Title: Stripped Without You
Author: Brooklyn Skye
Release date: November 30th 2013
Self-Published
Purchase: Amazon
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
STRIPPED (a novel)
College freshman Quinn Montgomery will do anything to avoid the mistake her sister made—killing herself over a boy. But when she is forced into nude modeling at a local college to support her family after a bankruptcy, she begins to crack, just enough to let Torrin, the university’s top varsity oarsman, see that the real Quinn is not as feisty and unapproachable as she wants everyone to think. But letting someone in comes at a steep cost and, it turns out, Torrin is connected to Quinn’s family in more ways than she could ever imagine.
WITHOUT YOU (a novella)
She was broken when I met her, shattered from the death of her sister and running from love. Not to sound like an egotistical douche or anything, but I fixed her. Put her back together, filled in the cracks, and made her whole. A true fairytale in her eyes.
But now real life is getting in the way: school, jobs, and the unexpected opportunity to travel the world under a legendary photographer. This internship will open doors not even my father’s influence could. It’s something I’ve been waiting all my life for. But so is Quinn, and accepting this internship will mean leaving her.
And breaking her all over again.
What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? Ooh, that’s hard. I don’t actually remember any single piece of advice that hit me hard in the gut, but I do remember the exhaustion (and drop in self-esteem?) back when I was querying for the first time.
What has been the best compliment? Honestly, I love when readers tell me my stories made them “ugly cry”. I strive really hard to give my characters an emotional journey, and it’s really satisfying when readers feel it, too.
Do you have any advice for other writers? Not to compare yourself to others. It’s difficult not to, especially when there are so many amazing announcements made on Twitter each day about agents and book deals and what not, but focusing on your craft is what’s most important. Do that, and everything else will fall into place.
How many drafts did you have to write Stripped Without You? STRIPPED took about four total, mainly because I was switching from NA (which wasn’t a category back when I wrote it four years ago) to YA (which I hated and set aside for a few years because, well, nude models in high school? It just wasn’t working for me) then back to NA (after the category was beginning to be recognized). WITHOUT YOU took me two drafts. Being that I already knew the characters and the story I wanted to tell made it a little easier.
What inspired the idea for Stripped Without You? I originally wrote STRIPPED four years ago after seeing a blurb on AOL news about college girls who model nude to pay for their education. Back then Quinn wasn’t so stubborn and outspoken, but as I reworked the drafts over time the death of her sister began to affect her more and more. One day I had an idea: What if losing her sister made Quinn doing something outrageously extreme? And that’s when Derek came into the picture. Quinn is one of those characters who I both love and hate. She’s so mean sometimes—especially to Torrin (poor Torrin!), but watching her grow and break down walls and overcome her fears has been really rewarding for me. WITHOUT YOU, on the other hand, was inspired by the flood of request I got from readers for more Torrin.
What was your favorite chapter/part to write in Stripped Without You and why? By far, it was the banter between Quinn and Torrin. I loved throwing unexpected/harsh Quinn-isms at Torrin and seeing how he’d react. I think he held himself quite nicely ;)
What is your favorite drink or snack/treat while writing? Since I write at 4:00 a.m. in the morning, it’s coffee and usually a banana (so glamorous, right?)
What are you currently reading? Since I am an assistant editor in my real-world job, most of my reading comes from the slush pile ;) But in between I just finished A Little Too Far by Lisa Desrochers and then started Rule by Jay Crownover.
Who is your fictional character crush? Easy…Four/Tobias from Divergent.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? Your support has been amazing. And keep the emails and Twitter messages coming. I love connecting with you!
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Nice interview. Thanks for participating.
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