Thursday, June 30, 2016

Release Day Launch: Chasing Impossible (Pushing the Limits #5) by Katie McGarry




CHASING IMPOSSIBLE, the highly anticipated fifth book in the Pushing the Limits Series by Katie McGarry has arrived! In true McGarry fashion this book will have you flipping pages well into the night. Grab your copy today!

   

Chasing Impossible cover
Tough and independent, 17-year-old Abby lets very few people into her inner circle. It’s common knowledge in her Kentucky town that she deals drugs, but not even her closest friends know why. But when a deal goes south and Abby’s suddenly in danger, she finds herself reluctantly forced to lean on daredevil Logan—a boy whose restless spirit matches her own.

Logan has his own reasons for wanting to keep Abby at arms’ length. But he never expected to find in her the one person who might help him face the demons he’s tried so hard to run from.

Together, Abby and Logan will have to make a decision: let their current circumstances weigh them down forever…or fight for the future they both thought was impossible.







Amazon ** Barnes & Noble ** Kobo ** iBooks ** Google Play ** Harlequin



 

 

And don’t forget to read the first books in the Pushing the Limits Series…

 

PUSHING THE LIMITS

CROSSING THE LINE

BREAKING THE RULES

DARE YOU TO

CRASH INTO YOU

TAKE ME ON


 


EXCERPT: 

Abby
People near the stage scream and clap and I’m about ready to throw my cell against the wall. Stupid, stupid boy and stupid me for stupidly somewhat liking him and him thinking he can get away with not answering me.
“Give it up for our boy Logan.”
My eyes rip up, go for the stage, and my mind shifts into reverse, fast-forward, rewind, and then that smile that’s associated with the devil slides across my face.
Logan stands strong on the stage. Guitar strapped across his chest. Baseball cap backwards on his black hair. And when he strikes the strings of the guitar, those biceps flex beautifully.
That chord just struck a lot deeper than anyone could have imagined. Past my bones, past my muscles, and it’s created a nice warmth that’s curling around my belly. Liquid warmth.
The logical part of my brain demands that I walk away, but he’s the one that scared me by not answering back. He’s the one that’s causing all these alien emotions stirring in my veins.
Yeah, I shouldn’t kiss Logan. I should definitely leave a boy like that alone. But he returned and he’s the one that climbed onto the stage and is looking addictively sexy with that guitar.
Yep, shouldn’t kiss him, but I already told Rachel, I’m going to kiss the guitarist tonight. Wouldn’t want that one to be a lie, now, would I?

* * *





Katie McGarry - author picKatie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. 

Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, and NOWHERE BUT HERE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.  


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Thursday, June 23, 2016

Cover Reveal: The Great Pursuit (Eurona #2) by Wendy Higgins

Summary: Lochlanach has traded the great beast for something far more terrible, a Lashed enemy veiled in beauty, deception, and a vengeance passed down through generations: Rozaria Rocato. And she’s offering the hunter Paxton Seabolt power and acceptance he could never receive in his homeland. Pax must decide how far he’s willing to go under her tutelage, knowing she is the opponent of Princess Aerity Lochson.

In a land where traditionalists dread change, the Lochlan throne must contend with mysterious foes and traitors, while attempting to keep revolt at bay. As dire circumstances strike the royal family, matters of the castle are left in Aerity’s hands. It's time to put aside her fears and grasp the reign, taking actions that have the potential to save or destroy her people.

One hunt has ended, but the pursuit for love and justice continue. In this sequel to The Great Hunt from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins, political intrigue and romance intensify in another thrilling fantasy. Princess Aerity embraces a quest for identity and passion before making the ultimate sacrifice for her kingdom.

Release Date: March 7th, 2017 from HarperTeen





The First Book in the Duology, The Great Hunt, is Currently on Sale for $3.99 on the Following Ebook Platforms:
Kindle    I   Nook




Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Burying Water (Burying Water #1) by K.A. Tucker

SummaryThe top-selling, beloved indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths returns with a new romance about a young woman who loses her memory—and the man who knows that the only way to protect her is to stay away.

Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him?

Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Welles doesn’t know how long it will be before Water gets her memory back. For her sake, Jesse hopes the answer is never. He knows that she’ll stay so much safer—and happier—that way. And that’s why, as hard as it is, he needs to keep his distance. Because getting too close could flood her with realities better left buried.

