Jennifer Probst Interview

I am beyond thrilled to have had the chance to interview this lady right
<----
there.
A couple days ago I did a review of The Marriage Bargain and if you've read my post then you know that I am in love with this book.
I'm honored to have had the chance to interview Jennifer and I want to say many many thank yous to her!

Enjoy!!




1. How long have you been writing, and what do you like most about it?

I've been writing since I was twelve years old and it seems the moment I was born I just knew I was meant to be a writer. It was my dream career and my True North. I love every aspect about it - the creativity, and discipline to create stories a reader can enjoy. I always wanted to give someone a few hours of happiness and escape in this world!

2. I am in love with the Marriage Bargain! How did you come up with the concept?

I have always loved the marriage of convenience trope. It's such a fun way to force two different characters together, and I began playing with what could happen if they were actually childhood friends who had grown apart with a history together. I'm also a writer who adores opposite attracts - they are so much fun to read - so this story was brewing in my mind a very long time when I decided to finally tackle it. Simply put, it was a joy to write. This was before contracts and deadlines and marketing. Just me, my characters, and a computer in the purest format imaginable. Sometimes, that's when true magic happens!

3. You're obviously amazing at writing about swoon worth fella's - ahem Nick - which character do you have a crush on?

I am usually in love with whatever new hero I'm working on. I'm monogamous with the man I'm writing haha!!! Right now, I'm head over heels with Wolfe - my new hero from the current book I'm writing, Searching for Beautiful.

4. Which authors inspire you and why?

I have many many authors who have inspired me, but I would say the ones who made me vow to write something wonderful like them would be: Susan Elisabeth Phillips, Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, Iris Johansen, Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz. The best of the best.

5. I thought Alexa was a seriously cool female character. Out of every book you've read, who is your favorite female character?

Well, again, like my heroes, I usually adore the heroine I'm writing. I just finished my last book. Searching for Perfect, and truly loved my heroine Kennedy. She is so messed up and courageous and spunky - she made me push my limits to write her in a way that would make a reader fall in love with her bravery.

6. Would you rather have The Marriage Bargain be turned into a movie or a television show? And who would you want to star in it?

Oh, God a movie please! With either Chris Pine or Chris Hemsworth as Nick, and maybe Rachel McAdams or Miss Zooey for Alexa!

7. Do you ever base your characters off of people you know, or yourself?

All of my characters are a mixed bag. Some fact, some fiction, because that's what makes a person real. They are never perfect but I believe in the goodness of people, and the power of love to enhance change. I think a writer seeps in qualities of themselves in every project.

8. If the Marriage Bargain had a theme song what would it be?

Hmm, theme song? What a great question - I never thought of this! I think I'd pick All That I Am by Rob Thomas. His work is amazing - and the way Alexa gives all of herself to Nick, and hopes she will be enough for both of them, resonates in the song.

Follow Jennifer Probst Here:
Website
Facebook
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Goodreads

The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst

Guys. Seriously, guys. I loved this book.
I've been wanting to read this since fall of 2012. See I saw it in the store one time and I was like oh shoot I have to have that. But in typical me fashion I in fact did not buy it.
I kept going back to the same store and seeing it but just didn't pick it up.
One day I decided that today was the day so I went to buy it...and it was gone. Of course.
THEN last August I was at a Goodwill and found the 2nd and 3rd books in the series! SCORE!
Unfortunately I couldNOT find the first book anywhere so I caved and bought it on my kindle. Oh man am I glad I did.
I read it in like a day people.
A stinkin day.
Ah so good!

What made me want to read this book is the plot. I've never in my life read a book like this. Never ever.
It sounded so interesting to me.
What's it about?
Oh right, it's about a girl named Alexa-who by the way is AWESOME-and a super hunky fella named Nick. They grew up together and Nick even gave Alexa her first kiss.
While Alexa remained best friends with Nick's sister the two of them lost touch.
Things happen and Alexa is in need of money...lots of money...to save her parents house. Conveniently enough Nick is extremely wealthy and is in need of a wife so he is able to take ownership over the company he works at. (Long story.)
Maggie (Nicks sister and Alexas best friend) hooks the two of them up when she finds out about their dilemmas.
After going over some rules the two decide to get married.
It's supposed to be just a marriage bargain but boy oh boy does it turn into so much more.
I definitely recommend you read this book. I thought it was amazing. Jennifer Probst is an incredible writer and this book had me literally laughing out loud in some parts and swooning in others. Alexa is an extremely relatable character and Nick is drool worthy.
LOVED IT!
Buy The Marriage Bargain Here:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository
Book Outlet
Books A Million
Kobo

