Ali: Hello Debbie, it’s so nice to get a chance to chat with you. Would you please introduce yourself? Debbie: I’m Debbie, I’ve been married to my husband for 18 years. We have two amazing teenagers. I am an avid reader and have always loved writing. My favorite genre is YA/NA- there’s just something unique about that time of discovery, independence, learning who you are, epic tales, and first love. I also am a big fan of PNR, UF, Fantasy Romance, thrillers, and the occasional contemporary romance.
I’m a hard sell on this series. I’ve given a few of the books a try, and I’m not really blown away. I’d say, if anything, I’m okay with these stories. But nothing more than just okay with them–which is sad because I love shifter books. They are my kryptonite.
As the last full-blooded unmated Royal shifter female, Faith Storm has been sheltered all her life. Her protector, Micah, kept her safe from threats, but that means his life has been on hold while she’s waited for her mate.
When a threat shows in the form of Killian Vilkas, Faith is chased from her home, separated from her sense of comfort. All she has known is gone. Suddenly Faith is out amongst the packs, and the Royal Arctic Wolf finally has the chance to find her mate. But she falls in love with an Alpha before she recognizes who her mate is.
Ali: Hello, Sarah! It’s so lovely to meet you. Congrats on the release, and thanks for the chance to talk about Breathing Underwater. Could you take a moment and introduce yourself? Sarah: Hello hello! Thank you so much for having me, it’s a pleasure! I am originally from Utah, and the oldest of eight kids. I’ve also had some experience living in San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas, and DC. I got an MFA in fiction from Brigham Young University and now I’m getting a second MFA in poetry from the University of South Florida in Tampa. I’ve wanted to be a writer since I could first read, and since those days when Ramona and the Pevensies were some of my best childhood friends! My other obsessions are things like David Attenborough documentaries, Broadway music, anything with caramel, Pixar movies, and Colin Firth. I’m excited to share Olivia and Ruth’s journey with you all!
Breathing Underwater’s blurb begins with “Breathing Underwater is a sparkly, moving middle-grade novel from Sarah Allen, and a big-hearted exploration of sisterhood, dreams, and what it means to be there for someone you love.” Tell us more about that, if you would, please! I started writing this book during a time in my life when so many of my loved ones, best friends and my family, were going through some very hard, tender things, including some serious struggles with mental illness. I was desperate to find a way to help, and the answer to what I could do seemed to be…not much. So I wrote. I wrote about a girl struggling to learn how to help her sister, and learning that loving her and accepting her for who she is really was enough. I learned so much about myself along the way.
Title: Starting from the Top (Starting From #5) Author: Lane Hayes Genre: Romance, Age Gap, Rock and Roll, Hurt and Comfort, Bisexual, Contemporary Romance Release Date:08 March 2021
Summary:
The guitarist, the dad, and a band on the rise…
Johnny
A quiet place to live and some time to recharge before my band heads out on the road again sounds amazing. I wouldn’t mind a distraction too, but my new neighbor is off-limits. There are rules about not getting involved with your bandmate’s ex, right? And Sean isn’t my type anyway. He’s too bossy, too commanding, and he has way too much baggage. I’ve learned that it’s best to let go of the heavy stuff. So why am I so drawn to him?
Sean
Coming out later in life has taught me to protect my privacy at all costs. And while juggling a handful of businesses and two kids isn’t easy, I excel at the art of multitasking and keeping everything separate. But Johnny blurs those lines. He’s easy-going, sweet-natured, and cool. In short, he’s everything I’m not. I want to know all about him…starting from the top.
Ali:It’s so nice to be able to talk with you, Michelle. Could you please take a minute and introduce yourself? Michelle: My name is Michelle Areaux and I write paranormal and fantasy novels. I’m a small-town Kentucky girl and love living out in the country with my husband, two sons, snd three spoiled dogs.
What genre do you write? I write primarily young adult fantasy and paranormal romances.
You have a series called Crow Haven. What’s it about? Crow Haven is about Lizzie, (Sadie’s daughter from my Wicked Cries Series) who moves to a small, Kentucky town. Once there, she meets a mysterious family who has secrets much darker than hers.
Oh, the triggering elements in this book are couched well in the story of a girl who is bullied and suffering anxiety due to the trauma of losing her father as a young girl.
