Romance author Marie McGrath is chatting with me about her new young adult novel, The Fate of a Crush.
During her virtual book tour, Marie will be giving away a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for your chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
Marie McGrath lives in a small rural town in Maryland. She hopes to inspire others with her stories. Her favorite genres to read are YA Romance and Contemporary Fiction. She loves the color turquoise, tigers, and listening to music.
Please tell us about your current release.
The Fate of a Crush is a best friend’s brother sweet young adult romance novel. Allie Duncan has had a crush on her best friend’s brother, Hunter Baylor, for what feels like forever to her. This summer, it feels harder and harder to push down her crush and ignore the feelings that bubble to the surface. When Hunter starts making certain comments, she starts to question if he means what he says in a friendly way or as something more. It makes her feel crazy. How is she supposed to block her feelings, when she can’t be certain he doesn’t feel something. When Homecoming goes astronomically bad and she walks to her best friend’s house crying, it is a shock to her system to have him come and get her. To say that from that point on everything changed would be an understatement.
What inspired you to write this book?
I have been a consumer of young adult romance since I was a young adult and I truly love these books. They are so special as they find their love and make it last, even though they’re young. I think I like writing them because in some aspects, my love life is like one of these novels. I married my first boyfriend, so it feels extra special to write that kind of connection in so many different ways. And secondly, I love the books with this trope of falling for your best friend’s brother when it is far from allowed. I had experienced a little bit of a crush like Allie did when I was her age, so I wanted to see where it could go in the fictional world, and the story was born.
Excerpt from The Fate of a Crush:
I could smell his cologne and feel his chest against me. This was overloading every circuit of my brain.
“Brittany was upset because I complimented you and couldn’t take my eyes off you ever since I saw you in this dress. She tried to get my attention and all I could do was stare as that football player chatted you up on the dancefloor and at the tables.”
Heat crawled up my neck. I knew he had watched me, but I didn’t know it was about me. I had thought it was about Bennett.
“Did I have something in my hair?”
He exhaled. “Jesus, Allie. I was jealous.”
I leaned back to look up into his eyes. “Jealous? Over Bennett? Why?”
He bent his head, moving his mouth closer to mine. Something shifted in his gaze as he stopped dancing and held me close. “Because all I could think about were those perfect lips laughing at something he said and wanting it to be me.”
What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m working on book 2 of the Rosewood County standalone novels. This story will follow Marley and Wyatt on their fake dating adventure during the last few weeks of her senior year. It has a whole new list of characters, although they are in the same county as Allie and Hunter. This book can be read without reading the others. I am really excited to see how this one ends up with my own spin on a fake dating romance.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think it finally hit me that I was a writer when I held my first publication in my hands. It was an anthology with three of my Christmas stories in it. Holding an actual book with my name on the cover was really eye opening. Up until that point, it felt like just a hobby; something I figured I would accomplish someday, but hadn’t yet.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do not write full time. I am a full-time teacher and a mom to two little ones. So my writing schedule can be hectic. I have an amazing support system at home between my husband and our extended families. I try to write in large quantities during short bursts throughout the month. During the week I tend to be slammed with my teaching responsibilities and then at night I’m mom. So the weekends, usually on Sundays are my big writing times. I also push a lot of writing into my summers and school breaks. Somehow I manage to write at least two books a year to be published, but it can be tight at times. Motivation from NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo do help as well.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
My writing quirk is around the title/hook. I feel extremely unsettled until my novel has a title. So much so, that I generally never finish a book until I have a title. I just can’t write those final chapters if I don’t have a title I really love. It will literally bug me until I do.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a teacher. I used to pretend to play school and “teach” my dolls and stuffed animals. I loved to help others and I felt like teaching was my calling. As I got older, I liked to tell stories. So I always hoped to teach and to someday publish a story.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I really hope they enjoy Allie and Hunter. This is my sixth novel and it feels as special as the first. These characters are ones I will not forget quickly and I hope you can find the spark in them, that I did all those nights writing away on my laptop.
Links:
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Thanks for hosting!
Thank you for hosting! I loved the questions you asked. Which is your favorite to see from authors?
I really like the sound of The Fate of a Crush. I also love the cover.
Thank you!
Looks like a very interesting book that I would love.