Blog Tour: A Beautiful Rock by Lilliana Anderson [Blitz + Excerpt + Guest Post (by the Author) ]

Title: A Beautiful Rock

Author: Lilliana Anderson
Series: Beautiful #4

Date of Publication: April 3rd, 2014

Genres: Romance, New Adult

 After the video of his public outburst catapulted him to superstardom, Marcus now has everything he ever wanted. Or so he thought. Be careful what you wish for, his mother always told him… After spending two years touring the globe, he’s growing tired, and that endless line of women has become a sea of blurry and meaningless faces. When he returns home and receives a visit from Naomi, his previous object of affection, he finally starts to look at himself and what he’s become. He doesn’t like it. Something has to change… On the surface, Lisa is a pretty simple girl. She goes to work, spends time with her friends, and adores her dog, Perry. She loves the quiet life and isn’t interested in the bright lights of Marcus’s world. So when he takes an interest in her, she makes it very clear that she doesn’t want what he’s offering. You see, Lisa has secrets, and being seen with Marcus will be the key to her undoing. Being a man used to getting what he wants, Marcus won’t be taking no for an answer. For the first time, he has met someone who he feels a definite connection with, and he won’t be taking no for an answer – even if it means inadvertently ruining everything Lisa has worked so hard to conceal… Will Marcus and Lisa find a way to deal with her secrets and be together? Or will she push him away, ensuring Marcus is destined to always have his affections unreturned?

***CONTENT WARNING*** 

New Adult Romance for ages 18+ due to sex scenes and adult situations.

Amazon 

Marcus 

I’m a rock star…

I remember that being this great idea that meant all of my dreams would become a reality. I could click my fingers, and anything I want would appear in front of me. Being obscenely famous is as close to magic as you can get.

The problem is, it’s lonely as fuck.

I’ve just spent two years travelling both Australia and the world, singing to audiences in every country imaginable. I’ve fucked more girls than I can possibly count. Done everything I’ve ever wanted to do, and a whole bunch of shit I didn’t even know existed.

I basked in the adoration of my fans. Let all of my values just slip away until I was the quintessential famous dickwad that I am today.

Now, I’m not even sure I’m ok with looking at myself in the mirror.

I used to have friends. I used to have family. I even thought I was in love once… Now, all I have are hangers on, and staff who are paid to nod their heads and make sure I’m happy.

But I’m not. I’m not happy at all.

I think back to where all this started, to that fucking video when I threw a tantrum on stage because I wanted the girl my brother had. I thought I loved her. At the time, I really did. But now I know it wasn’t love. Love is something I’ve never experienced in my whole over the top, gregarious life. Hell, I don’t even love myself. I’m sick of seeing my face plastered around. I’m sick of hearing my name chanted out loud. I’m sick of my own voice.

I need a break, and now that I'm finally back home where I started, I’m hoping that it won’t be long before I get that. Maybe I’ll pretend to be a normal person for a while. It’s amazing how many people believe me when I deny being me..

Lisa

Engrossed in my movie, it isn’t until Perry jumps off the couch and starts barking that I realise that someone just knocked on my door. Picking up the remote, I hit pause and shoo Perry out of the way so I can see who’s there.

Glancing through the peephole, I close my eyes and wish away my visitor. Nothing good can come of this. “I’m not home,” I call out, feeling slightly annoyed that he’s here. Again. What part of ‘I’m not interested’ isn’t he getting?

“That’s ok,” Marcus replies. “I’ll just wait out here until you get back.”

Despite my annoyance, I can’t stop my mouth from quirking in a slight smile at his response. “You’ll be waiting for a while. I’m not sure what time I’ll be back,” I reply, watching him through the peephole.

He smiles and leans against the door. “Ok,” is all he says, as he pushes back and moves to sit on my front steps.

I assume that he won’t stay there for too long and move back to the couch to continue watching my movie.