The trouble is, water always seems to find its way to the surface. (Via Goodreads.com)

Pages: 351

Release Date: October 7th, 2014

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review:
 
I met K.A. Tucker briefly at BookCon 2015 when I went to a signing with her, Colleen Hoover and Abbi Glines. I mainly spoke with Colleen Hoover due to only having read her books. Later that day, at the bookstore they had set up at BookCon, I picked up a copy of Becoming Rain, the sequel to Burying Water. Over the next year, I slowly collected a few of K.A. Tucker's books. It was not until a few days ago, when I was struggling to stay out of a reading slump that I finally started my first K.A. Tucker book. To be technical, I have read the first few pages of He Will be My Ruin, K.A. Tucker's most recent release earlier this year. However, I do not count that because I read those few pages in my school's obnoxiously loud cafeteria, where you cannot hear yourself think.

Nonetheless, I absolutely loved Burying Water. The concept of Burying Water was rather unique and showed a lot of dedication on K.A. Tucker's part. The book flips between two points of view, one in the present and the other in past, weaving together such a beautiful story that made me cry on multiple occasions. K.A. Tucker was so attentive to details that the story seamlessly weaved itself together. While the concept of the book may seem slightly far fetched, K.A. Tucker added details to the story that made the plot believable. I have extremely high hopes for future K.A. Tucker books, she is on my radar for become one of my favorite authors in the near future. Burying Water made me fall in love with her writing and story telling. 

The setting of Burying Water is in the state of Oregon and I was really amazed to learn that the small town that the story is set in actually exists. I have yet to visit the Pacific North West, but whenever I do, I hope to pay a visit to Sisters, Oregon, along with Bend and Portland. If I could ever ask K.A. Tucker a question, I would ask her why Burying Water, and presumably the rest of the series, is based in the Pacific North West. I know that she lives in Canada, so I am curious if she grew up in America or if she loves the region. I am unaware where her other series take place, but she should write a book or series based in Canada. Although they are America's northern neighbor, we never really hear about what is happening in Canada. A book based in Canada would be refreshing in the piles of American based stories that I constantly read.

Burying Water is one of my favorite New Adult books to date and one of my absolute favorite books of 2016. I highly recommend checking out Burying Water if you are a fan of New Adult, or are new to the genre. The story has a beautiful romance and family dynamic along with a compelling plot that continues to hold your attention even after the book ends. If you avoided reading the book's synopsis, I recommend continuing to do so, going into the plot blind is for the best. I am excited to dive into the next book, a companion novel following the character Luke Boone in Becoming Rain. I could barely restrain myself from not starting Becoming Rain immediately after finishing Burying Water. I am a bit nervous that I will not love Becoming Rain as much as I loved Burying Water, but I have faith in K.A. Tucker.




I absolutely loved the parallels between the two stories. Throughout the entire book, I used about three-fourths of a package of sticky-note tabs, and many of those were to mark the parallels between the stories. Not that I do not usually pay attention during books, but Burying Water made me pay extremely close attention to detail because I loved seeing the brief mentions of what already happened or was yet to come. Although I only spent one book with these characters, it felt as though I had actually spent five more. I usually only fangirl over things said in books when it comes to spin-off series and they mention the characters of the original series. I really felt as though I was witnessing two different stories and the parallels were such precious moments. One of my favorites was when Water mentions that she sees Jesse as a guy who would drink coffee black and he comments that she looks like a girl who would take her coffee with two-and-a-half-milks and one sweetener. It made my heart melt and sink at the same time when she tried it for the first time, like with the blueberries, and loved them. My other favorite parallel is when Luke meets Water at the bar and after food is knocked on the ground, he comments to Water that Licks would love the spilled food. Although Alex had yet to meet Licks in Jesse's story, it broke my heart because I knew that Luke's comment meant that she and Licks grew attached to each other.

Although I predicted that Ginny would die before the book ended, I was sad to see her go. Her character development was one of the best ones I have ever witnessed. Her and Water grew together over the course of the book, and I know that without each other, they would never have become the person they became by the end. On a similar note, I love the theme of family that runs through the book. The idea of Ginny, Gabe, Water, Meredith, Amber, and Jesse altogether may seem rather dysfunctional, but they all worked great together. One of my favorite scenes was when they all had dinner together at Gabe and Meredith's. They may not seem like the perfect family, but they are all they ever need.

