Eeep!! I am so excited to have Samantha Young as my special guest today!!! She was awesome and took time out of her crazy schedule to be interviewed for my blog. I also have a highlight and review of Down London Road.
Oh and look what I found! The UK cover. Love it!!!
My Interview with Samantha Young
Thank you so much for being on my
blog today. I have to tell you I am super excited to be meeting you this
summer at UtopYa. I have been a fan of your YA Paranormals since someone
told me I “had” to read Slumber and
now am an uber fan of your adult books.
The last time you were on my blog I had two YA Paranormal authors
who I loved both releasing their first adult novels. The reception blew me
away. It was one of my biggest blog days and both of you ended up on the
NYT bestseller list for your books. I had already read On Dublin
Street, so I knew people were going to devour it. Would you mind
talking a little bit about how you made the transition from YA to an adult writer.
I’d always wanted to branch out into the adult
fiction genre and when I got the inspiration for On Dublin Street I knew it was the perfect
opportunity to do so. It was definitely a brave new world, and that’s always a
little scary, but it was also exciting to be able to push through the limitations
you have as a young adult author regarding plot, prose and dialogue. I loved
that my characters had the freedom to say exactly what was on their mind and
stay true to themselves without having to constrain their boundaries with
thought to their audience.
Ok, so not only did you hit the NYT list for the first book in
this amazing series, but you scored a really amazing publishing deal.
From the sidelines it seemed like this amazing and almost dream like
ride. Would you be so kind as to tell us about this journey?
It was definitely a very surreal ride! I
was very nervous when I published ODS because I didn’t know how readers would
respond to my “adult” voice so to watch it climb the chart so quickly was
mindboggling. By the time it hit the top 20 I’d been contacted by publishers
and agents and realized that I needed help handling it all. I signed with my
wonderful agent Lauren Abramo of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, and
as she worked her magic on ODS topped the charts, I signed with NAL, and then
one of my biggest dreams came true - the NYT list. This was all within six
weeks and those six weeks flew by!
None of this actually sank in until a good
few months after it. I think I wandered around in a little fog for quite a
while.
I remember reading somewhere (and feel free to correct me if I am
wrong) that you went to Scotland as
a student which is similar to Jocelyn in book one of this series. Are
there any similar connections between your life experiences and the character’s
experiences in Down London Road?
If so, would you be willing to share what those are?
I’m from Scotland, born and raised, and I studied at Edinburgh University, lived in the city and worked
there. I know Edinburgh
pretty well and have a great affection for it so I love that it’s the setting
for this series. As for experiences similar to the characters in Down London Road…
I’ve been where both Jo and Cam are at one
point, both struggling financially, finding myself unemployed, and working jobs
that had nothing to do with my degree or my goals. It was a really difficult
time so I understand the problems these characters face and so do many people.
A lot of readers will find Jo and Cam
relatable, so I felt it’s important to show that there is light at the end of
the tunnel—or in Jo’s case a really sexy brooding alpha male :p
I know you are a huge music lover. Are there any songs that
you listened to while writing Down London Road or any that make you
immediately think of this book?
Yes, here are
a list of the songs I played on repeat while writing DLR:
Deadlines and
Commitments - The Killers
Try - P!nk
Be Still -
The Killers
Stay -
Rihanna
Locked out of
Heaven - Bruno Mars
Here with Me
- The Killers
The Power of
Love - Gabrielle Aplin
Flesh and
Bone - The Killers
This is totally not related to your book, but I know you are a
huge Rachel Vincent fan, as am I. She is on my "I will buy her book
on release date because I can not wait" list. You are also :).
Who are some of your other favorites?
Oooh so many! I love Richelle Mead, Chloe
Neill, Darynda Jones, Colleen Hoover, Tracey Garvis Graves, Laini Taylor,
Patrick Ness, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Cassandra Clare, Tiffany Snow, Stephanie
Perkins, Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, Stacia Kane and many more…
Thanks again for taking time out of your crazy busy schedule to
stop by today. I have one last question for today. I was wondering
if you could tell us what else we have to look forward to in this series and
what new upcoming projects you are working on that you might be willing to
share?
All I can tell you at the
moment is that I’m working on book three in the On Dublin Street, as well as a new series in
a different genre ;)
Johanna Walker is used to taking charge. But she’s about to meet someone who will make her lose control....
It has always been up to Johanna to care for her family, particularly her younger brother, Cole. With an absent father and a useless mother, she’s been making decisions based on what’s best for Cole for as long as she can remember. She even determines what men to date by how much they can provide for her brother and her, not on whatever sparks may—or may not—fly.
But with Cameron MacCabe, the attraction is undeniable. The sexy new bartender at work gives her butterflies every time she looks at him. And for once, Jo is tempted to put her needs first. Cam is just as obsessed with getting to know Jo, but her walls are too solid to let him get close enough to even try.
Then Cam moves into the flat below Jo’s, and their blistering connection becomes impossible to ignore. Especially since Cam is determined to uncover all of Jo’s secrets …even if it means taking apart her defenses piece by piece.
My Thoughts:
Oh Jo, carrying the burdens of the world on her shoulder and completely misunderstood by those around her. I admit it, when I first "met" Jo in this book I thought she was pretty much a gold digger and shallow. It did not take long before I learned of her inner strength and the burdens she was carrying. Then I "met" Cam and I liked him even less than I liked Jo. He was rude and well, basically a class A jerk. It blows my mind how the author can suck me in from the very first chapter when I did not even really like the characters yet. I read this book straight through the night. Yes, the morning was rough, but I could not help myself. It was just so addicting and as the book progressed I found myself not only liking the characters, but caring for them and feeling like I "knew" them and they were not just characters in a book.
The chemistry between Jo and Cam was obvious from their first meeting and there were definitely some very hot scenes between the two. Their connection grew to be so much more than that. This was a love story, a friendship story, a story of self discover, and the story of what can happen when you decide to finally let someone truly in. Do not fear if you have not read On Dublin Street. While there are some cross over characters, this is a complete story in and of itself and you would not feel like you were missing key pieces of information. That being said, On Dublin Street is so worth the read, so check it out.
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New York Times bestselling author Samantha Young is a 27 year old book addict who graduated from the University of Edinburgh. She lives in Scotland. Visit her online at:
