I've read an ARC of "You & Me". It's got a certain literary beauty to it. Fr'ex, check out this excerpt:
She belonged in blossom pink or cerulean blue, sage green mixed with crisp white. But, all she wore was black or occasionally charcoal gray. On my single mom budget, I bought her skinny jeans at Target and cute cotton tops at Kohl’s. Still, she wore her baggy sweatpants and that black hoodie that hid her figure. Not that I wanted her to flaunt it, but I wanted her to own her beauty. Her glossy, raven hair was kept in a messy topknot at all times. Her stormy gray eyes, just like her father’s, almost blue, but not quite, were ringed in thick black liner. She was hiding. Better not to be noticed.
Isn't that swoon-worthy? Grab your pre-order now:
TWRP | Amazon | Kobo | B&N
Official blurb: Forty year old Alex Spencer has given up on love. Having escaped five years earlier from the verbally abusive and two decades older, Trent Peterson, her life revolves around her daughter, sixteen-year-old Josie, even if Josie wants nothing to do with her.
But with Valentine’s Day looming, Alex’s high school sweetheart, Billy Leibowitz, whom she kicked out of her life twenty years earlier thanks to Trent’s demands, has been invading her thoughts. Alex searches for Billy in vain—it seems as if he’s simply disappeared. Suddenly, Candy Hearts, which Billy sent to Alex every Valentine’s Day, start arriving in the mail. Is Billy sending the Candy Hearts? Will this finally be her chance at happily ever after?
So, shall we have some interview fun?
HWK: in You & Me Alex Spencer clearly regrets being forced to give Billy up completely. How long after that final breakup with Billy did she start googling him?
SK: Alex started Googling Billy after she left Trent and escaped to her parents’ home on Long Island. Her parents had passed away while Alex was living in California with Trent and when she returned she was alone, an adult orphan with just her daughter. It was about twelve years after she cut ties with Billy.
HWK: What three pieces of advice would Alex give to her daughter Josie?
SK: Very interesting question! I think she’d tell Josie:
- Never depend on a man for your own happiness.
- Know your self-worth.
- Be you – always. Never bend to someone else’s will or fundamentally change who you are.+
SK: There’s a guilty-pleasure deliciousness about romance stories that you just don’t get in any other genre. Plus, there’s nothing more interesting than the dance of two people falling in love – whether it’s for the first time or long lost lovers finally reuniting after years apart. That seems to be a big theme in my work – second chance romances. I’ve always loved the idea of redemption and recapturing a relationship that seemed lost forever.
HWK: As a music aficionado, what parallels do you see between a good song and a good story?
SK: I believe the parallels between a good song and a good story lie in the emotions each evoke. The best music makes you feel something and the same holds true for the best stories. Really, they complement each other – I make soundtrack Pinterest boards for each of my stories, because music often plays a big part and I feel it enhances the reading experience.
HWK: A government incentive program is introduced to pay citizens a hundred dollars a week if they take up a new arts and crafts skill. What would you choose?
SK: That’s a tough one – I love arts and crafts! I even had a business selling custom scrap books and picture frames. I guess I’d have to say I’d take up knitting, because I tried to take it up when I was a kid, since my mother was an avid knitter back then and I never quite got the hang of it. I think as an adult I’d probably have more patience and would have an easier time mastering the skill.
HWK: Preach it! If you could convince the world of ANYTHING, what would it be?
SK: If I could convince the world of anything, it would be to adopt, not shop – if you’re bringing a pet home, please adopt a pet in need from a shelter, rather than buying one. And while I’m on my soapbox, please be sure to spay and neuter your pets. And please, please, please – never, ever dump your pets at a kill shelter. So many perfectly adoptable companion animals are killed in shelters every day – I know, I have a rescue page on Facebook. Thanks so much for the opportunity to “preach it!”
4 comments:
Thank you so much for having me today, Heidi - I really appreciate it! It was so fun chatting with you!
Great interview. Congrats on your release. :-)
Glad you could join us, Stephanie. Many happy sales to you!
Thank you so much, JC and Heidi!
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