SUMMER CRUSH ~ YA Anthology by Evernight Teen

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?

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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?

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?

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)?

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.

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?

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?

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)?

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?

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?

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)?

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?

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)?

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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