I could continue raving about Burying Water, but my fingers would not appreciate that at all. My love for this book is endless and I cannot wait to explore it's sequel, Becoming Rain, and all of K.A. Tucker's other books. I hope I love them just as much as I loved Burying Water. I can already predict that Burying Water will be on my list of favorite books of 2016 at the end of this year.


Faking It (Losing It #2) by Cora Carmack

SummaryMackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel. (Via Goodreads.com)
Pages: 319

Release Date: June 4th, 2013

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review:


Although I did not love Losing It, the first book in this New Adult companion series, nearly as much as Cora's other New Adult series, Rusk University, I absolutely loved Faking It. Cade and Max were both well developed characters and I would do anything to see more of their story. They both had such great chemistry and their interactions made my heart melt. All Played Out, Cora's most recent release in the Rusk University series is still my favorite book by Cora, but Faking It follows closely behind in third place (All Broke Down is my second favorite). 

While reading Losing It, I could never point out exactly why I loved the books of the Rusk series so much more, but the reason became clear in Faking It. The books of the Losing It series remind me of candy that is made of 100% sugar, they are pure entertainment and fun; however, the books of the Rusk series are more like an Almond Hershey bar, they have a rich and sweet plot with pops of challenges and hardship. While both series and candy have their positives and negatives, I love the Rusk series because it feels more real. From what I can remember, the characters in Losing It had a rather easy home life, and while that can happen for some, that is not common. Everyone faces hardship and I feel like that was captured better in the Rusk series, as well as in Faking It

Faking It was able to perfectly capture Cora's humor and sarcasm, the foundation of her books. Cade has most definitely made it to my book-boyfriend list, he is the iconic good-boy that always gets overlooked for the bad-boys (or Brits). He reminded me of the typical side character (or the third side in a love triangle) that is always overshadowed by the main romance. Those characters never get their own story; however, he is here to break the stereotype.

"That was me. . . 
the perpetual good guy, 
which meant I perpetually came in second" (Carmack 8).

I also adored Max's character. I love that she is essentially the black sheep of her family. She has no problem being herself in front of complete strangers, yet being herself in front of her family terrifies her. Although meeting someone like her seems so foreign, her character is rather realistic. Everyone is afraid to be who they are in front of at least one other human being, whether it be their family, friends, or that cute guy at Starbucks. Everyone is someone else's kryptonite.

Faking It was a true five-out-of-five read that deserves to be moved to the top of your TBR pile. I cannot wait to start the next book in the series, Finding It; however, I am hesitant to start it. Finding It will be my last full-length Cora Carmack book to read and I have no idea when her next book is going to be released. I know I will fall into a major reading slump after finishing her last book. I need to prolong the suffering for a little while longer. Ironically, Cora's books can easily be finished in one sitting and just recently picked me out of my most recent reading slump. I need her amazing characters and writing in my life, I do not know what I will do without it. I highly recommend picking up any of her books on a free day, you will not regret it. Speaking of which, you can enter below to win any of her currently released books. Whether you have one of Cora's books missing in your collection or if you have yet to pick up any of her books, here is your chance to change that. (The giveaway is open Internationally, read the official rules here).


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Author Interview: Julie Kagawa + Giveaway


Julie Kagawa, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Fey and Blood of Eden series was born in Sacramento, California. But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, at the age of nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos, and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish, and the odd eel.
When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her Math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time (okay, at least the illustrations did), but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.


To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dog trainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks are at an all time low. She lives with her husband, an obnoxious cat, an Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and a hyper-active Papillion.




Casey Marie: Since we are at San Diego Comic-Con, fangirl/fanboy central, have you ever met an author and uncontrollably fangirled over them? 

Julie Kagawa: There is one author that I totally fangirled over and actually got to meet him about a year ago. It was Neil Gaiman, my bucket list author. I was going to an event in New York and someone on twitter said they had Neil Gaiman tickets that they could not use. The event was at the New York Public Library and they would sell the ticket to anyone for the ticket price. The public library was three blocks from my hotel and the night of the event  was the only night I had free. I knew I had to have them. I got the Neil Gaiman tickets and got to see him speak. He was soft-spoken and brilliant. I was the fourth or fifth person in line for his massive signing line, and I had nothing for him to sign. I went up to him and told him that he was my inspiration for my writing. The highlight of the night was that he hugged me. 

CM: If you could write a book with any other author, dead or alive, who would you want to write with? And what genre would the book be?

JK: It would obviously be with Neil Gaiman and it would be a fantasy novel. I think that would be so awesome, it would be set in one of his cool and creepy fantasy worlds.

