Giveaway & Interview: Holly Schindler

We have another guest author with us today because Holly Schindler thought we were cool enough to hang with :} Woot!

Wanna stalk Holly?  Here's where you can go:

Website | Blog |Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

BS ♥ Holly, thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few of our questions.  Tell us, what was the inspiration behind PLAYING HURT?

When I drafted PLAYING HURT, I actually wanted to write about learning the difference between loving someone and really being IN love with someone.  Initially, Chelsea went on a Minnesota vacation with her parents—far from her loving boyfriend back home in Missouri—and wound up falling head-over-heels for a guide at the resort in a way that she had never fallen for her boyfriend. 

The sports subplot actually didn’t come about until the last time I rewrote the book—about five years after the initial draft.

BS ♥ You seem to be drawn to characters who have some sort of physical or mental struggle.  Why?

I do like jumping straight into a story when a character is deep in the midst of their struggle: When PLAYING HURT opens, Chelsea’s already seen her hopes for a career in college ball destroyed, Clint has already lost his girlfriend (and his beloved sport); immediately following the prologue in A BLUE SO DARK, my debut, Aura’s mother is already beginning her decent into madness. 

As a reader, I like knowing from the get-go what the central conflict is—I like to know why I’m reading.  So I usually tend to incorporate that into my own work.

BS ♥ You also seem most at home with contemporary YA; do you think you’ll ever try writing a story in another genre (paranormal, etc.)?

Though both of my books are contemporary YAs, they do differ in genre somewhat: BLUE is a literary YA, PLAYING HURT is a romance.  I read across all genres, and my writing interests are every bit as varied.  My debut MG will release in the fall of 2012, and as for YA…stay tuned!

BS ♥ What is YOUR favorite genre to read?

I like to genre hop.  Mystery, YA, poetry, literary, sci-fi, the classics…there’s just really nothing I won’t read.

BS ♥ What made you decide that you were ready to write your first book?

When I got my master’s, I was really just dying to give my writing full-time attention.  And because of incredible financial support from my family, I was able to do just that!  Though I had no financial concerns and all the time in the world to work, the first deal didn’t come easy—it took seven and a half years to snag the first deal.

BS ♥  Do you set a “writing mood” with music or lighting, etc?

I keep really long hours—usually averaging eight hours a day—and I work seven days a week.  I don’t have many “must-haves” to be productive…I usually prefer quiet (rather than having music in the background), and as long as I’ve got plenty of coffee, I’m all set!

BS ♥  Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

Writers are an INCREDIBLY hard-working bunch.  Cardiologists honestly don’t keep longer hours than writers.  In addition to writing new work, there’s online networking, blogging, promotions, personal visits, revisions of work under development—all of that usually happens at the same time!

That having been said, I’m a huge music freak—music is really my “refresh” button.  And the more time I spend indoors working, the more I itch to get outside in the sun—just totally unplug, hang out next to the Finley River with my dog…

BS ♥  Tell us something completely random about Holly the person, not just Holly the writer:

I’ve always been a fairly low-tech gal.  (I STILL prefer vinyl records…)  In fact, I drafted both A BLUE SO DARK and PLAYING HURT on a real dinosaur of a computer.  It was actually built before the Internet—didn’t even have a modem!  I didn’t anything up online until I’d sold BLUE…now I can’t imagine life without the YA blogosphere!

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Star basketball player Chelsea "Nitro" Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college-and everyone's admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea's dad springs for a three-week summer "boot camp" program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she's immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who's haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain-or finally heal their heartbreak?

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Giveaway
May 25 - June 1

Thanks to the Holly, we get to give away ONE copy of Playing Hurt to one lucky winner.

FILL OUT THIS FORM TO ENTER GIVEAWAY

Rules:

• To enter the giveaway you must complete the form linked above and leave a comment indicating that you've entered.
• Giveaway open to U.S. and Canada residents. No P.O. boxes please.  Note: It may take several weeks to receive your prize so please be patient! 
• Winner will be drawn after the contest ends and posted soon thereafter.
• Winner will be chosen using random.org!

Feel free to contact us via email at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com if you have any questions.

Happy reading!