“Perry,” I call, trying to get my preferred companion to re-join me on the couch. But he won’t budge from the door. He just sits there, looking at it, then at me as his tail wags impatiently. "I'm not letting him in. So you're wasting your time."

Perry starts whining then lifts his paw to scratch at the door. “Seriously Perry, what is your deal with this guy?" Perry responds by looking at me with his sad doggy eyes and continues to whine.

I roll my eyes and walk back over to the door. “Perry, if you still had your balls we’d be taking a trip to the vet after this. You’re supposed to be loyal to your owner. Not to some guy you’ve only met once.”

Seeing me place my hand on the doorknob, Perry’s tail starts to wag like crazy. I’ve never seen him so eager for me to let a visitor in.

“You might as well come in. My dog would like to see you,” I say as I open the door.

Marcus stands immediately and turns his charming smile toward me. “Your dog?”

“Yes. My dog.” 

The Beautiful Series Continues...

I get a lot of questions from readers wanting to know if they need to read every single book in my Beautiful Series. As much as I would like for you to read all of them, the easy answer is no. Each book is the complete HEA of one particular couple, and if you would like some more insight into their relationship then you can generally find a companion novella from my Beauty in Between series to help you out and allow you to spend some more time with your favourites. 

Even though you can jump in at any point, a lot of readers would like to follow the timeline, and read from start to current release. If that's something that suits you then the recommended order is as follows - 

Too Close: The Beauty in Between

A Beautiful Struggle

Phoenix: The Beauty in Between

A Beautiful Forever

Commitment: The Beauty in Between

A Beautiful Melody

A Beautiful Rock

I love writing this continuing series as it gives us a chance to get a glimpse of past characters. You get to see that they are still together, still maintaining their friendships and growing as people. The stories span many different industries and settings, but ultimately, all of my characters are Australian, and all of them are working through their early adulthood, trying to figure out what kind of person they want to be. 

Learning to trust is a huge factor in most of the series. Some of the characters have had distressing pasts and need to find a way to exist in a world that hurt them. 

In A Beautiful Rock, we meet a few new characters as well as getting a glimpse of some of the old. It follows Marcus (we met him in A Beautiful Melody) as he embarks on an inward journey. It's time for him to take a good look at himself and decide what kind of a man he wants to be. 

While he's at war with his own thoughts, he meets Lisa Russell. She's new to the series and seems to be the one person on the planet who doesn't know who Marcus Bailey is. The fact he's a rockstar doesn't impress her, and with a few secrets of her to keep hidden, she'd rather stay as far away from Marcus as possible. However, Marcus isn't very good at taking no for an answer...

Within the story, you'll also be introduced to the couple who will continue the series with my next instalment, A Beautiful Star. I'll be really interested to hear who you'll think it will be. 

Until we meet again, happy reading! 

Lilliana Anderson xoxox

Australian born and bred, Lilliana Anderson has always loved to read and write considering it the best form of escapism that the world has to offer. Besides writing Angelien's biographical trilogy, she also writes contemporary romance and drama all based around Aussie characters.

When she isn't writing she is a wife, and a mother to four children. She has worked in a variety of industries and studied humanities before transferring to commerce/law at university.

She currently lives a fairly quiet life in suburban Melbourne.

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Blog Tour: Crashing Into You by B. D. Rowe [Promo + Excerpt + Giveaway]

Title: Crashing Into You

Author: B. D. Rowe

Date of Publication: October 3rd, 2013

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Bookish college sophomore Sydney Baker wants Evan Taylor with every ounce of her being. The hottest stud on campus, Evan is six foot four, ripped, stacked with muscles. He’s even easy to talk to. There’s just one problem: he’s her roommate Melanie’s boyfriend. But when Melanie tragically dies after a night of wild partying, Sydney and Evan turn to each other in a time of intense grief. And it doesn’t take long for their close friendship to blossom into something more. Unfortunately for Sydney, secrets from the past soon put her relationship with Evan to the test. Especially when a sexy blonde freshman makes her way into Evan’s life, and tries to rip away everything Sydney holds close to her heart.

