Interview: Noelle August + Boomerang

I'm absurdly excited today to welcome Noelle August, also known as Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger, to the blog to talk a little bit about their recent contemporary New Adult release, Boomerang. I couldn't have loved this book more, it was everything I've ever wished for in a New Adult novel and I can't wait to see what these two have in store for us next! If you're looking for a fun and flirty read, don't hesitate to add Boomerang to your lists. A huge thank you to Veronica and Lorin for taking the time to answer my questions, and I hope you all enjoy the interview!

Boomerang.com is a dating site for which both Ethan and Mia want to work. For those readers who have yet to meet the two of them, could they each share a few brief tidbits about themselves that might appear in their profiles with Boomerang if they were to create their own?

Sure! Ethan is a recent graduate of UCLA, where he was a forward on the soccer team. He's originally from Colorado Springs. He's around six foot one, brown haired and blue-eyed, smart, fun and easy-going--but when he wants something, he's very competitive and determined. He goes after it!

And Mia’s a recent graduate of Occidental College and absolutely obsessed with filmmaking. She wants to write screenplays and direct long form documentaries and other films. She’s a little shy of average height, curvy, with striking green eyes, and a crazy mess of curly hair that serves as a barometer of her mood. She’s bright, funny, and just as driven as Ethan—which makes for some fireworks between the two!

Anyone who’s had a summer job or internship usually walks away from it with a few stories to share. Do either of you have a fun/embarrassing/shocking internship or first-job related story?

Veronica: My first job was for a major television network in the publicity department. During big events, I was pretty much a slave to whatever star I'd be assigned to look after. We'd get these insane requests. I carried around one celebrity's dog for six hours. It wasn't even a small dog or a very nice one. And I had a friend who had to track down a ten-pound solid chocolate phone. In a day. Don't ask. It was nuts!

Lorin: In college, I spent a summer picking strawberries, along with my roommates. I think we made something like $1 a quart, and it took me about an hour to actually fill a quart container. Little kids used to come with their parents and just blaze down the fields, probably making ten times my hourly wage because they were a whole lot closer to the ground. And the berries made these awful little squeaks when you pulled them off the plant. Maybe my writerly imagination was a little too vivid for the job. I KNOW my writerly butt didn’t appreciate tumbling off the back of the truck that took us from field to field—something I managed on a twice weekly basis, at least.

If either of you were to find yourself in Mia’s shoes–hugely attracted to a co-worker in a situation where dating is against corporate policy–how hard/easy would it be to keep your interest under wraps?

Veronica: I'd think it would be really hard for me. I'm not very good at hiding how I feel!

Lorin: Impossible for me! Like Veronica, I’m no good at playing it cool. And I’ve also got a pretty developed subversive streak that makes me want to break the rules. :)

Writing as a team is sure to have a number of both benefits and challenges. What’s one thing each of you feels the other truly excels at when it comes to executing a cohesive story?

Veronica: Lorin has a real knack for writing these lovely dimensional, real characters. And she has a fantastic comedic style!

Lorin: Veronica brings a propulsive discipline to the process and is awesome at all aspects of fiction craft, especially creating wonderful, “shapely” scenes.

If Mia were to make a film about her life from the moment she met Ethan in the bar to the end of events in Boomerang, what would the tagline for that film be?

Life, love, and some questionable choices.

Let’s say we’re granted access to Boomerang’s files and find Ethan’s cover letter along with his application. What line of his cover letter would jump out at us as something that made the company sit up and take note of him?

If you give me this opportunity, you won't ever regret it.

If Ethan and Mia could summarize their time at Boomerang.com in a single word, what word would each of them use?

Ethan: Rewarding.

Mia: Hair-raising. :)

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BOOMERANG

Welcome to Boomerang.com, the dating site for the millennial gen with its no-fuss, no-commitments matchups, and where work is steamier than any random hook-up

Mia Galliano is an aspiring filmmaker. Ethan Vance has just played his last game as a collegiate soccer star. They’re sharp, hungry for success, and they share a secret.

Last night, Ethan and Mia met at a bar, and, well . . . one thing led to another, which led to them waking up the next morning—together. Things turned awkward in a hurry when they found themselves sharing a post hookup taxi . . . to the same place: Boomerang headquarters.

What began as a powerful connection between them is treated to a cold shower courtesy of two major complications. First, Boomerang has a strict policy against co-worker dating. And second, they’re now competitors for only one job at the end of summer.

As their internships come to an end, will they manage to keep their eyes on the future and their hands off each other, or will the pull of attraction put them right back where they started?

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NOELLE AUGUST

NOELLE AUGUST is an anagram for Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger. Just kidding, it’s a pen name!

VERONICA ROSSI is the author of the New York Times Best-selling UNDER THE NEVER SKY trilogy for young adults. The books are available in more than thirty countries and the film rights have been optioned by Warner Bros.

Veronica completed undergraduate studies at UCLA and lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons. She is fond of dresses with pockets, fluffy dogs, and cheese and chocolate — but not together.

LORIN OBERWEGER began her storytelling career by captivating her first-grade class with tales of her summers on a kibbutz in Israel.

Lorin had never been to Israel.

While teacher/parent night put an end to her first experiments in fiction, she’d already caught the bug and eventually made a career of all things story.

As a long-time independent editor and story development guru, Lorin’s client successes range from small press publications to major bestselling novels. She’s an award-winning author and has also worked behind the scenes as a ghostwriter on a variety of projects. Her work has received starred Kirkus reviews and glowing mentions in The New York Times.

Oh, she did get to see a kibbutz, eventually, and found out she had it pretty much right all along.

Veronica and Lorin met at a writing workshop and just knew they were destined to create awesome things together. 

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