CM: If you could be roommates with one of your characters, who would you want to room with and why? 

JK: That's a fun one. I want to say Puck, but I would end up killing him before the day was done. I would also be tempted to say Ash, but then Meghan would probably get upset. I would probably be roommates with Ember. She is really fun and we would get into a lot of trouble together. I would say Allie, but I think she is a little too hard-core. She would not do well with the Comic-Con crowds, if someone in a zombie costume came at her, she might pull out her katana. 

CM: I have to say, I totally fell for your brillant April Fool's joke about Grimalkin getting his own novella. While it was an April Fool's joke, would you ever consider writing a book in his point of view? 

JK: I do not think I could ever do a Grimalkin book. I cannot get into his brain. If I actually did a book about him, it would remove all the mystery that is Grimalkin. That is part of the fun, you do not what he is thinking, he is a cat. It would be extraordinarily difficult to get into his head and it might ruin his character if he actually had his own book in his own point of view.

CM: What is up with the #EvilAuthor tweets, are you trying to scare us or warn us?

JK: Yes to both. Your tears feed my muse.

CM: Is The Iron Warrior going to be the last book based in the Iron Fey world?

JK: At the moment, yes. After The Iron Warrior, I have three more Talon books to write and then after that, who knows. I do not know what I am going to do after the Talon series. For now, The Iron Warrior is the last book in the Iron Fey world.

CM: Is the Talon series going to be a five book series then?

JK: Yes, the Talon series will be five books long. 

CM: What is it like saying goodbye to your characters?

JK: The Iron Warrior was really sad and bittersweet for me. On one hand, I ended the story rather well, I have the characters where I want them and everything worked out the way it was supposed to. On the other hand, these are characters that I have been with for a long time, since The Iron King. They have seven books and 3 novellas, it is hard. But I think I left them in a good place, so I am satisfied. 

CM: If you had the ability to go back and change something in one of your books, would you change anything? If so, what would you change?

JK: I do not think I would. Here's the thing, if I go back and frequently read my older works, I would constantly say, "I should have done this differently" and so on. I know that, at that time, I wrote the best book and I do not think I would go back and change anything.

CM: Describe you books/writing in five words.

JK: Your tears feed my muse. 





Enter to win a copy of Julie Kagawa's The Iron King and a signed Rogue poster!




Rules:
  • You must be 18 years or older, unless you have a parent's permission
  • This giveaway is open internationally
  • Once contacted, the winner will have 72 hours to respond with their address, or a new winner will be chosen
  • STARTS June 14th, 2016 at 12:00 a.m. EST 
  • ENDS July 17th, 2016 at 12:00 a.m. EST

Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any lost or damaged packages


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Monday, June 13, 2016

ARC Review: Truthwitch (Witchlands #1) by Susan Dennard

SummaryIn a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch (Via Goodreads.com).

Pages: 412

Release Date: January 5th, 2016

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review:

I have literally been writing this review for months, but the right words have yet to come out. If there is one thing you should know about me, is the fact that I do not like fantasy books.I have nothing against the books themselves, but my brain has difficulty switching into a fantasy mood. In order to obtain this ARC of Truthwitch I had to mob the Tor booth at San Diego Comic-Con in early July of last year. I believe there were only 50 Truthwitch ARCs being handed out and there were a lot more than 50 people there. Nonetheless, I managed to get a copy and keep all of my limbs. 

I began hearing the hype for Truthwitch in late February of 2015 at ApollyCon, where I got to meet Susan Dennard for the first time. A couple months later I filled out a form to be in the running to be a Witchlander, a member of Truthwitch's Street Team. Flash forward to July of 2015 and I managed to, not only obtain an ARC of Truthwitch, but I also scored a spot on the Air Clan, one of the six clans in the Truthwitch Street Team. In the months following, I manged  to read the first 30 pages of Truthwitch at least four times. I finally re-read the first 30 pages for the fifth time and finished the book a couple of weeks after the official release of Truthwitch. While many would view my lack of progress with Truthwitch as a sign of not enjoying the book, I absolutely loved the first 30 pages, and every other page after. Like I mentioned previously, it is hard to turn my brain into a fantasy mood, especially during the school year. I slowly sink into fantasy worlds until they feel like our very own. Since I found my groove of the Witchlands in Truthwitch, I can now easily slide into their world. 

