Tuesday, July 22, 2014

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. :)

• • • • • • • • • • • 

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?



• • • • • • • • • • •

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. 


35 comments:

  1. Wonderful Interview - I am always impressed when two authors write and create together. I guess it can be as challenging as it can be fun:) Love the story about the dog - carrying a dog for 6 hrs? Oh gosh lol!

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    1. Me too! I think it would be really nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of, but I think it would be very challenging to make my writing style blend seamlessly with someone else's:) LOVED this book Danny!

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  2. Fun interview! Thanks for sharing this with us Jenny! I too love it when two authors work together and create something so great!

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    1. You're welcome! And I hope we get a whole lot more from these two!

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  3. Eeeep! After your review yesterday and having read the free kindle excerpt, I'm so in love with this story already and these two authors don't lessen any of that love. Ethan's determination is so sexy I can't even *drools* And Mia sounds adorable :) I loved her already from the excerpt :) HAHAHAHA. Veronica, lol! I love dogs, but that would totally suck to have to carry a dog for six hours. Oh, geez. Oh, no, Lorin! I haven't [thank goodness!]have had to pick berries for a long time, but even for the short time it takes me to pick some from our own garden in our country house? Yeaaah. Not a fan. Heh, that tagline is so adorable :) Can't wait to devour this novel, ladies!

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    1. Veronica's story was completely ridiculous wasn't it? I can't even imagine making that kind of request of someone O.o Silly famous people:) Looking forward to your thoughts on this one Siiri!

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  4. I lol'd at least twice while reading this interview, Jenny. I never got paid to pick strawberries, but I remember going to farms where you would pay a fee and go pick your own. My mom took advantage of my proximity to the ground, so I did most of the picking . . . and Lorin is right--they do squeak, LOL. I wasn't horrified by it back then, but somehow I don't think I'll ever be able to look at strawberry picking the same . . . ;)

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    1. They seriously squeak? I can't imagine a squeaking noise coming from a strawberry but I think I would definitely find it unsettling:)

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  5. I've always wanted to pick berries of some kind (or any fruit) because it looks fun and would be an easy way to get a bit of a tan. I'm not sure I'd actually want to do it for work - especially if I'm only making $1 (which sounds like a ridiculously low wage) - because I'd be too tempted to eat what I was picking.

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    1. Yeah $1 doesn't really work for me either Z. I would need at least $5 a quart to motivate myself!

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  6. This was a fun read, Jenny.
    I don't know how I would feel having to do odd jobs for celebrities. They seem to be a completely different species of human beings who live in this bubble separate from the rest of us. Also, I didn't know strawberries squeak when they are plucked. I've been strawberry picking, but it was such a long time ago, so I can't remember.
    I love how these two authors seem to work well together! :)
    Great interview as always, Jenny!

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    1. Right? I worked in LA for a semester in college and while I didn't personally experience any absurd celebrity behavior, so many of my friends walked away from their internships with horror stories about celebrity demands. The dog thing doesn't surprise me in the least!

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  7. Screaming strawberries and chocolate phones! *snort* I didn't realize this book was written by a team -- it's always fascinating to me to see how writers work together to create a great story.

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    1. YES! A team of awesome Mary! I need more from these two:)

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  8. Loved the summer job horror stories Q&A. I have a few good ones too! And, OMG I had no idea that this book was actually by Veronica Rossi. Darned pen names! LOL Thanks for the heads up. :)

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    1. VERONICA ROSSI CARMEL! You must read it immediately. I will now forever read anything the two of these fine ladies write:)

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  9. Fantastic interview! I'm so intrigued by this one and I'm not the biggest fan of contemporaries... but Veronica's writing is fantastic and I think I'm gonna add this one to the wish list!
    Carrying a dog around for 6 hours??? What breed was it?

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    1. Contemporary YA/NA is typically not my go-to genre either, but this one should not be missed.

      And hopefully it was at least a fairly small dog:)

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  10. Oh you've got me after that description of Ethan. I mean who doesn't like athletes. I surely do. Also horror summer jobs are something most of us had to go through. Ah, well I just remembered mine. Don't go there, Tanja >.<. Anyhow amazing interview as always, Jenny :)

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    1. And now I want to know your horror story Tanja! You'll have to share sometime ;-)

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  11. I love the questions you asked, Jenny! :D

    Also I don't think I am cut out for picking strawberries, all that hard work that goes into ... definitely not for someone like me who prefers lounging...

    Veronica's job sounds hilarious though. Walking around a dog... someone having to find a chocolate phone .. :D

    It's also sweet to see them complementing each other :DD

    I am planning on reading this book soon and hope I'll adore the characters! :)

    Rashika @ The Social Potato

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    1. Thanks so much Rashika! And I really hope you'll enjoy Ethan and Mia as well:)

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  12. Oh no! Falling fore each other and having to have to compete, not cool

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    1. Definitely not cool, but these two make it work:)

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  13. Oh, this sounds amazing. And I love how each of them contributes a different specialty to their writing. Great interview, Jenny!

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    1. Thanks Hafsah! I hope you give this one a try soon:)

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  14. A ten pound chocolate phone? Who knew something like that existed? I am planning reading this very soon. I really need something light and fun and I have a copy!

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    1. Can you even imagine asking someone else to get you something absurd like that? I can't. Unless it was a joke of some kind, but I'm thinking this was a serious request:)

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  15. Loool, I never picked strawberries but my brother and some of my friends did and they told me it was painfully boring and long. I thought about doing it as well but hey me want to read lol. Great interview!! :D

    Lola @ Hit or Miss Books

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    1. It does sound hugely boring, and it clearly doesn't pay all that well unless you're super speedy. Which I would not be. I'm fairly lazy, so I'd probably make about $3 total on the day:)

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  16. Wonderful interview. I laughed out loud picturing the strawberries that never seemed to end nor fill the quart container! Thanks for sharing Jenny - it's always great to know more about author teams and how they work and create :)

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    1. A strawberry picker I could never be Kim! Way too much work for this girl:)

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  17. I love this interview!!! I loved the book as well. :) I can't wait for book 2 in this series! The wait is going to be torturous!

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  18. I love this interview! I can't imagine having a berry picking job, so much work for so little. I live in Washington so I see all this berry picking stuff a lot. I take the kids every year and they love it (I like it much less). The job of doing things for celebrities, NO THANK YOU! I'd probably scream and throw something at them.
    I can't WAIT to read this book!

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  19. I NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! I'm about to read your review. But I love this interview. So fun. And I'm not good at hiding how I feel either. A secret office romance would backfire on me big time.

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