Interview with Abbi Glines & a Giveway!

EXISTENCE captured my attention but THE VINCENT BOYS stole my heart. 

I was lucky enough to meet Abbi Glines at a book signing in Broken Arrow, OK back in June. And I have to admit, I was ridiculously star struck. You would have thought I was a giddy teenager meeting Robert Pattinson or something. I carried my signed copy of THE VINCENT BOYS around with me for the rest of the day week. She is every bit as charming as you would expect a Southern gal to be and I completely adore her.

So without further ado, please welcome Abbi Glines to A Dash of YA!

Thanks for letting me interview you Abbi!

Thank you for asking me :) I'm flattered you wanted to interview me.

I have read everything you have published to date and I have to say I am Team Beau all the way. Out of all of the swoon-worthy men you have created, who is your most favorite?

That's a hard question. I'm torn between two. Cage was by far the most fun to write. I enjoyed writing him and getting in his very naughty head. However, Sawyer was so wounded and made such bad decisions but REAL decisions. I understood him and I felt bad for him. So it's a tie between the two of them.

Where do you find your inspiration for your stories? How much would you say are “real life” experiences?

Other than setting and dialogue nothing I write is inspired from real life. Music inspires me. I'm also a people watcher. Body language and interaction between couples is something I pay attention to a lot. Then there is always, my overactive imagination.

I know that BREATHE was your debut novel, but was it the first one you wrote?

Yes. Breathe was the first complete novel I wrote. I tried writing many books before Breathe and never could finish them. Once I finished Breathe I realized I'd worked out my issues and I was on a roll.

You churn out books insanely fast (which is much appreciated by your impatient fans like myself!), how long does it typically take you to write a first draft?

One week.

Wow! That’s impressive! How many hours do you spend writing a day?

6-8... though, I've been known to write 12 hours straight.

Do you have an all-time favorite author? Who and why?

Yes. Jennifer Echols. I know that when she releases a book that I will read it in one sitting. I can't put down anything she writes. Her stories never disappoint. She also writes southern setting since she lives in Alabama too so that is fun for me to read. And no, I have never met her.

EXISTENCE was the very first book of yours I read and as much as I enjoyed it, I think I love your Sea Breeze series even more. Which genre is the most fun for you to write, Paranormal or Contemporary Romance?

I love writing Contemporary Romance. I won't lie. As much as I love Dank Walker, I can not wait until I am finished with Ceaseless so that I can write Preston's story.

Can you divulge a secret about Cage that no one else knows?

Yes, he looks like Channing Tatum in my head ;)

Yum! I can totally picture that!

CEASELESS (Existence trilogy #3) was just released on September 18th and JUST FOR NOW (#4 Sea Breeze series) on October 23rd, plus I heard you were writing a second story for Cage and Eva! Do you have any big plans for after that?

Yes. I have an urban fantasy trilogy that I will be releasing in 2013. However, the dates on that have changed. It is now going to be late 2013. I will be giving Ethan from The Vincent Boys a story next summer. AND If I can get to it, I have a stand alone New Adult romance that I want to write. Hopefully I can get it out by early spring.

As an author who has both self-published and gone the traditional route, what advice would you give to aspiring writers out there?

If you've written a book get yourself an editor and a cover artist. Make sure your cover is attractive and self-publish it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo. Grow yourself a fan base. Don't worry about having a publisher or an agent, just yet. Build up to that. When you're ready, you'll know. I love my agent and my new publisher for The Vincent Boys (Simon Pulse) but I wasn't ready for them back when I released Breathe (who was released by a small publisher. I still had to do all the marketing myself.) I had a lot of learning to do. I think you will grow more as an author if you have to figure out how to make a book successful without help. That, of course, is just my opinion.

A big thank you to Abbi Glines for taking the time out to answer this crazy fangirl’s questions!

If you haven’t had a chance to check out her books, I highly recommend them to everyone! You can find them all in e-reader format. The Vincent Boys and The Vincent Brothers are now available to pre-order in paperback and hardback format. They are both being re-released on Dec. 25^th with an extra 12,000 words and steamier scenes! Can’t wait for more Beau! *swoon*

And just because I love Abbi Glines so much and want you all to love her too, I'm going to give one lucky reader BECAUSE OF LOW or WHILE IT LASTS!

All you have to do is "follow" us and leave a comment telling which book you would like and whether you have a Nook, Kindle or prefer to read good old fashion paperbacks.

Piece of cake, right?!

For additional chances of winning, "like" A Dash of YA on facebook and/or tweet about this giveaway and leave us comments saying you did so!

I'll announce the winner one week from today--good luck!

Existence Trilogy with the novella LEIF

The Vincent Boys series

Sea Breeze series. Coming soon JUST FOR NOW