Monday, June 16, 2014

[Blog Tour]: Interview with Becky Wicks + Giveaway!


WELCOME TO THE BLOG, BECKY! :) 




Becky Wicks is a HarperCollins author going indie! Itchy feet has led her to live and work all over the world since leaving England at age 21, including NYC, Sydney, Bali, South America and Dubai. Right now she’s scribbling the second book in the HotFlush series in Vietnam, and will soon be in Vancouver if any hot Canadian men want to make her a cup of tea? 

Becky has also written three funny travel books about her time in Dubai, Bali and South America (HarperCollins). Her first book, Burqalicious - The Dubai Diaries, her second book, Balilicious - The Bali Diaries and her third, Latinalicious -The South America Diaries are out now as ebooks. 

Becky has also written a comedy romance with author Sarah Alderson under the name Lola Salt, called The Extraordinary Life of Lara Craft (not Croft) which should raise a giggle or two... think Bridget Jones if Jackie Collins had written it!





Where to Find Becky:







TheBookQueen: Hi Becky! I have homemade peanut butter cookies today, as well as a fresh batch of simple chocolate chip cookies. Apparently it's cookie day! Help yourself, of course.

Easy question first – tell us a little bit about yourself!

Becky: Mmmm, thanks! Mind if I take two? I used to be a real little peanut-butter fiend when I was a kid! 

Apart from that… I’m British, I’m 34 now and I’ve been writing since I could hold a pen, I think. I’ve been singing for the same amount of time but you wouldn’t want to hear that (seriously). I live in Bali right now, but before that I was travelling the world writing books for HarperCollins. I spent an incredible nine months in South America for my last one – I LOVED Colombia! All these different places really inspire me to write!



TBQ: That is amazing; I'm jealous, I've never been out of my home state. 

How did you find the romance genre, both as a reader and than later as a writer? Why is romance so important to you?

B: Oooh I’m a sucker for romance and I do still believe in happy endings. You have to, right? I read everything by Marian Keyes and Judy Blume – I think they were the ones who first got me hooked, and now I read everything I can get my hands on! It’s the fantasy, the living vicariously through other people I can’t get enough of… the way you can disappear into another life and world, heart pumping madly. I love that manic page turning you get from a great will-they/won’t-they!



TBQ: Oh yes, believing in HEA keeps me sane in my day-to-day life, so I totally agree! :) 

Your newest release, Before He Was Famous, came out in May (congrats!). This is your first NA, and your first time indie-publishing as I understand it. Can you tell us a little bit about this book, and why readers are going to love it?

B: Thanks! It’s exciting going it alone – before I had HarperCollins behind me but I chose self-publishing for this move into fiction because I felt that was the best way in today’s market to really be there and present for the whole thing and to really connect with readers. I wanted to see if I could contribute to the NA pile by doing something slightly different – by focusing on quite a current topic of celebrity and what really happens to relationships under all that pressure. I hope people will like that it’s a more realistic (hopefully!) look at fame and how Noah and Chloe both handle it from their different sides of the spotlights. Obviously it can’t be easy being famous!? I had to do a lot of research!



TBQ: I bet! It's too bad your research didn't involve tying up a sexy actor or something and asking questions . . . Oops, sorry, back on track. 

Why do Noah and Chloe belong together?

B: Because they’re soul mates. I like the thought of that. I wouldn’t mind doing another book that examines that theme closer, but I do love My Name is Memory by Anne Brashares for that! As for Noah and Chloe, they’ve been there for each other since childhood, standing up for each other, fighting for each other. When they really stand back and look at what they have, it would seem silly for them to be with anyone else.



TBQ: Oh, I so love watching romances like that unfold! 

When writing each novel, do you listen to certain songs, like a playlist for the story? If so, what was the playlist like for Before He Was Famous?

B: Absolutely. I was inspired by so many artists and songs for Before He was Famous – there’s a playlist to accompany the book on Spotify and also on my blog.

I particularly love Joshua Radin, Jason Reeves and Matt Nathanson – I found their voices and lyrics so soothing and perfect! I kind of imagine Noah to sound like a mixture of them.



TBQ: I don't believe I've heard of any of those artists. Which means I'll be hitting YouTube tonight to find their songs! lol 

In 5 words or less, describe Chloe for us. And let's not forget Noah—what's he like?

B: Well Chloe is ambitious, awestruck, defensive, generous and talented. Noah is equally ambitious, passionate, romantic, musical and of course, HOT!



TBQ: Noah sounds like my kind of man! 

Do you have a favorite part from Before He Was Famous? 

B: The cabin scene when Noah and Chloe are on the music video shoot in Vail – that’s a huge favorite of mine. I think I was writing bits from that scene for years before I even started on the whole book. I like the idea of them being trapped with all their angst in the snow… I can almost see it playing out as a movie in my mind and I kind of want to be Chloe (ssssh!)



TBQ: :) Perfectly understandable! 

So are there other genres you would like to try?

B: Oooh horror! Or maybe a really good ghost story, but there would have to be a twist, Sixth Sense style. I’ll have to have more of a think about that one!



TBQ: I know we all hate this question, author and reader alike. :) But I have to ask: What are a few of your favorite books and/or authors?

B: Too many! I love Sarah Alderson’s work – all her leads are so strong and well-developed, you can’t help loving all of them, particularly Jay and Liva in Out of Control, and in her newest one, Come Back To Me – Kit in that book needs to turn into a real human and marry me. NOW. As a kid you couldn’t tear me away from Enid Blyton’s Mallory Towers series, or her Wishing Chair and Magic Faraway series. I think she had a major influence on developing my imagination and making me want to write. Neil Gaiman has the same sort of effect on my adult mind – he’s a constant inspiration for me, as is John Green. How good are his videos?! He’s hilarious.



