Who Says Girls Can't Play Sports?

by Miranda Kenneally, author of Catching Jordan

I’ll admit it. I love romance. Big time. I also love sports.

You’re supposed to write what you know, and I understand high school angst and romance and friendships better than just about anything. I also understand high school sports.

Growing up in Tennessee, girls always played sports with the guys during recess. Football, baseball, basketball, dodgeball. Some really athletic girls were even better at sports than most of the guys.

When I set out to write CATCHING JORDAN, I imagined a super athletic, strong-willed girl. It wasn’t a stretch for me, because I knew those girls growing up. I knew girls who went on to play basketball for the University of Alabama, and girls who played soccer for Auburn. I knew girls, who – on the playground, outscored guys easily during a game of pick-up football. Jordan is the captain and quarterback of her high school football team, and while some people might think that’s impossible and that it would never happen, I encourage you to look up the girls who’ve played football in high school and college. Sure, most of them were kickers, but there have been plenty of quarterbacks.

With CATCHING JORDAN, I wanted readers to get to know a strong, self-confident person who is not only a great leader in sports, but also a girl who wants the same things all girls want. I feel it’s important to show girls it’s fine to be feminine and sporty at the same time.

I wanted to bring romance and sports together, because these two things are important to teen girls. In high school, I knew many girls who struggled with relationships and who to date and unrequited love.

Girls are strong. They can do anything they want to do. They can date who they want to date. They can play the sports they want to play. That’s what CATCHING JORDAN is all about: following dreams.

Miranda Kenneally grew up in Manchester, Tennessee, a quaint Christian town where nothing cool ever happened until after she left. (Now it’s the home of Bonnaroo).Her dream was to become an author, a Major League Baseball Player, a Cracker Barrel manager, a country music singer, or an interpreter for the United Nations. While not a good enough linguist to be an interpreter, she did get a job at the U.S. Department of State, dabbling in all sorts of stuff – from managing catering at The Pittsburgh G-20 Summit to serving as George W. Bush’s personal armrest. She currently lives in Washington, D.C. and is a weekly blogger at YA5. Visit www.mirandakenneally.com

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Praise for Catching Jordan

Miranda Kenneally reminds us of the passion of the game. . . If you want a book that will pull you in and engage you with characters who ring true, Catching Jordan is the book you want to read. — Barbara Bell, Examiner.com

I absolutely LOVED Jordan. She is a great role model for teens today showing them that you can do anything as long as you work hard. —Nightly Readings

This is a wonderful young adult novel about following your dreams and facing life’s realities. Jordan says it best, “Sometimes you have to give something up to get something better.” —Reading Eating and Dreaming

This is a book that made me laugh and cry. A book that made me want to hug its characters and shout at them. It was impossible to put down and if you just think that you might like this, pick it up immediately. I love it!  —Fictional Distraction

Catching Jordan is a lovely, realistic portrayal of one girl’s journey through senior year, and it is definitely a book I’ll be rereading when I want an awesome, feel-good, make-me-smile story. This is definitely one you don’t want to miss! —From A to Z

Bottom line? This is the book that made me want to read more contemporary. Absolutely five stars out of five, and if you haven't already ordered your copy, you really ought to get on that. —Coffee Life Love

A book that will pull at your heartstrings and not let you go until you finish the very last page. —Pages of Forbidden Love

Catching Jordan was everything that I hoped it would be and more!  It's the kind of book that you pick up to read and find that you can't put it down until you've turned the last page!  —Reading in the Corner

Catching Jordan is the chocolate cake you eat after a very fulfilling meal. I couldn't get enough of it and it ended way too soon. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone, because when you get right down to it, this book can be summed up in one word: AWESOMENESS!!! —The Cozy Reading Corner

Do I recommend? If it wasn't obvious, YES. A MILLION TIMES YES. —Gypsy Book Reviews