Summer
Crush
A
Multi-author YA anthology
Sasha
Hibbs * S.D. Wasley
* Melissa Frost *
Diana Stager * Deanna Dee * Bridie Hall
Summer
Crush: A wonderfully romantic boxed set of Upper YA short stories by today's
hottest authors.
Summer is the time for lazy days at the beach, sun-kissed hair, flip-flops, and sizzling nights with a new crush. Those stolen glances and first kisses can quickly spark a flame. However, the road to love isn’t always a smooth ride.
Every Summer has a story, whether it’s a second chance on love, seeing a friend in a different light, or taking a step in a new direction with someone special. Love and long days create endless possibilities, but can a summer crush really last?
Buy Links: Amazon Evernight Teen
About
the Stories:
Sutton
Summer by Sasha Hibbs After breaking
Dylan’s heart last year, McKenzie returns to Sutton Lake for another summer.
McKenzie realizes love was in front of her the entire time, but is it too late
for Dylan to forgive her?
Exquisite
Torture by S. D. Wasley Stuck at his
Gran’s house in a deadbeat town for the entire summer, things suddenly don’t
seem so bad when 16 year old Ryan meets gorgeous Connie. But why is she so
cagey about where she lives? Is there something more to Connie than he first
thought?
Forbidden by Melissa Frost
The new guy in town has a bad reputation and a bad boy demeanor to go with it.
Even so, Olivia can’t help feeling drawn to Gavin. Can she convince her mother
he’s not the delinquent everyone believes, or will his past tear them apart?
Borderline
Love by Deanna Dee Nearly drowning
wasn’t part of Dalya’s vacation plans. Neither was being rescued by a guy with
a perfect six pack and a haunted look in his eyes. Mason reminds Dalya too much
of her over- protective older brother, but when he offers to teach her to surf,
she can’t say no. Can Dalya get past her frustration with her brother to
realize how much Mason means to her?
An
Ocean of Their Own by Bridie Hall Lola spends her
days trawling the sand dunes in search of the perfect subject for her art. She
finds it in a solitary, beautiful girl. Sarah doesn’t just fill the pages in
her sketchbook, she enchants Lola’s heart too. But how can Lola tell her family
about Sarah?
About the Authors
Sasha Hibbs is a nurse living in mountainous West
Virginia with her husband, two daughters, and lives in her own imaginary world
where she’s plotting her next story.
Diana Stager is a teacher who writes in her spare
time and lives with her husband and kids in Ontario, Canada.
Deanna Dee is a full-time writer living in sunny
North Carolina, where she takes full advantage of the beach whenever she
can.
S.D. Wasley is an author, copywriter and
daydreamer living in Western Australia where she wrangles chickens, cats, dogs
and children on a daily basis.
Melissa
Frost is a young adult
author who lives near Pittsburgh PA with her husband, their son Marshall, and
their soon to be daughter Adalynn.
Bridie Hall is a translator and editor who spends
every free minute writing and reading.
Want to learn more the authors?
Here are they are in their own words...
Sasha Hibbs:
If you’ve
ever had writer's block, how do you deal with it?
Writer’s
block is a real thing. I believe all authors suffer from it, me included. The
only way I can deal with it is as I do all other things in life that are
negative: wait for it to blow over. In time, all things will pass. J
Is it easier to write action scene or a romantic scene?
Is it easier to write action scene or a romantic scene?
For me
it’s easier to write a romantic scene. Action is something I’d like to get
better at.
Do you have to mine deep emotional reservoirs when you write romances?
Do you have to mine deep emotional reservoirs when you write romances?
Not so
much. The romance part of things is the easiest for me to write. I usually have
those scenes worked out way ahead of time.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
In Sutton
Summer, my hope was to create a character—so much like many of us—that was in
the middle of dealing with loss and handling grief. It feels like the world has
stopped spinning, but you eventually realize it’s just your world that has
stopped spinning. I wanted to portray someone going through these motions and
coming away with some hope. Taking a negative and turning it into a positive.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
I wish
that were the case. In Sutton Summer, the lake—which was a main focus—is only ½
an hour drive from where I live. For my other novels, I’ve been fortunate
enough to travel across several state lines to see the places I was writing
about.
Diana Stager:
If you’ve
ever had writer's block, how do you deal with it?
Unfortunately,
writer’s block and I are quite well-acquainted. I find that when I’m stressed
it gets worse, but life is stress right? Sometimes I just skip to the next
thing I know will happen and fill in the blanks later. Sometimes I take a break
to just write nonsense. The hardest part is getting rid of that inner editor
who makes me agonize over word choice and sentence construction. I wish there
was a way to send her to Tahiti to chill out.
Is it easier
to write action scene or a romantic scene?
For me, the
romantic scenes are easier. I have trouble picturing how an action scene is
supposed to go down and I worry that I may sound like I don’t know what I’m
talking about. (Because I don’t!)
