Interview and Excerpt: Rum Punch Regrets by Anne Kemp
Thanks to Anne Kemp for dropping by with a Q&A and excerpt from Rum Punch Regrets. Please visit her tour page at CLP Blog Tours for more information and a giveaway!
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?I've always loved to write, even when I was little. I'd enter creative writing contests in school and usually do well. I also attended camp every summer and the one I looked forward to the most was a creative writing camp. Those were good summers! Two weeks of writing all day. Loved it!
How would you describe your books?I think they're fun, light reads sprinkled with relatable characters. Well, at least I hope so!
Rum Punch Regrets is part of the Abby George series. What made you decide to have a series instead of a stand-alone book?Abby just needed more than just one book; She's a work in progress. We meet her at the toughest time in her life and take a journey with her as she is just beginning to figure "it" out. I really want to show her evolving, being the late-bloomer she is, finding love and having adventures she never thought she would have. Couldn't do all of that in just one book.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?Fighting distractions. From wanting to reorganize a closet to petting my dog, I sometimes look for ways to slack off, and you can't do that when writing. No, no, no!
What are your favorite genres to read?Romance, mystery/thriller and YA.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?I'm not a normal, traditional 9-5 type of girl, and there are a lot women out there just like me. I wanted us to have someone we could root for, someone who is flawed and human with tons of imperfections and lots of heart. I want readers to want to grab a drink with Abby or hang out with her. I want them to see that nobody's perfect and we're all trying to figure "it" out!
How important do you think social media is for authors these days? Very important. As authors we must create our product, market our product and sell our product. We're lucky we live in a time where we can do ALL of this simply by turning on our computer and connecting with the world. It's all about community and outreach.
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?Don't give up and learn to love the word "no." Rejection became a turn on for me - the more I was rejected, the harder I worked. Just as we find our voices in writing, we also find our team, our support group who will stand behind us 100% - that's your agent, editor and publisher. Get the right team on your side and you can do anything!
**Excerpt**
Morning came quickly. Abby had planned an early rise so she could have her coffee, waking up properly by sipping peacefully on her caffeine by the pool. She was so busy daydreaming that she didn’t see the gigantic centipede that had begun making its way across the terrace toward her bare foot. It was a big one, measuring about ten inches. And its little legs were swiftly bringing it closer to Abby’s unsuspecting feet. Snapping out of her dreamy state to see the pincered insect approaching quickly, Abby made a split-second decision. In her mind, she pictured herself jumping in a fluid motion from sitting position to standing on the chair, or maybe using the chair as a launching pad, like Jennifer Garner would in Alias, or Angelina Jolie in one of the Tomb Raidermovies, so she could jump over to the pool house, landing by the door, and get one of Ben’s boots, twirl around and pummel the rippling caterpillar-like demon to a bloody and deliberate death. Unfortunately, Abby wasn’t quite so graceful. When she saw the centipede, she let out such frightened, guttural sounds that one might be forgiven for thinking she was fleeing from a mass murderer. Meanwhile, she was trying to hoist herself on top of the chair to remove her feet and legs from harm’s way. But as luck would have it, her flip-flop caught one of the plastic chair rungs, making it wobble just long enough to make her lose her balance and descend into a slow-motion free fall. It was only fitting that at this precise moment Andrew emerged from the pool house to check on the commotion. As Andrew’s foot touched terra firma outside the front door, Abby was slowly falling backward, toward the pool. At the same time, while it was sinking in that she was about to fall into cold water at 7 a.m. for her own private hell of a wake-up call, her robe was beginning to slide off her body. Arms flailing as she tried to hold on to the small bit of fabric covering her bra and panties, Abby still had her eyes on the centipede and was barking at Andrew to “KILL IT!!!” She hit the water, chair still caught in her flip-flop -- her robe on the ground next to where she’d stood. Andrew was already using Ben’s boot to crush the centipede. As Abby raised her head out of the water, she watched as the creature lifted his body one last time toward Andrew before he delivered the crushing fatal blow. Abby bobbed in the water, breathing heavily, not sure what to do. Andrew turned, pointing at the centipede. “Got it,” he said, and grinned. “Great. That’s just great.” She was unhooking her shoe from the chair and putting them up on the side of the pool. “I’m glad.”*********************************************************************************** **Everyone who leaves a comment on Anne's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of Rum Punch Regrets before September 3 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Author Bio:
Anne Kemp is the author behind the Abby George Series, which includes her debut novella, All Fruits Ripe , and first novel, Rum Punch Regrets, which is available in print and as an eBook . She is also the columnist behind “Anne In Progress,” which appears monthly in the Frederick News-Post, a newspaper in the DC-Metro area. As a blogger, she was nominated for a 2012 Bloggers Choice Award for Best Humor Blog, and is known for penning “The Ultimate Late Bloomer.”Follow her on Twitter, @MissAnneKemp , or join her fans on Facebook for fun contests and giveaways. You can always find her at her website: www.annekemp.com .A portion of Anne's proceeds are donated to Lupus LA .
