Hi Everyone!
I would like introduce you to author, Samantha Anne. We're sitting down for a very quick interview about her re-release, Kirby.
Cover Reveal/Pre-Sale Event: June 15, 2018 – July 1, 2018
“What she wanted to find was her heart’s desire. What she found was her sassiest self – and Hottie McCoffeehouse.”
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| AMAZON ONLY $2.99 |
Super cute new cover! So tell us, why did you choose to re-release
Kirby?
I
really wanted to give Kirby new life after my original publisher, Crimson
Romance, shut its doors earlier this year. It’s a really fun read that I’m
happy to say has made quite a few people giggle and happy-sigh! I decided to
re-launch it on my own because there is also so much more I can do with it now
that I have the rights to myself.
What do you hope to do with Kirby now
that the book is all yours again?
I’m
working on adapting the story into a screenplay, because a lot of readers have
said that they can see it on screen (I admit, I can too!). I also want to
ultimately release an audiobook version, and – well, there’s one more surprise
that I’m working on (at the persistent request of readers who have already
devoured Kirby), but you’ll have to wait until the book comes out!
Any fun facts about Kirby?
Kirby
started out as a defunct screenplay that sat in the bottom of a blue bin in my
closet for close to five years. 2012’s So
You Think You Can Write contest came around, and I decided immediately that
I wanted to participate. What ended up happening was that Kirby was written
from start to finish in 12 days!
The
man who inspired the hero (assuming he hasn’t tossed it, of course!) has not
only a copy of the original edition, but also has an early treatment that I
wrote for the screenplay. The latter was not my best work, so I’m fairly
certain that made it into the trash. But see below to find out who exactly
inspired the book’s hero, Joe “AJ” Pavon.
Who inspired the two main characters?
Rachel
was always meant to be an amalgam of myself (well, who I wanted to be) and Anne
Hathaway, though lately I’ve “dream casted” actress Jessica Stroup if it should
ever make it to screen.
Joe
“AJ” Pavon, forever known as Hottie McCoffeehouse in the pages of Kirby, was
100% inspired by Joe Manganiello. The teasing smile he gave me when I told him
(I fangirl-traveled to see him perform in a play in Connecticut) reinforced how
happy I am that I did. 😉
How do you get inspired to write?
Sometimes, music does it. Other times, people-watching is a
sure fire way to get me going. Then of course there are times where inspiration
pops up out of nowhere! Those days are why I have a notebook on me at all
times.
What’s the best thing about being a writer?
The best thing for me is being able to clean my brain out on
a daily basis. Sometimes, just having the ability to write my thoughts out is a
huge blessing. When someone reads it and either relates or enjoys it, well -
that's just ten times more awesome.
What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
I tell everyone the same thing that was told to me: Write.
Seek inspiration. Then write more.
I still have that printed next to my writing space. So let's give everyone a peek at your blurb and excerpt for Kirby.
Blurb for Kirby
Rachel Sirianni is a twenty-seven-year-old native New Yorker with dreams of becoming an editor for Equinox Publishing, one of the top imprints in the city. And it seems she’s finally gotten her foot in the door, until one wild morning turns her fast track into an uphill climb.
Unable to pay her bills, she takes an unlikely second job to make ends meet and finds herself struggling to maintain two lives – her own, and that of her alter ego. Kirby is a sassy, imaginative, and extroverted fireball whom Rachel had no idea was lying dormant inside of her.
Enter Joe, a larger-than-life, brutally hot writer with a heart of gold. Rachel can’t seem to control herself around him, despite the fact that she’s sworn off men until she can get her career back on track. Their backgrounds and interests very nearly run parallel, and the Universe seems to keep pulling the pair together – in every aspect of Rachel’s life.
What happens when two worlds collide, particularly where it concerns Joe? The ride of her life may just lead to love – or it could lead back to the drawing board.
Excerpt
(You can find the entire first chapter on Wattpad by clicking here.)
"I'm screwed."
Rachel sat across a small round table from her best friend Camille, as they both sipped from two abundantly filled glasses of riesling. Camille raised an eyebrow and gave her a smirk.
"You make it sound like a bad thing."
Rachel pursed her lips and fought a smile. "Cami, I'm serious! I'm only making a dollar more an hour than I was at StarChefs."
"I thought we were here to celebrate," Camille teased, "You're in the company you've wanted to work for since freshman year. So you've got to start back at the beginning. Suck it up and wow them, now! And if that doesn't work, just sleep your way to the top."