** I'll soon be posting the review of this book.**

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We stood behind a pair of palm trees, which hid us from the main path, and any potential students walking by. We were not just hidden, though; we were totally alone.

It was my cue to walk over to the main door and head inside, but my feet didn’t budge. I really, really didn’t want this night to end.

“So did you want to meet up again tomorrow and do some studying, or…” My words trailed off, when Evan took my hand. He stepped closer to me.

“Your hand is so cold,” he said.

I stared at his neck for a moment—that’s where my eye level was. I was afraid to look up. I was terrified, and crazy fucking excited. I breathed in, through my nose. He smelled of cinnamon, of fresh-baked snickerdoodle cookies.

“I must be cold blooded,” I said, and finally gazed into his eyes.

He smiled, and brought both his hands up to my shoulders.

“Evan?” I turned away. “What are you doing?”

He leaned his head down and brushed his lips against my cheek. His mouth hovered over my ear. “Don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it.” Then he kissed me, lightly, on my neck.

My knees buckled. If Evan hadn't been pushed up so close to me, I would have collapsed to the ground.

“Oh my God… Evan.”

He wrapped his arm around my back, and pulled me even closer.

I wanted this. I wanted this so much. I’d been dreaming about it since the moment I first laid eyes on him, way back in English 101, freshman year. 

But it didn't feel right. Not with my roommate still in the picture. Not with their anniversary just days away. I wanted Evan completely, but not like this. 

He stared into my eyes. Touched his fingers against my chest. 

“Evan…” I said.

He smiled, and moved his lips toward mine. “Sydney…”    

I pulled away. A small raindrop touched the top of my head. “Whoa, what?” I looked up. "Did you just feel that?” 

“Huh? Feel what?”

“I think it’s…” I didn’t even have to finish my sentence. The rain started coming down hard, and fast.

“Oh crap,” Evan said.

“Run!” I shouted, and we both raced around the trees, over to the front of McCarthy Hall.

The rain pelted the ground so hard that by the time I found cover under the canopy, I was drenched with rain from head to toe. Evan joined me at my side, just as soaked as I was. I pointed at him, and we both started laughing.

“I guess Melanie was right, after all,” I said.

He nodded, as he patted his hands against his ruined jacket and jeans. “Yeah, I guess she was.” He reached his hand toward mine again, but he didn’t try to touch it. He had to know as well as I did that our little moment had passed.

“Did you…” Evan started.

“Did I what?”

He bit down on his lower lip, like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to ask it. “Did you want me to walk you to your room?”

I sighed. Of course I did. I wanted it more than anything.

But I knew he couldn't. I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Evan. I think I’m just gonna go to bed.”

He nodded, real fast, and said, “All right.”

I put my card in the slot. Pushed the door open. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

I entered the building and let the door shut behind me. When I reached the other side of the entrance hall, I turned around and waved. He was still outside, still in the cold, still with the rain to contend with. He waved back, with little enthusiasm. He turned around, put his jacket over his head, and started running back down the hill.

B.D. Rowe is a Sacramento native with a penchant for crafting tales of romance, mystery, and intrigue. You can often find B.D. at the local coffee shop drinking white chocolate mochas and writing into the wee hours of the night. This is B.D.'s first New Adult novel. 

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Blog Tour: Where Life Takes You by Claudia Y. Burgoa [Blitz + Trailer + Giveaway]

Title: Where Life Takes You

Author: Claudia Y. Burgoa

Date of Publication: July 31st, 2013

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Becca Trent lived her childhood next to a cruel woman—her mom—who lived to torment and neglect her. During her high school years, her mother married; bringing home not only a new husband, but a step sister her same age. The latter took over her Mom’s role—making Becca’s life miserable. Including stealing Ian—Becca’s best friend and boyfriend—Lisa treated her worse than her mother had for the previous fifteen years. A couple of years later, things ended up in tragedy. Becca buried that part of her life in the deep corners of her psyche, but that only work during the days when the nightmares didn’t come back to haunt her. Her best friend, Dan gives her that family love she always lacked. Everything was close to perfect, until everything and everyone from her past came back. Now, she’s trying to figure out how to survive and keep that bond which seems now to be held together by a thread. Note: This is the first part of a two book novel.

