Wednesday, May 28, 2014

The Wilde One by Savannah Young & Author Interview

Let's get to know author Savannah Young a bit better,
then we'll find out more about her latest release.

Q ~ Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I live in Florence, Arizona, which is a small town outside Phoenix. I live with my husband and our two bloodhounds. I’m a university professor as well as a writer.

Q ~ If you could be any animal, which would you be and why?

I think I’d want to be a puppy. Most people love puppies.

Q ~ What’s one habit that you have that you’d like to break?

I don’t have many bad habits. I write every day but that’s not a habit I want to stop!

Q ~ What is your favourite genre to read? To write?

My favorite genre to read and write is contemporary romance.

Q ~ How did you begin writing professionally?

I’m also a produced playwright and award-winning/optioned screenwriter. I wrote stage plays before I began writing novels.

Q ~ Who are your biggest supporters in your writing?

My husband and my mom are my biggest supporters. I’m also fortunate to have a lot of friends and readers who support my work.

Q ~ Do you have any ‘writing rituals’ that you always follow?

I get up every morning between 4:30 am and 5:00 am and write for a few hours. I never skip writing in the morning.

Q ~ When you write, do you try to reach a specific word count or simply write until you are done?

I try to write between 1500 and 2000 words every day. I do stop writing when I have to get ready for work.

Q ~ What inspired you to write this series?

I was tired of reading about rock stars and billionaires. I wanted to read about regular guys who hang out at the local bar on Friday nights, drive Pickup trucks and listen to country music. I decided to write what I wanted to read!

Q ~ What can we expect from the rest of the Old Town Country Romance series?

There are two more brothers (Hunter and Jake) and they each have their own books. The last two books in the series will be released this summer. I am also considering a “spin off” series that will take place at the Tawnee Mountain Resort, which is introduced in the first four books.

Q ~ Do you have a favourite character in your novels? Is this individual based on someone in your life?

So far, my favorite character in the series is Tucker Wilde. He’s not based on anyone in my life but he is based on reading I’ve done on troops returning from the Middle East who are dealing with all kinds of physical, mental and emotional issues as a result of their service.

Q ~ You write under multiple pen names. Can you tells a bit about they why’s and how’s of this?

My plan wasn’t to write under multiple pen names. It just kind of happened. I wanted to make use of different pen names to differentiate different “brands” of romance novels. My Dakota Madison novels are mostly New Adult romances that also deal with social issues. The focus of my Savannah Young books is the Old Town Country Romance series. I like to refer to them as Hick Lit. They’re realistic romances about regular guys. I’m also in the process of completing a paranormal/science fiction romance series for Young Adults. Those books are written as Cheyenne Nicholson Kelly. I’m also going to be releasing some longer New Adult romance novels under the pen name Sierra Avalon.

Q~ If you could give some advice to those who want to write professionally, what would it be?

Write every day without fail. Get into the habit of writing and don’t let yourself down. Also read as much as you write.

Title:  The Wilde One
Series:  Old Town Country Romance #2
Author:  Savanna Young
Published:  April 8th 2014 by Short on Time Books
Length:  195pgs
Format:  ecopy
Genre:  contemporary romance
Shelf:  review
Rating:  ★★★★★


Blurb:

THE WILDE ONE is the second novel in the spicy contemporary romance series about four sexy brothers, their small-town bar and their local country band. Each novel in the OLD TOWN COUNTRY ROMANCE series can be read as a STAND ALONE NOVEL or as part of the SERIES.

FOUR WILDE BROTHERS...ONE WILDE COUNTRY BAND

Tucker Wilde joined the United States Army right out of high school and was injured in Iraq. But more than just his leg was shattered in the Middle East. The war also crushed his spirit and damaged his soul. When a strange couple arrives at his family’s bar, Haymakers, Tucker can see signs of mental and emotional abuse and is immediately drawn to the lovely but fragile girl seated at his bar.

Gracie Parker has been a victim of abuse her entire life. When her boyfriend, Dex, beats her in the parking lot of Haymakers and abandons her, it’s almost too much for the nineteen-year-old to bear. That is until Tucker appears like a warrior knight from the darkness to save her.

