Q1. Before we discuss the Whitman
University
A. The new books, Not Quite Dead and NotQuite Cold, are similar to the new adult books in that
they're centered around a 25 year old woman who has a long way to go
in figuring out who she is and what she wants out of her life. They're
different from the Whitman books in that the main plot centers around a mystery
(brought on by a haunting) and the romance, while part of the story, is not the
entire story.
They both have challenges and payoffs! I love writing both
kinds of stories, but helping new adult branch out into other genres is
something I love being a part of.
Q2. Tell us a little bit about the fictional Whitman
University
A. I did attend a private school in Texas
so there are definitely similarities! The kids at Whitman University are a
little more well off and high profile than most of the kids I attended school
with, but I think the general atmosphere of fun loving and excess are applicable.
I wanted Whitman University
Q3. Let’s talk about the characters in the first two books
of the series, Broken at Love and By Referral Only. Between the girls, Emilie and Ruby who are both strong female
characters, which one would you say you are more like? Do they have traits that
you see in yourself? And for the boys, Quinn and Cole, who would you have been
more attracted to in college?
A. That's an interesting question! I think that in a lot of
ways, Emilie is an ideal. She's the girl we all wish we could be--confident
enough in what we want and what's right that we don't let anyone else's
behavior or opinions sway our minds. People call her weak sometimes, but in my
head she's one of the strongest characters I've ever written--maybe even
unnaturally so. Ruby, on the other hand, is a very real girl with very real
insecurities and very real ways of coping with them. I have things in common
with them both, but I would say I'm more like Ruby, and strive to be more like
Emilie.
Oh, the boys. I'd love to tell you I was mature enough in
college to see the beauty of a loyal, steady boy like Cole (and I mean,
I obviously never met one with an accent and a kilt, boo), but I
definitely would have been more attracted to a Quinn.
Q4. So I thought Ruby’s rating system was actually pretty
creative (brilliant) and…um informative for girls on the dating scene (although
perhaps not accurate in Cole’s case). What was your inspiration for that
idea/plot? Have you heard from any college readers that have tried to put a
system in place at their own university?
A. I came up with the idea for a rating system with one of
my critique partners who works at a university! We were just kind of joking
around, tossing ludicrous ideas back and forth at one another, and thought this
one was hilarious. Then we fought over who got to keep it, but ended up
agreeing that Ruby might be the only one who could pull it off. I haven't heard
from any of my readers who mentioned putting it into place at their college,
but I did read an article shortly after the book came out about a similar
rating system that was uncovered at a University - I wish I
could remember which one!
Q5. Be My Downfall and Staying on
Top are the next two titles in the Whitman
University
A. I'd love to! Be My Downfall is my
favorite book in the series (don't tell the others!) and follows Toby Wright,
the Senator's son that we met in Broken at Love, and Whitman's
resident party girl, Kennedy Gilbert. Kennedy has a past full of
dark secrets, and even though she keeps a lock on that door, Toby somehow
manages to blunder through anyway. His own issues flare up in her presence, but
the chemistry between them is insistent. He wants to save her but if there's
one thing anyone who has ever loved an addict knows for sure, it's that people
can only save themselves. It's the darkest, grittiest book in the series but it
also has, in my opinion, the biggest reward.
Staying On Top is a lighter installment,
and follows Blair Paddington and tennis star Sam Bradford on
an impromptu trip across the world. Her father is a con man and swindled
Sam out of millions of dollars--Sam thinks Blair wants to help him get it back,
but in reality her father has tasked her with getting access to the rest of the
star's accounts. They learn to trust each other, even when they shouldn't,
and in the end Blair has to decide if she cares enough to stand up to the
one man who has always kept her in line.
Thank you so much Lyla! We'll definitely be reading the rest of the series and looking out for #5!
Lyla Payne has
been publishing New Adult romance novels for a little over a year, starting
with Broken at Love and continuing with the rest of the Whitman University Whitman University
Lyla Payne is
represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
If you want to
know more, please visit her at http://lylapayne.com
If you're a fan
of Young Adult fiction--science fiction or otherwise--please check out her work
that's published under the name Trisha Leigh. http://trishaleigh.com
Follow Lyla Payne at the following:
Buy Links for Not
Quite Dead:
No comments:
Post a Comment