Morning Kindle-ites! Today’s author spotlight is the very lovely Ms. Chelsea Fine, who some of you may already know from her FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC novella “Sophie & Carter.” Anyways, she has a new novel out called “Anew” and was gracious enough to answer a few questions AND give us a sneak peak of her work. So.. be sure to show her some love, and most of all – Happy Reading!
P.S. I freaking love Chelsea so I’m going to give 1 lucky winner a copy of “Anew!!” Details are below – Good Luck!
What Everyone is Saying!
“Chelsea Fine has just totally set my heart on fire with this amazingly fresh love triangle and storyline. She just has a way of bringing a story to life for me with tears, laughter, beautiful romance and a deep, strong storyline.”
-I Heart YA Books, Book Reviewer“The ending was so good and the cliffhanger was one of the craziest of all the books I’ve read…I cannot wait for the sequel to this book! Bottom line: I loved the characters, I loved the plot, I loved Anew!”
-Cameron Dodd“Entertaining, romantic, and filled with emotion, Anew is an excellent beginning to this series. The characters are lively and interesting, the plot is filled with secrets, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!”
-Amarilys, Goodreads
About the Book!
Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and without her memory. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery until she met a boy with a familiar voice named Gabriel Archer. Intrigued by his voice, Scarlet immerses herself in Gabriel’s life only to stumble upon a secret he’s kept hidden from her: His brother. Once Scarlet meets Tristan Archer her life becomes even more muddled. While she’s instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she’s impossibly drawn to Tristan–and confused out of her mind. Why does Gabriel seem so familiar? Why is she so attracted to Tristan? And why are both brothers convinced she’s been cursed to die? Scarlet doesn’t have the answers…but the Archer brothers do.
3 Questions with Chelsea!
Q. Tell me a little about “Anew” Ok, that’s vague…I’ll be more specific. Where did you come up with the names of your characters, particularly Tristan. Did you transfer your love of other great works (aka Tristan & Isolde) to your own work… or did you do something slightly less significant like Google “If I were a hot boy, what would my name be?”
A: Haha. First of all, I’m totally going to Google “If I were a hot boy, what would my name be?” I really, really hope Google responds with “Ernie” or “Bert”, haha.
My character names took me a year to come up with (eek!). Isn’t that ridiculous? Haha. *sigh* But here’s the thing: I think names are crucial. And my main characters had to be named appropriately according to where they’re from… 🙂 So, I had to do a little research.
Gabriel’s name was the easiest because it fit his origin (no, he’s not an angel) and it sounds attractive.
Scarlet’s name was originally Clare. But a few weeks before I sent in my manuscript, I had a conversation with a good friend of mine and she jokingly said, “You should have a character named Scarlet in your book,” and something just totally clicked for me. I, literally, grabbed my car keys and my purse and said, “Scarlet! That’s perfect. That’s what her name should be! Clare sucks,” and I left my friend’s house. Haha. I didn’t even say goodbye. I just left out the front door and headed home to go rewrite Clare’s character. It was crazy, though, because once “Clare” became “Scarlet” she actually took on a different personality. So, I had to completely rewrite the character. It was a great night! ( A long night, but a great night.)
And TRISTAN…well, Tristan was the most important name of all. He’s my dark and broken character–my mysterious and brooding bad boy. And he needed a fitting name. I did an internet search (pertaining to where my characters are from) and looked up all sorts of names. I read through about 400 male names before I came across Tristan. The name “Tristan” brought up a beautiful image in my head…a dark and handsome and romantically doomed guy…with good intentions and a broken destiny. It was just perfect. And when I looked up the historical usage of the name Tristan and the meaning, ahhh! Everything just fell into place. 🙂 Tristan means Tumult: A violent uprising of mind or feelings Haha…doesn’t it just sound doomed and distressed? PERFECT. 🙂
Q. In “Anew” your characters are forced to battle ancient curses, tell the truth… did you have to study up on superstition and all it’s nuances or did you just wing it?
A: Ah, geez! I had to study like crazy! Not so much for the first book, but BIG time for the second book. The “cure” for the curse in my story is a well-known legend and I had to research a bunch of stuff about the history and exploration of this legend. It was like doing a research paper in college–but without the stingy professor and obnoxious bell curve. 🙂 But I actually learned a LOT of really interesting facts about this legend that are now important elements in my series. So, yeah. Research paid off.
Q. Most of you may not know this, but besides being a very talent author, Chelsea is also an amazing artist.
Check this out!!
So…here is my last question: Chelsea, when are you coming to my house to paint my daughters room? Just kidding. Art for me has always been an escape. Like books, art (in general) allows my mind to wander to worlds only my quirky brain could think up, and from that comes stories. Does art have the same effect on you, or is it adverse… clearing your mind completely, preparing you for your next big challenge?
The Excerpt!
She blinked as she realized the guy standing before her was, without a doubt, the same mysterious boy in the black shirt from the festival.
The boy who had stolen her breath.
The boy whose presence had teased her with the promise of a memory.
And Scarlet was unbelievably drawn to him.
She could barely control her body. Her hands wanted to roam across his chest, her legs wanted to wrap themselves around his, and her mouth wanted to run itself up and down his jaw.
It was by sheer miracle Scarlet was able to keep her hands and feet to herself.
Her mouth, on the other hand, wasn’t being as obedient.
Her lips nearly pressed against his cheek as she brought her face close to his in examination.
She knew him.
Instinctively. Completely.
Every fiber of her being was in tune with his and pulled for him.
Longed for him, even.
If Gabriel made Scarlet feel normal, this boy—Gabriel’s brother—made her feel…extraordinary.
He was undeniably familiar, which terrified and excited her at the same time.
Who was he?
She couldn’t help but continue to run her eyes over him.
Shamelessly.
“Who are you?” she asked.
He paused before answering, “Tri—“
“Tristan Archer,” Scarlet said, barely above a whisper. She knew his name.
She knew his name.
How did she know his name?
“Tristan Archer,” she said again, feeling his name on her lips.
It sounded right. It sounded safe.
It sounded perfect.
Her heart tossed itself up against her chest repeatedly. Like it was trying to escape…trying to pry itself from her body.
Why was she responding in such a powerful way to this stranger?
She cocked her head to the side and looked into his green eyes. “I know you…. How do I know you?”
He searched her eyes for a moment before asking, “Where’s Gabriel?”
Click.
Scarlet’s eyes involuntarily closed at the timbre of his voice.
His voice was like Gabriel’s, pouring into her ears with familiarity and comfort.
But where Gabriel’s voice was almost perfect, Tristan’s voice was faultless.
A sound with a direct line to her heart.
She was connected to it somehow, and desperate to hear more of it.
The snippets of memory she’d experienced when he first opened the door had been fleeting. Too slippery to hold onto, but thick enough to be more than just her imagination.
She knew, without a doubt, Tristan had some connection to her mysterious past. He was there, in her memories, floating along.
She just had to find him….
***If that wasn’t enough to convince you, you can read the prologe from Anew and the entire 1st chapter by visiting the Archers of Avalon page HERE
And… to learn more about Chelsea and her amazing work you can visit her website at chelseafinebooks.com
The Contest!