NATALIE WARD

Well I was born and currently live in Australia, but I’ve also lived in England and the US. You’ll probably notice that I tend to use “Australian” spelling because I’m just not used to “American” spelling….plus my computer defaults to it.

I’m a seriously avid reader and have been known to read all night and go to work the next day with no sleep because I just can’t put a book down. I probably get a little too invested in stories and characters sometimes and should work on that.

I Love You to Death was the first thing I wrote that I actually seriously committed to. It was born out of two incidents, the first being a random thought that struck me on my way to buy lunch. That thought became Sam’s letter to Ash and it got me thinking about people dying and what it would do to you if you thought it was all your fault. Imagine having to go through the stages of grief over and over again. The second thing was making a friend a mixed tape. This was around the time of Adele and Christina Perri and their amazing power ballads about having your heart ripped out by some guy. My friend made the comment that no songs like this are ever written by men. I disagreed and proceeded to make her a mixed tape to prove it. Oh boy, did that create trouble! Well actually, it created Luke and when it did, he just would not leave me alone. That man occupied my head for months and months and because of him, I got to thinking all about the stages of love instead. But it also created some inspiration for the story (ie: the sexy rock star) and a playlist too which features some of my most favourite songs and artists. So, ta dah – that was how it got started!

When Ash loses her boyfriend, she is consumed by grief, loneliness and an overwhelming sense of guilt for her role in not only his death, but the deaths of everyone she has ever loved. Refusing to let anyone in for fear of losing them too, she becomes withdrawn, spending her days reliving the nightmares from her past.

Until she meets Luke.

Initially scared by his intensity and interest in her, Ash tries to push him away. But as Luke slowly starts to chip away at the walls she’s built, Ash finds herself doing the one thing she swore she’d never do again — falling in love.

When the familiar feelings Ash had hoped were long buried with her past begin to resurface, she is forced to ask herself if falling in love again is really worth the risk

My spoiler-free review of I LOVE YOU TO DEATH
(4 – 4.5 stars!)

“He walked into my life and slowly, gently he showed me how to smile again, how to start living again. He gave me a reason to breathe again. Showed me that living was worth it and it was worth fighting for. That it was worth taking a risk and making the choices you wanted to make. That he was choosing me, fighting for me and he wanted me to fight for him, for us.”

Here’s a TEASER from Luke’s book, which will be released early – mid 2013.

Here are some of our readers’ questions answered by Natalie.

Audrie C  ~ What is your writing process?? I loved the quotes at the beginning of every chapter and how they foreshadowed the chapters, loved the playlists and how perfectly they went with each section. How did you put it all together?

.

Natalie  ~   My writing process is chaotic at best! I write whatever appears in my head whenever it happens to appear. This means I often don’t get a lot of sleep! None of it comes in order either, so for a long time I’m all over the place trying to work out how the story is going to play out. I’ve tried planning it and making lists and outlines, but none of that works for me, so now I just go with it!

The quotes at the start of the chapters were me wanting to do something that was not just “chapter 1” and also really wanting to use Infinity as my epilogue, because of its ties to their band name, to love and to what infinity means.

I liked the idea of incorporating the chapter number into a little quote that also told you what was to come. When I came up with the idea I did some research on what various numbers meant or represented and then I just played around with it, and eventually came up with each of the quotes. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of the book.

As for the music. I write to music and me making a playlist for a friend created Luke, so I thought why not include a playlist for each chapter, especially as it drives so much of the story.

And yes the song’s title and lyrics tell you so much more about what is going on in that chapter, they are the soundtrack to Luke and Ash’s relationship.

Tess H  ~ Music seems to be a big influence/part of the book. Have you ever thought of writing songs?

.

Natalie  ~   It certainly is. I love music, love it a lot and I am constantly listening to it. I never really set out to write songs for this book actually, but the song Luke sings to Ash in Chapter 10 just came to me one night and I wrote it down and just decided to throw it in there, never really thinking about whether it was really a song or not. I have a lot of lines written down like that, but have never consciously thought about writing an actual song. That’s changing a bit now because of Luke’s book and what I’m trying to do with it. I have a friend who is a musician helping me out too, which is good. And hey, it would certainly be pretty cool to see one of Luke’s songs put to music.

        Abby M  ~ What celebrity would you think Luke looks like?

.

