(Bk 1)
by Anne Eliot
YA Sweet Romance
(first kisses, butterflies! <3)
Self-Published June 15, 2014
Synopsis via Goodreads:
CAM LIKES ELLEN * ELLEN LIKES CAM * CAM LIKES ELLEN* ELLEN LIKES CAM
What
if on one fall day, everything goes terribly wrong at school but
somehow turns out right? Suddenly you're forced into friendship with
your secret crush—thanks to a glitter crazed new-girl who turns your
life upside down. Literally. But you know your crush needs to stay how
it's always been—distant, impossible, in your head—because you have
problems and hide things this crush would never understand.
ELLEN LIKES CAM...
But
what if you all end up in the same group photography project? Suddenly
talking and making friends is easy, more than easy. It's almost perfect.
What if high school felt normal for once, and what if your crush wasn't
who you thought they were at all, and what if they liked you as much as
you like them?
CAM LIKES ELLEN...
And what if when you
kiss…it’s so amazing. You tell each other secrets and you make the kind
of promises that are impossible to keep when you’re only sixteen and
have no control over your own life. Which is why, long before things
fall apart you kind of already knew nothing this beautiful could have
really been yours for long…
Anne Eliot writes sweet,
first-love stories. She was raised in the mountains of Colorado, but
says she really learned about life, love and friendships from summers
spent with her large, Italian immigrant family in Ontario, Canada.
Anne
is grateful to have had schools with inspiring teachers and librarians
who directed her to worlds she would not have found on her own. To this
day, she adores school visits, teaching writing to teens, and is
dedicated to making sure kids in need have access to books that will
fuel their hopes and dreams.
While growing up, Anne hid her own
anxieties by hiding and reading book after book. She developed an
addiction to first love, first kisses and her favorite: the
happy-ever-after story. This is what she writes today. Now she's a mom
of two and happily married to her own first love. Anne works hard to
juggle being a wife and parent while writing, but fails at cooking
because she is still trying to read book, after book of love stories on
the side.
Anne Eliot’s first book, Almost, became a top 100 best
selling Kindle book, and was a Readers Choice, Top 12 of 2012 book for
Amazon.com at #11, and will be translated and released in Germany and
Turkey fall 2013. Her second book, Unmaking Hunter Kennedy, is a also a
Kindle, top 100 best selling book in Teen Romance for 2013. She's hard
at work on her third novel, another sweet teen romance releasing
fall/winter, 2013. She loves to hear from readers. Please look for her
on Facebook or tweet her @yaromance.
Representation: Anne
Eliot’s foreign translations, audio and film rights are represented by
Jane Dystel of Dystel and Goderich Literary management.
Connect with Anne:
Go check out my review of How I Fall & the amazing story about this fabulous young lady by the name of Allison! You MUST read about her project & look at her precious photos! The girl is awesomeness! Totally epic awesomesauce! Really... she's incredible. Please click on the logo above and go check her out! :)
I had the pleasure of interviewing Cam & Ellen, the fabulous stars of How I Fall. How much fun was this?! I had a blast & I hope Anne, Ellen & Cam did too ;)
You two are adorable. I absolutely loved your story in How I
Fall. I have a few questions for you & I hope you enjoy answering them! I’m
going to try and stay away from the stressful questions & keep things light
J We all know Ellen has
CP but CP does not make her who she is. And Cam, you love her even though she
has CP because you know that CP doesn’t make her. She’s Ellen… the absolutely
adorable girl you have a crush on and she just happens to have CP. I won’t
focus on CP because it’s not the prime focus of your story.
You two are absolutely adorable..Wait... I said that already. OBVIOUSLY, I’m
interviewing you after the conclusion of your tale because, of course, at the
end of book two, I can’t really put you two in the same room together… :)
This question is for both of you! When was the first time
you picked up a camera? What is your absolute favorite thing to take a picture
of? If you could go take a picture of anything, anything at all, what would
your dream focal point be?
