Thursday, August 8, 2013

VBT: Amanda Cowen



Welcome to my stop on the Between Friends Blog tour! I've got the author, Amanda Cowen here for an interview and then I'm posting my review of the book!





tell me about yourself, and your writing.


I am a klutzy brunette who has an addiction to cupcakes and falling victim to watching every season of the Bachelor and Bachelorette. My writing is influenced by the world around me and I secretly use people I know and love to create my characters (which make my friends/family both nervous and honored). My writing is light and easy and I can promise no matter what, there will always be a HEA.  

How long have you been writing? How many published books do you have, and what genres?


I have been writing since I was about twelve years old. Before then, I was just an elaborate story teller (just ask my mother).
BETWEEN FRIENDS is my first published novel which is a Contemporary New Adult Romance.
I have plot lines and ideas for about ten other Contemporary New Adult Romances at the moment, but I am focused on completing my next novel to release in 2014 which has a bit more angst than BETWEEN FRIENDS.


Do you write in multiple genres or just one? If just one, do you ever consider straying outside your genre?


I have written a YA fantasy novel, but other than that, I know my strength is in Contemporary Romance and that is where my passion lies. I am a hopeless romantic and I love writing about love, sex and relationships, so if I do stray, there would always without a doubt be an element of romance involved in my writing.


Are you a plotter or do you write from the seat of your pants?


Plotter. I have to have every chapter outlined to a tee before I start.


What is a typical writing day like for you?


I turn on my Mac and pick a playlist that inspires me - right now it is Dierks Bentley’s CD “Up on the Ridge.” I make a cup of tea. And then I write away until my brain hurts.


Who do you love to read? Favorite authors, favorite books?


I love to read Chick-lit, Contemporary Romances, YA and New Adult Fiction.
My Top Three Favorite Books and their authors are:
1.      Hunger Games Trilogy – Suzanne Collins
2.      Beautiful Bastard – Christina Lauren
3.      Fallen Too Far – Abbi Glines

What is something you'd like to accomplish in your writing career next year?


I would love to write a novel entirely through the POV of a male. I have been secretly studying my brother (who is a personal trainer and a total alpha male playboy in a big city) in hopes of one day accomplishing a Contemporary Romance using my brother’s lifestyle as my guide.


If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?


Definitely to be telekinetic so I could freak people out by moving or manipulating objects with my mind.


If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?


I would want a House-elf like the wizards in Harry Potter so they could do all my housework. \\


Tell us a little about your latest release.


In BETWEEN FRIENDS, one drunken night, Megan risks her life-long friendship with Ben over a flip of a coin (heads, they sleep together, tails, they don’t)…when she wakes up the next morning with Ben in her bed, it makes her question if risking their friendship is the answer to finding true love.

What is something that you absolutely can't live without? (Other than family members)


 Fruit. I love fruit. All kinds of fruit. If I didn’t have any, I would die.


Would you ever co author a book with someone? If so, who would you choose, and what would you write?


I would totally co-author a book with someone. I would have to choose Megan Crane, because I love her writing style. I think we could bang out some sweet and light chick-lit with a sexy romantic flare.


If you could spend a day with anyone from history, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would you do? What would you ask them?


Louisa May Alcott the author who changed the face of literature for young women in the 19th century. Her novel, Little Women was one of my favorite books as a kid and inspired me to want to write. I would love to ask her a million questions about her writing and her inspirations over a cup of tea and a crumpet. It just seems fitting.


What are some of your other hobbies outside of writing?

I love cooking!

If you were on the staff to have a book adapted to movie, what would you pick?

Bared to You – Sylvia Day

What is a talent you wish you had, but don't?

Singing. I am tone deaf.

Favorite color?

 Yellow.

Weather: Hot or cold?

 Hot.

Favorite place to read?

Outside in a Hammock.

Favorite meal

Salmon and veggies.

Favorite non-alcoholic drink.

Milk.

If you could travel anywhere and do anything, no limits or money holding you back, where would you go?

 Italy.



Blurb:



The only way to have a friend is to be one…especially between the sheets…

When neurotically challenged and unlucky in love Megan Daniels is propositioned by her life-long friend Ben Romano with a coin toss (heads, they sleep together, tails, they don’t) the night before they are about to attend a destination wedding, she drunkenly accepts his challenge. But when Megan wakes up the next morning with a bad hang-over and Ben in her bed, she is more than mortified. It isn’t until the tropical heat begins to ignite emotions Megan never believed or thought she could possibly have, when she starts to question if risking their friendship is the answer to finding true love.

A cute and contemporary debut novel, BETWEEN FRIENDS faces one girl's struggle between the fine lines of friendship and love and the risk of opening up her heart to the possibility of forever.


Review Rating: 4 LIGHTNING BOLTS

Review:  To cross the line, or not....that is the question.

Megan and Ben have been friends for so long, but with one simple little coin toss, things change. The boundary lines from friends to more has now been crossed. Megan struggles with her decisions on what to do....Sometimes that line is a dangerous one to waver on. you never know what happens.

This is a fun book! I'll admit, Megan's back and forth feelings of to do or not to do can get a little annoying, but I can also see where she's coming from. When you've been friends with someone so long it's a hard choice to think about pursuing something more. There's a lot of questions in the back of one's mind, so i can get how she feels really torn about it.

The plot is enjoyable, the pacing is great! I do love a good friends to lovers story. I love the feelings it brings out in characters, and this one definitely had plenty of great emotions! It's light, fun, and an easy read. I enjoyed it, and am looking forward to more from the author.




Author Bio:   




Amanda Cowen can be found eating cupcakes, singing off-key, or watching a good RomCom when she isn't trapped on her computer writing stories and delighting her imagination. She has been writing since the ripe age of twelve about ponies and princesses in brightly colored duo-tangs with metallic pens. Thankfully, she now has a Mac with a keyboard where she can write about love, sex and relationships. She is an "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" fanatic, a hater of roller-coasters and a country music junkie. She lives in Thunder Bay, ON where the summers are short and the winters are long.

Amanda loves to hear from her readers! You can contact her via her website, www.amandacowen.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow her on Goodreads, or visit her blog.


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1 comment:

  1. Maria D.August 8, 2013 at 6:15 PM

    Thanks for the interview with Samantha and the review of Between Friends - it sounds like a fun book and both the book and Samantha are new to me. Congrats to Samantha on her new release!

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