Natalie  ~  Oh hard one! I can see him crystal clear in my head and I wish I could just take that picture and show you! I do remember when I was watching Prometheus a couple of weeks ago just staring at the guy in it [Logan Marshall-Green] thinking wow, he kinda looks how I see Luke! The guy is hot, there’s no doubt and he has a lot of Luke’s features with the shaved head, gorgeous smile and mouth, sexy body etc. He’s probably the closest in looks, although you’d have to throw in a lot of Jared Leto too. That guy is seriously sexy and he definitely has Luke’s eyes, body and voice….ah seriously sexy that man.

       Chrissa  ~ What was the hardest scene to write?
And what was the first and last scenes that you wrote?

.

Natalie ~  For some reason the hardest scenes to write were her Grandfather’s death and most of Chapter 5 (the fight with Sam, the fight with Liam and her father dying). I have no idea why they were hard, but I struggled with them for a very long time. I think because it was the first time that Ash fought with both Luke and Sam and it kind of broke my heart having her push both of them away. Plus her father was her rock and him dying was not good. As for her grandfather….I have no idea why that was so hard. Maybe the innocence of her and the destruction of such an amazing week with him. It hurt to write it.

The first scene I wrote was Sam’s letter. It’s the first thing that popped into my head and it literally appears word for word in the book. The last scenes were the Prologue, which I felt needed to be added just to show you how much pain she was in and also the ending, cause I rewrote that after my early readers read it.

Lisa  ~ What are you working on now?

.

Natalie ~  Now I’m trying to finish Luke’s book, which I hope will be done by early 2013. I am also working on something totally separate, different and stand alone which is a lot of fun, but won’t be done till late 2013. Then there’s Jared and Mia’s story, which is started….I just need to find time to finish it.

Enter the Rafflecopter link below to win
a *SIGNED* paperback copy of I LOVE YOU TO DEATH!!! 

Open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOMORROW’S GIVEAWAY
11:00 AM EST
featuring
C J     R O B E R T S
(author of Captive In The Dark ) 
 

KATIE ASHLEY

These things always sound overly pretentious, don’t they?

*Strokes chin*

What to say about me?!!!

Anyway, I was born and raised in the burbs of Atlanta. I’m an only child with a large extended family much like the one in My Big Fat Greek Wedding…except we’re Southerners. I have a BA in English, a BS in Secondary English Education, and a Masters in Adolesecent English Education.

I’ve been teaching English for twelve years in both middle and high school. I’ve also taught adjunct classes at a local college where I had students waaay older than me, and that was a weird one! I’m also a former cheerleading coach. Nothing teaches you about life quite like being stuck on a bus with a squad of fifteen year old girls!!

With her thirtieth birthday looming, Emma Harrison finds her biological clock clanging and the elusive knight in shining armor yet to appear. She’s running out of options, especially after her gay best friend backs out from being her sperm donor. Of course, there’s always a sperm bank, but Emma fears a donor mix-up might impregnate her with the spawn of Satan. Resident company womanizer, Aidan Fitzgerald, is used to always getting what he wants, especially in the bedroom. When Emma spurns his advances at the company Christmas party, he’s determined to have her no matter what it takes. After Aidan learns of Emma’s predicament, he is quick to offer a proposition that will benefit them both. He will father Emma’s child, but she must conceive it with him naturally. Not one for hook-ups or casual sex, Emma is reluctant to take him up on his offer, but his charm, coupled with her intense desire for motherhood, wins out. Soon their baby-making sessions become more than just physical. Aidan can’t seem to walk away from her while Emma begins to wonder if Aidan could be the one. But can Aidan leave his past behind to become the man Emma needs him to be?

My spoiler-free review of THE PROPOSITION

“A MWF sex schedule? How efficient,” he mused.

“Please be serious.”

A wicked grin flashed on his face. “Fine, pencil me in. I”ll be ready and erect whenever you need me.” 

**SPOILER ALERT FOR READERS WHO HAVE NOT YET READ BOOK #1 YET**

Just skip down to the GIVEAWAY at the bottom to win copies of them.

To be released early 2013.

In the weeks following Aidan’s betrayal, Emma has tried her best to move on. Ignoring his countless texts, voice mails, and flowers, she isn’t sure she wants to be won back by him. But Aidan isn’t going down without a fight—especially not until Emma lets him reveal the secret of his past that caused him to be so commitment phobic.

But fate intervenes when premature labor forces Emma on strict bed rest for two weeks. Aidan steps forward with a shocking proposal. To prove his love and commitment for her and their unborn son, he will take a leave of absence from work to care for her around the clock. Vowing to guard her heart, Emma reluctantly agrees.