Kendall Shepherd is in a rough headspace. Her social anxiety has her so paralyzed that she’s taken solace in the company of the dogs she works to rescue and rehabilitate. Peter, her imaginary friend, also known as her anxiety disorder, is a constant automatic negative thought factory. She must struggle with him through all things great and small. Worse is he really has crushed her confidence to the point where real people’s motivations are suspect at best. Dogs are constant and love unconditionally.
This game is ‘Tell Me a Secret, Tell Me a Lie.’ It’s just what it sounds like. I give a prompt, and you, the character, gets to determine if you want to hint a secret or lie: one or the other.
Tell me a secret about the last lie you told your partner or Tell me a lie you told your partner to keep that secret.
*Asher explodes with laughter* Asher: Tell her where Felicity thinks you are today man. Jason: F%^$ off Cameron: You lied to her? Jason: I didn’t… it’s not… I may have extended the truth but only because I knew she’d want to come
Tell me a secret you can’t tell your bestie or Tell me a lie you just told your parents.
Would you rather hear your parents do the deed or put up with Khloe hitting on the guys again?
Jason: What the actual f*#%? Why would you ask that? Asher: *retches* You’re triggering some serious shit here, I hope you know that. Cameron: No way, you heard them go at it? Asher: Dude, not cool! Jason: Seriously, can we move on? I just can’t…
Would you rather wake up and find you had three-inch-long eyelashes or go to bed without lips?
Asher: Oh my god, where are you getting these questions? *explodes with laughter*
I have read that you have received a good deal of negative feedback because you named a female main character after yourself. I think it’s brilliant, and haters gonna hate. What was your thinking there? Why did you want to name her after you? And how much of Janie, the character, is you? Ooh, those are loaded questions. This is going to be a lengthy response! To properly explain, I have to give a lot of background. I originally drafted this story on Wattpad a few years ago. I had no idea it would become so successful—it had over 24 million reads before I pulled the incomplete draft. So I was not prepared for the attacks that came from the instant Team Kylie readers. They didn’t care about the fact that Jane, Janie’s G&M form, was named after me because I was trying to heal myself. When I decided to write G&M, I was grieving my best friend’s death, my marriage was falling apart, and I was suffering from severe depression, anxiety, PTSD from sexual abuse and other traumatic stuff, and learning to cope with a Bipolar Disorder diagnosis. All they cared about was “this is Kylie’s story… get over yourself.” They didn’t care about anything I was actually doing—only that they wanted Kylie and Logan, and it was wrong of me to shove myself down their throats. Or to give myself the hottest guy. Lol.
Anyway, it was my late friend, Tifani, who told me on the day we found out she wasn’t going to survive that I needed to share my story. After writing the first chapter as a sort of memoir/horror story, I chickened out. Then I saw Jane in my mind. She was me, but also not. I gave her part of my soul, my name(Janie is a diminutive of Jane), and I gave her every bit of sorrow, fear, pain, but also happiness, my hopes, and my heart. I still almost changed her name, but it felt wrong to ask another to suffer what she would. Together, we pulled each other through the journeys we were on. She gave me strength and I made her fight harder to show me I could survive. When it came time to writing WAotBBW, she was meant to be there for reasons readers will find out. And on her first appearance in the book, I wrote Janie instead of Jane. I hit backspace, but she appeared in my mind, shaking her head at me. Her boys did the same, and I realized she was telling me to be braver, be greater. To truly not hide anymore and embrace myself. After all, the story I was telling with WAotBBW is my way of speaking to my daughter and the continued path of healing I was undertaking for myself. So even with the insults, the threats, and plagiarism I held strong. I couldn’t turn my back on my girl. So Janie is my acceptance that I’m a very flawed girl. I’m one that can be hated and admired. I can be broken and healed. I can be brave and I am always loved. Never forgotten.
For people who aren’t familiar with your book, what genre is Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Lol it’s all over the place. I mainly consider it A Coming of Age Fairy Tale Adaptation. But it has just about everything besides SciFi.
WAoTBBW is a spin-off from your previous series, Gods & Monsters. Could you explain where the characters of Kylie Hood and Logan Grimm come from and who they are? Ooh, you have to keep reading to find out. The big reveal comes in book 3 of the Big Bad Wolf Trilogy. It’s a huge twist when you read all of my books.
I have not read Gods & Monsters yet, but could you tell me what cross-over characters appear in WAoTBBW, and why should we know them? Gosh, there are too many to name. I’ll say every “soul” WAotBBW comes from G&M. Readers love finding out as they read. Some know right away who is who and others are stumped, but I do clarify in WAotBBW.
