Published: October 2014Description:
Two love affairs. One hot summer.
Blair is determined to stay on course. Her reporting career is waiting for her if she can just make it through summer on the island.
Justyn knows not to get attached to tourist girls breezing through town for only a season.
Maggie wants to cherish her last few months of summer freedom. So what if she has to keep a tiny secret to make sure everyone around her stays happy?
Reid doesn’t have time for romance. His new business must succeed, no matter the cost.
This summer everything is about to change. All those carefully laid plans might shift faster than the tides. When these four start spending time together, the island nights get hotter than the sun-drenched days. Trying to stay untangled and unattached is easier said than done when the one thing you want is standing right in front of you.
Written in the Sand is more than fifteen years in the making. Tucked away in boxes and buried deep on hard drives, pieces of Maggie and Blair’s story sat untouched for years before the authors rediscovered the work in progress. They knew it was time to revisit the island and give Maggie, Blair, Justyn, and Reid a summer to remember.
TA: Growing up on an island, the water was definitely an integral part of my life. It seems natural that it would work its way into my writing. In Written in the Sand, we consider it more like a fifth character and less of a setting element.
Are the NA romance characters trap into a stereotype? What a writer could do to create interesting and great characters?
MK: The wonderful thing about NA characters is they are in such an exciting period of their lives. They have enough experience to understand the ways of the world, but they are also standing on the cusp of their futures. There is so much possibility for NA characters, which is why writing them is so appealing.
MK: It’s important for writers to harness that level of enthusiasm and tap in to real-life experiences to create multidimensional characters. Readers enjoy characters they can see a little bit of themselves in and connect to on a personal level.
What else a NA story needs to captivate the readers?
MK: Earlier you asked about T.A.’s use of the beach in her novels. Setting is a perfect way to draw in and engage readers. Introducing them to a new place through a relatable character’s eyes can generate a spark of interest. When combined with a compelling plot, you’ve got an appealing and well-rounded story.
What is your “Written in the Sand” tone (sad, funny, hopeful etc)? And is it important for the story to keep the same general tone?
MK: The overall tone is one of hopeful expectation. The story begins shortly after our two female main characters have graduated from college. They are excited about kicking off careers in new cities after they spend one more carefree summer together. The guys recently launched their own business so they are looking ahead to a bright future, too. What happens when the four meet one hot July Fourth is when the fun really begins. There are comical moments and the natural drama and angst that comes with romantic relationships.
For “Written in the Sand,” it was most important that the tone consistently carry through the voices of our four main characters. The story is told in different perspectives, but we think this provides a great opportunity for the reader to connect with each character. Though Blair, Justyn, Maggie, and Reid each have distinct personalities, they all possess that inner sense of hope and excitement about the future that is woven throughout the novel.
How important are the “pantsing” and the “plotting” for a story and what do you do to balance them?
TA: Since this story was written in an unusual fashion—over the course of fifteen years, we had a combination of pantsing and plotting. I think the plotting actually kicked into high gear in the last third of the book, which was written most recently. We did write certain chapters together, some separately but in the same place, and some from different states. We had a general plan and a direction to take the story, but let the chapters themselves unfold organically through our writing.
MB's INTERVIEW
Thank you, Mrs. T.A. Foster, Mrs. Mary-Kathryn Craft
The beach seems to be a constant presence in your books. Is it a character itself or only a great stage for the stories?TA: Growing up on an island, the water was definitely an integral part of my life. It seems natural that it would work its way into my writing. In Written in the Sand, we consider it more like a fifth character and less of a setting element.
Are the NA romance characters trap into a stereotype? What a writer could do to create interesting and great characters?
MK: The wonderful thing about NA characters is they are in such an exciting period of their lives. They have enough experience to understand the ways of the world, but they are also standing on the cusp of their futures. There is so much possibility for NA characters, which is why writing them is so appealing.
MK: It’s important for writers to harness that level of enthusiasm and tap in to real-life experiences to create multidimensional characters. Readers enjoy characters they can see a little bit of themselves in and connect to on a personal level.What else a NA story needs to captivate the readers?
MK: Earlier you asked about T.A.’s use of the beach in her novels. Setting is a perfect way to draw in and engage readers. Introducing them to a new place through a relatable character’s eyes can generate a spark of interest. When combined with a compelling plot, you’ve got an appealing and well-rounded story.
What is your “Written in the Sand” tone (sad, funny, hopeful etc)? And is it important for the story to keep the same general tone?
MK: The overall tone is one of hopeful expectation. The story begins shortly after our two female main characters have graduated from college. They are excited about kicking off careers in new cities after they spend one more carefree summer together. The guys recently launched their own business so they are looking ahead to a bright future, too. What happens when the four meet one hot July Fourth is when the fun really begins. There are comical moments and the natural drama and angst that comes with romantic relationships.
For “Written in the Sand,” it was most important that the tone consistently carry through the voices of our four main characters. The story is told in different perspectives, but we think this provides a great opportunity for the reader to connect with each character. Though Blair, Justyn, Maggie, and Reid each have distinct personalities, they all possess that inner sense of hope and excitement about the future that is woven throughout the novel.
How important are the “pantsing” and the “plotting” for a story and what do you do to balance them?
TA: Since this story was written in an unusual fashion—over the course of fifteen years, we had a combination of pantsing and plotting. I think the plotting actually kicked into high gear in the last third of the book, which was written most recently. We did write certain chapters together, some separately but in the same place, and some from different states. We had a general plan and a direction to take the story, but let the chapters themselves unfold organically through our writing.
TOUR SCHEDULE
Goodreads ** Smashwords ** Amazon ** Barnes&Noble
About the authors:
T.A. Foster is Southern girl whose heart and spirit are connected to the beach. She grew up catching rays and chasing waves along the North Carolina Outer Banks and now resides in the state with her adventurous pilot husband, two children, and two canine kiddos.
She has an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M University.
Mary-Kathryn Craft spent her childhood summers vacationing on Harkers Island, North Carolina. There she fell in love with the Cape Lookout beaches and learned about the power of a good story from the island old-timers.
With degrees in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of South Carolina, she now works in public relations in Columbia, South Carolina with her husband, daughter, and shiba inu.
Authors' Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment