Samantha Young Author Interview ~ JeanBookNerd

Book Nerd Interview

Samantha Young is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. She's been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Author and Best Romance for her international bestseller ON DUBLIN STREET.

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Was there a defining moment during your youth when you realized you wanted to be a writer?

After I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I was transported somewhere so magical and I wanted to create places like that. At the time I just wanted to create them for myself but obviously as I got older, I slowly but surely gained the confidence to want to share those stories with others.

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?

It’s pure escapism. With all the good in life comes the bad—stress, grief, worries—and stories about other people, other worlds, not only take us somewhere outside our own for a while, but they also remind us that we’re not alone, and that so many other people have the same problems and the same feelings.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?

Stop reading reviews! I always do when a new release comes out because I like to see reader reaction but after a while I ban myself from reading them. Some are constructive but some are just plain distracting. It’s better not to look at them, lol.

In your new book; On Dublin Street, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it and why they should read your novel?

On Dublin Street is about a young woman’s journey to finding peace after the tragedy of losing her family. She moves to Scotland where she encounters friendship and family and a persistent, cocky, alpha-male Scotsman who is determined to make her start living again. It’s an epic romance!

For those who are unfamiliar with Jocelyn, how would you introduce her?

Fiercely independent, stubborn, self-possessed, hard to get to know, loyal, vulnerable, strong, brave, passionate, and smart

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating Braden?

Just how blunt he is. Braden was built out of the fractures in Joss. He needed to have the personality to break down her defenses. I knew he’d be stubborn and straight-talking but he surprised even me with just how straight-forward he is. He had me in fits of laughter quite a few times.

Why do you feel you had to tell this story?

There are so many people who have suffered events like Joss and are still grieving, and sometimes unwittingly closing themselves off to certain aspects of life because of the fear and anxiety grief and loss has caused. When I decided to write a romance, I not only wanted it to be an escape for readers into this passionate relationship, but also a story with real heart, real emotions and circumstances that readers could relate to.

If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?

I would introduce Joss to Rogan from Slumber. They’d either be soul mates or clash because it wasn’t until I took a step back that I realized how alike the two of them are, despite what different worlds they come from.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?

I’m working on Down London Road, a second book from the world of On Dublin Street. It will be released in the U.S. May 7th 2013. I’m also working on the fourth and final book in my young adult urban fantasy series, Fire Spirits. It’s due for release April 23rd.

When asked, what’s the one question you always answer with a lie?

I’m the world’s worst liar! I’d rather not answer a question than attempt a lie because it’s so blooming obvious that I am lol.

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your readers. What would it be?

When you’re stressing out, either with work or family etc, and your brain just won’t stop churning along with your gut, close yourself off in a quiet room with your ereader or a paperback. Don’t tell yourself you don’t have time. Make time. Escaping into a good book is almost as refreshing as a great night’s sleep.

Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?

My mum and dad. They’re two of my best friends.

What decade during the last century would you have chosen to be a teenager?

Definitely the late fifties. Poodle Skirts!!!

When was the last time you cried?

A few weeks ago writing a chapter in Down London Road.

Who was your first boyfriend?

A boy in my class at primary school (elementary). I think we were in primary 4 (third grade). We only lasted a few weeks, le sigh. We got back together again though in primary 7 (sixth grade) and broke up a few months later.

What is the one, single food that you would never give up?

Fajitas. I’d be sad if I had to go the rest of my life never tasting another fajita.

Where can readers stalk you?

Readers can stalk me on my blogs—www.ondublinstreet.com and www.samanthayoungbooks.com. They can also stalk me on Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/OnDublinStreet and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Samantha-Young-YA-Fantasy-Author/173012182748570

On Twitter—https://twitter.com/SYoungSFAuthor
And on Goodreads—http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4167378.Samantha_Young

Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare…

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her… down to the very soul.

You can purchase On Dublin Street at the following Retailers: