Just another teen reading books

Friday, July 16, 2021

Summer Lovin': Interview With Jessica Patrick!

Hi, everyone! Today I am happy to present an interview with Jessica Patrick, the author of the YA Romance, This is For Tonight, which is out now! She also writes YA books as Jessica Love, including In Real Life.

The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.

Would you please tell us a little about your book, This Is For Tonight?

This Is For Tonight takes place over one weekend at a music festival where rival YouTubers are competing for an interview with the headlining band. There's lots of music and fun and hate-to-love romance, and there is also grief and fears about college and self-identity soul searching.

Did you always want to write YA books?

Yes! I love YA so much! They are my favorite books to read, and I'm a high school teacher and librarian, so I love that I am surrounded by YA all the time. There's something so fun and special about that time in a person's life, and I really love revisiting it through my own stories.

Random Question! What’s your favorite Disney movie?

Impossible question! I'm a total Disney person, and there's something I love about pretty much every movie. Right now I'd say my favorite is Moana - I love the music and I have seen it a ton of times and it still makes me cry!

Great choice!

If you’re able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

I'm working on a story that has a ghost in it. I've never written anything that wasn't 100% straight realistic contemporary before, so this is fun. But it's also a little stressful because ghosts come with a lot of rules I'm not used to thinking about! It's not under contract or anything, so hopefully I can finish it and someone will want to publish it. Cross your fingers!

*crosses fingers* :)

What are some of your favorite Romance books? And what are some you’re looking forward to reading?

Romance and rom-coms are pretty much all I've been reading lately! The world is too stressful - I need books that make me happy. For YA, I absolutely loved More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn and Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon. And I can't wait to read Rachel's newest YA We Can't Keep Meeting Like This. For adult, I recently read and loved Float Plan by Trish Doller and I'm anxiously waiting for my library hold of One Last Stop by Casey McQuinston to come in!

I've heard such great things about Float Plan, I want to read it!

Thank you to Jessica Patrick for participating in this event! :)

Photo credit: Marissa de la Torre

Author Bio: Jessica Patrick runs a high school library by day, writes YA romance novels by night, and pets as many dogs as possible in between. She lives in Southern California with her cute family and she has an MFA from Spalding University, an annual passport to Disneyland, and about 75 tabs open on her internet browser. She is the author of three novels, including This Is For Tonight.

Here Are a Few Links:

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Summer Lovin': Interview With Emily Sullivan!

Hi, everyone! Today I am pleased to present an interview with Emily Sullivan, the author of the Adult Romance, A Rogue to Remember, which is out now!

The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.

Would you please tell us a little about your book, A Rogue to Remember?

It is about a seasoned spy sent to rescue his former childhood friend from a reputation-destroying rumor. But when he locates her in a tiny Tuscan village, he is surprised to discover that she is the source.

Did you always want to write Historical Romance?

I always wanted to be a writer and loved historical fiction, but my path to writing historical romance was a bit circuitous. I worked as a freelance writer out of college and published some short fiction and non-fiction over the years, but I didn't start writing historical romance until a few years ago after I fell in love with the genre.

Random Question! Where’s your favorite place to write?

I am one of those writers who thrives on consistency, so my favorite place to write is in my home office.

If you’re able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

Right now I am in the middle of copy edits for The Rebel and The Rake, the next book in my League of Scoundrels series out December 28th.

What are some of your favorite Romance books? And what are some you’re looking forward to reading?

I really, really love everything Sherry Thomas has written, but especially Luckiest Lady in London and Not Quite A Husband. I’ve also read Devil In Winter by Lisa Kleypas and Silk Is For Seduction by Loretta Chase more times than I can count!

I am looking forward to India Holton's The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, and A Brush With Love by Maezy Eddings.

I want to read a bunch of these! :)

Thank you to Emily Sullivan for participating in this event! :)

Author Bio: Emily Sullivan is an award-winning author of historical fiction set in the late Victorian period. She lives in New England with her adorable baby and slightly less adorable husband. She enjoys taking long drives, short walks, and always orders dessert.

Here Are a Few Links:

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Summer Lovin': Interview With Uzma Jalaluddin!

Hi, everyone! Today I am happy to present an interview with Uzma Jalaluddin, the author of the Adult Romances, Ayesha at Last and Hana Khan Carries On, which are both out now!

The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.

Would you please tell us a little about your book, Hana Khan Carries On?

Sure! My second novel is 'You've Got Mail' set in rival halal restaurants in a close-knit diverse community in Toronto. It follows main character Hana Khan, a young 20-something hijab wearing Muslim woman as she navigates a challenging time in her life. Her family's Indian restaurant is struggling, she is experiencing challenges at the radio station where she interns, and the new halal restaurant that just opened down the street seems intent on destroying her family's livelihood. Add in an anonymous podcast, a hate-motivated attack, and surprise visit from family in India, and HANA KHAN CARRIES ON has all the ingredients for a fun, timely romcom.

Hana Khan Carries On is being pitched as for fans of You’ve Got Mail! I have to ask, what’s your favorite rom-com movie?

Not sure if I have a single favourite, but some include: Bridget Jones' Diary, When Harry Met Sally, Notting Hill, Love Actually. Anything from the 90's and early 2000's!

Great choices!

Random Question! What’s your favorite color?

My favourite colour is purple!

If you’re able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

I'm currently drafting my third novel, but it's early days so I can't say much. It will be another rom com set in the Muslim community in Toronto!

What are some of your favorite Romance books? And what are some you’re looking forward to reading?

I'm a big fan of Lucy Parker, and really enjoyed reading an arc of her book 'Battle Royal.' I also enjoy the works of: Sonya Lalli, Alyssa Cole, Alisha Rai, Courtney Milan, and many others.

Battle Royal was so good! And excellent other picks! :)

Thank you to Uzma Jalaluddin for participating in this event! :)

Author Bio: Uzma Jalaluddin grew up in a diverse suburb of Toronto, but her favourite place in the world is the nearest bookstore or library. Her debut novel, AYESHA AT LAST (2018), is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in the Toronto Muslim community. The novel was a Goodreads Choice Award Finalist, featured on The Today Show, and was a Cosmopolitan UK Book of the Year as well as a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of 2019. AYESHA AT LAST has been optioned for film by Pascal Pictures. Her second novel, HANA KHAN CARRIES ON (April 2021), was an instant Canadian bestseller. The novel is a reimagining of ‘You’ve Got Mail’ set in rival halal restaurants. Uzma writes a culture and parenting column for The Toronto Star, and has written for The Atlantic. She lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and two sons, where she also teaches high school.

Here Are a Few Links:

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Summer Lovin': Interview With Dylan Newton!

Hi, everyone! Today I am pleased to present an interview with Dylan Newton, the author of the Adult Romance, How Sweet It Is, which releases today!

The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.

Would you please tell us a little about your book, How Sweet It Is?

Absolutely! HOW SWEET IT IS is a slow-burn, opposites-attract romantic comedy set in a small Upstate New York town. My heroine, Kate Sweet, is an event planner known as the Queen of Happily Ever Afters for her princess-style weddings. She agrees to take on a book launch as a favor to her best friend, in the hopes it'll help her land a coveted event planning award. Unfortunately, the book launch is for prolific horror writer, Drake Matthews, otherwise known as the Knight of Nightmares. He hates being in the public eye and just wants to hide away in his house writing...yet despite a disastrous first meeting, Kate discovers that the rumors about his eccentricities aren't true. In fact, there's more to this horror writer than anyone knows, including a writer's block that seems to disappear when spending time with Kate, and they make an agreement: he'll go along with her event planning ideas in exchange for her help researching his new book. They will both have to learn to step outside of their comfort zone to find success...and maybe some love...along the way!

The main character, Kate, is an event planner. If you could have her plan any type of event for you, what would the theme be?

This is such a timely question, because I'm getting ready to have my own book launch, and boy, would I appreciate Kate's help right now! Kate is famous for creating "Aww!" moments that make her clients melt, and I'd love one of those. I'd ask her to create the most epic rom-com book launch, with crafted book paper favors, and those sweet (pun intended!) little touches that would make the launch memorable forboth my guests and myself. Where is my real-life Kate when I need her?

Random Question! What’s your favorite color?

My favorite color is yellow, because it's such a happy color...until I wear it, whereupon I transform into a haggard thing, with under-eye circles that rival the zombie extras' makeup in The Walking Dead.

This answer made me laugh! :)

If you’re able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

I'm currently awaiting edits for the second book of this rom-com series (which features Drake's youngest brother, Zander), as well as writing book 3 (which will feature the middle brother, Ryker). I so loved writing Drake as a character, I was worried I wouldn't enjoy writing the other brothers as much. But I'm happily surprised to find that I love writing his brothers' love stories maybe a little more than I did the oldest brother's story! They are so quirky and goofy-fun on the surface, but beneath they are so much more. This series has been a blast to create!

I loved both the brothers in How Sweet It Is, so I'm looking forward to their books!

What are some of your favorite Romance books? And what are some you’re looking forward to reading?

I was an English Lit major in college, so I'm a sucker for a classic romance read, like Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice--I've read that so many times, I named my cockatiel "Mr. Darcy"--and I took an entire semester's class on the Bronte sisters' works, loving every minute of it! But for contemporary romances, I love Abby Jimenez's rom-coms, with her sweary, fun, relatable heroines--and Life's Too Short was one of my favorite reads this year. As for the books I'm looking forward to, I have to say Farrah Rochon's newest, The Dating Playbook, which launches in August. I have to admit, I received an advanced reader's copy of this book, so I've already read it and can tell you that if you didn't think she could top, The Boyfriend Project, you're wrong! I'm anxiously awaiting the last in Farrah's series, which comes out next summer and the entire series is a great binge read!

I haven't read Farrah Rochon's books yet, but I've heard such great things about them! They are definitely on my TBR list.

Thank you to Dylan Newton for participating in this event! :)

Author Bio: Author Dylan Newton was born and raised in a small town where the library was her favorite hang-out. After over a decade working in corporate America, Dylan quit to pursue her passion: writing books. When she isn't writing her next romantic comedy, Dylan is pursuing her own happily ever after with her high school sweetheart as they split time between Florida and Upstate New York with their two much cooler daughters and a tone-deaf cockatiel.

Here Are a Few Links: