#book interview

Hey guys. So today, I have the opportunity of being a part of Angela Watts of The Peculiar Messenger‘s blog tour for her new book entitled The Divided Nation; an apocalyptic novel that deals with several Christian themes and is the first book in a new series called the Infidel Books.

As a part of the blog tour, I am doing an interview with the author herself about her latest book and what…

http://www.outofthepastblog.com/2012/02/interview-with-bill-marx-author-of-son.html?m=1

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: 

Kristen Chandler shares her thoughts on her new book, Thief of Happy Endings! 

Release Date: June 19, 2018

Synopsis: 

“Ever since her father moved out, Cassidy feels like her life has been falling apart. So a summer of riding horses at a ranch camp in Wyoming sounds like just what she needs--never mind the fact that she has a paralyzing fear of horses. She's determined to move past her fear, even if that means taking lessons from the insufferable (yet irresistible) junior wrangler Justin and embarrassing herself in front of the other campers. What follows is a summer of rodeos, complicated friendships, and a wild mustang thief on the loose.“ 

Purchase a copy: 

Indigo | Kobo | Amazon (US) Amazon (CA) | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

INTERVIEW: 

1. What inspired you to write about horses in your new novel, Thief of Happy Endings?

I grew up playing around on horses and showed American Quarter Horses as a teen. For a sheltered kid from a small town, it was a transformative experience to travel around the West and compete against other teens with all different life experiences. But what ultimately inspired me to tell this story are the teens I have worked with as an equine instructor. When you put kids and horses together, things get honest quickly. Horses don’t care what other people think about you, they care how you make them feel. That’s usually a fairly accurate mirror of what’s going on inside of us. I wanted to explore anxiety and identity and risk-taking in relationships using horses to discover my characters throughout the book.

2. What do you think will be the biggest surprise for your readers? (Without any spoilers, of course!)

Who the thief is. I can’t say more than that.

3. The protagonist, Cassidy, is going through some major changes. What would be your advice for anyone who is also experiencing life-altering situations?

Most people have their happiness “stolen” from them at some time in their life, at least temporarily. Or they surrender it. But it’s what we do after we feel broken that makes the difference. 

I think inside of everyone is an instinct to survive and heal, but we have to listen to that instinct, no matter how terrifying. It’s often the things that happen to us that we hate the most that make us into stronger, more empathetic people. If we push through the tough stuff with the idea that things are going to get better, they usually do. In the meantime, as clichéd as it sounds, I suggest helping someone else. Humans are weirdly wired for happiness by doing the opposite of what would to be in our self-interest.

4. Why do you think Cassidy will be so relatable to your readers?

Cassidy has anxiety, a messed-up family, and feels like a whopping social failure. But she has a bedrock survival instinct. When pushed hard enough she fights back. I think most of us are like that, or we want to be.

5. What other topics would you be open to discussing and exploring in future novels?

Honestly, I would never say never in terms of novel topics. If I ever said “I will never write about X,” I would have to. But I am currently writing something that’s a departure for me. It’s science fiction, in the sense that it’s fiction about actual science, like if the character from The Outsiders were in a Michael Crichton novel. I’m obsessed with it.

Thank you, Kristen Chandler, for the interview! 

Anna-Marie McLemore makes us fall in love with family and fairy tales in her new YA fantasy ‘Wild Beauty’

My dear Gentle Reader,

Please join me in welcoming the lovely Stacy Finz to the blog today!

Stacy is an awesome, hilarious, vibrant human who I am lucky enough to get to see pretty regularly, as she is a member of my RWA chapter. Accordingly I invited her around for virtual tea!

About the Author!

Tea or coffee and how do you take it?

I’ll give you my coffee when you pry it from my cold, dead hands (sorry, Gail). I take it with a dab of cream. No sugar or sugar substitutes.

Please describe your personal style for author appearances.