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Claudia lives in Colorado with her family and three dogs. Two beagles who believe they are human, and a bichon who thinks she’s a beagle. While managing life, she works as a CFO at a small IT Company. She’s a dreamer who enjoys music, laughter and a good story.

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Cover Reveal: Violet is Blue by Tawny Stokes

This is the official cover reveal of the book Violet is Blue by Tawny Stokes. The cover is designed by Croco Designs. The cover of the book, synopsis of the story and other details are provided below.

Title: Violet is Blue

Author: Tawny Stokes

Date of Publication: January 14th, 2014

Genre(s): New Adult, Thriller

A novel of secrets, passion, and betrayal…. 
For the past four years, 18 year old, Violet Taylor has lived her life like her deceased father would’ve wanted. Perfect grades, perfect friends, the perfect boyfriend from the right family. Except now at the end of high school, she realizes that she’s never fully lived, has never taken risks, has always taken the safe and secure road. That all changes when she breaks up with her boyfriend, takes notice of the bad boy who she once shared a kiss with, and starts receiving gifts and phone calls from a mystery guy who makes her quiver with a need she never knew she possessed… But what started as innocent turns dark and twisted, and Violet finds herself faced with a horrible secret that could destroy everything she once knew and loved.

Tawny Stokes has always been a writer. From an early age, she’d spin tales of serial killers in love, vampires taking over the world, and sometimes about fluffy bunnies turned bunnicidal maniacs. An honour student in high school, with a penchant for math and English, you’d never know it by the foot high blue Mohawk and Doc Martens, which often got her into trouble. No longer a Mohawk wearer, Tawny still enjoys old school punk rock, trance, zombie movies, teen horror films, and fluffy bunnies. She lives in Canada with her fantastical daughter, two cats, and spends most of her time creating new stories for teens.

Tawny also writes adult fiction under the name Vivi Anna.

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Blog Tour: Pentimento by Cameron Jace [Blitz + Excerpt + Giveaway]

Title: Pentimento

Author: Cameron Jace

Date of Publication: December 20th, 2013

Genres: Paranormal, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult

The day Iris Beaumont turns seventeen, she is threatened to be taken by the Beasts, the rulers of the new America. After the destruction of the world, the Beasts provide citizens with whatever they need in exchange for the one teenage girl they enslave every week. They call them the Brides, and they never comes back. Iris isn’t the worrying type though; she’s been defying the system since she was ten and never cared for the Beast’s rules. Then she meets Colton Ray, who is not like any other boy she’s ever seen. His confidence and dominance are otherworldly she can’t rationalize the attraction she feels for him. Colton had one slight problem though. It’s rumored he is one of the Beast, and Iris could be the next on the Beast’s list.

Amazon 

** The Book will be available after release date. **

The girls watched Eva Washington plod to her death. She shuffled barefoot on the red carpet, hardly breathing against the fear inhabiting her lungs. The tensed muscles in her face wrinkled the features of her adolescent beauty. Iris watched the sticky tears in Eva's eyes thicken, and probably blur her destination to the Beasts' glowing spaceship.

Although the sun showed no empathy, still splaying its bright rays upon the scene, the Beasts' spaceship shone an even brighter light toward her. It had always been this way. Iris thought it was ironic how the Beasts hid behind the glaring light. Instead of wearing metal armors or using the latest hologram technologies, they hid behind a light brighter than the sun.

"Someone should help her," Iris mumbled, Zoe still standing next to her. "Eva's crying so hard, she can't see."

