A Taste Test Blog Tour

Today marks the official kick off to A Taste Test Blog Tour, and let me tell you I am rather freakin excited about it, y'all! (See! Southern accent alert, I must be really excited)

What can I say? There are just so many things to be excited about.
Not only will you get a chance to get to know some of the most exciting, up and coming YA Authors of 2012, you will also get a chance to win some Ah-Mazing prizes!
It's easy!
Follow the Blog schedule and see what's up for grabs 
HERE!

 I am also very excited to give everyone an exclusive sneak peek at my debut YA Romance. The Boys of Summer, that's featured in the sample.

It seemed only natural to nickname them the “Onslow Boys”. Every time they swagger in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’ s work. Their laughter loud and genuine as they settle onto their bar stools. I peek through the Restaurant partition; a flimsy divider from my world to theirs. I can’t help but smile when I see them, see him.... Toby Morrison.
            Quiet, 17-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of High School and have fun with her best friends before dreaded senior year begins.Summer is when everything happens. Riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show, and water fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.How did she let her friends talk her into this?
            Convinced nothing good can come of it after first shift disasters, rude wealthy tourists, and a taunting ex-boyfriend. Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’ who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer, and not worry about curfews. Tess’s world expands into a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love, and heartbreaking chaos.                          All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.
It will be a summer she will always remember.

Warning: Sexual references, and occasional course language.

The Inspiration behind the story:
I always tend to say that the Boys of Summer was born from NaNo month (National Novel Writing Month) however it stems from something much deeper than that. Yes, it was absolutely given life in an amazing NaNo session last year, but it stemmed from a story I have had floating in my mind since I was 11 years old.
It was an amazing discovery that this very story was something that has always been in my subconscious after all these years.
I wrote a blog post about the penny dropping moment called"Why I was in Tears"You can read the original post here:
http://can-duu.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/why-i-was-in-tears.html
Some stories are destined to be told, after 18 years I am finally able to make it a reality for that little girl who was brave enough to jot down an idea. For that reason the Boys of Summer will always be very special to me.

What do you love about writing?
There is an element of cringe-worthiness when I say writing to me is an extension of who I am. I know it’s rather cliché, but it is so deeply ingrained in me, and has been for so many years, it’s impossible to contemplate not doing it. In all my creative secluded wisdom, I must say I had never thought of it as something to share with others, never thought of it as a career, it’s not about sitting down at the desk to churn out a best-seller and retire from that check in the mail. For me, it’s not a job it’s just what I do; to be honest, I had never given it too much thought.
So why now? 
Because there is this immense satisfaction of being able to channel that creativity with others in the writing/reading community, being able to share and discover new talent and realize I am not alone! Cue the dreamy music and let me tell you about a little ditty called “Blog” a word my husband still can’t get his head around, but I assure him it’s a great thing. And it has been for me! A platform to vent and share my work to a group of like minded people who also help inspire you to believe in what you are doing. It has challenged me and made me take responsibility of my work, it’s all very new, exciting and oh yes overwhelming.
As I enter this new phase of embracing my inner writer, I have been able to network my writing through the wonderful world of blogging, where I discuss the trials and tribulations of independently writing my first book: 'The Boys of Summer'. By offering an insiders look at the struggles a writer goes through in order to put those words on paper. Being independent I write from the heart, no deadlines, no big bucks rolling, no movie deals, but that’s O.K. like I said it’s not what it’s about! The response has been over whelming and having been able to link into the Indie community has been truly inspiring. I look forward to giving you an insight to the wonderful world of Independent writing, the good the bad and the ugly. (Hopefully not too much of the latter)

For all the latest C.J Duggan news visit http://cjduggan.weebly.com/
Or Download a Sample of The Boys of Summer for FREE
HERE!

And above all enjoy the Blog tour!! x