Speaking of the Witchlands, I cannot get over how beautifully crafted Susan made the Witchlands. In my interview with Susan, she had mentioned that she may have made the world too large. While she most definitely did craft a huge world, I would take nothing out of it. Like Cassandra Clare's massive Shadowhunters Chronicles, Susan could create so many more stories in the Witchlands. The world has so much love and detail put into it that it would be a shame to only be used for one book series. The magic system is so intricate and if I had to live in a fantasy world, I would choose the Witchlands. I could easily see myself sitting in Mathew's Coffee Shop and using my Windwitch abilities to create a cool breeze. 

All of the characters in Truthwitch and the relationships between them are so three-dimensional. I am rather envious of the friendship between Safiya and Iseult. They both have each other's back every second of the book, even if they are separated by distance or illness. I especially love that they comment on the things that drive the other mad, many friendships in books seem rather forced or fake, but the friendship between Safi and Iz is so natural. They are not afraid to point out the other's mistakes because they do it out of love. I wish I had a Safi to my Iz-like self. While there are hints of romance throughout Truthwitch, I love that the friendships shared between Threadsiblings are the predominant relationships explored throughout the book. I cannot deny that I am a sucker for romance, but Susan sprinkles just enough in that you are left satisfied, but still wanting more.

Not only does Truthwitch introduce amazing friendships and romance, the book also introduces some amazing book boyfriends. It is hard for me to choose whether I love Merik or Aeduan more. Aeduan is quiet, mysterious, and has a dangerous vibe, the normal traits I fall for when it comes to fictional men; however, Merik is a fellow Windwitch. I loved Merik's determination to his home country, Nubrevna. My heart aches for both him and his country. Merik would do anything to return his country to a fraction of its former glory. His people are depending on him, and he will not disappoint.

I have not talked to many readers about their ships when it comes to Truthwitch. I am assuming most are shipping the same ones as me: Safi with Merik and Iz with Aeduan. (If you have read Truthwitch, comment below with your ships, I would love to know who is shipping who!) I love that Iz and Aeduan are both outsiders, they can be outsiders together. I also love that Safi and Merik share the same drive and passion for what they want.

Truthwitch is beautiful inside and out, much like it's author, Susan Dennard. I cannot wait for the continuation of the story in Windwitch, which already has a cover, and is absolutely gorgeous. I cannot wait to be reunited with the gang in early 2017 with the release of Windwitch. I can only imagine the chaos and trouble that they will face. If you have yet to pick up your own copy of Truthwitch, I highly recommend getting yourself a copy. Truthwitch is one book band-wagon you want to hop on, the book is absolutely phenomenal. I can see the series going places in the future.




Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Author Interview: Cora Carmack


Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She’s done a multitude of things in her life– boring jobs (like working retail), fun jobs (like working in a theater), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). Raised in a small Texas town, she now splits her time between New York City and Austin  and spends her time writing, traveling, and marathoning various television shows on Netflix. In her books, you can expect to find humor, heart, and a whole lot of awkward. Because let’s face it . . . awkward people need love, too. Her first book, LOSING IT, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.






Casey Marie: Since we are at San Diego Comic-Com, fangirl/fanboy central, have you ever encountered an author whose presence made you fangirl uncontrollably?

Cora Carmack: There are a lot of amazing authors here that I love, and luckily I have met several of them. I have met Sarah J. Maas before, but I totally fangirled over her the first time we met. I also fangirled over Rae Carson—I love her and Marie Rutkoski. I had talked to Marie online and she was sweet enough to send me an ARC of the Winner’s Crime. On her first panel, I went up to her and told her how amazing her books are.

CM: If you could write a book with any author, dead or alive, who would you want to write with?

CC: That is a hard question. My all-time favorite author is J.K. Rowling, not to be cliche, but I do not know if I could actually write a book with her. I would just stare at her the entire time and want her to write the whole book because it would be better. Realistically, I could write with Jennifer L. Armentrout. We are great friends and get along great. We have a similar sense of humor and our books have a similar tone. Jay Crownover is my other half—I love her and although we are very different, we always joke that if you put us in the same body, we would be one complete body. Our books are also very different, but I have always thought that it would be interesting to see if we could do a book with a duel point of view. She could write the bad-ass, tattooed, rocker guy and I could write the weird, nerdy girl. Jay and I come from two different worlds, she worked at a bar and has that atmosphere, I on the other hand, was a theater geek. Meshing those two worlds would be challenging, but very fun.

