Interview with S.R. Grey
Genre: New Adult/Coming of Age Romance
Claim to Fame: “Harbor Falls” (published in 2012). It
reached #27 on the Amazon top 100 and #5 on Barnes & Noble.
Why we love her: Chase Gartner & Co. And she's the Queen of angst.
1)
Where did you come up with the idea to write I Stand Before You?
The initial idea came to me on a country road
in rural Ohio. I was driving along, and I kept imagining this guy coming back
to his hometown after serving a prison sentence. I saw him as broken, but
healing, and ready to rebuild his life. That character became Chase Gartner,
and the story took off from there.
2)
What is your editing process like?
I have to say it’s evolved since I Stand
Before You. I go through more rounds of editing and beta reading now, but even
then I always employed professional editors to go through the manuscript.
Still, there are always things you wish you’d put in…and things you’d love to
take out.
3)
Any books you draw inspiration from? Authors?
Absolutely! I love, love, love Tiffanie
DeBartolo, Janet Fitch, and John Green. I have paperback copies of God-Shaped
Hole and White Oleander that are marked up with highlights. And almost
everything John Green writes inspires me to become a better writer.
4)
How long did it take you to write I Stand Before You?
About three and a half months for the first
draft.
5)
Were you shocked by the reception it's got so far?
I have been shocked, but also happy and
humbled. It’s been two years since publication, and when I check the rankings, I
Stand Before You is consistently under 10,000 on Amazon. I am so glad readers have
embraced Chase and Kay. I also receive a lot of messages regarding Chase’s
brother, Will. And I’m happy to say he will be getting his own book in the spring.
Chase and Kay are going to be a part of the story since it will be book four in
the Judge Me Not series, but it will be primarily Will’s story.
6)
Any celebrities you feel resemble your characters? (Not
mentally, but physically.) Or is the cover a good representation of Kay and
Chase?
The cover is a pretty good representation, but
I have seen readers’ photos that really strike me as on-point. No well-known
stars, but models whose names I unfortunately don’t know.
7)
What made you decide on the Church?
That came about almost accidentally. I saw Kay
at her sister’s grave behind a small church, and then I imagined her working
there. What I liked about adding the church in is that Chase and Kay are not
particularly religious, yet their lives are entwined in this place of
worship.
8)
Have you ever typed Chase Gartner in google search? (If not, a
picture of Emma Watson and a stunning fellow pops up.)
I just typed it in, and I know that pic! It’s
from a reader’s review on Goodreads that I love.
9)
Tomorrow’s Lies will be released this October. Can you give us a spoiler or quote?
“My heart breaks, and I can almost see
the shards of what’s left of me falling into the darkness.” ~ Jaynie
(Tomorrow’s Lies)
When today's
promises become tomorrow's lies, how can you believe in anything . . . or
anyone?
Jaynie Cumberland has no idea how to trust again, so she’s given up on trying. Dumped in to the state foster care system at age fourteen, Jaynie spent three years treading water, just trying to get by.
Still, Jaynie always knew she was broken in some way. After all, why did her own mother abandon her? And following a harrowing experience at her first foster home, Jaynie’s worst fears are confirmed, leaving her feeling worthless and shattered.
Now Jaynie counts the days till she turns eighteen and can go out on her own. All she wants is to be free of everyone and everything. But before that can happen, she must make it through the next few months at one final foster home. There Jaynie meets a gorgeous, albeit rough-around-the-edges, boy who is dealing with the repercussions of his own turbulent past.
Flynn O'Neill is immediately taken with this new, fragile girl. He becomes determined to show Jaynie there is more to life than hurt and pain. Unfortunately, this new home they live in, one that promised to be a haven for unwanted kids, is more like a living hell.
So what do you do when you’re trapped and there’s no way out?
What if you fall in love and protecting the other person becomes the most important thing in your life?
What if something unthinkable happens, testing your love, and the stakes are raised higher than ever? Will you come out unscathed? Can today’s promises be kept? Or will they simply become more of tomorrow’s lies?
Tomorrow’s Lies is a beautiful story of an all-consuming love and broken people building a family out of nothing. It's about never giving up, even in the face of adversity.
New Adult/Coming of Age Romance
Jaynie Cumberland has no idea how to trust again, so she’s given up on trying. Dumped in to the state foster care system at age fourteen, Jaynie spent three years treading water, just trying to get by.
Still, Jaynie always knew she was broken in some way. After all, why did her own mother abandon her? And following a harrowing experience at her first foster home, Jaynie’s worst fears are confirmed, leaving her feeling worthless and shattered.
Now Jaynie counts the days till she turns eighteen and can go out on her own. All she wants is to be free of everyone and everything. But before that can happen, she must make it through the next few months at one final foster home. There Jaynie meets a gorgeous, albeit rough-around-the-edges, boy who is dealing with the repercussions of his own turbulent past.
Flynn O'Neill is immediately taken with this new, fragile girl. He becomes determined to show Jaynie there is more to life than hurt and pain. Unfortunately, this new home they live in, one that promised to be a haven for unwanted kids, is more like a living hell.
So what do you do when you’re trapped and there’s no way out?
What if you fall in love and protecting the other person becomes the most important thing in your life?
What if something unthinkable happens, testing your love, and the stakes are raised higher than ever? Will you come out unscathed? Can today’s promises be kept? Or will they simply become more of tomorrow’s lies?
Tomorrow’s Lies is a beautiful story of an all-consuming love and broken people building a family out of nothing. It's about never giving up, even in the face of adversity.
New Adult/Coming of Age Romance
S.R. Grey is an Amazon Top 100 Bestselling author and a Barnes & Noble #1 Bestselling author. She is the author of the popular Judge Me Not series, the Inevitability duology, A Harbour Falls Mystery trilogy, and the new Laid Bare series of novellas. Ms. Grey's novels have appeared on Amazon and Barnes & Noble bestseller lists in multiple categories, including #1 on the Barnes & Noble Nook Bestsellers list last year.
