Hypable has the first look at the beautiful softcover edition of Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger, plus an interview with the author and an awesome giveaway!

A companion novel to Keplinger’s bestseller The DUFF, Lying Out Loud tells a story of friendship, interlopers, and the price of telling the truth. The stunningly redesigned paperback edition will be released this Spring.

About ‘Lying Out Loud’

Kody Keplinger returns to the world of The DUFF in this brand-new companion novel!

Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend’s house every night because she has nowhere else to go.

Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with — secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross.

Ryder’s the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can’t stand — a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed.

But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might actually like him. Only there’s one small catch: he thinks he’s been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realize that she’s the girl he’s really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy?

Five questions for Kody Keplinger

1) What is your favorite element of the new cover for Lying Out Loud?

I’m obsessed with the new font. It’s just so much fun and really eye catching!! I also really like how well it ties into the original cover of The DUFF.

2) What was your favorite part of writing Sonny and Amy?

I had so much fun writing their banter! When I originally decided to write Lying Out Loud, it was going to focus much more heavily on the relationship with Sonny and Ryder. But as I began writing, I realized just how much fun it was to write about Sonny and Amy, and how important Amy really was to Sonny. Every scene between them was just so much fun to write — I loved showing how well they knew each other and how much they really needed each other.

3) What do you hope readers will discover on re-reading Lying Out Loud?

I mostly just hope they have fun re-reading! Sonny is a very complicated, not-always-likable character who makes a lot of mistakes — but I think she does so with so much heart and humor. I had so much fun writing about her, especially her dialogue, and I hope she’s just as fun for readers!

4) Do you ever re-read your own work after it’s published?

Only if it’s released on audio. If the book has an audiobook, I always listen to it the day it comes out. I have so much fun hearing how another person interprets my characters voices! And I think the Lying Out Loud audiobook is probably my favorite thus far — the narrator just really *got* Sonny. It is really nerve-wracking, though, because nothing makes you more aware of your own writing (the good and the bad) like hearing it out loud.

5) What are you working on now?

I have a new book called Run coming out in June!! If you enjoyed Amy and Sonny’s close friendship in Lying Out Loud, then Run is going to be up your alley. It’s a little darker, though. It’s about two girls in a small town in Kentucky who develop a close, intense friendship. The chapters cut back and forth, showing both how these very different teenagers became friends and also what happens after they decide to steal a car and run away. It’s a story I am so very excited to share with readers this summer! And I have an advanced copy to giveaway today, in fact.

Speaking of that giveaway…

Enter here to win an amazing book package! Included are signed copies of The DUFF, A Midsummer’s Nightmare, and Shut Out, a paperback copy of Lying Out Loud, and an advanced copy of Kody’s newest book, Run.

Giveaway open to readers in the USA.

Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger will be released in paperback on May 31, 2016.