INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Community Service
by Dakota Madison
Community Service is currently on tour with Enchanted Book Promotions. The tour stops here today for my interview with the author and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Community Service has been nominated for a 2014 RONE AWARD in the New Adult category. If you enjoy it, why not cast your vote?
Description
As Maggie Mitchell enters her final semester of college, the last thing she wants is a guy in her life, let alone two of them.
Her new lab partner, Sawyer Reed, is still the overconfident and sexy jock that made fun of her in high school. The only thing that has changed is that he now uses a wheelchair, the result of a skiing accident.
Jude Marino is a hot actor who all the girls want and would do anything to get. He works at a local theater where Maggie has been assigned to complete community services hours after rear-ending a police car.
Both Sawyer and Jude want Maggie but only one of them will be able to capture her heart.
This New Adult Romance contains mature language and content intended for adult readers (18+).
Excerpt
“Looking for a lab partner?” I heard a voice say from behind. The voice sounded familiar but I couldn’t quite place it.
When I turned around, I was surprised to see Sawyer Reed staring at me. I hadn’t seen him since high school. He was a year older than me but I still knew who he was. Everyone in school knew Sawyer Reed. He was a popular jock who all the kids adored. He still had the same boyish good looks that I remembered so well. And the same sexy little grin that could light up any room. And the same killer green eyes that would drive girls wild. The only thing that was different, and it was really different, was that he was in a wheelchair.
It completely floored me.
I had the biggest crush on Sawyer Reed. I think every girl in our school did. It was hard not to. He could charm the pants off of any girl in a matter of minutes, and usually did, or so I heard. I wasn’t a girl that guys wanted to charm the pants off when I was in high school. I was awkward bordering on geeky. My mom called me a late bloomer.
And I definitely wasn’t on Sawyer’s radar…
Except when we were on the school bus. Every day when he passed by me on his way to the back of the bus, he’d call me Freaky Four Eyes. Not that I didn’t deserve the moniker. For some reason, when I was a teenager, I thought it was a good idea to wear Marilyn Monroe Cat Eye glasses. Not that I looked anything like Marilyn Monroe. In high school, I had frizzy brown hair and the body of a 12-year-old boy. I could have been called the antithesis of Marilyn Monroe, if there was such a thing. But I sure loved those glasses.
I didn’t think there was any way that Sawyer would remember me. I looked a lot different than I did in high school. I found product, so my long brown hair now fell into controlled waves and I wore contacts. I’d also filled out a little. I was still no Marilyn Monroe in the curves department but I had a decent figure.
And why would he remember some younger girl he teased on the bus anyway?
Review
By Reenie
Writing a romance book when a woman has a choice between two handsome men is rather typical. What's not typical about Community Service is that one of the two men is in a wheelchair as a result of an accident, and that he and the other man had been friends prior to his accident. Maggie, a serious science student and self-admitted nerd, really likes Sawyer, the wheelchair guy she'd known from afar in high school (prior to his injury). She ends up being ordered to do community service (for rear-ending a police car while trying to read a text on her phone). Her community service is to work at a community theater. There she meets the other handsome guy, who is also a major jerk. And she meets Sawyer's sister, who is also in a wheelchair. Her attorney mother doesn't want her to end up with Sawyer. The path to love isn't smooth, but somehow Maggie and Sawyer manage to traverse it, even winning over her mother along the way. A very pleasant read, though I still like the second Fire and Ice book better. But this is lots of fun to read and you won't be disappointed.
Interview With the Author
Hi Dakota, thanks for joining me today to discuss your book, Community Service.
For what age group do you recommend your book?
This book is recommended for adults. The main characters are college students.
What sparked the idea for this book?
I had a dream about a young woman who had a minor traffic accident and backed into a police car. That planted the seed for the story.
Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?
I usually think about both simultaneously.
What was the hardest part to write in this book?
When the main male character arrived in the first scene, he was using a wheel chair. I hadn't planned that. it just happened. I had to quickly do a lot of research about what life is like for people who use wheel chairs.
How do you hope this book affects its readers?
The book is a romance novel but it also has a deeper social message about how we treat people with disabilities. Men who are disabled can be sexy and can be main characters in romance novels.
How long did it take you to write this book?
Last year, I wrote a novel a month for the year. This novel took one month to write.
What is your writing routine?
I wake up every morning at between 4:30am and 5:00am. I like to write first thing in the morning and I usually write for a couple of hours before I go to work.
How did you get your book published?
I own my own publishing company, Short on Time Books.
What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Write a lot and don't give up. It's also important to remember that writing is an art but publishing is a business.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I like to read (obviously!) and I enjoy watching movies. I spend a lot of time with my husband and our bloodhounds. I also like to travel.
What does your family think of your writing?
My mom reads everything I write!
Please tell us a bit about your childhood.
I was born and raised in New Jersey. I always did well and school and spent a lot of time reading. Books have always played an important part in my life.
Did you like reading when you were a child?
I loved it! I could spend an entire Saturday in the local library.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
As soon as I learned to read, I told my mom I wanted to write books.
Did your childhood experiences influence your writing?
I almost feel as if I was born to write. I think that influenced my experiences not the other way around.
Which writers have influenced you the most?
I was greatly influenced by Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland) and L. Frank Baum (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz).
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
I enjoy hearing from readers and I'm happy to say that readers only take the time to contact me when they've really enjoyed my books.
What can we look forward to from you in the future?
I'm currently working a new series of books (Wilde Riders), which I'm writing under the pen name Savannah Young.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by today, Dakota. Best of luck with your new series.
About the Author
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card.
Links