While she is touched by Aidan’s attentiveness and tender loving care, Emma is thrown for a loop by the amorous attentions of ER doctor, Alpesh “Pesh” Nadeen. Pesh is everything Emma could ever want—successful, stable, and ready to settle down and be a husband and father. Pesh wants nothing more than to win Emma’s heart, but she is not sure she’s able to give it.

Her heart may still belong to the very man who broke it—the one who is so desperately trying to win her back.

Add to Goodreads

Here are some of our readers’ questions answered by Katie.

Nancy V – Did you work with an outline?

.

Katie  ~   No, I didn’t go with an outline. I’m probably the most “fly by the seat of your pants” writer around, lol. I might make notes of scene ideas when they come to me(driving down the road, in the shower, lol). But usually, everything stays right up in my head, and I just call on it when I need it. 

Brittany K – What is the hardest part of writing for you?

.

Katie  ~   Hmm, it’s probably actually detaching myself from the internet and sitting down to transcribe what has been going on in my head onto the laptop! I will say writing a sequel has been very, very hard!! I have a YA series I’m signed on to do with a small publisher, so this is good practice for me.

        Jennifer S – I’m so glad that you are making a sequel to this book! Is The Proposal the last book in this series?

.

Katie  ~  The Proposal will be the Happily Ever After for Aidan and Emma. However, I do have a companion novel planned with Aidan’s niece, Megan, who is Mason’s mother along with a character introduced in The Proposal. So you will get to see Aidan and Emma again along with Patrick and Aidan’s family.

       Jenn B – Did you expect your book to be as popular as it has become?

.

Katie  ~  NO! I’m still floored, amazed, and humbled each and every day!! It’s been one of the most surreal experiences of my life! I’ve been writing to be published for three years now. I’ve been through two agents in the Young Adult world, two almost deals for two different books, so I’ve been down a long, hard path. When I decided to publish The Proposition, I just wanted people to read and enjoy—to finally have validation as a writer. Then for it to take off, to achieve a life-long dream of being a New York Times Bestseller, of having people from all over the world contact me to tell me they loved it…Wow…just amazing!!I thank God daily for the blessings he has sent me. I’m also eternally grateful to everyone who has read The Proposition. To bloggers like Aestas, who before I was anyone but an unproven Indie writer, took a chance on me and read my book when I asked, and then pimped the hell out of it when she enjoyed it!!

Heather L – Do you have a daily writing quota? How long did it take you to write The Proposition? And was it your first book?

.

Katie  ~  See Question 1 about being a “write by the seat of my pants” person…lol, just kidding. No, I usually just write what is with me that day. It might be 500 words or 2K. That is unless I’m on a deadline. My writer buddies know of the once infamous 36K written in one week a couple of years ago.I am a very fast writer. I originally started writing The Proposition in April. I was 15K in when my grandmother passed away in May. She had been a mother to me since I lost my mother to cancer when I was 23. Dealing with her estate and grief, I couldn’t write for two months. Finally, in late September, I set about to finish The Proposition because all during the hard summer months, Aidan and Emma stayed with me. I wanted to honor them and my grandmother, who knew about the book, by finishing. 

Since I’ve been at this for several years, it’s not my first book. The first novel I completed is still one of my favorites and very close to my heart. It’s a mixture of my Southern roots and my love of books like To Kill a Mockingbird, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Café, Cold Sassy Tree, The Green Mile, and A Time to Kill. It’s called The Road to Damascus, and it is listed under my real name, Krista Ashe.

K – Will you continue writing after The Proposal? Do you have any idea what you want to write yet?

.

Katie  ~   I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to stop!! I was already working on my next book, Music of the Heart, when the Proposition debuted, and I switched it around to release The Proposal first. After it, I’ll be releasing a New Adult called Do Not Go Gentle. I haven’t made the blurb official yet, so I’ll give it to you guys here first. 

.

****

.

Do Not Go Gentle

.

Official Blurb

.

Maddie and Allie had been best friends since Pull-ups and Pre-K. Raised on the same rural road and with their parents close friends, nothing had ever come between them. But the summer after graduation changes everything. When Allie’s dad starts spinning out of control with his PTSD, an altercation leaves her black and blue. Maddie never could have imagined that acting on a whispered accusation would lead not only to a friend’s broken trust, but to a fiery midnight blaze that took Allie and her mother out of this world at her father’s hands. Maddie is left with a gaping hole in her soul and the unimaginable guilt that she was somehow to blame. 

