Summer Crush by Sasha Hibbs ~ S.D. Wasley ~ Melissa Frost ~ Diana Stager ~ Deanna Dee ~ Bridie Hall

 Summer Crush

A Multi-author YA anthology

Sasha Hibbs  *  S.D. Wasley  *  Melissa Frost  *  Diana Stager  

 Deanna Dee  *  Bridie Hall

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Summer Crush: A wonderfully romantic boxed set of Upper YA short stories by today's hottest authors.
Summer is the time for lazy days at the beach, sun-kissed hair, flip-flops, and sizzling nights with a new crush.  Those stolen glances and first kisses can quickly spark a flame. However, the road to love isn’t always a smooth ride.
Every Summer has a story, whether it’s a second chance on love, seeing a friend in a different light, or taking a step in a new direction with someone special. Love and long days create endless possibilities, but can a summer crush really last?

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Interviews:

I am honored to welcome all six authors of the Summer Crush anthology here today. Each author has allowed me to ask them a couple of questions. I think you will enjoy these short little interviews as much as I did. 

Crystal: How did you come up with the idea for your current release or your current WIP? 

Bridie Hall: The inspiration for An Ocean of Their Own was the idea of unexpected and powerful emotions that made the protagonists question themselves and ultimately discover unknown facts about themselves. I wanted the story to be a story about self-discovery as much as it is a story about love. 

Crystal: Do you like to snack on anything while you are writing? If so would you mind telling us your favorite snack? 

Bridie Hall: I don’t snack while writing, but I do guzzle unhealthy amounts of coffee.

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Crystal: How did you come up with the idea for your current release or your current WIP? 

Diana Stager: It sounds kind of cliché to say that the idea just came to me, but it’s what happened. A teen mom isn’t usually the star of a romance, especially when the hero isn’t the baby’s father, but I wanted to do something different. Life changes for young women who become pregnant but they still deserve to have a happily ever after.

Crystal: Do you like to snack on anything while you are writing? If so would you mind telling us your favorite snack?


Diana Stager: Coffee, coffee, coffee. And chocolaty pastries. 

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Crystal: How did you come up with the idea for your current release or your current WIP? 

Deanna Dee: My story in the Summer Crush anthology, Boarderline Love, actually started as a companion piece to my self-published series. As I got more into the story, though, I realized that my characters weren’t staying in the neat little molds I needed them to fit. So I changed some names and reworked a few details. Suddenly, the story worked, and I had this new world to explore.

Crystal: Do you like to snack on anything while you are writing? If so would you mind telling us your favorite snack? 

Deanna Dee: I don’t really eat while writing. (Can’t eat, writing.) But I will take breaks to snack. This often takes the form of a granola bar or these low-fat cheese curl type things called Pirate Boody that are delicious. However, if my boyfriend’s recently made something tasty (most recently, banana bread) that takes precedence.

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Crystal: How did you come up with the idea for your current release or your current WIP? 

Melissa Frost: I was in the mood to write a Romeo and Juliet type story of forbidden love. When Evernight Teen announced they were doing an anthology about summer love, it felt like the perfect opportunity to work in my love story. It started out about a forbidden relationship, but the overall message became more important. The story became about not judging someone by the opinions of others. Had Olivia trusted the rumors about Gavin, she would have missed out on her summer romance.

Crystal: Do you like to snack on anything while you are writing? If so would you mind telling us your favorite snack?

Melissa Frost: Oh my! Well, this question is an amusing one for me. I’ve always been a fan of writing with a wine glass of juice within reach. Never wine. Always juice. In a fancy glass. This question is amusing to me because I was pregnant while writing this story (I’m due October 9th). So yes, of course I was snacking. On more than one occasion I had a box of goldfish crackers beside me. And one night, my husband caught me with a pan of fries beside me as I wrote. Literally the pan from the over, right there beside me. The big question is – am I ever not snacking?

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Crystal:  How did you come up with the idea for your current release or your current WIP? 

Sasha Hibbs: I came up with the idea for Sutton Summer last summer while swimming at Sutton Lake—in West Virginia—with my cousin. I told her it would be the perfect setting for a YA Contemporary romance. When I saw the antho call from my publisher, it hit me then. I literally sat down and wrote Sutton Summer in 2 evenings after getting off work. So, the idea was kind of already there, it took the antho call to put the fire under my fingertips. 

Crystal: Do you like to snack on anything while you are writing? If so would you mind telling us your favorite snack? 

Sasha Hibbs: I love to snack, just not when writing. It gets the keyboard messy :) But my favorite snack is definitely some buffalo dip, bleu cheese dip and some tortilla chips! 

