Today on the Indie April spotlight I have the lovely Liz Reinhardt YA author of Double Clutch.
Hi Liz, welcome to the blog.....What Inspired you to write DOUBLE CLUTCH?
Double Clutch was inspired in part by homesickness for NJ and in part by Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. My husband, daughter, and I had just moved to Georgia, and I was really missing my friends and family in NJ. I started reading like crazy, and eventually picked up Twilight and devoured it! I was inspired to write a book of my own, and I started with a vampire novel...after writing it and rereading it, I could NOT figure out why it just didn't impress me. Then I realized that it wasn't vampires that drew me in to Meyer's story. It was that time of being a teenager and walking the line between childhood and adulthood, of being passionate and focused and so sure you knew exactly what you wanted. I wanted to write about that!
Indie publishing- Why do you think its becoming so popular?
My personal opinion, based only on my observations, is that indie publishing is very courageous, and it's pushing new bounds. Indie authors are writing for themselves. Of course, most of them have critique partners, editors, beta readers, but each author gets to give his/her final stamp of approval on a project. There are no censors and no worries about "marketability," which is a hot button word in traditional publishing. When I shopped Double Clutch for an agent, I had quite a few who liked my writing and the story, but said things like 'the market for this isn't right at this time' or 'I'm not sure how we'd market this.' Readers have responded favorably to the book, for the most part, which is what I thought might happen from the beginning! I've heard a buzz that's kind of like, "I love reading indie because it's not cookie cutter. The stories push the envelope more, and I enjoy the fresh perspectives."
Also, I think many people enjoy the entrepreneurial aspects of indie. You can put out as few or as many books as you'd like, You can choose your own covers. You can work with editors you enjoy. You can book tour as much or as little as you like, and can choose which bloggers/stores you approach. You control price, sales, giveaways, promotion. It's a lot of work, but if you're passionate about your writing, it's really good, fulfilling work, and work you see a real return on!
DOUBLE CLUTCH has become a movie, who is playing your main character and why?
Emily Browning (Lemony Snicket, Sucker Punch) would make the perfect Brenna. Remember how smart and determined she was as Violet in Lemony Snicket? I loved when she put her hair in a braid and got down to the task of solving all the problems. I can see her holding her own with Saxon and Lynn in government or helping Jake with their latest project at Tech perfectly. How about how smart and confident she was in Sucker Punch? She made every harrowing fight sequence look like a piece of cake. And she'll need it if she's going to run interference during fist fights and navigate the sticky world of liking two guys who used to be friends and are now sworn enemies.
Thomas McDonell (Prom) is definitely the man for the job of Saxon Maclean. He gets that whole dark, handsome, full-of-himself, smoldering thing down perfectly. In Prom, he worked hard to look past the stereotypes of the perfect girl and connect with her on a deeper level. Sometimes he acted like a jerk, but it was always because he was feeling too much too quickly, and didn't know how to handle it. I'd love to see Thomas McDonell tackle the scenes where Saxon drives Brenna home, even though she claims to want nothing to do with him. Something about this guy and a hot car... I think he could play Saxon to perfection!
Freddie Stroma (Cormac McLaggen in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince) would make a fantastic Jake. He was woefully underused in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince as Hermione's date; her sole purpose for going to the dance with him was to make Ron jealous. I can see him handling Jake's quiet confidence and sweet sex appeal, and would love to see him in the scene were Jake takes Brenna on their first real date to the movies and out for dinner. Freddie makes me think of Jake because he has that light, sweet, sexy good boy look that can melt your heart, but he seems like he could have a little edge, too!
WOOHOO!! Hahaha! If I got to pick, I actually have a list in mind ;)! I totally want to know who your picks would be ;)!!
What top three Indie books would you recommend to readers and why?
I love indie authors who push the genre in new directions.
For an indie author who pretty much took my breath away (no, really, I was gasping with sympathy pain), Angie Stanton is amazing. Her book Dream Chaser is about a girl named Willow who was the flyer for her cheer squad, has an awful fall, and decides to go back to her ballet roots. Now, I never danced a step in my life, and I never cheered, either, but this book sucked me in. Willow was such a strong, amazing character, and I loved everything. Her determination, the romance that bloomed, her family, the realism...like I said, by the end, I was sweating up a storm! I have so much respect for dancers and the enormous amount of work they do!
I moved south from NJ about seven years ago, and I've been really fascinated with all the cultural differences I've encountered. But someone who NAILS what life is like in the South is Abbi Glines. When I read her books, they just have this sexy, steamy, sweet mix that makes me wish I'd spent my teen years south of the Mason Dixon! I loved The Vincent Boys because it was so honest, very sweet, and incredibly sexy. I think she pushes the envelope and does it really well!