The Marriage Bargain Playlist:
Crazy Girl by Eli Young Band
Inevitable by Anberlin
You Got What I Need by Joshua Radin
I Don't Trust Myself With Loving You by John Mayer
Who Knows by Natasha Bedingfield
Don't You Want Me by The Human League
Madly by Tristan Prettyman
Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

Book Buying Tag

1. Where do you buy your books from?
Lately I've only been buying books on my Kindle. But when I buy physical books I mostly get them at Barnes & Noble. I'm also a HUGE fan of Amazon. My FAV place to go is a new and used bookstore a few hours from my house.

2. Do you ever pre-order books, and if you do, do you order online or in store?
The only book that I've ever pre-ordered was Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. I've had good intentions on pre-ordering other books...It just doesn't happen.

3. On average how many books do you buy a month?
Oh geez. It actually really depends. Sometimes I go crazy and buy WAY TOO MANY BOOKS! But lately I really haven't bought many. In fact I haven't bought a physical copy of a book since...uh...it's been a while.

4. Do you use your local library?
YES! I'm a huge fan of libraries!

5. If you do borrow from your library, how many books are you allowed to borrow/how many do you borrow?
I think that you're allowed to borrow as many as you want but I'm not positive. I've had up to 8 out at a time.

6. What is your opinion on library books?
They be cool peeps.

7. How do you feel about charity shops/secondhand bookstores?
I'm in love with used bookstores! They are my faves! Buying books full price is my least favorite thing to do.

8. Do you keep your read and TBR piles on a shelf together?
Ha. No.

9. Do you plan to read all the books that you own?
Ha. No.

10. What do you do with all the books that you own that you'll never read/didn't enjoy?
Well...I was planning on keeping them all. But then I watched an episode of Hoarders that scared the heck out of me and since then I've decided to get rid of the books I don't enjoy or probably won't ever read.

11. Have you ever donated books?
I've given books to the library before but I don't think I've ever donated books to Goodwill or something like that.

12. Have you ever been on a book buying ban?
That's hilarious. I don't like banning myself from doing anything...when I do my rebellious side comes out and I don't follow my rules. For example if I tell myself "Self you aren't allowed to buy any books for 3 months" I then laugh and say "Oh please. Guess what? We're going to go buy 15 new books. What'cha gonna do about it punk?"

13. Do you feel that you buy to many books?
Absolutely not. I don't have a problem. Not even close. Nope. None at all. LEAVE ME ALONE! Geez!

Goodreads Tag

I was checking out my YouTube feed today and a video from Heather aka Bookables popped up. Since she's my favorite book tuber I had to watch it asap. I thought it was a really fun tag video and I decided that I wanted to participate. I hope you like it! :)

1. What was the last book that you read?
A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers.

2. What book are you currently reading?
Well since I needed to find out what happened to my Italian bf (from A Little Too Far) I decided to pick up A Little Too Much.

3. What was the last book that you marked as to-read?
I had to look this one up and now i'm giggling. The last book I marked as to-read was Blink-182: Tales From Beneath Your Mom.
Stay Classy.

4. What book do you plan to read next?
I don't really plan on what i'm going to read next. I usually just look through my bookshelves/kindle and then choose. If I pick before hand I feel forced to read it that makes me angry and hulk out.

5. Do you use a star rating system?
I do use the Goodreads rating system but can I say that it ticks me off? Okay it's not THAT bad. I like that you can rate books but I wish that they'd let you do halves. Sometimes I read a book and it's better than 3 stars but not quite 4 stars. But since I can't give it 3 1/2 i'm stuck lowering it's rating or moving it up...which is just not far.

6. Are you doing a 2014 reading challenge?
Yep :) I actually did another post where I said I was participating in the Goodreads challenge again. This year I've challenged myself to 60 books. So far I've read 11 so I think i'm on my way to accomplishing that ;)

7. Do you have a wish-list?
Can you have a wish-list on Goodreads?!

8. What book do you want to buy next?
Ha, like I know.

9. Do you have any favorite quotes?
"Fairytales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."

10. Do you have any favorite authors?
Of course I do :)
Jay Crownover, Tammara Webber, Sarah Billington, Cora Carmack, and Abbi Glines. (Currently those are my favorites)

11. Have you joined any groups?
I've joined plenty of groups. Now ask me if i'm active in them.
(The answer is no.)

Heather's Video:
Bookables


Golda Fried Interview

I'm so excited to have an interview for you all today!

