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Title: V-Card
Series: Sharing Spaces # 1
Author: Alicia Michaels
Audience: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Romantic Comedy
Formats: E-book & Paperback
Publisher: Anchor Group Publishing
Cover by: Najla Qamber
Editor: Melissa Ringsted
Pages: 133 pages
ISBN : 978-0692203323
ASIN: B00JPQ5RBW
With only 60 days until her 21st birthday, Jennifer is determined to lose her virginity once and for all. Little does she know that her mission will lead her down a path toward love. She never expects that her mission will lead her to a discovery of what true womanhood is, and where true and lasting love begins.
I shrugged. “Yeah, but what are you gonna do?” I said, my tongue finally coming unglued from the roof of my mouth. He smiled and my insides quivered. “It’s okay, we’re roommates. I’ll just do gross things to him while he sleeps.”
He laughed again and I smiled in response. “You could do that. Or,” he leaned in, so close I could smell his cologne, “you could get even.”
My mouth fell open. I was a fish again, gasping for air and flopping around for something witty to say. Instead, he got, “Get even?”
He nodded. “Yeah. You know, find some wildly attractive guy to be your new date and piss him off.”
“That’s a good idea,” I said. “Know any wildly attractive guys?”
“If you’ll settle for extremely witty and tall, then there’s always me,” he said. Him. On a biscuit. Or covered in chocolate. Or running shirtless, drenched with sweat. Or … I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
“I guess you’ll do,” I said with a shrug.
“Good. Why don’t you tell me about Jenn?”
“Um, okay.” He placed his hand at the small of my back, turning me toward the little dock jutting out over the water. A sleek speedboat bobbed on the surface. I concentrated on trying not to trip as we stepped out onto the dock. “Well, I’m a Nursing student. I’m in my junior year and I want to be a Pediatric nurse after I graduate.”
“Pediatrics, huh? You must like kids or something.”
I nodded. “Everybody likes kids.”
“So you must want to have them someday.”
“Doesn’t everybody?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe someday. I’m more focused on my career right now than anything else.”
“What do you do?” “Well, I just graduated with a business degree last year,” he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I just started an entry level position at my dad’s company.”
“Wow,” I said, eyebrows raised. “Color me impressed.”
He laughed. “Not that impressive. It’s grunt work in the mail room, but you have to start somewhere. My dad started there and now he’s CEO. I could have gotten a job higher up, but I wanted to take my lumps like everybody else. Couldn’t have everybody whispering behind my back that Daddy did it for me.”
I wasn’t lying about being impressed. A guy who could have gotten any job he wanted through his dad, choosing to work his way up from the bottom. This guy became more intriguing by the second.
“That’s ambitious,” I stated. “More so than Nursing.”
“Hey,” he said, his hand coming out of his pocket to touch my bare shoulder. That touch caused my blood to sing in my veins. Electricity arced across my skin. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a nurse. It’s a hard, noble job. Besides, someone has to hold the little brats down while they get their shots.”
“You are so not funny,” I replied, but I was laughing all the same.
“No, but you are,” he said. “Look at you all mad at me. It’s cute.”
I could feel my face getting hot. Cute? I’d take it. For him, I’d wear cute like a badge of honor. This was going well. I was flirting without making too big a fool of myself. Dain was smiling, and not a fake, forced smile either. He kept touching me—my arm, my shoulder. Things were going perfectly. Until I took a step backward and went plummeting off the side of the dock.
Lucky by Jason Mraz & Colby Calait
Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars
The Other Side by Jason DeRulo
Domiono by Jessie J
Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran
Trouble Sleeping by Corrine Bailey Rae
Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
My mom tells me I used to want to be a ballerina AND work at McDonalds. Talk about setting the bar high! Ha! I have always wanted to be a writer, even when I thought I would pursue nursing as a career. I was writing books and poetry even while I was studying other things.
When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?
When I wrote my first book at the age of 12.
How long did it take to get your first book published?
A couple years, mainly because I tried for a full year to get my first book picked up by an agent. These days the publishing industry is one of the hardest to get into and none of the doors would open for me. After that year, I was ready to give up. Then I discovered self and Indie publishing and haven’t looked back since!
Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?
Before I started writing, I was a stay at home mother. I still keep that job, of course, and try to balance it with working from home as a writer.