"My mother says that it's better to die before staring in the eyes of the Beast." Zoe commented, not taking her eyes off Eva.

None of the girls were allowed to talk in the Ceremony of the Beast. They stood on both sides of the red carpet leading to the ship, silently witnessing one of their own being sacrificed. The ceremony was a reminder for other girls, a torturing memory. Iris always wondered how the Beasts selected their Brides. Was it some kind of lottery? Did they follow a list with names? A prophecy maybe? Or did they choose the most beautiful? Iris was sure it wasn't the latter option. Last time, the girl wasn't as beautiful as Eva. Not even close. But who knew what beauty looked like in the eyes of the Beast?

Eva was still walking toward the Beasts' ship. She wasn't permitted a stop of any kind. Every reluctant step Eva took closer, the girls on both sides did their best to silence their screams. Some of them wiped the trickling teardrops from their ripe cheeks. The punishment of sympathizing with the Bride was as horrible as Eva's inevitable fate. To the Beasts, this was a happy day, which led many to think the Beasts actually married the Brides. A disturbing suggestion, Iris had always thought.

A sudden cloud blocked the grinning sunlight, shading Eva's wedding dress with a gray stain. The chosen girls had to wear expensive, designer wedding dresses to meet the majestic Beasts. Like any normal wedding, each girl wore their best make up and had their hair styled.  It was a painful process, being groomed while knowing one's horrible fate. No one could protest. It was the Law of the Beasts.

All girls were given a beautiful bouquet of roses, which were either synthetic or polyester, but smelled like real roses. For some reason, most things in The Second were artificial. The roses, as well as the grass in the local park, were as dead as the high metallic skyscrapers.

Eva wiped the tears from her eyes and began throwing random gazes toward the girls on both sides. This was the same girl who was probably going to be the Prom Queen, the same girl that everyone envied in school, Colton’s girlfriend. Now her gaze was shattered, like splintered glass across the girls faces. She'd meet your eyes, but you'd think she wasn’t even there. She became hollow, a fading portrait, soon to disappear in the Beasts' light. And it wasn't funny. Even though Eva hadn't been kind to the average girls like Iris and Zoe, none of the girls loved to see her as a Bride. Any of them could be in her shoes next week.

For a moment, Iris thought Eva was looking for Colton. Boys weren't supposed to stand in the front rows. Only the second and third. The ceremony was a girls’ thing. There was nothing for the human boys to do here.

But each Bride had a father, a brother, or a boyfriend whose heart burned for her. But not even the strongest men in The Second defied the Beasts.

Empowered by wishful thinking, Eva stole a last glance into her phone, which she had been holding with shivering hands. She looked like she wished it hadn't been her ID showing on the screen. It was clearly hers.

"How could you be so cruel to me?" she snapped, talking to the ship's blinding light, still walking forward. "I was about to go to college next year. I was going to be engaged to Colton Ray next month!"

A number of girls let out short sighs. This was news to everyone. So their relationship was serious. Iris could feel Zoe's blaming eyes on her skin.

"What?" Iris fisted an angry hand. She wasn't going to hit Zoe.  She wanted to hit herself, for saying such a thing. The mere thought of her wish coming true was puzzling. "It's not like I'm a witch or something," she grumbled.

"We planned to get married while in college," Eva continued, shouting at the light. That silent light that told her what to do, but never talked back to her. "We've been planning to have two children; a boy named Jeremiah, and a girl named Flower."

Iris held a tear from being born in her eyes. No girl had talked to the Beasts this way before. Most of them sank to their knees, and pleaded that someone would help them and confront the Beasts. Some cried and fainted halfway through, until elders had to carry them as close as possible to the ship. And some prayed like in a chapel, brainwashed that this was their fate, and that they died as a sacrifice for the other girls to live--Iris wanted to kick-box those into the light.

