Crash Into You Blog Tour: Interview with the Bewitched Bookworms + a Giveaway

I'm beyond thrilled today to be a part of the promotional tour hosted by Kismet Book Touring for Crash Into You, the third book in Katie McGarry's amazing contemporary young adult series. I'm an enormous fan of all things Katie McGarry, I think she writes extraordinary characters–something I always look for first in any book–and I simply can't say enough complimentary things about Katie or her books to do either of them justice. Love. That is all.

As something a little fun and different, the ladies at Kismet organized a series of blogger interviews between me, the fabulous Rachel at Fiktshun, and the Bewitched Bookworms themselves wherein we all interview, and are interviewed by, one another. I was interviewed by Rachel first, the Bookworms interviewed Rachel next, and today I get to share my interview with my dear friends the Bewitched Bookworms.

The Bookworm ladies were the very first bloggers I met in person and I couldn't love them more if I tried. I'm so pleased to welcome Danny, Pushy and Heather to the blog to answer a few questions about Crash Into You, and don't forget to check the bottom of the post for the full list of participating blogs as well as giveaway details!

Isaiah has a number of tattoos, all of which he wears oh-so well. Aside from him, who is your favorite tattooed hero?

Heather: I’m drawing a blank here, so I’ll let Danny and Pushy answer.

Pushy: *thinks* Hmm... while I do love Four from the Divergent series, I'm going to go with Perry from Under The Never Sky. I LURV me some Perry! *sigh* 

Danny: Ohhh I love my tattooed boys, and I also love reading about them. So, I love Reyes from the Charley Davidson series and of course my all time favorite Barrons!!

If Isaiah and Rachel’s story could only be described to readers in terms of car models, what type of car would it be? 

Heather: Katie McGarry really did her research and picked a great car for both Isaiah and Rachel to drive when she picked the Ford Mustang, especially the model years that she picked. Isaiah’s older Mustang is a bit beat up on the outside like he appears to be, but looks can be deceiving when it comes to what’s under the hood (and inside his head). Rachel’s Mustang is in near mint condition even though it isn’t brand new. The powerful stock engine gives her strength and control when she’s behind the wheel that she doesn’t have in the rest of her life.

Pushy: *crickets* Umm… I know NOTHING about cars, so I'm going to second Heather's opinion. :)

Danny: Heathers answer is just perfect, how could I ever add anything here? ;)

In addition to fantastic protagonists, Katie McGarry always writes fascinating secondary characters as well. Which of the secondary characters in Crash Into You grabbed your attention most and why?

Heather: I loved Isaiah’s friend Abby. While she tried to stay on a neutral side between Eric and Isaiah on the surface to outsiders, she always had Isaiah’s and Rachel’s back. She doesn’t make friends easily, but she decided that Rachel will be her best friend almost right from the start. She’s bold, daring, smart, and calculating, and that’s something that has kept her safe while she’s lived the dangerous life that she’s been forced to lead.

Pushy: I could not agree more! Katie ROCKS the secondary characters! I can't help wondering what's going on with all of them!!! And I love when we get a peek inside, like with Lila's novella, Crossing The Line. Abby's definitely a great choice but I'm also interested in Rachel's brothers. There's SO much going on with that family and I feel like we just scraped the tip of the iceberg with Rachel's story.

Danny: That's what I loved most about Crash Into You: Rachel's family full of wonderful über protective brothers. I'm not kidding when I say, that I loved West so much and when I heard that he would be our hero in the next book, I was ecstatic!!! But I also love Rachel's twin Ethan and I hope we might also get a story on this own.

Let’s say you find your way into a street race against another first-timer like yourself. What would you say your odds are of winning?

Heather: If I was my twenty-one year old self again, my odds are good. My husband built me a fast car when we were dating as part of his school (he’s an automotive technician), and I definitely had a much faster vehicle than most of the guys I knew. Back then, all of our friends had huge motors and loud stereos. Plus, I know how to drive a manual transmission. It’s something that a lot of people can’t do these days.

Pushy: If it was all based on the ability to handle speed, very good chances for me. Heather and Danny can attest to my love to drive fast. :) However, unlike Heather, I don't drive stick, so I think that probably overall my chances would just be fair.

Danny: Ha!!! Pretty good I'd say. In Germany we mostly drive stick and I love fast cars so much. And I have to admit, I got a speeding ticket or two already, so I love to drive fast.