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Crystal: How did you come up with the idea for your current release or your current WIP? 

S. D. Wasley: I normally write paranormal, with romance as a kind of secondary theme, so I was a little uncertain about launching into straight romance. How did I solve the problem? Wrote it from the boy’s perspective! In my experience, boys feel deeply but don’t always express it so easily, and I liked the idea that I could attack the romantic feelings with a sort of awkwardness and humor. I also liked being able to teach Ryan a little lesson as he went along—he started out a bit spoilt and selfish, and he learnt how to be selfless, giving and resourceful—and what it means to care about someone else even more than yourself. The most fun bit for me was writing about the magical flying ninjas and what they did with Ryan’s heart (I got to learn about ninja weapons like katana swords, which was pretty cool). This story was pure fun to write and I was able to sneak in a bit of supernatural stuff too ;)

Crystal: Do you like to snack on anything while you are writing? If so would you mind telling us your favorite snack? 

S. D. Wasley: I snack on coffee! Actually, I eat all my meals at my desk if I’m in the ‘writing zone.’ So it’s anything from breakfast cereal to tuna salad. I have to shake my keyboard upside down a lot. But my go-to snack has probably long been air-popped popcorn.

Thanks for having us Crystal!

Buy Links:

Amazon     Evernight Teen

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About the Stories: 

Sutton Summer by Sasha Hibbs
After breaking Dylan’s heart last year, McKenzie returns to Sutton Lake for another summer. McKenzie realizes love was in front of her the entire time, but is it too late for Dylan to forgive her?

Exquisite Torture by S. D. Wasley
Stuck at his Gran’s house in a deadbeat town for the entire summer, things suddenly don’t seem so bad when 16 year old Ryan meets gorgeous Connie. But why is she so cagey about where she lives? Is there something more to Connie than he first thought?

Forbidden by Melissa Frost
The new guy in town has a bad reputation and a bad boy demeanor to go with it. Even so, Olivia can’t help feeling drawn to Gavin. Can she convince her mother he’s not the delinquent everyone believes, or will his past tear them apart?

Borderline Love by Deanna Dee
Nearly drowning wasn’t part of Dalya’s vacation plans. Neither was being rescued by a guy with a perfect six pack and a haunted look in his eyes. Mason reminds Dalya too much of her over- protective older brother, but when he offers to teach her to surf, she can’t say no. Can Dalya get past her frustration with her brother to realize how much Mason means to her?

An Ocean of Their Own by Bridie Hall
Lola spends her days trawling the sand dunes in search of the perfect subject for her art. She finds it in a solitary, beautiful girl. Sarah doesn’t just fill the pages in her sketchbook, she enchants Lola’s heart too. But how can Lola tell her family about Sarah?

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About the Authors:

Sasha Hibbs is a nurse living in mountainous West Virginia with her husband, two daughters, and lives in her own imaginary world where she’s plotting her next story. 

Diana Stager is a teacher who writes in her spare time and lives with her husband and kids in Ontario, Canada. 

Deanna Dee is a full-time writer living in sunny North Carolina, where she takes full advantage of the beach whenever she can. 

S.D. Wasley is an author, copywriter and daydreamer living in Western Australia where she wrangles chickens, cats, dogs and children on a daily basis. 

Melissa Frost is a young adult author who lives near Pittsburgh PA with her husband, their son Marshall, and their soon to be daughter Adalynn.

Bridie Hall is a translator and editor who spends every free minute writing and reading.

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The Dating Tutor: Matt’s Story By Melissa Frost ~ Interview ~

The Dating Tutor: Matt’s Story 

By Melissa Frost

Crystal: I am so happy to have Melissa Frost stop by for a short interview today. Welcome Melissa! Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Melissa: Hi! I’m Melissa Frost. I’m the author of the Dating Tutor series. I also had a short story titled Coming Home in an anthology titled Night Life. My most recent release was the third book in the Dating Tutor series – Matt’s Story.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Melissa: One of my favorite elements to this series is the sports. There is a scene in Matt’s book where he and Sasha are playing a game of one on one soccer in the rain. It gets very competitive and extremely muddy. Here is an excerpt from that scene. I hope the readers enjoy it as much as I loved writing it.

