Hello & welcome to today's JOYRIDE blog tour stop. I'm so thrilled to have author ANNA BANKS on the blog today. She's stopped by to talk about her upcoming release. Before I share my interview with her, here's a little bit about Joyride, which will be out this Tuesday, June 2nd!
ABOUT THE BOOK
By: Anna Banks
To Be Released on: June 2nd, 2015
Published by: Feiwel & Friends
Add it to Goodreads
A popular guy and a shy girl with a secret become unlikely accomplices for midnight pranking, and are soon in over their heads—with the law and with each other—in this sparkling standalone from NYT-bestselling author Anna Banks.
It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.
Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.
All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh.
It’s been years since Carly Vega’s parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico.
Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber’s dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn’t acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfill whatever his conservative father expects.
All Carly wants is to stay under the radar and do what her family expects. All Arden wants is to NOT do what his family expects. When their paths cross, they each realize they’ve been living according to others. Carly and Arden’s journey toward their true hearts—and one another—is funny, romantic, and sometimes harsh.
My Interview With Anna
Hi Anna! Welcome to Mundie Moms, and congratulations on your upcoming release, JOYRIDE. If we were to ask your main character Carly, how to describe Joyride in 5 words or less, how would you describe it?
Risky, fun, romantic, heartbreaking, shocking.
Carly and Arden's relationship tackles some harsh realities, but it also has humor, and some romantic moments to it. Which of these three elements did you have the most fun writing?
The humor was the most fun writing. I needed it, and I felt the reader needed it because of the harsh realities. And more than that, the characters needed it. I remember writing some scenes in JOYRIDE where I felt like cuddling up in bed and crying afterward, because life is truly that difficult for some people and it sucks to contemplate. So I had to add something to balance that out, which is where the Bonnie & Clyde aspect came in.
I knew from the beginning that Carly would be dealing with the overwhelming loss of her deported parents. It’s a story I’ve wanted to write for a long time, because it’s a story that not many of us are familiar with, and it’s a story I think we need to become familiar with because so many people go through it. With Arden, he needed troubles of his own, and at first I didn’t know what they were, but then I tried to envision him as an only child and couldn’t—someone helped shape who he is, but who? And after I developed his sister, I knew she had to be taken away, and since I was already touching on such devastating realities in life, I decided I would also represent how mental illness can affect teens and families and friends.
I wasn’t one of those teens who would approach someone like Carly and try to pursue friendship with her. In the beginning of the story, she projects this “stay clear of me” presence, and I would have probably been like, “Okay, will do.” I don’t know if I would have been friends like Arden or if I actually was Arden as a teen. I dealt with loss as a teen and I was quite the devious prankster, so I feel I have a lot in common with Arden.
Carly would want Arden’s free and easy going nature. She’s jealous of how he can take things in stride and not get worked up over them. Arden admires Carly’s strength and her hidden fearlessness, traits that even she didn’t know she had.
When Arden says, “Do you have me like I have you?”
I would go EVERYWHERE. Because I truly believe that life is not about the destination, it’s about the journey in getting there. The flat tires, the emergency gas station bathroom breaks because you ate lunch from a food truck in the middle of nowhere, the laughing so hard you spit your drink all over the dash. All these things are just as important as seeing the Smithsonian (which is where I’d go first).
My desk has to be completely cleared off or I can’t write a single word. It sucks. It’s like my mind gravitates to the things on my desk instead of the manuscript. Also, coffee when editing, and wine when writing.
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Author Links/Info
- Add Joyride to your to-read list on Goodreads.
- Join in on social media with #Joyride.
- Visit Anna’s website and follow her on Twitter!
Full Blog Tour Schedule
May 7- The Reader Bee
May 8- A Perfection Called Books
May 9- The Young Folks
May 10- Love Is Not a Triangle
May 11- The Eater of Books
May 12- Xpresso Reads
May 13- WhoRU Blog
May 14- Bewitched Bookworms
May 15- A Book and A Latte
May 16- Green Bean Teen Queen
May 17- Gone With The Words
May 18-Bumbles and Fairytales
May 19-Fiktshun
May 20-Curling Up With A Good Book
May 21-Swoony Boys Podcast
May 22-A Reader’s Adventure
May 23-The Irish Banana
May 24-Exlibris Kate
May 27-Dana Square
May 28-Rather Be Reading
May 29-Paper Riot
May 30-Mundie Moms
May 31-Mary Had A Little Book Blog
June 1-Alice Marvels
June 2- MacTeenBooks Blog
Stunning post Katie :D Love your interview with Anna. <3 She's amazing. Thank you both so much for sharing it :)
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