Please welcome Krysten Lindsay Hager author of In Over Her Head
Krysten Lindsay Hager will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
In Over Her Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety
byKrysten Lindsay Hager
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GENRE: YA
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INTERVIEW:
1. What or who inspired you to start writing?
I started writing stories as a kid and it just grew from there. I spent most of my high school math classes with a piece of paper underneath my notebook to write down story ideas. That explains my math grades! One of the things that inspired me to start writing was the fact my parents watched a lot of soap operas. I would sit there playing with my Barbies and think about the storylines and then act them out the way I wanted the cliffhangers to end up.
2. What elements are necessary components for this genre?
I think you have to be willing to dig deep inside and access your own emotions when writing YA. Readers can tell real from fake and I want the books to be authentic.
3. How did you come up with your idea for your novel?
For this one I wanted to give a high school girl the access to what she thinks would make her dreams come true—in her case a chance at an acting career and getting to work with and date the singer whose lyrics inspire her. I thought it would be interesting to see how a regular teen would react in that situation and how she would see firsthand if it was what she really wanted and if it was all it was cracked up to be.
4. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I’m working on the next book in the Cecily Taylor Series which has Cecily back in New York and this time in a music video for another singer. I’m also working on another YA book as well as some adult rom-coms as well.
5. If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
I’d like to be Cecily and have another go at achieving certain dreams, but with the knowledge I have now that comes from growing up.
6. Can you give us a sneak peek into this book?
Cecily gets an opportunity to be in a magazine and goes to New York for the shoot, but feels overwhelmed working with the bigger models and the gossip behind the scenes. She manages to impress the staff and feels like she’s living her dream life going out with her pop star boyfriend in the city. However, rumors start to fly when Andrew goes on a mindfulness retreat with another pop star and her sister. Was he the perfect boyfriend she thought he was or was she in over her head?
7. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?
I had some professional critiques at writing conferences long before I ever submitted anything. I felt more confident about submitting after I had some writers, editors, publishers give me their opinions.
8. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
Best advice: Let your characters talk to you and tell you what they want to do. Best advice I ever got.
Worst advice: Probably anything where the focus was more on money than writing from the heart.
9. Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I usually just start writing. I don’t do well with outlines.
10. How do you maintain your creativity?
For me watching TV and movies sparks a lot. Particularly if I watch something like a biography. I also finding reading non-fiction can spark something in me that fiction doesn’t. One day over a year ago I was eating lunch and I happened to have Joyce Meyer on and she was saying basically a good friend doesn’t let you take a bad path without speaking up and I put my fork down and thought, that’s Cecily concerning Lila’s toxic relationship with her ex. And I grabbed a notebook and started jotting down notes and it let me know I was on the right path having Cecily speak her truth on how Lila shouldn’t get back involved with a guy who had cheated and didn’t treat her well and was talking to her while he was in another relationship.
11. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?
I love Cecily because of her funny outlook on life and her admitting she wants a big life, but is anxious as well. I also love the journey the pop star character, Andrew, went on in this one. He’s finding his voice more in the business and creatively and learning to deal with anxiety. I really enjoyed writing his journey.
BLURB:
Cecily feels like she has it all: great best friends, the beginnings of a career as a model/actress, and she’s dating her favorite singer, Andrew Holiday. Then Cecily’s best friend Lila begins to ditch her every time Lila’s boyfriend calls. Cecily feels lost, but she and Andrew begin connecting more and she’s never been in a relationship where she felt so understood. Andrew even begins to confide in her about his anxiety. Soon Cecily experiences her own anxiety on a magazine photo shoot, but she manages to impress the magazine staff. Just when it seems like all her dreams are coming true, everything comes crashing down when a photo of Andrew with another girl appears online. He swears nothing happened, but Cecily is crushed. She feels like she’s lost two of the people closest to her.
Was her perfect relationship real or was she in over her head?
Was her perfect relationship real or was she in over her head?
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EXCERPT:
“Good luck at the photo shoot tomorrow,” he said. “You’ll be great.”
I stared out the window on the ride back to the hotel taking in all the sites. As I walked into the hotel I felt a new air of confidence. Instead of just reading about someone going out with a pop star to some fabulous rooftop hotel restaurant and being in the big city, I was living it. This was my life and not some YA book heroine’s. Tomorrow I was off on a modeling shoot. I was living a dream and proving how I was ready for a big life. This was my destiny. I could do this.
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My alarm went off and at the same time an alarm went off in my brain saying, no, I could not do this. What was I thinking? Me, model? That’s where people take photos of you for the sole purpose of other people looking at them, which encouraged judgement and evil comments. People don’t just keep those comments to themselves anymore. Oh no, they grab their phone or laptop or whatever device helps them spew out unhelpful and cruel comments on people’s appearances online for all the world to see.
My stomach felt like spewing all over the nice hotel sheets I was wrapped in. Why did I ever think I was up for this? Those strangers online would destroy me within seconds. Girls like Harlow who were born with an undeniable beauty could do stuff like this and even then, I had seen strangers criticize her online when she posted selfies.
Being anxious always made all my senses go nuts. I ate two slices of toast and then my stomach did a weird flipping thing. Oh no, not today. Looking over at the clock I realized it was almost time for us to leave. Come on, stomach. You’re fine. Just relax and…nope, time to hit the bathroom. Why can’t I just be a big girl and go to this stupid shoot which most girls would kill to do without my stomach freaking out?
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Krysten Lindsay Hager writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values. She is the author of True Colors, Best Friends...Forever?, Next Door to a Star, Landry in Like, Competing with the Star, Dating the It Guy,and Can Dreams Come True. True Colors, won the Readers Favorite award for best preteen book and the Dayton Book Expo Bestseller Award for childen/teens. Competing with the Staris a Readers' Favorite Book Award Finalist. Landry in Likeis a Literary Classics Gold Medal recipient.
Krysten's work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Beavercreek Current, the Bellbrook Times, Springfield News-Sun, Grand Blanc View, Dayton Daily Newsand on Living Dayton.
Author links:
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
Krysten Lindsay Hager will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks so much for posting today!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteWho is your favorite author that is currently still writing?
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the Angel's blog. I hope you have a great tour. Allana Angel
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your book with us. I think we all enjoy hearing about new books we previously didn't know about. Also, thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
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