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?I've always loved to write, even when I was little. I'd enter creative writing contests in school and usually do well. I also attended camp every summer and the one I looked forward to the most was a creative writing camp. Those were good summers! Two weeks of writing all day. Loved it!
How would you describe your books?I think they're fun, light reads sprinkled with relatable characters. Well, at least I hope so!
Rum Punch Regrets is part of the Abby George series. What made you decide to have a series instead of a stand-alone book?Abby just needed more than just one book; She's a work in progress. We meet her at the toughest time in her life and take a journey with her as she is just beginning to figure "it" out. I really want to show her evolving, being the late-bloomer she is, finding love and having adventures she never thought she would have. Couldn't do all of that in just one book.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?Fighting distractions. From wanting to reorganize a closet to petting my dog, I sometimes look for ways to slack off, and you can't do that when writing. No, no, no!
What are your favorite genres to read?Romance, mystery/thriller and YA.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?I'm not a normal, traditional 9-5 type of girl, and there are a lot women out there just like me. I wanted us to have someone we could root for, someone who is flawed and human with tons of imperfections and lots of heart. I want readers to want to grab a drink with Abby or hang out with her. I want them to see that nobody's perfect and we're all trying to figure "it" out!
How important do you think social media is for authors these days? Very important. As authors we must create our product, market our product and sell our product. We're lucky we live in a time where we can do ALL of this simply by turning on our computer and connecting with the world. It's all about community and outreach.
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?Don't give up and learn to love the word "no." Rejection became a turn on for me - the more I was rejected, the harder I worked. Just as we find our voices in writing, we also find our team, our support group who will stand behind us 100% - that's your agent, editor and publisher. Get the right team on your side and you can do anything!
**Excerpt**
Morning came quickly. Abby had planned an early rise so she could have her coffee, waking up properly by sipping peacefully on her caffeine by the pool. She was so busy daydreaming that she didn’t see the gigantic centipede that had begun making its way across the terrace toward her bare foot. It was a big one, measuring about ten inches. And its little legs were swiftly bringing it closer to Abby’s unsuspecting feet. Snapping out of her dreamy state to see the pincered insect approaching quickly, Abby made a split-second decision. In her mind, she pictured herself jumping in a fluid motion from sitting position to standing on the chair, or maybe using the chair as a launching pad, like Jennifer Garner would in Alias, or Angelina Jolie in one of the Tomb Raidermovies, so she could jump over to the pool house, landing by the door, and get one of Ben’s boots, twirl around and pummel the rippling caterpillar-like demon to a bloody and deliberate death. Unfortunately, Abby wasn’t quite so graceful. When she saw the centipede, she let out such frightened, guttural sounds that one might be forgiven for thinking she was fleeing from a mass murderer. Meanwhile, she was trying to hoist herself on top of the chair to remove her feet and legs from harm’s way. But as luck would have it, her flip-flop caught one of the plastic chair rungs, making it wobble just long enough to make her lose her balance and descend into a slow-motion free fall. It was only fitting that at this precise moment Andrew emerged from the pool house to check on the commotion. As Andrew’s foot touched terra firma outside the front door, Abby was slowly falling backward, toward the pool. At the same time, while it was sinking in that she was about to fall into cold water at 7 a.m. for her own private hell of a wake-up call, her robe was beginning to slide off her body. Arms flailing as she tried to hold on to the small bit of fabric covering her bra and panties, Abby still had her eyes on the centipede and was barking at Andrew to “KILL IT!!!” She hit the water, chair still caught in her flip-flop -- her robe on the ground next to where she’d stood. Andrew was already using Ben’s boot to crush the centipede. As Abby raised her head out of the water, she watched as the creature lifted his body one last time toward Andrew before he delivered the crushing fatal blow. Abby bobbed in the water, breathing heavily, not sure what to do. Andrew turned, pointing at the centipede. “Got it,” he said, and grinned. “Great. That’s just great.” She was unhooking her shoe from the chair and putting them up on the side of the pool. “I’m glad.”*********************************************************************************** **Everyone who leaves a comment on Anne's tour page will be entered to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of Rum Punch Regrets before September 3 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Author Bio:
Anne Kemp is the author behind the Abby George Series, which includes her debut novella, All Fruits Ripe , and first novel, Rum Punch Regrets, which is available in print and as an eBook . She is also the columnist behind “Anne In Progress,” which appears monthly in the Frederick News-Post, a newspaper in the DC-Metro area. As a blogger, she was nominated for a 2012 Bloggers Choice Award for Best Humor Blog, and is known for penning “The Ultimate Late Bloomer.”Follow her on Twitter, @MissAnneKemp , or join her fans on Facebook for fun contests and giveaways. You can always find her at her website: www.annekemp.com .A portion of Anne's proceeds are donated to Lupus LA .
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