We’re very excited to have been given the chance to interview New York Times bestselling romance author, Erin McCarthy, on her first New Adult book, True.
BookPushers: Erin, thanks for being here with us. Can you tell us why you decided to write a New Adult book, and were you nervous about changing the age demographic of your characters?
Erin: The idea was actually suggested by my editor, who knows I’ve been wanting to write YA for years now, so I jumped at the chance. I wasn’t nervous, just excited by the opportunity to write something different, to get into a messier point of view than romance allows.
BookPushers: After writing adult romances for so long, how hard (or easy) was it finding your author voice for younger characters?
Erin: It’s a very natural voice for me. We all have a teenage girl inside us. Or is that just me?
BookPushers: What can you tell us about True and its themes?
Erin: Rory is socially awkward and is just looking to have the same sexual experiences as other girls, only she is not prepared for the feelings she winds up having for Tyler… I wanted to write about a heroine who was confident in her intelligent, but not in her social skills, who longs to for once to be more than on observer, to belong. I think most girls yearn for that acceptance, for finding a friend or a guy who totally appreciates them exactly as they are.
BookPushers: Do you have any plans to write more New Adult books in the future? And what kind of advantages and disadvantages did you find in writing a NA book?
Erin: There will be at least a second book, featuring Riley and Jessica from TRUE, and hopefully more! I really enjoy writing the genre because it allows me to write heroines who don’t have it all figured out and who make mistakes. With romance, we expect the heroine to behave in a certain way and to be mature, even if she hasn’t found Mr. Right yet. With new adult, the heroines are still figuring out who they are and making decisions, both good and bad, that will impact their twenties.
BookPushers: Will we be seeing more of Tyler’s younger brothers in the next book?
Erin: Yes, both Jayden and Easton will be in the next book, and Riley is struggling to make sure he can keep custody of Easton. I love writing those two because their honest responses make me laugh.
BookPushers: Jessica and Riley certainly shot arrows of attitude towards each other. Are you able to tell us any sneaky details about their book?
Erin: Hmm. Sneaky details. Well, picture Jessica deciding to do a makeover to the Mann’s house and Riley’s reaction to that. He’s not the kind of guy who is into misting air fresheners and choosing a color palette. 😉
BookPushers: What are your plans for your adult romances and what is the next upcoming book?
Erin: Fangs For Nothing, a paranormal vampire romance I wrote with Kathy Love will be out in July. This is a humorous sequel to The Fangover. I’m also in an anthology with Carly Phillips, Hot Summer Nights. Then in December, Full Throttle, my next Fast Track book will be out. Fun year!
BookPushers: Which characters from your favourite fiction books would you like to be in college with if you had the chance to relive that period? And what time period and setting would it be?
Erin: LOL, now that is something I have never thought about. I went to college in the late eighties and early nineties, and it was a great time period to be there. We didn’t have everyone documenting all our idiocy on camera and social media and the fashion was comfortable. Off the top of my head, I’m not sure which of my characters actually went to college, but the two who definitely come to mind are Eve Monroe (Jacked Up) and Shawn Hamby (Full Throttle). They were party girls and known for having good ideas that were not such good ideas, including both getting some questionable tattoos on a dare. I think I would have had fun getting in to trouble with them.
Erin McCarthy is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 40 novels and novellas in the paranormal, contemporary romance, and young adult genres. The author is a RITA award finalist and an American Library Association winner of the Reluctant Young Reader award. She lives with her family in Ohio.
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