chase, Ken Mathews and, of course, Bruce Patman and was always looking for the next one. Sometimes she wondered if she would ever find the right one and be able to stop looking.
Click here to "like" SVH on Facebook. Want a sneak peak of Chapter One release of 2011’s most anticipated book? Visit SweetValleyTenYearsLater.com.
xoxo, Liz & Lisa