#MMBBR #Showcase For You by S.E. Brown

Book title:  For You

Book series:  The Shore

Book number:   For You is Book 2 of The Shore Series, and can absolutely be read as a standalone

Genre:  Fiction | Romance | Contemporary Romance | Chick Lit | Love story with a “bit of heat”

Print length:  285 pages

Publisher:  Self-published, with several beta readers and a professional editor/proofer

Release date:  September 17, 2016

Book synopsis:

If you send something away, are you ever supposed to get it back? 

Madison is her own woman. She’s feisty, has one hell of a pottymouth and lives life on her terms, #thankyouverymuch. She doesn't let anyone or anything get in her way, that is, until a decision from her past and an unexpected connection take her carefree life in a different direction. Madison has to decide between the life she knows and a new journey full of promise and hope, and possible heartbreak. 

As Madison ventures into uncharted territory, will she face her fear or turn and run? 

Author’s note: For You is the second book in The Shore series, but may be read as a standalone. For You contains adult language and situations, and sexual content. It is not recommended for readers under the age of 18.

S.E. Brown is a back-roads-drivin, mac-n-cheese-lovin, ivory-keys-ticklin, flip-flop-wearin, Green-Bay-Packers-cheerin, mouse-freaked-out-fearin, peanut-butter-cookie-bakin, music-cranked-up-singin, writer of romance novels … with a bit of heat.

For You is her second published work.

Q.  What inspires your writing?

A.  My writing has been an escape for me, if I’m being honest. Almost eight years ago, my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She went through chemo and was in remission for just shy of five years. Then she got sick again. I spent a lot of time driving between my house and my parents’ (it’s about a 10-hour drive) so I could be with her. That left a lot of time for listening to books, thinking of storylines, etc. And whether I was at my house or theirs, it was easy to dive into the story I was thinking about and forget about reality for a while. Stories do that for us, only this time, I was the writer instead of the reader. 

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

A.  As a writer, we get to morph into our characters. Madison, from “For You,” is feisty and doesn’t think twice about saying what’s on her mind. It was fun living through her as I wrote the book, because that’s typically not me at all. I tend to sugarcoat things. It’s funny how we can learn things from the characters we develop. I’m trying to say more of what’s on my mind, particularly when it’s something I know I’d like to hear if someone told me. 

Q.  What is the toughest part of being a writer?

A.  I can’t decide between two, so I’ll give you both. The first one is when I get stuck. I tend to map out my stories so I have about 75 percent of the story before I start writing. I’ve learned the other 25 percent will come as I write - and sometimes it’ll take me in places I had never thought of. But sometimes I end up staring at a white page on the screen, the cursor just blinking at me. That’s tough. When the ideas just aren’t there, it gets frustrating. Really frustrating.

The second is putting your words out there for the world to read. In a lot of ways, it’s like opening your mind and allowing everyone to come inside for a peak. Will they like it? Will they think the story is dumb? To a large extent, writers need to have a pretty thick skin - or at least have a solid understanding that not everyone will like what you wrote, just like they probably don’t care for everything they’ve ever read. Hitting the “publish now” button is scary and exhilarating, all at the same time.

Q.  If you could not be writer, what would you do/be?

A.  This is a weird question for me. Although I just published my second book, I have a hard time thinking of myself as a writer. It seems like such a foreign concept! 

A couple years ago I graduated with a degree in web development. If I wasn’t doing what I was doing now, that’s what I’d like to do. Web development has an interesting mix of creativity and black and white. I’ve always liked that when coding, something either works or it doesn’t. Granted, there could be a multitude of ways to get it there, but it’s still pretty black and white. 

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A.  A friend of mine once told me I should write a book called “36 Hours of Susie.” I thought she was out of her mind (and I still do). Now that you ask that question, however, I think it’s got something. Life seems to be made up of big events - graduations, weddings, deaths, successes, failures, etc. We all have the everyday “stuff,” but it’s those events that drive the rest. And let’s face it, the every day stuff isn’t all that interesting. I think “36 hours of Susie” would work, because it could look at those events that made my life.

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A.  As odd as it sounds, I’d have to say “The Boxcar Children” by Gertrude Chandler Warner. It’s a series of children’s books that were read to my class while I was in elementary school. Of all the books I’ve read, I’ve always remembered those, and the feelings I had. For them to still have some sort of impact on me 30+ years later, I’d say they have to rank at the top.

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A.  Wow. This is a tough question! I just went through my Kindle and iBooks apps trying to pick a character and am amazed by how many books are in there - and how many I have to read!

I would have to say Kate Mularkey from Kristin Hannah’s “Firefly Lane.” (Another of my absolute favorite books.) I listened to this book while I was driving from North Carolina to Michigan and to this day, still remember where I was (geographically) at various parts of the book. I remember feeling a connection with Kate - who she was, what she was going through. She’s also someone I could see myself hanging out with.

Q.  What character from all of your books are you most like?

A.  Definitely Ryan from “The Shore.” While there are bits of me in Madison, and parts of Ryan I’d like to think do notresemble me, I think Ryan came out more like me because it’s what I knew best. 

Q.  Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

A.  I would say any of the Rock Chick books by Kristen Ashley. I loved all of those books, and I love how Kristen tied the couples together so we never really lost anyone throughout the series. Each book had it’s own “problem,” but they just seem like a great group of fun people. I think it would be a blast.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A.  Absolutely, without question: fall. Green Bay Packers football starts, big comfy sweatshirts get pulled from the dresser, the sky turns an amazing color of blue and the trees turned golden red. The only flaw is that after fall comes winter, but other than that, it’s perfect!

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)?  Or what is your favorite book cover and why?

A.  My favorite book covers are from E.K. Blair’s “Fading/Freeing/Falling” series. There is something so simplistic in the artistry, but they tell such stories! I don’t remember how I found the books, but the covers alone would have made me look. Even better - the written stories were amazing!

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A.  I’ve only done one book show as a writer, so I don’t have anything good to tell from that. However, I attended a show as a reader. The closer we got to the location, the more nervous I got. I was going to meet writers I admire, and it was freaking me out! I remember walking in and seeing S.E. Hall and Angela Graham. And then Kim Holden. And then Michelle Valentine. I totally fangirled. I spent so much money on books that day…

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A.  The pre-sale for “For You” just started, so I’m taking a little bit of time to catch up on some things that got left in the dust while I finished that book. However, I am excited to start the next book in The Shores series. I’ve had ideas running rampant in my mind for the last couple weeks that need to get down on paper. Soon. I’m looking forward to a vacation this fall that will take place in the same location as the book. Hopefully a LOT of writing gets done that week!

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A.  First, thank you to Emily for having me. And thanks to everyone who stopped by! I hope you found a new book or three that may have piqued your interest. And definitely … GO PACK GO! :)