I recently read Nellcott Is My Darling and was lucky enough to interview the author, Golda Fried! :)

Thank you so much Golda for taking time out of your schedule to answer these questions for me!

I hope you all enjoy!


:)






1. Did you always know that you wanted to be a writer?
No, I wanted to be a ballet dancer, then a film director, the Bob Dylan, then a writer.

2. If you could co-write with any author-living or dead-who would you choose?
Probably David Levithan who wrote every other chapter with Rachel Cohn for Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. I really like his style. I could learn a lot from Janet Fitch too (writer of White Oleander)-her prose is beautiful.

3. What was your favorite book as a teenager?
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest-I had some teenage angst going on.

4. Alice loved Nellcott even though he was NOT good for her. Do you think everyone has a Nellcott at least once?
Not sure.

5. Allegra was my favorite character, who was your favorite character to write?
The Children's Lit Guy-the name alone made me laugh.

6. Alice talked a lot about music and her favorite bands, what kind of music do you like?
I like pretty much the ones that Alice talked about in the book: the Rolling Stones, the Velvet Underground, Iggy and the Stooges. And singer songwriter stuff. Recently I've been listening to Mary Gauthier (singer of "Drag Queens and Limousines") and lots of Avett Brothers.

7. Do you ever base your characters on people you've met in real life?
It's more based on moments of people I've met. I can't say yes because then I get people like my cousin who says, "This conversation is copyrighted and you can't use any of it" as soon as I get on the phone.

8. Who are some of your favorite authors?
Banana Yoshimoto definitely. Susannah Kaysen (who wrote Girl, Interrupted). I read a lot but there's also huge holes in my reading.

9. If you could only read 5 books for the rest of your life, which books would you choose?The Collected Short Stories of Tennessee Williams
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Lenny Bruce is Dead by Jonathon Goldstein
Poor Cow by Nell DunnRun With The Hunted: A Charles Bukowski Reader

10. If Nellcott Is My Darling had a theme song, what would it be?
"Can't Wait" by Bob Dylan as Nellcott's theme song and "Phoenix" by Aimee Mann for Alice's theme song--Just replace "Montreal" for "Phoenix."

Follow Golda Fried Here:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

Nellcott Is My Darling by Golda Fried

I first saw this book in a haul on Heather/Bookables YouTube channel. As soon as she read the back cover I knew I had to read it.
Want to know the line that drew me in?
"She doesn't know how it happened, but Nellcott has become her darling."

I instantly knew that I had to get this book. I needed to know why this Nellcott fella was her darling.

This book follows Alice and her time in college. She's a virgin and she's pretty insecure about it.
She meets Nellcott a boy who wears eyeliner, works at a record store, and is significantly more experienced than Alice.
Throughout the story you get to know Alice more and watch relationships develop between her and Nelcott and friends.

I will tell you that this book isn't what I expected. I knew it was a coming of age type book and I've heard it referred to as New Adult. Now if you know me you know that I simply adore New Adult. This isn't at all what I'm used to in the New Adult Genre. And by that I mean there weren't and naughty naughty scenes.

I will also tell you that I really disliked Nellcott. When I read the back and saw "Wears eyeliner and works at a record store" I'm like um yes please. But he was a jerk. Like a serious jerk.
What's funny is I'm pretty sure I dated a Nellcott. In fact I'm pretty sure most girls have.
You know that guy that you're madly head over feet in love with even though they are a total jerk? Those guys that everyone warns you about but you don't care? Yeah that's Nellcott.

It was written in a very poetic way which I'm also not used to but did enjoy.
I'd recommend this book to you if you're looking for a coming of age type novel.

P.S. It takes place during the '90s which makes it extra awesome in my book.

Nellcott Is My Darling Playlist:
Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega
Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Connor
Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode
Never Enough by The Cure
Wicked Game by Chris Isaak


Buy Here:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

How I Read Tag

1. How do you find out about new books to read?
I watch a crap ton of book hauls on YouTube. Book hauls and bookshelf tours are my favorite videos to watch so I usually get ideas from those.

2 How did you get into reading?
Hmm. I'm not sure. I know i've always been a reader but i'm not sure why. Guess i'm programmed to love books! ;)

3. How has your taste change as you get older?
You know it's actually kind of funny. When I was younger like 13-16 I read a lot of adult novels. Nicholas Sparks was the first adult author I ever read and I was hooked. When Twilight came out I fell in love, and when I started watching BookTube videos I got hooked on Y.A. It's kind of weird that when I was younger I read mostly adult and as i've gotten older i've fallen for Y.A. Weirdo.