But none of them had spoken in such an emotional way like Eva did.  Her words reminded everyone that someone's life and dreams were being killed today. The problem was that most elders thought of the Call of the Beasts like natural disasters. Earthquakes, hurricanes, and plane crashes. Stuff like that happened all the time. And the Beasts, who ruled their world, must have a wisdom behind it.

Iris, unusually vulnerable, pulled out Zoe's phone and took another peek. The screen didn't show Eva's name. The Beasts didn't believe in human names. It read: Beauty 57135LL; Eva's citizenship identification number in the United States of The Second.

The horn roared again, buzzing into each girl’s bones. Instead of an answer to her question, the unseen Beasts were urging Eva to step closer toward her death. The silliest thought crossed Iris's mind. What if she just ran into the ship and at least peeked in, to see what they looked like? If they had the right to take one of them, didn't they have the right to know who they were?

Before disappearing into the light, Eva took one last glance at the girls. She waved a weakened goodbye as the girls lowered their chins to their chest and laced their hands together. It was as if Eva, the school's queen bee, had turned into a contagious epidemic they preferred to avoid. Many girls were teary-eyed though. But most of them were glad they hadn’t been the one walking the red carpet.

Out of respect, Iris didn't lower her eyes. It was the least she could do. She was still fisting her hand, mad at herself for not standing up for Eva. It wasn't just the guilt moving her, but the fact that she could simply be next. Why wasn't anyone doing anything about it?

In an unexpected moment, Eva caught Iris's eyes, and nodded back, as if they had been lifelong friends and were now girl-coding each other. Iris glanced behind her for a second, not sure Eva meant her. Everyone else had their heads bowed to their chest. It was Iris Eva meant. Not only that. Eva mouthed something to Iris, something that gave her goosebumps on her skin, as Eva disappeared behind the light of the ship. Her darkest hour.

A second later, Iris caught sight of Colton standing second row on the other side. His blue eyes had turned into puddles of blurry tears. In front of him, girls raised their heads, most of them glad this was over. The ship's drone was deafening as it howled back up toward the sky.

Iris couldn't take her eyes off Colton, wondering if she should tell him what Eva mouthed to her. Who'd have thought that the queen bee, who treated her like shit, would ask this of her?

Wonderlander, Neverlander, Unicorn-chaser, enchanter, musician, survived a coma, & totally awesome. Sometimes I tell stories. Always luv the little monsters I write young adult paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and science fiction mostly. The Grimm Diaries series is a seven book saga that deals with retellings of fairy tales from a young adult POV - it connects most of the fairy tales together and claims to be the truth about fairy tales. I live in San Fransisco and seriously think circles are way cooler than triangles.

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Blog Tour: Positively Mine by Christine Duval [Blitz + Interview + Book Trailer + Giveaway]

Title: Positively Mine

Author: Christine Duval
Series: Freshman Forty #1

Date of Publication: December 19th, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury Spark

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

It is four weeks into her freshman year of college, and Laurel’s first test was unexpected. Discovering she’s pregnant isn’t exactly what she had planned for her first semester, and while she intends to tell her emotionally-distant father, being away at school makes it all too easy to hide. An imperfect heroine plagued by bad choices and isolated during what should be the best time of her life, readers are sure to identify with Laurel as she confronts teen pregnancy, in secret.

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This is an interview of the author with the New Adult Book Club on Goodreads.

Raquel wrote: "Hey Christine! I'm curious about where you got your inspiration for the idea behind Positively Mine? It was unlike any book I've read, in a refreshing way!"

Hi Raquel,

A couple years ago my dearest friend announced she was pregnant and at the same time my babysitter was going off to her freshman year of college. I don't know why but I started thinking, wow, if you were newly pregnant and heading away to college, you really could hide it from people back home (I know I have a weird brain). I've had 2 kids, so I know how the weight comes on and realized Laurel could easily hide it through Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then I just let Laurel tell me her story. 

