For those looking for Adult Romance posts for Romance Week - hop on over to Aislynn's blog - she has author Cynthia Garner with an interview and giveaway!
1) What inspired you to write your debut “My Sweet Sixteen Century”?
My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century was actually the second book I’ve written (my first, a YA Contemporary Romance will be out next year). I hadn’t really planned to write another book right away, I had just started querying agents with my first book, but then this idea came to me and it wouldn’t stop playing out in my mind. I love reading adult regency romances and I had just read an adult romance and a YA regency back to back and for some reason, the language and time period stayed with me longer than normal. But see, when I read these books, I’m always reading them with my own personal lens of how I would react to things knowing what I know now. With my modern day viewpoint. And so, after days of reliving those books, I decided it could be fun to at least plot out a book where that is what happens.
Since I’m a research junkie/nerd (hehe), I didn’t want to do regency as I know a good bit and I wanted to lose myself in the learning process. Add to that the fact that I’ve been in love with the idea of the Renaissance since high school, and Italy is my favorite country ever, well, the setting was set. I started thinking about what made that time different, what would be the most jarring for a modern day teen, and the most fun, and the idea was born. The rest (along with the title) came from me running downstairs to tell my husband about my idea while he was walking on the treadmill, and MTV happened to be on. I don’t know if a commercial had just come on for the show, or if the channel was enough for him to think it, but he said, “Like My Super Sweet 1600s?” I thought a minute and said, “Or My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century.” He still likes his idea best, but that’s okay.
2) Would you even write outside of Romance? If so, what genres? If not, why not?
I have 9 books coming out in the next two-three years. Two more books in the Super Sweet series (fantasy meets historical meets contemporary), three Adult Romances, three Contemporary YA Romances, and one Contemporary Thriller with a Paranormal twist…that also happens to be a Romance.
So I do mix up genres, but my stories will always have a romance in them. It’s what makes me happy. Sometimes the romance won’t be quite as central—for example, I think of all my books, the romance in My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is more of a minor part of the plot. This won’t be the case with the other two books in the series, however. I like my swoony, warm and fuzzy happily ever afters!
3) If your book were to have a theme song, what would it be?
This book would definitely be Taylor Swift’s Love Story. The video helped inspire me during the plotting process and during drafting, the song was located in two prominent places on my story soundtrack.
4) Describe your book in 140 characters (a tweet).
He he, I actually have one that I use from time to time and I’m so proud of it because I am HORRID at keeping myself to 140 characters…especially about my books. So, I actually turned to my Twitter peeps to help me and this is what we came up with:
21st century girl, 16th century boy. Italian accents. Renaissance art. Best. Birthday. Ever. #MySuperSweet16thCentury http://amzn.to/NJIdZS
5) If Hollywood optioned your book into a movie, who would play the lead characters?
I always cast my characters before writing, it helps me visualize things better when or if I get stuck. Cat has always been Lily Collins, and Lorenzo has always been Alex Pettyfer.
Quick & Easy:
1. Book or E-book? I love both for different reasons…but I most frequently buy ebooks because I am not a patient person. I inhale books and I need them now. (grin)
2. Day or Night? Night
3. Coffee or Tea? Neither…Dt. Mt. Dew please
4. Plotter or Panster? TOTAL PLOTTER! I actually co-wrote an adult novella with a friend of mine under a pseudonym (Unwrap Me) and she is a total pantser, and considering we had 11 days to write this baby, we had to go that route. I still plotted my stuff as much as possible and wrote down sketches of things and asked a bazillion questions, but that was the closest I’ve come to being a pantser and it was the most confusing and awkward and tense feeling I’ve ever had writing LOL. I need to know everything before starting.
5. Dark or Milk Chocolate? Milk chocolate definitely
6. Wallflower or Belle of the Ball? Well I don’t know about the belle of the ball, but I very rarely stay quiet. I’m normally in the middle of the dance floor
7. Laptop or Desktop? Laptop
8. Love at first sight or Second chances? Oh, both provide very unique and interesting stories, but if I had to choose, my go-to is Love at first sight
9. Angel or Demon? Angels. I love angels. Now, a demon who chooses not to be bad because of the woman he loves---who I pretend is me? Now that I like.
10. Reality or Fiction? Fiction.
11. Author’s Choice - what do you want to ask the readers? If your first ever date made it into the pages of a YA romance, would that book be a drama, a comedy, or a tragedy? And bonus answer from me: considering that I threw up on my first date (had a bug and the dude took a shower in cologne), mine would definitely go the comedy route.
2. Day or Night? Night
3. Coffee or Tea? Neither…Dt. Mt. Dew please
4. Plotter or Panster? TOTAL PLOTTER! I actually co-wrote an adult novella with a friend of mine under a pseudonym (Unwrap Me) and she is a total pantser, and considering we had 11 days to write this baby, we had to go that route. I still plotted my stuff as much as possible and wrote down sketches of things and asked a bazillion questions, but that was the closest I’ve come to being a pantser and it was the most confusing and awkward and tense feeling I’ve ever had writing LOL. I need to know everything before starting.
5. Dark or Milk Chocolate? Milk chocolate definitely
6. Wallflower or Belle of the Ball? Well I don’t know about the belle of the ball, but I very rarely stay quiet. I’m normally in the middle of the dance floor
7. Laptop or Desktop? Laptop
8. Love at first sight or Second chances? Oh, both provide very unique and interesting stories, but if I had to choose, my go-to is Love at first sight
9. Angel or Demon? Angels. I love angels. Now, a demon who chooses not to be bad because of the woman he loves---who I pretend is me? Now that I like.
10. Reality or Fiction? Fiction.
11. Author’s Choice - what do you want to ask the readers? If your first ever date made it into the pages of a YA romance, would that book be a drama, a comedy, or a tragedy? And bonus answer from me: considering that I threw up on my first date (had a bug and the dude took a shower in cologne), mine would definitely go the comedy route.
GIVEAWAY
About the author: __
As a teen, Rachel Harris threw raging parties that shook her parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels.
As an adult, she reads and writes obsessively, rehashes said embarrassing fodder, and dreams up characters who become her own grown up version of imaginary friends.
When she's not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find her homeschooling her two beautiful princesses, hanging out with her amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate.
MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY is her debut novel. She did have her own fantabulous Sweet Sixteen in high school. Sadly, it wasn't televised.
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Thank you for the giveaway. Mine would be a drama. My Grandmother set me up with my husband at the beginning and our first date was a double with his brother and now wife. :)
ReplyDeleteI think mine would be a comedy....
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fun post! This book sounds like a lot of fun! Mine would be a comedy, but not in my favor, lol :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know. But the plot would involve someone with Amnesia because I can't remember my first date ever.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a comedy!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Leanne
definitely a comedy - we went to a haunted house (a real one)!
ReplyDeleteTotally a comedy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the interview and giveaway!
A tragedy all the way.
ReplyDeleteA bit of a comedy.
ReplyDeleteI think my first date would have been a drama - bordering on an issues novel! :)
ReplyDeletehow about mix of all of them : drama, comedy and tragedy :)
ReplyDeleteMine would be a comedy, if for no other reason than the outfits!
ReplyDeleteA comedy definitely.
ReplyDeleteA comedy because you have to laugh at yourself. :)
ReplyDeleteOh god, probably a comedy. I was fifteen and my brother and his girlfriend and I were hanging out and we met up with the guy I liked and they asked him to come out with us and all these embarrassing things kept happening, so yeah...comedy. Great post!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I loved this book! Fantastic post as well, thanks for doing it!
ReplyDelete