Rachel snickered and tilted her head to one side. "Cami, please."
Camille gave Rachel a wink and turned to hail their waiter. "Don't you worry Rach, we'll make this week disappear and you can start fresh on Monday."
Rachel smiled at her best friend. Camille had just turned thirty, and somehow seemed more worldly than most women ten years her senior. The fact that she was a fashion photographer might have had something to do with it. She'd been to a number of different countries, and had met some of the world's most interesting people. The way Cami told it, the most interesting were usually found in back alley bars, local watering holes, and hole-in-the-wall pubs. She'd seen it all, done it all, and captured it all. Buying Cami a glass of wine would get you hours of some of the best stories ever told — and Rachel got to hear them all for free.
A waiter approached and filled their glasses once more. Camille held her glass up to toast Rachel.
"To the finest junior editor the publishing world has ever seen," she announced with a smile, tossing her thick ash blond locks behind her shoulder.
Rachel blushed. "The finest almost junior editor."
"Semantics," Camille replied with a sly smile, "Your future is set, and I say that it's so. Now clink my glass and drink already!"
Rachel laughed and saluted her buddy, taking a long, satisfying sip. Camille studied her closely, and allowed herself a serious moment.
"Honey, listen," she said, placing a comforting hand on Rachel's forearm, "This may be a setback, but it's a minor one. I know how talented you are, and I know how much you love books and the business. You will get the position you were hired for; I know it. You're already a star, now you've just got to prove it."
Rachel smiled. "Thanks, Cam . And thanks for dinner! I'm not going to need to eat until Monday! Then again, I can't really afford to."
"Now, now, enough of the pity party," Camille chided, "You know if you need money I can lend it to you. It comes with an open-ended payback policy, and zero interest."
"Thanks, but I think I'm just going to have to find another job again."
Rachel breathed a heavy sigh at the mention of a second job; she was so tired of it! Losing sleep to barely get by wasn't her idea of living life. She'd expected to have that under control by now. But, it was the price one often paid to live their dream.
"It's only six months," Camille insisted, "You can make it. You'll be fine by the end of the year."
Rachel leaned back, stretching her arms. "God, I hope so. I'm pretty much over the four hours of sleep routine."
Cami took a long sip from her wine glass. "You can get through it. What you can't do, however, is be late again."
Rachel nodded, giving a yawn. "Let's call it a night. Or at least let's get a bottle to go and watch some movies at my place."
"Is the roommate home?"
"Nope, she just left on an improv tour."
Camille stood. "Throw in a couple of Diane Keaton movies and I'm there."
Rachel grinned. "Annie Hall?"
"Annie Hall."
Meet Samantha Anne
Samantha Anne is the author of Kirby and Company Ink
(nominated for a 2014 Rone Award and a 2016 Rone Award Finalist, respectively)
and has been writing Contemporary Romance since 2013. She grew up writing fan
fiction for her friends (dubbed ‘Daydreams’) and their first book boyfriends,
as a result, included the likes of Joey McIntyre, Kevin Richardson, and JC
Chasez.
Her writing style was built on a healthy diet of
Anne Rice, Nora Ephron, Amy Heckerling, Garry Marshall twisted with the comedic
stylings of Mel Brooks and National Lampoon set to the tune of The Ramones,
David Bowie, Bon Jovi, and Joan Jett, and it often shows in her work.
When she’s not writing about flawed heroines and
their charming love interests, Samantha loves playing bass, baking, feeding her
friends, podcasting, singing and drowning in Disney movies and 80’s/90’s pop
culture. Learn more about her at www.samantha-anne.net
Where to find Samantha Anne
Website: www.samantha-anne.net
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/author.samantha.anne
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/thatrtchik/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/samiannert
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/SamanthaAnneAuthor
~~~
Samantha, thank you so much for taking the time to drop in today. I wish you the very best on Kirby's re-release. I too am planning to give my older backlist titles a fresh new look with added material in the next few months. I hope you will hold my hand a little as I venture into this new area of my writing career.
Please don't be a stranger. Come back and let us hear about your next release.
If anyone has a question for Samantha Anne, ask away. Clink on the pencil below or drop me an email at nancy@nancycwees.com and I'll post it here for you.
Have a great week, and as always, take a moment to read great book.
Hugs to all,
Nancy C. Weeks