If you were able to sit down for a face-to-face interview with either Rachel or Isaiah, what’s the first question you would ask them?

Heather: I’ll let Danny and Pushy answer this one. Can’t come up with anything deep or insightful.

Pushy: Heather, I’m not going to even bother with insightful. *turns to Jenny* If I could be face to face with these two? I want to know, what happens next?!?!?! The ending of Crash Into You isn't really a cliffhanger but GAH!!! Where do they go from there? I want to continue to bask in their HEA, so if they could expand upon that for me, that would be quite nice!!

Danny: I'd ask Isaiah if Beth disappeared the minute he kissed Rachel, and when exactly he realized that the love for Rachel is something else completely and much more real and genuine and intense than anything he ever felt for Beth.

I think most of the fans of this series initially expected Isaiah and Beth to end up together. What’s one thing about Rachel you think makes her a better fit for him?

Heather: It’s quite simple: they both love fast cars and working on them.

Pushy: For me it's that from Beth's story, we see how she loved Isaiah like a brother, but not more. And Isaiah absolutely DESERVES his one, perfect, shining love. *sigh*

Danny: I think they make each other stronger, they so strongly believe in each other, that it makes the other stronger, braver. Isaiah always needed someone he could take care of, and at the same time someone who can be strong on her own, without casting him aside. Beth always pushed him away, Rachel doesn't. I just love them together.

Katie writes some beautiful and emotional contemporary romances. If you could beg her to write something in a different genre just for you, what genre would it be?

Heather: I would love to see Katie tackle a paranormal romance. She has the romance part perfected, so I’d love to see what she could dream up next.

Pushy: I'd like to see her tackle a thriller! With the amount of detail she puts into every part of her story, I bet she's whip up a SERIOUSLY SCARY, keep-you-guessing-til-the-end thriller!

Danny: I'm with Heather, paranormal romance!! But also, please Katie go and write New Adult, I know you can do steamy and even more sexy!!

Before reading Crash Into You, what aspect of the story would you say you were most looking forward to? Were your expectations met?

Heather: I really wanted to see the origins of Isaiah and what his background was. And boy, were my expectations exceeded!

Pushy: I wanted to see if Katie could make me fall in love with ANYONE for Isaiah other than Beth (I have hoped Beth would realize that she really did love Isaiah and then they could couple off). And she did. Oh, sweet Jesus, did I fall in love with Rachel and Isaiah!!!!! *ENORMOUS SIGH*

Danny: I wanted to see Isaiah's heart healed. He suffered so much and his heart was so damaged and broken, that I just wanted him to find love and happiness!!!

A huge thank you to Danny, Pushy and Heather for taking the time to answer my questions! I'm sure almost all of you are familiar with these wonderful women, but just in case you're not, here's where you can find them:

Blog • Facebook • Twitter

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CRASH INTO YOU

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Releases November 26th from HarlequinTEEN

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • Indiebound • Book Depository 

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KATIE MCGARRY

Katie was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
    

Katie is the author of the full-length Young Adult novels PUSHING THE LIMITS and DARE YOU TO, and the e-novella CROSSING THE LINE. Her debut novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS, is a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and an RT Book Reviews 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel. 

Writing has given Katie an excuse to pursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazing opportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car at ninety-six miles per hour and experience boxing and mixed martial arts. The most memorable moments for Katie are when she speaks to groups of teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach. Katie would love to hear from her readers.

Goodreads • Website • Facebook • Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

Thanks to HarlequinTEEN I have two fantastic giveaways to share with you guys today! The first is the chance to win a copy of Crash Into You. The second is a Grand Prize Package including a Harlequin TEEN tote bag full of bookish goodies: 2 Copies of Crash Into You, as well as Pawn, Hooked, Speechless and an ARC of Heartbeat. Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaways are open to US/CAN only.

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TOUR SCHEDULE

Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops for more Crash Into You fun!

Tuesday, Nov. 5th - Fiktshun
Thursday, Nov. 7th - Swoony Boys Podcast

Tuesday, Nov. 12th - Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, Nov. 13th - Harlequin Blog
Thursday, Nov. 14th - Xpresso Reads

Tuesday, Nov. 19th - Supernatural Snark
Thursday, Nov. 21st - Paper Riot