TBQ: Oooh, tons of books I haven't heard of; I love finding new authors to try! 

We've all fallen for a hero (or two, or three, or....ahem).  Tell us one hero that you've fallen for—who is he and what drew you to him?

B: I absolutely love Jay in Sarah Alderson’s new Y/A, Out of Control – he’s troubled and sexy, and protective of Liva – you must read it! I also love Augustus in The Fault in our Stars. He’s so articulate and inspiring to the very end and who doesn’t want a man who’ll give you your own little piece of infinity?



TBQ: I want him!

What's next-- Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming releases or WIP?

B: Right now I’m working on book two for the HotFlush series, which is follows Chloe’s friend Alyssa into a whole new reality TV experience. I won’t give too much away but there’s a very sexy and troubled guy, a stray chicken or two and a whole lot of angst on a deserted island in the mix. [Oh, tease!]


SPEED ROUND:

A day on a secluded island OR a day at the spa? 
The island please! Can I take these peanut butter cookies with me, though? [Of course! Supplies would be included. Books, chocolate, a sexy man-muse or two . . . ]

Reading a spicy romance novel OR a sweet “my-heart-skips-a-beat” one?
A sweet heart-skipping one!

Which would you rather have an affair with: a sexy highlander OR a devilishly handsome English lord?
The sexy highlander, without a doubt. I’m no lady most of the time, I think a Lord would worry me. [LOL!]

Hot summer days OR cold winter nights?
Cold winter nights with a good book, a glass of red and some fondue!

Where would your dream house be: in the city, where all the action is OR nestled in the mountain where you can enjoy the quiet and the wilderness?
Wilderness! With an open view of nature at her best.

If you could live in any time period, past or future, which one would it be?
I’m a living in the moment kind of girl.

Cover Lover OR Blurb Fan?
Blurb!

Steamy Novella OR Sweet Novel? (aka, Quickie or Slow Build Up?)
Slow build up. The best rewards come with patience and time.

Quick—name the one food that you cannot live without?
Cheese.

And finally, tell us 3 unique/wacky/fun things about yourself:
  • I own every episode of the X Files on VHS. 
  • I speak bad Spanish and bad Indonesian. 
  • Rihanna once told me I was cute.



TheBookQueen: Thanks so much for stopping by, Becky, and please know that you are welcome back anytime! Do you have any questions for our readers—something to spark a good discussion? :)



Becky: Thanks for having me, and sorry if I’ve got peanut butter between my teeth – those were DELICIOUS!!! 

So readers, I’d like to know, if Noah Lockton and Chloe were to be played in a movie, who do you think would play his part?





Before He Was Famous by Becky Wicks
Publisher: Becky Wicks (May 25, 2014)
Series: Starstruck, 1
Genre: NA Contemporary

Falling in love with your best friend isn’t always a great idea, especially when he’s Noah Lockton - the sexiest, most famous new talent on the planet. When 21-year-old small-town photographer Chloe Campbell is offered the chance of a lifetime – to join her celebrity childhood friend Noah on tour as an exclusive blogger for a New York magazine – she’s certain both have put what happened four years ago behind them. But his eyes still burn; his voice is still a jackhammer to her heartstrings; all his songs are about her. Is it possible that that night still haunts them both?

The music industry is a machine, spinning hype and rumors as much as his records. It’s not just Noah’s girlfriends who’ve got it in for Chloe (there’s no stopping the Twitter-obsessed, cat-loving pop-star Courtney Lentini for starters). Pretty soon, the jealousy and media frenzy surrounding these so-called-friends takes a life-changing turn and it seems making love means making enemies at every turn. When tragedy threatens to pull the final curtain on their relationship, both Chloe and Noah must make a choice. As much as this world leaves them starstruck, is living their dream really worth living without each other?

A story of lifelong friendships, love and hope, set in a world of celebrity, fame and social media gone very, very wrong.




Where to Buy*:
More Info:






Before He Was Famous by Becky Wicks
Excerpt


Noah. Chapter 21

I study her face; the gashes, the bruises darkening her skin. I reach for her Tinker-Bell necklace, run my fingers over the tiny silver wings. Our eyes meet and I don't look away and neither does Chloe.

I get another flashback, from out of nowhere, of when we were kids at aunt Madeline's house in The Bronx. A huge thunderstorm kept us up in the middle of the night and I crept into her room to find her lying there, eyes wide open, raindrops thrashing at the huge brown-house windows. I knew she was waiting for me to arrive because without me she was too scared to get out of that bed. That house is so old and creaky. We switched places without speaking and she started trying to capture the lightning with her camera.

She spent more than an hour in the window, working silently, determined, clicking the camera over and over. Something about her was mesmerizing. I watched her from the bed and wrote a song in my head about how she lit up every time the lightning struck, and when she climbed in beside me she was wriggling under my skin as much as the covers. Chloe became the lightning then, for me at least, lighting up every room. And so began the storm in my head.




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Thanks for stopping by today, Becky! :) What a fun interview, and I can't wait to read BHWF! Please, take a few more cookies before you go; the more left here, the more I'll eat . . . 

Remember Becky's question: 

So readers, I’d like to know, if Noah Lockton and Chloe were to be played in a movie, who do you think would play his part?






Enjoy!



Until Next Time,

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  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

3 comments :

Goddess Fish Promos said...

Thanks for hosting!

Jamie said...

I know this is kinda goofy, but I do really like your feather graphic. I've been drawn to them lately, so it was nice to see.

Irma said...

Thanks for hosting :)