Miles away at college, Will thought he could escape the impending chaos at home. At twenty-one, he never could have imagined the entire world he knew would go up in smoke, leaving him orphaned and without his little sister and confidante, Allie. With the life he once had in ashes, Will can’t see the way ahead, nor can he shake the crippling grief that threatens to consume him. No one makes him feel alive again or want to embrace the uncertain future except Maddie. 

In Will, Maddie has someone to help her pick the pieces of her shattered life without Allie. He’s the only one who understands what she’s going through. Her old friends, her boyfriend of two years, none of them seem to comprehend what her dark world is like. The more and more time they spend together, the more they depend on each other. But everything they have is threatened when the lines between friendship and lovers start to blur.

NICOLE WILLIAMS

I’m a wife, a mom, a writer. I started writing because I loved it and I’m still writing because I love it. I write young adult because I still believe in true love, kindred spirits, and happy endings. Here’s to staying young at heart *raises champagne glass* . . . care to join me?

CRASH

Southpointe High is the last place Lucy wanted to wind up her senior year of school. Right up until she stumbles into Jude Ryder, a guy whose name has become its own verb, and synonymous with trouble. He’s got a rap sheet that runs longer than a senior thesis, has had his name sighed, shouted, and cursed by more women than Lucy dares to ask, and lives at the local boys home where disturbed seems to be the status quo for the residents. Lucy had a stable at best, quirky at worst, upbringing. She lives for wearing the satin down on her ballet shoes, has her sights set on Juilliard, and has been careful to keep trouble out of her life. Up until now.

Jude’s everything she needs to stay away from if she wants to separate her past from her future. Staying away, she’s about to find out, is the only thing she’s incapable of.

For Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, love’s about to become the thing that tears them apart.

 (Click covers below to purchase)

My spoiler-free review of CRASH

“I’ll be here, each day and every day on, as long as you want me to be.” 

“…I’ll need you to promise me something…If I ever mess things up again, whether it’s a missunderstanding or shit luck, or I just do what I was created to do and screw everything up… I want you to promise me you’ll leave. Drop me like a bad habit and don’t look back, because god knows, it can’t be me that walks away since I’m incapable of it.”

My spoiler-free review of CLASH

 “Jude wasn’t just my first love. He was my forever love.“

CRUSH – To be released April 23, 2013

Here are some of our readers’ questions answered by Nicole.

Jaqueline W  ~  Do you have any pre-writing rituals that get you ready to write?

.

Nicole  ~   Not really! With a toddler running around, I have to be able to sit down, get to work, and take advantage of those few precious minutes I get in between all the chaos. If I have a coveted few hour chunk of time, I make sure I have my headphones, a good play list, a smelly candle burning, and something good to drink. 

Tiffany Z  ~ With the names Jude and Lucy, are you a big Beatles fan?

.

Nicole  ~   I am! I’m not one of the super hardcore fans that wear their Beatles shirts every place they go, but I have a definite appreciation for them. Their music is iconic and I hope it always stays that way.

        Alexis A  ~  Will your third novel be the last in the series or will there be more?

Nicole    ~  Yes, CRUSH will be the third and final book in the CRASH series. I’m just about to send it to my editor and I’m so in love with this last installment. I know we’re not supposed to pick favorites, but this one pretty much is my favorite in the trilogy.

       Jaspreet K  ~  Are you planing to write more books for Eden series?

.

Nicole  ~  I get this question a lot! I love my loyal, hardcore EDEN fans! At this time, I’m not planning on writing any more EDEN books. I lived in the Haywards’ world for a couple years and it’s been fun living in Jude and Lucy’s world and, most recently, Cole and Elle’s, but the Haywards will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Chrissy R  ~  Do you already know how and where you want to end Jude and Lucy’s story?

.

Nicole   ~  Yes! CRUSH is officially written and I’m just putting my final polish on it before I send it to my editor at HarperTeen. As I mentioned in an earlier question, this installment is my favorite in the trilogy. Teasers and lots of fun pre release stuff will be starting after the first of the year! 

Andrea T  ~  What are you working on right now?

.

Nicole  ~  I’m just finishing up my initial edits for CRUSH and I just released UP IN FLAMES, my New Adult Romance this month. This is a three part sizzle to one part sweet kind of read.