Ellen: “Truthfully, I’m an iPod, iPhone photographer. I
didn’t point and shoot until I got an iPod for Christmas. It was the first
version that also had a camera, and shortly thereafter, I got Instagram and I
was hooked. If I could take a picture of anything (not counting Cam’s eyes) I
would seek out more ice. We all know I’ve got a thing for frozen, frozen and
more frozen!”
Cam: “I’ve loved photography ever since Mom took me up to
Toronto to see this Ansel Adams exhibit at a museum up there. He’s a
photographer who took nature pictures. Black and white, landscapes. Mom’s
purchased me a new camera every year for either my birthday or my Christmas
present. Not because I need one, just because she knows I love cameras. It’s
really extravagant of her to do this, but I don’t complain. I love cameras, and
I also love the camera on my iPhone as well. If I could take a photograph of
anything, (besides stalking Ellen and taking photos of her) I would love to
head down and to the USA national parks. Follow in the footsteps of Anesl
Adams. Take shots of that, El Capitan down in Yosemetie Valley, California.”
I’m so excited about the photo competition! I can’t wait to
see if your entry won [C’mon Anne Eliot! Write faster ;) KIDDING… Magic takes
time, I can be patient]. What was your inspiration, Ellen, for your photo
contest entry? That was wild & completely fantastic. I wish I could see the
photos!
“I guess, I’m inspired by the frozen landscapes because when
you see them around here by Lake Huron, it’s like walking into Narnia or into
some sort of place you could never go to besides in your own mind, yet on days
when the ice moves over everything, and for the few hours everything is coated,
it feels so magic. And I’m not the only one who is fascinated with ice and ice
crystals…or did you not see Elsa and Anna and the Disney Frozen movie. Oh do I
love that movie.”
Cam, what crossed your mind when the project was explained
to you? Did you think she was an absolute creative genius or did you think
“holy crap, how are we going to do that?!”
“No. I thought, holy crap, I get to do that with Ellen!
Truthfully, my whole prime directive, if you will was to simply get to work and
talk to Ellen. I was so excited to have the chance to work with her, to talk to
her…thinking about the project and pulling it off never really crossed my mind.
I knew Ellen could do it. I saw the shots and I read her plan and I was just
like, happy about all of it, you know?”
If you both grow up to have your own studio or your own
photography business, what will you call it? Something creative or will you
just go by your names? C’mon, you're both young. I know you’ve thought about it
;)
Ellen: “I have not thought about that…honest. It’s too far
ahead for me, but it would be cool. How about…oh..it’s too impossible to think
all the way into the—(blushes)—our future.”
Cam: “If we’re talking about far into the future, I can name
our photo studio. I’d call it, Happy Newlywed’s photo studio.”
Ellen: (blushing more and punching him in the arm) “That
name SUCKS, but…yeah…it’s also great, dork.”
Cam: “Let the record show, in front of all of these
witnesses, this girl just sort of agreed to marry me.”
Ellen: “SHUT it down, crazy. I did not.”
Ooooh Laura! You have to tell me what you really thought of
that girl. She was such a hoot (yes, hoot!) and I couldn’t get enough of her
spunk and glitter. Now, okay, I’m glad I wasn’t standing next to her because
glitter really doesn’t look good on me, but she was completely rocking the
glitter and fairies. Ha. Did you ever think you’d end up with such a little
firecracker as a solid supporter? Between Laura & Patrick, you guys have
some awesome friends.
Cam: “Laura…what can I say. Most of you don’t know the
antics she pulled in book two, but we all know and she’s lucky to be alive.
That’s all I’m saying, beyond…yeah. Love her. Seriously love that girl.
Ellen: I agree with Cam, only she did what she needed to do.
And I’ve loved her since the day she knocked me flat. Well…maybe since the day
after she knocked me flat, but still. No better friend, though for awhile, I
thought I would have to dump her and Patrick for being so stupid. And when
Patrick went insane and started writing her poetry—
Cam: “The world’s worst poetry!”
Ellen: Let’s just go back to the part where we love them
both. Laura’s toned down the glitter this year, also, but I hope she always
wears a little.”