Caryn wrote: "Hi Christine, I really enjoyed Positively Mine. How did you weave together elements of fiction with such a strong sense of place that was based on a specific area of upstate?"

Easy...I lived up in the Finger Lakes for 4 years. It is a beautiful place when the sun is shining but there are a ton of dark, grey, cold days. You live for the sunny ones but honestly, when I was there in college, my mom received more than her share of phone calls from me begging to come home just to see the sun. Ultimately, the good friends I made kept me planted but it is a long, hard winter (thus easy to hide behind a big coat).

Holly wrote: "Hi Christine! Really enjoyed Positively Mine! What is your writing process? Do you find you write better at certain times of the day or do you run to the computer when inspired? Also, how did you connect with your publisher?"

Hi Holly,

I am the most undisciplined writer that ever lived! I have no process. I drive a lot in my car and let the story unfold in my head and then go back home and recreate it when I have time. Still, that usually backfires because at that point my characters have changed their minds and all of a sudden I am writing a completely different story. A prime example of this is in Positively Mine. I never meant for Sheryl to end up pregnant. It happened as shocking for me as it was for Laurel! Seriously, I was writing and all of sudden she just cleared the room and announced it. I had no plan of this, no outline. Regarding Bloomsbury, I saw on NA Alley - a blog I follow - that they were starting Bloomsbury Spark and I sent an inquiry to Meredith Rich and a few months later the rest is history! 

Beatriz wrote: "Hi Christine, I really enjoyed reading your book. Congratulations! Are you working on a sequel? If so when can we expect it by :) I would like to know how long did it take you to complete your book?"

Thanks so much Beatriz! I am working on the sequel and hopefully will have it complete this winter, afterPositively Mine is released. I wrote the first draft two years ago during a NANOWRIMO competition (National Novel Writing Month), where you are challenged to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Then I put it away for December, picked it back up in January and had it complete to enter into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest around the third week of that month. But it has evolved quite a bit since that version thanks to a bunch of beta readers and a really good critique group who demanded more of my characters and more from the plot.

 I'd recommend doing NANOWRIMO if you are just starting out writing your first novel. It really is an inspiring month and around the clock, through Twitter, there is someone in the world working on their novel. I remember I used to do word sprints in the middle of the night with a girl in South Africa. We'd turn on the timer and race write for ten minutes then compare how many words we wrote. With NANOWRIMO, it is all about quantity, not quality. You push yourself to write as much as you can and amazingly by doing that, you let your guard down and really surprise yourself with what you come up with. Plus, it forces you to look at your novel every day so it is always with you, you are always thinking about your characters. And, there's one right around the corner since it is an annual event. Best of luck with your project! 

Sherry wrote: "One of the things that struck me about your book is the very strong and distinct voice of Laurel. She feels very real. Is she based on anyone, or a group of people, you know?"

She really isn't based on any one person or even a group of people. Some of the situations she finds herself in are based on real things. Not the pregnancy but the premature death of her mom, the places, the struggle to move on while her dad is building a new life with someone. I don't think there is one person out there who hasn't witnessed, whether first hand or via a good friend, someone who needs to accept a parent's new husband or wife. And the gossipy doorman...yeah. 

I think the choice to write the book in first person, present tense helped to strengthen Laurel's voice. It isn't an easy way to write because everything is happening to your character while you are writing it. I was very influenced by two books when I set out to create this story: Laurie Halse Anderson's "Speak" and Julie Buxbaum's "The Opposite of Love." I loved how Laurie was able to keep Melinda quiet the whole year in a believable way when she had such a big secret to tell. And, I love the way Julie balances strong emotion and humor as her main character Emily is forced to face her fears. 

Christine Duval is an author and freelance writer who lives in New Jersey with her guitar-playing husband and two children. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, New Jersey's Women Who Write, and the Authors Guild. When not creating fictional characters, she writes for an upscale real estate company and has overseen online content and social media for several well-known magazines.

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