One small town girl with a bright future.
One smokejumper with a dark past.
One summer that will forever change them both.
They’re going . . .

UP IN FLAMES

Elle’s life couldn’t possibly get any more small town than it already is. She was raised in the same home as the two generations before her were, her family owns the iconic downtown cafe, and she’s been dating the pastor’s son since she was allowed to go on her first date at sixteen. 

TRACEY GARVIS-GRAVES

Author of the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times bestseller On the Island.

I have horrible eye-hand coordination.
I change my hair color frequently.
I love going to psychics.
I know all the dialogue from Sex and The City.
I love karaoke.
I like red roses but not on Valentine’s Day.
I am mathematically challenged but I can spell almost anything.
I am horrible at geography.
I broke my arm on the playground in 3rd grade.
I love Google but I HATE Google Apps.
I don’t enjoy gambling.
I love to cook for other people.
I can’t stand beef.
I read extremely fast.
I love stormy weather. Snow, thunder, ice, whatever. I love them all.
I believe in karma.
I am 5’9″
I prefer music over television.
I have an IRA, a BBA, and a BOB.
I’ve somehow never been arrested.
I use really big words when I talk.
I always know what they mean.
I am a morning person.
There is nothing low maintenance about me.
I! LOVE! WINE!
I talk too loud.
I have a twin sister who is nothing like me.
She is EVEN louder.
I love the F word and use it frequently.
I pee my pants when I jump, cough, or sneeze.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOKS

When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family’s summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day. T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He’s almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn’t bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family – and a stack of overdue assignments – instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.’s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island.

Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.’s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

My spoiler-free review of ON THE ISLAND
(5++ stars!!!)

This is an absolutely beautiful, unique and unforgettable story about survival and love.

Its well-written, riveting and heartfelt. The ending and epilogue brought the happiest tears to my eyes. I honestly don’t have one single complaint to make about this book.

I absolutely adored  it.

Here are some of our readers’ questions answered by Tracey.

Paula N  ~  Did you know how TJ and Anna would end up when you started writing OTI?

.

Tracey  ~   Yes and no. Because I was writing a romance novel, I knew the hero and heroine had to end up together and have a happily ever after. But I didn’t realize until the end that they would marry. I remember thinking that I had written myself into a corner because surely no one would buy this relationship. But I think they did 🙂

Clista S  ~  How long did it take you to write OTI?

.

Tracey   ~   About 18 months total, from first word written to uploading to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. The actual drafting, revising, and editing took 12-14 months, and the rest of the time was spent preparing to self-publish. I hired a developmental editor, copyeditor, and formatter. I also chose my cover and wrote my product description.

        Allie M ~ How did you plot out your story? Some people find it best to do an outline first, sort of draw it out, while others just free write and either go start to finish or write whatever comes to mind and pieces it together later…what worked for you while writing “On the Island”?

.

Tracey    ~  I had a general idea of the beginning, middle, and end. I am more of an outliner than a pantser, but one of the things I love the most about writing a book is watching the story change. I also write scenes out of order.

        Audrie C ~  Love the book!! Do you ever feel hesitant about approaching a topic that might be controversial?? How do you approach that issue??

.

Tracey  ~  Yes! I was extremely nervous. But I knew that there was nothing illegal about their relationship and I wanted readers to fall in love with T.J. and Anna and more importantly, root for them to fall in love with each other. I felt the storyline was worth the risk.

JoJo P  ~  Given the chance, would you agree to spend just 1 year on a deserted island if you knew for sure you would be rescued at the end of that year?

.

Tracey   ~  It depends on what supplies I could have with me. If I had most of the basics, I might do it (as long as someone was there with me).

Natalie W  ~ Where did the idea for OTI come from?

.

Tracey   ~  I’m a HUGE desert island fan. I loved The Blue Lagoon and my husband and I are huge fans of the T.V. show Lost. I also loved the movie Castaway, but it bugged me that Tom Hanks was all alone on that island (I didn’t quite buy the relationship with the volleyball). I wanted to put two people together on an island (two people who really shouldn’t be together) and then see what would develop. They would obviously bond, but what would happen if they were rescued and had to return to society.

Enter the Rafflecopter link below to win a
*SIGNED* PAPERBACK OF “ON THE ISLAND”!!! 

Open internationally.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOMORROW’S *SIGNED* GIVEAWAY
11:00 AM EST
featuring
N I C O L E   W I L L I A M S
(author of Crash )