Do you have to mine deep emotional reservoirs when you write romances?
Absolutely. If writing it makes me bawl then I know I’m getting it right. It’s those deep emotions that draw the reader into your character’s point of view.
Is there a
message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I guess the
main message is not to judge someone until you’ve walked in their shoes. There
is always so much more to people than what shows on the surface.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
Not yet, but hopefully someday!
Deanna Dee:
If you’ve
ever had writer's block, how do you deal with it?
Punch it.
Punch it.
Seriously, I
do one of two things. I either work on something else or (if I can) take a day
or two off from writing. Sometimes, the brain just needs to reload.
Is it easier to write action scene or a romantic scene?
Initially, romantic scenes. I don’t know why, but my rough draft action scenes are terrible. Lol. That said, I do enjoy action scenes.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
When I started writing Boarderline Love, I wanted a female lead who would do some serious changing. Dalya starts the story as a self-centered, party-going brat who quickly realizes there’s more to life than looking hot and flaunting her stuff. I think I want this story to help teens realize that there’s more to life. They don’t have to do all the things their older role models are doing. You’re only young once. Take your time and enjoy it. Soon there will be taxes and grad school and full-time jobs. Be carefree and innocent, at least for a little while.
S.D. Wasley:
Is it easier to write an action scene
or a romantic scene?
Romantic.
Action always requires loads of editing for me, because I find myself rattling
off everything that happens like a shopping list. I can see it all in my head
so I write it all down, but afterwards I need to go back and make sure there’s
some variety of sentences. I also need to cut out some of the irrelevant
things, such as “I climbed into the car and did up my seatbelt as we drove off
at high speed.” I’d probably go back and edit that to “I scrambled into the car
and we hit the road.” Sometimes describing what you see in your head can get a
bit detailed and granular, and ruin the excitement of an action scene. Romance
is slower and more emotive so there’s time to explore feelings and thoughts.
Do you have to mine deep emotional reservoirs when you write romances?
Do you have to mine deep emotional reservoirs when you write romances?
Nope! I’m a
feeler. If I’m not in the mood for writing romance, I just dust off my Youtube
favourites and listen to some powerful feeling songs, and the romance pours
from my fingertips! ;-)
Is there a message in your story that you want readers to grasp?
Is there a message in your story that you want readers to grasp?
Definitely.
It’s about understanding that ‘instant satisfaction’ stuff like the internet
and money ultimately aren’t that important. We all meet a person at some point
who makes us understand what it really means to care about someone other than
ourselves.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
Not as yet,
but I have done a trip out to a country area to speak at a high school. It was
a great experience, and the visit to those small towns full of sheep farmers
sparked a few short stories and gave me some great photos for setting
inspiration. I’m hoping to attend an event or two next year, probably in the
eastern states (Queensland, Victoria or New South Wales). One day I hope to be
able to travel to places all over the world to meet readers of my books!
Melissa Frost:
If you’ve
ever had writer's block, how do you deal with it?
When I get
writer’s block, I set myself up with a schedule. When I wrote by hand in a notebook,
I told myself to write two pages a day. If I was struggling with a scene, it
helped me push my way through, and many times, just having that goal in mind
got my thoughts flowing and I would break through my writer’s block.
Is it easier to write action scene or a romantic scene?
Is it easier to write action scene or a romantic scene?
A romance
scene definitely! I love action scenes. They are so much fun to write, but they
can be tricky. When writing an action scene, sometimes I think I know what I’m writing and I think I’m getting the visual across, but it can be confusing to a
reader who doesn’t already have the mental picture I do. I usually got over
action scenes with my husband a few times until he tells me I have it right. A
romance scene I can fly through without hardly any edits.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
In my story
(Forbidden) featured in the Summer Crush Anthology, the overwhelming message is
not to judge someone by appearances. Olivia’s love interest has a bad
reputation, but it isn’t all warranted. She gets to know him and learns he is
so much deeper than the rest of the town is giving him credit for. Had she
judged him by the opinions of others, she never would have fallen for her
summer crush.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
I travel to
book signings periodically. I’ve driven over an hour for certain appearances.
I’ve also given speeches at book clubs. There is always a certain amount of
travel with these things, but it is well worth it. The support I’ve gotten at
some of the events have been awe-inspiring. It’s what keeps me writing.
Bridie Hall:
If you’ve
ever had writer's block, how do you deal with it?
I usually
work on several projects at the same time so when I get stuck with one novel or
story, I simply work on something else until I get inspired to return to the
first one.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I suppose
the message of An Ocean of Their Own would be that sometimes we need other
people to help us realize the deepest truths about ourselves.
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
I wish I had
to, but I don’t and can’t afford it either. Most often, I use Google Maps. It’s
the cheapest way of travelling. ;-)
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