Thanks so much for agreeing to be with us today, Patty!
Thank you so much for hosting me!
What 5 things should readers know about you?
Well, I love books – reading them, writing them, collecting them, lending them. I love to talk about books. I am drawn to strong, feisty characters who do what has to be done, even when it hurts. I’m a huge supporter of women’s rights and honestly, don’t understand why everybody isn’t. Our country was founded on the principle of liberty and justice for all, so why is this such a difficult concept to practice? I just don’t understand. I have two children, both sons, who tell me they’re proud of me and that’s everything to me. Oh, I love chocolate – like love it the way a country singer loves his truck. I’d write songs about it if I could sing.
Songs about chocolate? I’d go for that! 😉
Where did the inspiration for this book come from?
If you open the cover of the book and read the dedication, you’ll understand this. Kimberly Sabatini, author of TOUCHING THE SURFACE, is an online friend I’ve never met in person. But we connected in a real way – first on Twitter, and then on the YA Outside the Lines blog. There’d been a number of public debacles involving social justice and people deleting their accounts after being called out for whatever comment they’d made that incited the public. Kimberly and I found ourselves on the same side of an issue – that calling out somebody online can way too easily cross over into harrassment. I decided to write a story in which call out culture and a viral tweet play a significant role after our discussions.
Nice!
How long have you been writing, and what (or who) inspired you to start?
I’ve been writing all of my life. I think writing is a natural progression from loving to read. Reading is my superpower. I can read entire novels in a matter of hours. I owe that to my mother, who taught me to read before I began school. As a shy and quiet kid, books became my friends, my escape, even my tutors. I never thought I had any real talent at it, tough. It wasn’t until a dare from my oldest son, who was in seventh grade at the time, that I tried to do it professionally.
A dare, huh? Interesting (and obviously effective) motivation!
What are you working on right now? What can readers look for from you in the next year?
I’m working on a companion book to Some Boys called Someone I Used to Know. Like Some Boys, this novel deals with rape and rape culture. Unlike Some Boys, this story focuses on how surviving a sexual assault impacts an entire family.
Sounds like a fantastic read—can’t wait!
What are you currently reading, and what are your thoughts about it so far?
I’m reading Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series. I’m about 12 books into the series so far and I find myself approaching circumstances in my life as if Jack or Mel Sheridan might walk in at any moment. I kind of wish Preacher would show up and cook for me. I’m truly immersed in the small mountain town Robyn’s created. The characters are larger than life, the love stories incredibly satisfying and the whole inter-connectedness of it all just addictive.
I love it when you can just immerse yourself into a fictional world like that!
If you had to “sell” your book in a single Tweet, what would you say?
Oh, what a great question. I should know this, since Twitter plays a big role in this story.
“Feelin’ so much pain, but the words still come out wrong. It can’t get worse; this is the way it hurts” @RIDE_OUT Are you #KrisVsEli?
Perfect! Thanks so much, Patty!
About Patty Blount:
Native New Yorker Patty Blount is the award-winning author of several critically acclaimed internet issues novels for teens as well as a few adult contemporary romances. She is inspired to write by such greats as Judy Blume, JK Rowling, and Gayle Forman. In fact, Judy Blume is the reason Patty elected to write under her real name…so she’d appear on shelves next to her idol. Patty adores writing; she’s written everything from technical manuals to song lyrics (see THE WAY IT HURTS, coming August 2017). Patty wants you to know she loves chocolate…really, really loves chocolate.
When not crushing on actors Gilles Marini or Sam Heughan, Patty can be found sitting in traffic somewhere on the Long Island Expressway, listening to audio books or talking wildly to herself about plots and characters. Prone to falling madly in love with fictional characters, Patty suffers frequent broken hearts when they all invariably prefer the heroine to her… go figure. When she’s not writing, Patty loves to watch bad sci-fi movies and live tweet the hilarity, and scour Pinterest for ideas on awesome bookcases. Patty lives on Long Island with her family in a house that, sadly, lacks bookcases.
Connect with Patty: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
Title: The Way It Hurts
Author: Patty Blount
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: August 1, 2017
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Pages: 352 pages
Format: Paperback and Digital
Print ISBN: 978-1-492632-788
Digital ASIN: B06XR172ZD
Synopsis:
There may be two sides to every story, but sometimes there’s only one way to set things right…
Music is Elijah’s life. His band plays loud and hard, and he’ll do anything to get them a big break. He needs that success to help take care of his sister, who has special needs. So he’d rather be practicing when his friends drag him to a musical in the next town…until the lead starts to sing.
Kristen dreams of a career on stage like her grandmother’s. She knows she needs an edge to get into a competitive theater program–and being the star in her high school musical isn’t going to cut it. The applause and the attention only encourage her to work harder.
Elijah can’t take his eyes off of Kristen’s performance, and snaps a photo of her in costume that he posts online with a comment that everybody misunderstands. It goes viral. Suddenly, Elijah and Kristen are in a new spotlight as the online backlash spins out of control. And the consequences are bigger than they both could have ever imagined because these threats don’t stay online…they follow them into real life.
Add to your “Want to Read” shelf: Goodreads
Available at: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iTunes
Elijah took my hands. “Okay, look. Maybe you’re right. Maybe these people are taking this whole battle thing way too seriously. If you’re scared, then we’ll stop. No more posts except for appearance information.”
“So no more battle of the sexes, no more make Kris scream?”
He held up his hand. “Swear to God.”
“Okay.” I sighed in relief. “You’d really do that?”
He leaned closer and repeated the vow. “I promise, Kris.”
And just like that, I forgot why I was mad at him. I couldn’t talk, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even blink because I was afraid he’d let go. This was the part of him I adored. I clung to him for a long moment, and when his gaze drifted to my mouth, I wondered if—hoped—prayed—he’d finally kiss me.
And then, Etta’s voice suddenly spoke inside my head. “Well, my God, darling, it’s the twenty-first century. What on earth are you waiting for? You can kiss him.”
I could. Yes. Yes, I could just lift my head and lean in and kiss Elijah Hamilton like it was a normal, ordinary occurrence.
Right. Like kissing Elijah Hamilton would ever be ordinary?
I’d watched him kiss that girl at the mall and was sure I’d memorized all the steps in his routine. He’d move in, grip my face between his hands, run his thumb along my jaw, and finally, glide his arm down around my body, pulling me against his own, all the while, peeking through his lashes to see if I enjoyed it.
I wasn’t sure when I decided—even what made me decide. I just touched my lips to his and waited.
It took a second or two. But then there was a sudden, tiny squeak from him, and I felt the pulse in his wrist leap under my fingertips.
And then, his hands were in my hair, angling my head just the way he liked it, his tongue brushing against mine, so soft it might have been my imagination…except imaginary kisses were never so intense. He kissed me like I was a song he wrote, lips wrapped around every word until it hummed with hidden meaning and promise, and his hands held me the way they held his guitar—like the music would stop if he let me go.