4. How often do you buy books?
Totally depends on my mood. Some months I won't buy anything and other months i'll buy waaaaaay to many. I haven't bought a physical book in a few months...but i've bought about 15 kindle books. Problem.

5. How did you get into BookTubing/Blogging?
I did a review for The Kiss Off by Sarah Billington on Goodreads and she liked it. I freaked out and wrote her thanking her for liking my review. I was so excited that I thought hmm why don't I start doing more reviews but on my own blog. Ooh yes that sounds fun. Then I talked to one of the coolest people/authors that I know--Patricia Lynne--and she helped me make my blog what it is.

6. How do you react when you don't like the end of a book?
Hm well if it makes me angry I throw it. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks anyone? Yeah that bitch almost went out the window.

7. How often have you taken a sneaky look at the last page of a book to see if it's a happy ending?
I'm not even going to lie to you guys, when I was younger I looked almost all the time. As i've gotten older I don't do it as much but I do still do it. If it's a Nicholas Sparks book I almost always look. I don't want to get really attached to a character just for them to die. I know, I know..It's a Nicholas Sparks book so obvi someone is going to die. But sometimes I can't handle it people. Don't judge me.

2014 Bookish Goals

I've been seeing a lot of BookTube videos of 2014 Book Goals so I decided to be a copy cat and make some goals for myself.
I made a couple goals last year and I think I only achieved like two of them. Oh well. New year.
Here we go!


1. Wrap-Ups
One of my favorite videos to watch on BookTube are TBR's and Wrap-Ups. I thought it'd be fun at the end of the month to do my own. The problem with that is I don't like being told what to read, I kind of just go with the flow. I feel like if I make a list of books to read I won't want to so instead of doing a TBR I'm just going to do a wrap-up.

2. Two Posts A Week
I would like to be more productive with my blog this year. Last year I would run out of ideas or get busy so I just wouldn't post. This year I have already bought a notebook to fill with ideas. I'd like to put up a post every Tuesday and Thursday. Doesn't seem to hard. I believe in myself. ;)

3. Create a Facebook page
How is this book related? Well because I'd like to create a Facebook page for my blog. I've seen how important social media is and I'd like to make it easier for people to talk to me.

4. Read a New (To Me) Author
There are a TON of authors out there that I've wanted to read but just haven't gotten to it yet. I'd like to read a book this year by an author that I've never read before. Maybe I'll find a new favorite.

5. Read a book that everyone but me has read
You know those books that EVERYONE and there freaking mother has read? Yeah I haven't read them. So I'd like to make it a goal to read one.

6. Re-Read a book
I think re-reading is fun but I just don't do it enough. I figure if I make it a goal I have a better chance of actually doing it.

7. Finish 4 series
I have started so many series it's insane. I would like to try and finish a few of them this year to get them out of the way. In my defense people a lot of the books don't come out until this year. So it's not that i'm a bad reader, it's that the authors haven't shared their books yet. Rude.

8. Read 60 books
This year I read about 100 books so I think 60 is a realistic goal. I participated in the Goodreads challenge last year and i'm going to do the same this year, so if you'd like to see my progress you can follow me here
My Goodreads

I feel like this year is going to be a great reading year and I'm determined to make it an amazing year on my blog. Thank you all for your support!
xoxo

Hellooooo 2014

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I really wanted my first post of the year to be a thank you.
First off thank you to all of the authors that took the time do to interviews with me in 2013.
Jay Crownover, Patricia Lynne, Sarah Billington, J.J. Howard, Kendare Blake, Jennifer E. Smith, Tammara Webber, and Hayden Hill.
Words can't express how thankful I am to you ladies.
Next I want to thank all the BookTubers that took time to do an interview with me.
Heather/Bookables, Ben/BenjaminofTomes, Cameron/BookMovieGuy, and Jesse/JesseTheReader.
I also want to specially thank Patricia Lynne for helping me with my blog design, re-tweeting a bunch of my tweets, and for commenting on my blog. You are an amazing person and i'm beyond grateful to have met you.
Sarah Billington you inspired me to even start my blog so I will be forever in your debt. I've had the best time talking to you and talking about books. (Also you made my life when you put my name in your acknowledgements!)
Last I want to thank every single person who has checked out my blog. This wouldn't be near as fun to do if nobody was reading my posts. Thank you so incredibly much!
I plan on making 2014 even better than 2013!