Cam: “I do not hope that. I hope to never see glitter in my
life, ever again.”
The mascot beanies! Ah! I loved that and would’ve died a
happy girl to see Cam cheering with her in the hall that day. I’m sure the
other students got quite the kick out of that. Cam, kudos for that. It was
awesome. High five! But seriously, did you catch some flack from the football
team for that one? Or others in school? I loved how you opened up and really
let yourself be…. Well… be you around Ellen & Cam.
Cam: “Look, me roaring in public is not ‘me, being me’ so
don’t even go there. I did it all for Ellen. So, if being and doing insane
things is part of being with her, okay then. I’ll take it. And yes, the guys
said stuff to me…of course. Who wouldn’t. I deserved it.”
Okay, okay. I’ll get to the questions that I’m sure everyone
wants to know… What’s next? What can we plan to see in the continuation of your
story? No spoilers but you can give us a tickler right? I’ve stayed away from
the tough questions like Ellen’s recovery and Cam’s parents. I know readers
would all like to get their hands on Cam’s dad and teach him a few lessons.
Again, no spoilers, but whatever you can share about How I Fly would be
exciting :)
Cam: “Well, we’ve had this interview together so you can see
I’m planning on marrying this girl so…”
Ellen: “And you can see I’m not marrying an insane person…so
yeah…um Cam, you can stop talking about that for another 5 years. He and I,
we’re friends. Very close friends right now and we’re working on…you know.
Being that.”
Cam: “Let the record show this girl, Ellen Foster, has
agreed to be with me for at least 5 more years. This is way more than
friendship and it always has been.”
Ellen: (laughing) “Oh…here we go again.”
Cam: “It’s a relief this friendship, because truthfully…I
almost messed it all up—with my Dad and the car and stealing his
wallet--well…we saw what that got me, right?”
Ellen: “No. I almost messed it all up by not following my
own mandate that we be patient. The blame at that point was not on Cam. All on
me. For sure.”
Cam: “The mess was all mine. Let’s agree on that.”
Ellen: “Fine. Mess yours. Love triangle. That was mine, I
think. And the mess was really Laura’s and Patrick’s if we’re keeping any sort
of track of who really made the biggest mess.”
Cam: “Did she say
LOVE? Is anyone keeping track of the word LOVE here…just asking…to whom were
you referring when you used that word…because I’d rather focus on the words
love for the next five years over the word triangle…which is a word I never
want to hear again, ever…”
Anne Eliot: (Is this
a spoiler? You decide…)
I’ll leave you both with an open ended question so you can
share anything else that’s on your mind: What do you want readers to really
take away from your story? A lesson about first love, seeing people for who
they are and not “what” they are (Ellen, seriously… I wanted to whip someone
when you were called and known by the “handicapped girl’…grrrrr…..), going
after your dreams…..?
Ellen: “I guess, for me…it’s a lesson in this: People are
going to say/think what they want. As far as I’m concerned, I’m not going to
get stuck on words and definitions. I define myself, I know what I am and what
I want to be. Everyone should do the same, you know? Not care about what other
people think.”
Cam: “Oh, for me…hmmm…Let’s take away from this story that
it’s a lesson in first love. In how I, Camden Campbell, fell in love. Because
that’s what it’s called: How I Fall, just add in ‘in love’ okay? And yeah…is
anyone recording the use of the love words here?”
Ellen: “You sound like Patrick. Did he give you a lesson in
how to act like a fool just before this interview or something?”
Cam. “A lovesick fool…. That’s what I am. Please, Ellen. I
define MYSELF. I know what I want to be and I don’t care what others think.”
Ahhh! I just love you both! And I cannot wait for the next book in the series! Thank you for taking a few minutes to answer a few
questions. I know my questions don’t seem very vital to your story and they
aren’t the typical questions you probably get when you’re interviewed, but I
wanted it to be fun and not stressful. I like fun. Too bad Laura couldn’t join
us today. Another time maybe ;)
You both are special in your own
way and when you both work together, you soar…
I can’t wait to see how high you
fly :)
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