BooksChatter: ℚ Keeping Her Secret: Endless Summer

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Sarah Nicolas to talk about Keeping Her Secret (22 August 2016, Entangled: Crush, 220 pages), a Young Adult Contemporary F/F Romance, part of the Endless Summer series.
"All of the important themes are here for a young adult book, self acceptance, bullying, dealing with parent problems, but the story never reduces to preachy or condescension.

I recommend the book completely, and if I were a teacher I would place it on my required summer reading list."- Bonajean M, Reviewer

"It was a quick read, but a very engaging and interesting one! Highly recommend for those looking for a swoony f/f YA romance." - Shelly Z, Reviewer
Author Q&A | Synopsis | Teaser | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

A very warm welcome to Sarah Nicolas; thank you for joining us!

"Thanks so much for having me at BooksChatter, Flora!"

What was the inspiration for Keeping Her Secret?

"This book was actually in answer to call from a publisher for a multi-author summer camp series called Endless Summer. I had been wanting to write a light-hearted f/f romance for a while, and when I started picturing this summer camp in the Blue Ridge mountains, Riya and Courtney popped into my head, begging for their stories to be told."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"Both main characters have a little bit of me in them, from different points in my life. Courtney represents where I came from (minus the money) and Riya represents where I’m striving to be. Riya’s love of volleyball comes from my own."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Keeping Her Secret - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I actually didn’t see the cover until it was more-or-less final. Entangled’s Heather Howland designed the cover and I’m so glad she incorporated my wishes: I really wanted to see two girls on the cover who looked to be in a romantic relationship."

Why should we read Keeping Her Secret and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"This book is probably the cheesiest romance I will ever write, but in a good way. I wanted these ladies to get that Disney-Channel Happy Ending that I never got to see for f/f characters when I was a teen."

Can you tell us something quirky about Keeping Her Secret, its story and characters?

"Riya is actually based on a girl I had a huge crush on in high school, but that was way before I was comfortable enough with my sexuality to even talk to her. She was a soccer player, not a volleyball player."

Who would you recommend Keeping Her Secret to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"Anyone! It’s pretty safe, with two very mild sexual situations and one scene where a character who doesn’t normally drink gets drunk. But I especially wrote it for bi/lesbian teenage girls who are discovering their sexuality and aren’t quite sure where to go from there."

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"My last book, Dragons are People, Too, was a YA urban fantasy with a snarky chinese-american heroine, so I like to write in pretty much any genre, except maybe historical. But never say never! I also write romance (contemporary and paranormal) as Aria Kane. I read pretty much any genre of YA or subgenre of romance. If I had more time, I would read more SFF, thrillers, and mysteries."

What is your writing process?

"Uh, haha, there’s a lot of cursing, some crying, and a moderate amount of wine? I have an addictive personality so my writing sessions are usually marathons of writing until I literally can’t keep my eyes open any more, for a couple of days, and then like a week of not writing at all. The editing process is totally more chill though, promise!"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"I have a dog (Jasper aka boobooface aka Bubba) and a cat (Athena the Wise), who I collectively call “The Monsters.” Here’s a picture of them taking care of me when I had food poisoning a couple of weeks ago (and my Legolas blanket… because.)"

LOL I hadn't even noticed you were under there :-D The collective name for our fur-babies is also "The Monsters"; as they are! BTW I watched your video on YouTube of Athena coming to your rescue, whilst Jasper is quite pleased with his ball :-P So funny. Good Athena!

Thank you for sharing them with us :-)