Author Interview
Hey Tammara, thanks
for joining me today. Thank you, Valerie! J
You’re planning a
“cast party” for your books, which of your characters get invited and who are
you hoping doesn’t find out about it because they’re not on the invite list?
I think I’d invite everyone but Buck! And he wouldn’t be able to crash it
because he’s otherwise detained. ;) I would definitely need to be an invisible
observer for this party. My head is spinning at the possibilities…
Easy is such a great story with so much depth. Where did your idea come from? I
literally woke up with it. Once Jacqueline was in my head, demanding that I
write her story, I couldn’t do anything else. I thought about it constantly. I
intended, at first, to write the final BTL book and then write Easy, but there was no stopping her once
she had my ear.
When you create a
character, do you start with personality or looks? How does that work? Personality,
definitely. I start to “see” them after I begin writing, and at times, I even
go back and fill in those details later. I actually went against that with Erin,
Jacqueline’s BFF. I “saw” her as a blonde, but I wrote her as a redhead because
a blonde ex-cheerleader sorority girl would have been taking the stereotyping
(which Jacqueline did when they met) too far. For the life of me, though, while
writing Breakable, I sometimes still saw Erin as blonde.
Kissing scenes are a
favorite of mine in books but I can’t imagine trying to write one. How do you get everyone’s hands and such in
the right places to make it sexy and yummy? I write it out first as the
scriptwriter – the emotions, the said and unsaid words are what’s important.
Then I read through it several times, one word at a time - with my director hat
on, watching for mysterious extra limbs or ridiculous contortions. (I read a
book recently where the guy had just propped himself over the girl - on his
elbows - in bed. A couple sentences later, both his hands her on her hips. Um…
Not unless he’s levitating… or crushing the daylights outta her.)
What’s happening next
for you? Do you have more books in the
works? I’m brainstorming the next story now, and intend to start writing in
earnest once Breakable is launched. I
know who and what. I’ve got to get a handle on why and how and I’ll be off and
running. J
Thanks for joining
us, Tammara! Thank you for having me!
Review
Source: Received paperback from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
(Prequel for Landon & Easy from Lucas' POV)
He was lost and alone. Then he found her.
And the future seemed more fragile than ever.
As a child, Landon Lucas Maxfield
believed his life was perfect and looked forward to a future filled
with promise — until tragedy tore his family apart and made him doubt
everything he ever believed.
All he wanted was to leave the past behind. When he met Jacqueline Wallace, his desire to be everything she needed came so easy…
As
easy as it could be for a man who learned that the soul is breakable
and that everything you hoped for could be ripped away in a heartbeat.
Beware: Spoilers if you haven't read Easy.
My Thoughts:
5 stars - I thought I loved Lucas before, but I adore him even more now!
First Impressions...
I love Tammara Webber books. Every one I've read has been so good. If I picked one from her books that I loved the most, it would be Easy. Lucas was the reason I loved that book so much. When I found out there would be another book, I was super excited. When I saw the cover, I was in love. Not only do I love this book and the cover, but I love the model for Lucas. It's the same model for both covers! He is perfect for Lucas. When the publisher contacted me to be part of the tour, I was seriously jumping. When the book got here, I was a little nuts.
But the real clue is WHEN I read this book. You see, I have a reading schedule. I read books in the order they are to appear on my blog. I rarely have time to sneak anything else in. But this book, this book was read almost as soon as it arrived, throwing my schedule out the window. And no regrets.
I pre-ordered the audio so I could listen to it again and again. Some books get that status for me. When I'm personally struggling, driving, or doing busy work, I often listen to a short list of books over and over again. Easy was already on that list but Breakable has now joined it.
The Characters...
I'm drawn to tortured souls in books. Lucas certainly had a tortured past. But what made this book so special was that we met Landon too. He's a happy little boy, only to experience the worst possible pain. His father is buried in his own grief and forgets the little boy he has charge over. Landon needs so much and gets so little. It broke my heart but I was also so impressed with how strong he is. He keeps going. The evil principal of his high school does not stop him. The cruel rich kids try to make him unimportant but he's so important. As Landon and Lucas wrapped into one, I was deeply in love with him. He's brilliant, sexy, sensitive, caring, fierce, protective, and lovable. He is Lucas and I would be his friend for real if I could. But I will settle for reading and re-reading his story.
I do love Jacqueline, too. While she is very much a part of this story, this is Lucas' story. I love how she cares for him. He needed that.
All the characters are still there and I loved that. We learn more about Charles and his family. We learn more about Landon's Grandpa and father. We meet Boyce, a "friend" from his teen years. I'd love to hear Boyce's story, by the way. He should have his own book.
The Story...
The thing that always make me nervous about reading a story a second time from a different characters point of view, is that well I already know the story. There needs to be more. The first time I read this type of book and loved it was when I read Colleen Hoovers
Hopeless and
Losing Hope. I was blown away with how Dean Holder's story was different yet the same. I can now add Easy and Breakable to that same pedestal. Yes, this is a re-telling of Easy, but it's also the prequel and it's brilliantly different because it's Lucas' story.
The Writing...
How is it different? It flips back and forth between Lucas and Landon. Yes, they are the same person but Landon is his past and Lucas is his now. Tammara brilliantly blends that past and present into something new. All of what happened to Landon was there. From before to the event to the hard after and not necessarily in order. Then there was the present. While I knew what happened with Jacqueline, there was so much I didn't know. Tammara adds those details without re-writing scenes word for word. Summary is used to keep from reading the same dialogue from Easy keeping everything fresh and new. It was perfect.
Could I Put It Down...
No. I stayed up reading much too late on nights I had to get up for work the next day. I did read it over two days but not because I wanted to put it down. AND I can't wait to re-read it.
In The End...
If you loved Easy, then this is an automatic read for you. If you love the tortured soul stories with a sexy guy in the mix, then this series needs to be on your next to read list.
Tammara Webber is
author of the New York Times bestselling New Adult novel Easy,
the first novel in her Contours of the Heart series, and the Between the Lines
series. She is a hopeful romantic who
adores novels with happy endings, because there are enough sad endings in real
life. Before writing full-time, she was an undergraduate academic
advisor, economics tutor, planetarium office manager, radiology call center
rep, and the palest person to ever work at a tanning salon. She married
her high school sweetheart, and is a mom to three adult kids and four very
immature cats
.