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
V-Card is about a 20 year old girl trying to lose her virginity. Love happens. Oh, and someone sits on a stapler.
Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?
I’m what you’d call a hybrid author. I self-publish books under the name Elise Marion (Adult Romance) and I work with publishers for my YA and NA books under the Alicia Michaels name.
How long does it usually take you to write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
That depends on a few factors: length of the book, if there’s research required, what’s going on in my life at the time. Typically a novel takes me 1-3 months, add an extra month if there’s a ton of research involved. A novella only takes me a few weeks.
What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
V-Card was my first foray into the world of NA Contemporary Romance. It was light and fun, which is a huge change for me. My books tend to be more angsty and dramatic. I think you can expect to see more of my fun side as I write more book in this series. I love letting my hair down and just writing a heartwarming little story.
What genre would you place your books into?
I am all over the map on that one. I write Young Adult and New Adult, Contemporary and Paranormal, Fantasy and Science Fiction.
What made you decide to write that genre of book?
Honestly, the story just came to me one day. It was so simple compared to my other books which all feature a fantasy or futuristic setting. This was about the characters, who became like real people in my mind. It was a joy to write them.
Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are they your favorite?
From V-Card my favorite people to write were Luke and Chloe. Luke because he’s just such a dreamboat. He’s that boy that all the girls love, but he’s so sensitive beneath the surface. Chloe, because she’s just plain fun. She’s a fashionista with a big mouth and I loved letting her say whatever she wanted. She’s kind of stuck up, but it was fun to explore her softer side.
How long have you been writing?, and who or what inspired you to write?
As I said, I wrote my first book at 12 and I really think it was just my love of books that pushed me. I loved reading stories, but I had stories of my own to tell too. It was a compulsion, one that I couldn’t ignore.
Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
I wish I could have a set routine, but my kids are too young for that. Two of them stay home with me so I do a lot of writing when I have two seconds to read, or late at night after everyone goes to sleep. I like my Beats by Dre headphones because they are noise cancelling and I do like music. I tend to pick music that fits the tone of what I’m working on at the time. It puts me in the mood.
Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
I do! I know authors who don’t and I don’t know how they have the willpower to stay away. I write because I want people to read, and that means I want to know what they think! I love reading reviews, and even the bad ones help me to grow (when they’re constructive)
Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
That doesn’t happen the same way everytime. For V-Card the name came first then the idea. Sometimes I’ll be halfway through a book before it has a title.
How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?
Sometimes I just snatch names out of the air and sometimes I look at that popular baby names list for ideas. As far as places, if it’s a fantasy book I’m working on, I try playing with other languages (Greek mostly) and seeing what cool words I can use.
Are character names and place names decided after their creation? Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them?
I usually know who the person is before I name them. Names are important to me so I pick names that fit who the character is.
Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?
Most of the time, I know who my characters are at the start. Of course, as time passes they evolve and I let them. People change and evolve and I want my work to feel organic.
Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")
Most of my stories are about young women finding themselves and becoming stronger. As a YA/NA author I feel like I have a responsibility to empower young women. I like to write strong young girls who don’t need guys to save them (of course a cute guy is just a bonus)
Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?
It’s all about the words for me, so I don’t discriminate. I read it all and love it all equally!
What is your favorite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
The Color Purple by Alice Walker. It’s an American classic and I have read it so many times I could probably recite it word for word!
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?
I think they can under the right direction. I think the Hunger Games are some of the best book to movie transfers out there. I think they’ve done a great job making Suzanne Collins’ ideas come alive.
Your favorite food is?
Anything with cheese on it.
Your favorite singer/group is?
Beyoncé
Your favorite color is?
Purple
Your favorite Author is?
Wow, that’s a tough one. I can’t choose just one. I go through phases where certain authors are my favorite for a time. Right now it’s George RR Martin.
Ever since she first read books like Chronicles of Narnia or Goosebumps, Alicia has been a lover of mind-bending fiction. Wherever imagination takes her, she is more than happy to call that place her home. With seven Fantasy and Science Fiction titles under her belt, Alicia strives to write multicultural characters and stories that touch the heart. V-Card is her first Contemporary Romance.The mother of three and wife to an Army sergeant, she loves chocolate, coffee, and of course good books. When not writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, shopping for shoes and fabulous jewelry, or spending time with her loving family.
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