There was sweat running down the center of Matt’s back, and his blond hair clung to his forehead in clumps. His heart was pounding in his chest, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he watched Sasha coming toward him with an aggressive curve of her lips.
With appreciation, his eyes tracked the way she moved with the soccer ball. She darted forward, juking and dodging so he couldn’t pin down which direction she’d be shooting from. If he’d learned anything in the past hour, it was that she was damn good at her sport. He had a new appreciation for soccer. In fact, he had a new appreciation for women’s sports in general, because Sasha was one tough chick.
He focused in on the ball, watching her shift it from one foot to the other. Her feet danced in complicated steps, all of them meant to confuse him. Somewhere in his subconscious, he noted thunder rumbling in the background, but he ignored the first raindrops as they began to fall. He tried to block out everything but the ball. All that mattered was that ball and where it was coming from.
The rain didn’t seem to bother Sasha either, because she kept coming without the slightest hesitation. She was nearly on top of him now. With a hard, targeted kick, she sent the ball sailing in his direction.
Matt jumped to his left and knocked the ball away with his elbow.
Sasha was on the rebound like a dog on dropped scraps of table food. She recovered the ball and was darting away, making a rush for the right side of the net before he even processed the save. Taking advantage of his slower reactions, she took a second shot.
Matt dove across the net in a desperate attempt to keep her from scoring. He barely managed to bat the ball away with his outstretched hand. He watched it rebound back to her as he fell to the grass, grunting in discomfort.
Sasha showed no mercy as she buried the ball in the far left side of the net. “Goal!” She raised her arms in the air in victory. Dancing backwards away from him, she cheekily said, “Not too bad. For a hockey player.”
Matt lay on the ground for a moment, his breath escaping him in harsh exhales. Rain pattered down on his back, soaking through his shirt. He ignored it and pushed to his feet. “Okay,” he said. “You had your fun. Now it’s my turn.”


Crystal:Where did you come up with the idea for your current release?

Melissa: Matt was in the second book of the series and had more to say. He was close friends with the main character, but we didn’t get to see much from him. I felt he deserved a spotlight. As a result, book three was born. 

Crystal: What are you currently working on?

Melissa: I have plans to write Sasha’s story next. We saw Matt’s version of their courtship. Now it’s time to see what Sasha thinks in return.

Crystal: Do you have any special routine that you follow when you are writing? 

Melissa: I have a five year old son, so my writing schedule pretty much revolves around him. Whenever he’s at pre-school, I get some work done. Whenever he naps, I get some writing in. 

Crystal: Did you have to do a lot of research for this book or any other? If so do you have a fascinating fact that you have learned you would like to share with us?

Melissa: I did have to do some research for this story. My son plays soccer as well as hockey, but he’s new to both sports. I had to do some research, more for the soccer than the hockey, to find out different positions, offensive moves, and regulations. I already knew the basics, so I didn’t learn anything too exciting. It is interesting to know that hockey pucks are made out of vulcanized rubber, though. I feel smarter knowing that. Haha.

Crystal: Who are some of your favorite authors that you like to read?

Melissa: I enjoy a multitude of young adult authors. One of my favorites is Eoin Colfer, the author of the Artemis Fowl series. I love Artemis. It was such a brilliant idea to start the series off through the eyes of the “bad guy”. 

Crystal: Is there any genre you haven't written that you would like to try?

Melissa: I think I would enjoy writing a “Wild, Wild, West” type story. I think that would be extremely enjoyable. It would take a lot of research though, as I’m not very familiar with Westerns.

The Dating Tutor, 3

Matt Wendell is perfectly content in his single life. That is until Sasha walks into it. Being the cousin of his best friend Alec, Sasha is off limits. She’s the one girl he can’t have, and the only one he wants. Even if he wasn’t restrained by the ‘friends only’ stipulation, Sasha has put up a wall around her heart that is going to be hard to tear down. 

Alec introduces the two under the strict instructions that Matt is to learn how to become friends with a woman. This task proves difficult, as Matt’s only interaction with the opposite sex has been of a romantic nature. As time goes on and their friendship strengthens, things get more and more challenging, because the more he learns about Sasha, the deeper his feelings for her become. 

Can this non-committal guy change his ways? And can he convince Sasha that he’s in this for the long haul? 

14+ for sexuality and adult situations
Contemporary Romance, @30k

Buy Links:

Evernight Teen / Amazon / AllRomance eBooks / Bookstrand 

Author Bio:

Melissa Frost grew up loving young adult novels and continues to immerse herself in the current authors on the market. In the fifth grade, she won a writing competition to work with children’s author Colleen O'Shaughnessy Mckenna, and it inspired her to write stories of her own. She never looked back.

The Dating Tutor: Matt’s Story By Melissa Frost ~ Book Tour ~ Giveaway

 The Dating Tutor: Matt’s Story 

By Melissa Frost

Giveaway:  $10 Evernight Teen Gift Card. Please use the RaffleCopter below to enter.



The Dating Tutor, 3

Matt Wendell is perfectly content in his single life. That is until Sasha walks into it. Being the cousin of his best friend Alec, Sasha is off limits. She’s the one girl he can’t have, and the only one he wants. Even if he wasn’t restrained by the ‘friends only’ stipulation, Sasha has put up a wall around her heart that is going to be hard to tear down. 

Alec introduces the two under the strict instructions that Matt is to learn how to become friends with a woman. This task proves difficult, as Matt’s only interaction with the opposite sex has been of a romantic nature. As time goes on and their friendship strengthens, things get more and more challenging, because the more he learns about Sasha, the deeper his feelings for her become. 

Can this non-committal guy change his ways? And can he convince Sasha that he’s in this for the long haul? 

14+ for sexuality and adult situations
Contemporary Romance, @30k

Buy Links:

Evernight Teen / Amazon / AllRomance eBooks / Bookstrand 

Excerpt:

“You’re telling me you just walked right out?” Alec’s voice held confusion and disbelief as he repeatedly tossed a hockey puck into the air, catching it each time it returned to hand level.
“I’m telling you, I walked out. No hassle. No fuss.” Matt leaned back against the wall of their dorm room. His hockey stick was in his hands, and he balanced a puck on the blade.
“And you’re okay with that?”
Something in Alec’s tone put him on edge. Shoulders tensing, Matt gave his best friend a dirty look. “Not all of us are looking to meet Mrs. Right at eighteen. I’m just having a little bit of fun. That’s what college is about.”
Alec shook his head with an expression of amusement. “She used you man, plain and simple.”
“Maybe I liked being used.”
“You liked being used?” Alec gave a snort. “No one likes being used.” 
Running a hand through his unruly hair, Matt shot Alec a look of frustration. “What would you like me to do? I’m not like you. I didn’t live next door to the love of my life. Meeting the right girl isn’t going to just happen, not like it did for you.”
“Ever wonder why that is?” Alec shot him a pointed look, pausing in his casual game of catch.
“No. But I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
Alec shot him a crooked grin. “I am.” Clutching the puck tightly against his palm, he pointed his index finger at Matt. “You go after the absolute worst girls. The dumb, giggly, annoying types. Your problem is that you don’t know how to be friends with women. Therefore, you pick the ones least likely to engage you in real conversation.”
“Friends?” Matt couldn’t keep the skepticism out of his voice. “You want me to enter the friend zone?” He shook his head. “You’re delusional.”
“I was friends with Ellie before we hooked up.”
“That’s different!” Matt waved this off. “You grew up together. And honestly, I feel like you two defied the odds. You guys are weird freaks of nature who shouldn’t exist.”
Alec only grinned at this. “Thanks.” His expression grew solemn. “I’m serious though, Matty. I think you just don’t know how to be friends with a woman. I think it’s keeping you from meeting the right type of girl. If you’d only just try it…”
Matt threw up his hands in exasperation. “I just don’t know how, Alec! I wouldn’t even know where to start. I’m used to hockey, and fist fights, and all that stupid shit girls hate. The minute they start talking about lip gloss, I zone out.”
Alec rolled his eyes. “They don’t actually hold many discussions about lip gloss, you know? Not that I’ve seen.” He waved this irrelevant comment off. Then he set Matt with a determined and meddling look. “If I found a girl for you to befriend, would you give it a shot?” He held up a hand before Matt could protest. “I’m not talking about a date. I’m talking about forming a friendship. Just take her to dinner, hang out, and learn to socialize and talk with girls without any pressure to make out at the end of the evening.”
“And where are you going to find a girl willing to waste an evening out with a guy there’s no chance of hooking up with? Seems like a waste of time.”
Alec grinned. “My cousin Sasha goes to school here. She’s a sophomore. She owes me a few favors. Maybe I’ll cash in and make her hang out with you for an evening or two.”
“You’re going to blackmail a chick into hanging out with me?”
“Sure am,” Alec said with a cheeky grin.
The thought was so absurd, Matt nearly laughed. He’d never had any trouble finding himself dates. Girls tended to hang onto his every word, and hang onto his arm too. Having to blackmail a woman into spending time with him was downright ridiculous. But what could it hurt? It was only one evening.
“Fine. You win,” Matt said with a huff. “I’ll hang out with your cousin.”
Alec’s lips spread into a slow grin. “Game on, my friend. Game on.”

Author Bio:

Melissa Frost grew up loving young adult novels and continues to immerse herself in the current authors on the market. In the fifth grade, she won a writing competition to work with children’s author Colleen O'Shaughnessy Mckenna, and it inspired her to write stories of her own. She never looked back.



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