Like my book characters, I grew up in a small farming and ranching community where jeans and a pair of ropers got you into the best restaurant in town. Since then, I’ve moved to the city. But you know what they say: You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. So jeans are still pretty much my go-to uniform, though I’ve ditched the ropers for some pretty glitzy cowboy boots. At last count I own 21 pairs. Here’s me gussied up for an author photo…

If I were to observe the writer beast in its native environment, what surprising thing might I see? What does the environment look like?

A lot of road signs hanging on the wall, including one for my fictional town of Nugget (population 5,916). Besides the road signs, a collection of cowboy hats and an old San Francisco Chronicle mug from my time as a newspaper reporter. Most surprising thing: It’s actually relatively neat and a little girly (lots of periwinkle blue and white).

If you could travel in any type of conveyance, what would it be?

Horse! There’s nothing like seeing the world from the back of a good working quarter horse.

No deviating: vanilla or chocolate ice cream on a plain or a sugar cone? (Gail will use this to determine your level of sanity.)

Sugar cone without hesitation. Chocolate unless it’s soft-serve or frozen custard, then absolutely vanilla! (Gail pronounces you sane.)

What’s most likely to make you laugh?

Really silly movies with Will Ferrell.

Since writers inevitably end up in the bar, what’s your poison?

Tequila. No mixtos, it has to be 100-percent agave. I’m less snobby about my Margaritas. Give me a fruity, slushy Margarita any day of the year.

Stacy Finz is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. After more than twenty years covering notorious serial killers, naked-tractor-driving farmers, fanatical foodies, aging rock stars and weird Western towns as a newspaper reporter, she figured she finally had enough material to launch a career writing fiction.

She is the author of the Nugget Romance series, the Garner Brothers series, and the upcoming Dry Creek Ranch series. She lives in Northern California with her husband.

About the book!

What should readers eat while consuming your novel?

A tri-tip sandwich with barbecue beans.

What form does evil take within its pages?

A hike up a very steep mountain. (Gail feels very similarly about hiking.)

Which one of your characters would you most want to kiss and why?

Win Garner, the hero in Love You. He’s as charming as he is hot and is a very passionate kisser.

What’s your favorite period in history and does it influence your world building?

1945 to the present, or in other words contemporary history. My worlds are built in the present but I give a nod to the Gold Rush since I set most of my books in California’s Gold Country and Sierra Nevada. In the first Nugget book, Going Home, my heroine was obsessed with the Donner Party. There’s also a flavor of the Old West in my worlds, including plenty of modern-day cattle rustling.

Which one of your characters would you most like to slap and why?

The heroine’s mother, Geneva. She’s obsessed with her daughter’s weight and physical appearance and is constantly criticizing her. She’s the quintessential tiger mom.

Without spoilers, what’s the funnest (or funniest) part of the book?

Every year, Win, the story’s hero, is Mr. December in the mayor’s pet project, a calendar to raise money for the volunteer fire department. This year Win’s having second thoughts about posing (each year the photos get more provocative) because he’s trying to lose his image as the town’s stud muffin. I don’t want to give anything away but there’s some pretty funny back and forth between him and the mayor, who if you ever saw “There’s Something about Mary” is a lot like Magda.

If your story smelled of something, what would that be?

The Sierra Nevada in summertime.

Read an excerpt

Love You by Stacy Finz

Darcy Wallace may be an employee at Garner Adventure, but the kind of excitement she’s looking for is more of the indoor variety. After a sexless marriage and a painful divorce, who better to help her get her groove back than the hottest player in town—Win Garner himself. There’s just one flaw in her seduction plan: he won’t cooperate.

Win is used to being the pursuer, so when Darcy turns the tables it throws him off his game—at first. Not that he isn’t tempted, he’s just trying to change his ways. Yet when he and Darcy are paired up for a work project there’s no avoiding the tension between them—or the fact that they make an indomitable team. Soon, Win begins to feel their connection is no game. This could be the real thing. And one no-strings-attached night together just might seal the deal . . .

I hope you enjoyed this interview and let me know if you try out one of Stacy’s books, what you think!

Yours etc…

Miss Gail

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