Welcome everyone. Please join me in welcoming Stina Lindenblatt, author of Tell Me When, a New Adult novel that is due to be released on January 20, 2014. Read the interview, then mark this eBook for purchase! You're going to love this story.
Here's the blurb:
Amber Scott Should be enjoying life as a college freshman. She should be pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian. She should be working hard to make sense of her precalculus math class.
She shouldn't be waking up her college roommate with screaming nightmares. She shouldn't be flashing back, reliving the three weeks of hell she barely survived last year. And she definitely shouldn't be spending time with sexy player Marcus Reid.
But engineering student Marcus is the only one keeping Amber from failing her math course, so she grudgingly lets him into her life. She never expects the king of hookups will share his painful past. Or that she'll tell him her secrets in return, opening up and trusting him in a way she thought she'd never be able to again.
When their fragile future together is threatened by a stalker Amber thought was locked away for good, Marcus is determined to protect her - and Amber is determined to protect Marcus...even if that means pushing him away.
Okay, now on to the interview. Stina, thanks so much for visiting today. It's been a pleasure getting to know a bit about you and your novel Tell Me When.
1. How did you choose the genre you write in?
I used to write Young Adult books, until a friend introduced me to Easy by Tammara Webber. It was my first introduction to New Adult and I loved it. Since my characters have always been seventeen years old, it wsn't a huge stretch to have a heroine who was a year older. And the best part was I could finally write a contemporary romance. I've always wanted to write romance, but it tended to be just an element in my YA stories.
2. Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
Tell Me When is about a college junior (Amber Scott) who was stalked and kidnapped during her senior year of high school. She was held captive for almost three weeks, and now struggles with nightmares and flashbacks from her ordeal. Her PTSD is getting in her way of achieving the grade she needs to pass her pre-calculus math class, which is a pre-requisite for veterinarian school. Enter Marcus Reid. He's the sexy engineering student who wants to add her to his list of conquests - and her only chance of passing her class. It's a story about finding hope and love following a traumatic experience.
3. Is there anything in your book based on real life experiences, or purely all imagination?
Mst of the story is purely imaginary (with a hardy dose of inspiration from Criminal Minds), but it was also inspired by a real life experience. I had to deal with a stalker while in university. It was nothing like what Amber experienced, but it was enough to freak me out.
4. What was your favorite part to write, and why?
This would be the sex scene between Amber and Marcus. It was challenging to write because Amber had been raped while she was held captive (prior to the start of the book). It's not enough to have a good looking guy who happens to rock in the kissing department, and then expect her to be instantly over what happened to her. That doesn't happen in real life and it shouldn't happen in fiction. Add to this is the knowledge that Marcus knows what happened to Amber, and the result is one intense scene where they make love and connect at an entirely new level.
5. How did you come up with the title?
Tell Me When comes from a line in the novel. Things are getting steamy between Amber and Marcus, and he tells her to let him know when she wants to stop. The novel had been titled something else originally, but Carina wanted me to change it. I sent them a list of potential titles and they loved the meaning behind Tell Me When.
What project are you working on now?
I'm working on the sequel to Tell Me When, which is tentatively titled Let Me Know. Tell Me When is a standalone novel, but there were a few things that I was unable to tie up in the book, and that led to the sequel.
I'm also working on a New Adult contemporary romance that was inspired by my experiences in Finland while I was in university. That's all I can say about it for now.
7. Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
Don't expect your first novel to be publishable. By the time most debut authors are published, they have written at least one other book prior. In many cases, they've written several. It takes a while to learn the craft. There's nothing shameful about writing several books before you're published either traditionally or self-published.
8. What would you way is an interesting writing quirk of yours?
When I get stuck with my story or characterizations, I go for a run or a walk. That happened during Tell Me When. My editor wanted me to make one character more dimensional. I didn't know what to do, so I went for a long walk and came up with the solution. Fortunately I had my iPod Touch with me so I was able to jot down my ideas. This is harder to do while running. It once took me two days to scrub the ink off my legs after I tried writing the notes on my calves. Yeah, not the brightest of ideas during short season.
9. Did you find writing any particular part of the book challenging as far as being emotionally or psychologically stressful?
The topic alone made for one emotionally tough story to write, but not just because of what happened to Amber. Marcus's back story is also gut wrenching. I cried every time I edited one particular scene. It was the same scene that caused my editor to tear up when she first read the book.
10. What motivates you to write?
I love writing fiction, especially novels. My characters don't seem to want to shut up. The other thing that motivates me to write is the thought that my stories might make a difference in someone's life in one way or another. That's my biggest aspiration.
Well, that about wraps it up. It's been an absolute pleasure meeting you, Stina, and I hope to be able to interview you again for your next novel. Keep 'em coming!
Tell Me When can be purchased at Amazon and at Barnes & Noble. Invest the few bucks for the eBook. You'll be glad you did. Maybe Stina will inspire you to write your next New Adult novel.
Don't forget to leave a comment and let Stina know what you thought of the interview. She loves to hear from you.
Until next time, I wish you the best in your writing success.
Dee Ann
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