#fun author interview

Publisher will release this new short novel on January 26th. In the meantime, read a wild interview from Armadillo Island:

Hi all! Stacey and Stephanie here, and today we are so excited share an interview with the lovely, Mónica B. Wagner!

As Mónica B. Wagner's CP's, we have a special place in our hearts for her NA debut, FROSH: FIRST BLUSH.

For fans of Abbi Glines and Colleen Hoover comes Mónica B. Wagner's sexy New Adult debut series about falling in love and falling apart.

During welcome week at Hillson University, the FROSH: FIRST BLUSH will hit the fan. Type-A aspiring journalist Ellie plans to take freshman year by storm. But hell-bent on breaking a huge on-campus scandal, she risks becoming one herself--and getting the mysterious, heart-melting QB in serious trouble.

Grant, star quarterback and charismatic chick-magnet, is hiding a life-altering secret. The last thing he needs is an overeager (absolutely adorable) journalist asking questions. He's got a reputation to protect. 

High-society legacy student Devon is ready to catch the football hottie of her dreams. If the tabloids feature her with the "it" boy on her arm, her tainted past will be buried--or so she thinks.

Charlie, pre-med, is done being the sweet and funny geek that girls like Devon ignore. But if he tries to impress her with a new edgy, spontaneous attitude, will his heart end up in the emergency room?

FROSH: FIRST BLUSH intertwines the stories of Ellie, Grant, Devon, and Charlie in a romantic novel about first times and broken hearts.

Stacey & Stephanie: We both agree, one of the many things that sets this book apart is the fact that it’s told from the view of four very different freshmen. Which character was your favorite to write, and why?

Mónica: Devon Connors! Because it was such a challenge for me to nail her. She’s an anti-heroine, very egocentric, shallow, grumpy, etc. BUT I wanted her to be likeable and fun, too. I needed her to be complex, so that people would empathize with her. The problem was, I was absolutely hating the first drafts I wrote about her. Until something clicked, and when things fell into place, that was the best feeling ever. That’s why I love Devon. I just hope readers love her as much as I do. 

Stacey & Stephanie: We can totally see why Devon would be so fun to write! She was definitely a favorite to read—she’s the girl who did all the things we would never even think of doing, and it was fun to be surprised by her. All that to say, she was not like either of us in college. Which brings us to our next question. We’d love a picture of Mónica as a college freshman. What was she like? (And did you experience any romances worth mentioning?)

Mónica: Oh, Freshman Mónica liked parties, haha! And she could stay up all night without having a headache the next day (sadly, that superpower is long gone). Mónica had two roommates and five best friends in college, and sometimes, to catch up with classes, she and her friends had to hire a tutor. She had a very cute boyfriend who lived in a city nearby and she went to visit him every other weekend and did crazy things with him like go backpacking to India. (Yeah, you guessed it: that boyfriend became Mónica husband!)

Stacey & Stephanie: We love this! It sounds kind of like your college life would make a really good NA novel.  Especially love the bit about your boyfriend turning into your husband. It’s always nice when a love story has a happy ending. But those don’t usually come without some heartbreak. And we think we can all agree, heartbreak is one of the most painful experiences ever. What is it about heartbreak that makes it such a popular subject?

Mónica: I think it’s popular because we’ve all experienced it. Like once I found a very long, red hair on an ex-boyfriend’s jacket (I’m not redheaded), and that was the first clue I had before realizing he was cheating on me. :( So yeah, instant heartbreak. I guess reading about broken hearts makes you feel that you’re not alone. 

Stacey & Stephanie: So true! On top of writing your own books, you have a family (which includes children and eleven hens, you also do freelance editing, and you’re involved in a quite a few contests that help support aspiring authors. And since we are your CPs, we can say this, you always manage to do this with the best attitude, which is a really important quality for every writer. So, we were wondering if you’d share a little on how you always manage to stay so positive?

Mónica: Aww, thanks for letting me know you think I always have a good attitude. <3 Honestly? I think I’m not always that positive. Still, I realized sometimes you can’t change things outside of you—you can just change from your nose in. So if I get bad news that I can’t change, like a rejection, I try to keep in mind that it is only up to me the way I’ll react. If I will let that change my day and make it a crappy one, or if I’ll flip it, and maybe look at it as a learning experience. It has helped me to read non-fiction books about spirituality and meditation, etc.

Stacey & Stephanie: All of that is really good advice. Thanks so much for sharing all of that, Mónica!

Since both of us are so excited about FROSH: FIRST BLUSH we are giving away an e-book. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below.