CM: Most of your series consist of companion novels. While you technically do not say goodbye to your characters, do you ever miss writing in their perspective?

CC: Whenever I miss a character the most, it is whenever I get stuck in the book right after theirs. Usually when I am starting a new book I am really excited to introduce these new characters and their story, but I inevitably hit a wall. Either I get stuck on something and cannot figure out how to move forward, or something is just not working. I really start to miss the characters in the previous book because I know what they would do in that situation and how they would move forward. I do not usually struggle to say goodbye whenever I am ending a book, it is usually down the road. From my first series, the Losing It series, I still really miss Max and Cade. If I ever went back and wrote anything in that series, it would be about them. There is a possibility, a very small possibility that I am not guaranteeing, that one of the couples from the Rusk books might get a second book. It is something I have thought about, but I also have a lot of things currently in the works. My upcoming Young Adult series has really thrown off the time-line for my books, especially the release of Inflict, the second book in my Muse series.

CM: Carson, Silas, and Mateo: Kiss, Date, or Marry?

CC: I would kiss Silas because every girl should get to kiss a Silas. I would probably end up dating Carson because he is the kind of guy I always end up dating. I end up dating really nice guys, who I unfortunately walk all over. Mateo is the kind of guy I would end up marrying because he is the kind of guy you are always going to have a great time with and I love guys with a sense of humor. But, he is also strong and knows what he wants and has a strong personality. That is the kind of person I could see myself having a lasting relationship with. Mateo would be the guy I would want to marry, but I would frankly take any of them. If the universe is listening, any of the above would work.

CM: Dallas, Dylan, and Nell: Best Friend, Roommate, or Rival?

CC: Dallas would probably be my rival, not because I do not love her, but because she is a lot like me and anytime you have two people who are too alike, they butt heads. Nell would probably be my best friend because my best friend is a lot like Nell. Dylan would probably be my roommate because, even in the books, she is a great roommate. She is a really caring and compassionate person and I think that translates well into a roommate who would think about your feelings instead of doing whatever they wanted to in the apartment. Also, if Dylan is my roommate, I would get to see Silas.

CM: Who is your all-time book boyfriend?

CC: I have a lot, but the one guy I have always loved is Brigan from Fire by Kristin Cashore, the second book in the Young Adult Fantasy series, Graceling. I do not know what it is, but I would fight to the death for Brigan. He is such a cool character, but he is very different from Mateo, who would be my husband. He is the strong, silent type and I have always loved him. I usually re-read Fire once a year because I love it so much. It would either be Brigan or Lincoln from Jessica Shirvington’s Embrace, he is pretty great, too. It is kind of weird because most of them are teens and I am 28 [now 29]. Let’s just pretend that in our world they have continued to age and are close to my age now. 

CM: Your Rusk University series focuses on college football, what other sports would you consider writing about?

CC: It is hard to say that I would ever write another book series based on a sport, but if I did, I have considered the possibility of doing a spin-off of the Rusk series that follows Rusk’s basketball team. By the time I have finished the Rusk series, I will have spent years and years on it, so it is hard to know whether or not I will be ready to move on to something new in the future. I have planned to write five or six books in the Rusk series and I never would have pictured myself writing six books in the series when I originally started it. Typically, as an author, I have a lot of ideas and I am usually so excited to write these new ideas that I do not want to spend forever in one world. I want to move on to the next thing, but there is just something about the Rusk characters that has made me fall so in love with them that I want to keep going with them. I have thought about writing the spin-off with the basketball team because when I was younger my dad was not only the football coach, but he was also the basketball coach. I played almost every sport my school offered, it was a smaller school so they did not offer too many, but basketball was my biggest sport and until I was 18, that is what I thought I was going to do for the rest of my life. I wanted to play college basketball and be a basketball coach—that is what I wanted to do with my life. Every summer, I spent all day in the gym and went to basketball camp and played on the summer league teams. Basketball was a huge part of my life. Unfortunately, I had a bad coach my senior year of high school who essentially ruined the sport for me. I then shifted my life's path in a different direction, but I still miss basketball. It is the only sport I really keep up with and watch on a regular basis. I watch some football, but it kind of depends. Basketball is the sport I love and I think I would be good at writing it because I know it so well and love it.   

CM: Describe your writing and/or books in five words.

CC: Awkward, realistic, genuine, social issues—I want my books to feel like not only are the characters people you could meet on the street, but that the situations could happen to you or anyone you know. 




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