Tucker and Gracie are two broken people who are immediately drawn together. But their relationship and even their very lives are threatened by Dex who will stop at nothing to get Gracie back.

If you like your trucks loud, your beer cold and your men hot...you'll love THE WILDE ONE.

Excerpt:

“You look different,” Savage says, then downs the last of his pint of ale.

“Different how?” I prod even though I have an idea what he’s going to say. I look more normal. Like I fit into society rather than looking like an outcast.

Savage shrugs. He’s never been a person of many words. We’re like two peas in a pod that way. Even though he rarely says very much, with just one sideways glance Savage can have the biggest and meanest guys on the planet shaking in their cowboy boots.

People say that about me too.

“Do you want another?” I ask, even though I can guess his response. Savage always orders two pints and drinks them at the far corner of the bar. There are worse ways of coping with the past than drinking a few beers every night before he goes home to an empty apartment. I should know. I’m a master of poor coping skills.

“Hit me,” Savage says.

I pour him another pint and take away the empty.

“You look good.”

I’m surprised by the compliment. I’d never use the word good to describe anything about me. But I do look better than I have since I got back from Iraq.

“Drink your beer,” I tell him because I’m not in the mood to explain what’s been going on in my life.

Savage was in Iraq about the same time I was and he’s the closest thing I’ve got to a friend. I’m not one for relationships. Life is too short and relationships are too painful. When you get close to someone, you usually just end up getting hurt.

But like me, Savage isn’t the type of guy who gets too close to people. The most obvious reason is the way he looks: he’s big and scary. Also just like me.

Savage and I lift weights together, and in a fight it would be a close match. Not that either of us would ever start a fight but we would definitely end one if we had to.

It’s a weeknight and the bar is almost deserted except for a few of the regulars. That’s why I’m surprised when I see a couple I don’t recognize walk in and look around. The guy’s wearing all leather and carrying two helmets, so he’s obviously a biker. He looks about my height, six feet two inches and he’s big. The girl looks tiny standing next to him. She’s the definition of the word waif. She looks like a strong wind could pick her up and blow her away. Not a good thing in Old Town where it’s windy most of the time.

The most interesting thing about her, though, is her coloring. I’ve never seen someone so fair in my life. I’m the only blond in my family but I’m not even close to this girl. Her long hair is so light it’s practically white. And her skin is the color of milk. She looks like a princess who just stepped out of a fairytale, as corny as that sounds.

I can’t help but notice that she doesn’t look like she wants to be here. Or maybe she doesn’t want to be with the guy. It’s hard to tell. But she doesn’t look happy. If anything, she looks scared.

As the couple steps closer to the bar, I can see the girl is shaking. I’m not sure whether she’s shaking because she’s scared, or because it’s January and it’s freezing outside and she’s wearing a tiny spring jacket that barely fits. It almost looks like a jacket for a kid it’s so small on her. Not that she’s much bigger than a kid herself.

What kind of an asshole wears a thick leather jacket while he lets his girl freeze? I’m really not liking this guy at all. And when I see him grab her by the elbow, so roughly she almost comes off the floor, I can feel every hair on my body stand at attention.

Is it possible to hate a guy I don’t even know?

My Review:

What a way to be brought back to Old Town. Young develops this small town with a flourish that makes you feel like you were there. She also takes an exciting story and draws her readers right into it. I also love the epilogue. Young gives a sneak peek into the future without jumping too far ahead. She lets you know that there is a future without it being set in stone.

Many authors can make you feel for their characters or feel what their characters are feeling, but Young takes it to an entirely new level with this one. She slowly and subtly develops her characters in such a manner that they become part of your life. Their past is your past. By creating two main characters who are ‘broken’, irreparably so in some ways, but who fight for themselves and each other you feel drawn to them. She also switched perspectives between them showing you not only what is happening but how they feel about it. The way that Young writes allows you to feel their sorrow and pain, their joy and hope on a level unparalleled.

Overall this was a fantastic read that I raced through in a single sitting. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to others and will definitely be reading more by this brilliant author in the future.
|  Goodreads  |  Shelfari  |
|  Amazon  |  B&N  |

And now, enter the tour wide giveaway!

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for hosting me on your website and for taking the time to read and review my book. I appreciate it!
    Savannah Young

    ReplyDelete