Lani Wendt Young is a YA author who currently lives in New Zealand, but originally hails from Samoa. I picked up her book, Telesa, and was completely transported! It's about a girl, Leila, who moves from the US back to her homeland, Samoa. The first part of the book is a really fascinating look at what it's like to live and go to school in Samoa, and you could tell from the details that you were being transported by an author who knows and loves the tropical paradise! The second part of the book is about Leila's discovery that she is a volcano goddess, very powerful and potentially dangerous. Add one extremely hot guy (oh Danial!), and you have a book that make you feel like you actually got transported to Samoa!
Okay, I just want to say that I have a list a mile long, and this was super hard! If you asked me to list my top twenty it would be hard! The indie world is explosive and full of amazing reads right now!
Whats on the horizon for LIZ REINHARDT?
Exciting stuff! Book 3 of Brenna's series, titled Slow Twitch, comes out at the end of this month. The follow-up to my book Forgiving Trinity (Ruth's story) is being critiqued and edited, and I'm hoping to have that out this summer. I also have a totally new character in the works to give her own book. You meet her in Slow Twitch, and her story tugged at me and won't let go! So, yeah, lots of one-on-one time with my laptop! Luckily, I love it ;)!
What do you want readers to walk away with after reading DOUBLE CLUTCH?
My hope is that people will get a sense of the confusion and excitement of being that age, being on the cusp of adulthood. Some people have complained that Brenna is too indecisive, that she does things her parents wouldn't approve of behind their backs, that she's caught between lying and doing what she wants and being truthful and following the rules. I say, "Absolutely." Haha! Those comments, even when intended to be negative, kind of hit the nail on the head as far as what I'm trying to do as a writer. I want to explore the complexities of being a teen, and sometimes those complexities make you scream and rip your hair out. But that's honesty...it isn't easy, it doesn't end wrapped up in a bow. It's crazy!
Thank you so much for having me on your blog!! And a huge thank you for being such an amazing advocate of the indie writing community!
And thank you Liz for being on today and writing great stories!! Im so excited about Indie authors and I just finished Liz's Double Clutch and people it was A_MA_ZING!!!!!
GIVEAWAY
Today because Liz rocks...shes giving away an Ebook and physical paperback copy of her book Double Clutch so two winners will be drawn at the end of the event. To enter please just leave a comment. Winners will be announced at the end of the event.
Brenna Blixen spent her freshman year homeschooling in Denmark; now that she’s back in the States, she’s determined to make her sophomore year unforgettable. And by unforgettable, she imagined awesome classes, fun friendships, and maybe a little romance. What she got was a whole lot of romance, and all at once. The same day that dark, brooding Saxon Maclean charmed her with his killer good looks and whip-smart wit, Jake Kelly stole her breath away with his heart-wrenching smile and intelligent, thoughtful focus.
But Saxon is a proud player who makes it clear that he doesn’t know why he can’t get Brenna off of his mind and out of his system, and Jake’s sweet and humble attitude hides a secret past life that might be more darker and more complex than Brenna’s willing to handle.
Complicating the matter is the fact that Saxon and Jake were once best friends and are now arch-enemies... and the more Brenna finds out about their connection to each other, the more intrigued and worried she becomes. Between keeping the peace with her lovingly over-protective parents, designing t-shirts for her high school’s rising punk band, keeping up her grades in both academic and technical high school, and running the track like a maniac, Brenna has enough to worry about with out juggling two guys who make her heart thud and drive her crazy all at once. She has to make a choice. But how can she when giving her heart to one of them might mean breaking the other’s?
Oooooo I really like her casting choices! I was crushing on the boy from Prom for a long time even though he's probably much too young for me. I'll just pretend he's older:) I think I gravitated toward YA books for the same reason Liz wanted to write them - there's something fascinating about hovering on the cusp of childhood and adulthood. Loving meeting all these indie authors!
ReplyDeleteHA! I don't recognize any of her casting choices (though I should at least remember Freddie from HP)
ReplyDeleteI love the points that Liz makes about the freedoms that Indie Publishing allows...there is a lot to be said about having complete creative control over your project!
I love her casting choices and think they would be perfect for the YA crowd!
ReplyDeleteAwesome point about freedom in publishing as an Indie author :)
Thomas McDonell and Freddie Stroma in the same film? I would die!!!! Let's make this happen, people!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the indie recs. With so many out there, it is always helpful to hear which are the ones that stand out.
Fun casting choices. Thanks for the book recommendations.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
This sounds great! Another one to add to my wishlist!
ReplyDeleteI loved the book so much!!! Can't wait to read.
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