Book ♥ Soulmates: Giveaway & Interview with Gwen Hayes

We are VERY excited to have stopping by the blog today the fan-ta-bu-lous Gwen Hayes author of Falling Under! Yeah, you know the book that you've been constantly hearing about? The one that's been getting rave reviews? Yup! That's the one!

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B♥S: Welcome Gwen! Thanks for stopping by! What inspired you to write Falling Under?

GH: Inspiration is so strange. I had been writing a romantic comedy and the first line of Falling Under kept trolling around my head not leaving me alone. It was so bizarre. I finally had to give it a page. And then another. I kept telling my friends...this story in my head is so weird. I don't know what it is. Luckily, they encouraged me to keep writing it.

B♥S: Smart Friends! The young adult genre has been booming lately. With all the Young Adult releases lately, what makes yours stand out? Aside from the AMAZING cover (love, love, love the cover!)

GH: My cover is really amazing, isn't it? I think that one of the things that makes my book stand out is that I tend to focus a lot on the romance. I love writing about the first flush of love. Also, my secondary characters are very unique. That might be an understatement.

B♥S: Ahhh romance. Who doesn't love LOVE? Now that your debut novel has been released, what are your thoughts on the whole process (publishing, touring, interviews, fame, etc.)?

GH: As far as publishing goes--I am so glad I surrounded myself with people who really know what they are doing. My experience with everyone at NAL/Penguin has been very positive. They are not only good at their jobs, but you can tell they enjoy them too. My book is 100 times better for getting to work with them.

I don't know about fame--I don't think I have to worry about it right now anyway.I know that being a writer means I spend a lot of time in my head and alone, so sometimes it's difficult for me to be the center of attention. I'm not really shy, but I do shy away from photographs and things like that. For instance, I'm terrified to read out loud.

B♥S: Oh yeah. I'm terrified of public speaking too. If you could live inside a book/story for 24 hrs, which would you choose? Why?

GH: I think that in order to answer that question, I will need to try out several bookstores for 24 hours at a time. Set up my tour and I'll get back to you. *packs Snuggie and pillow*

B♥S: Snuggies! We LOVE snuggies!! What kind of planning do you do when writing? Drafts? Outlines? 'Wing-it'?

GH: Oh, I totally wing it. I mean big time. Remember how long it took for Theia to figure out what Haden was? I found out when she did.

B♥S: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, which songs/artists? {I may just make a CD out of your suggestions!}

GH: Sometimes, I can't listen to lyrics while writing, but putting together a playlist is a very important part of learning about my characters. I put together a sample on ilike.com.

#1 Crush by Garbage

Possum Kingdom by Toadies

The World is Darker by Neverending White Lights

Breathe Acoustic by Abney Park

Ablaze by Armchair Cynics

Lovers In A Dangerous Time by Barenaked Ladies

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B♥S: WOW!! Great list!! What is the best part about being an author? And the worst?

GH: The best part of being an author is when everything is going well and the characters are talking to you. The worst is when the WRONG story is talking to you and you can't write it because you are supposed to be working on something else.

B♥S: Besides writing, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

GH:I read. I knit. I watch Glee.

B♥S: GLEE! Yayyy! What's your favorite snack/dish?

GH:Cheese and potatoes. And any combination of the two.

B♥S: OMG, We LOVE cheese and potatoes. {It's an obsessions, lol} So... Any tour dates for the South Florida area? :P

GH: Not yet. They don't let me out of my house very often. Thanks for having me!

B♥S: Thank YOU for stopping by!!

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