BooksChatter: ℚ♫ A Double Shot of Bourbon: Bourbon [2]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author A.C. Land to talk about A Double Shot of Bourbon (18 October 2016, AC Land, 331 pages), a Young Adult Romance, book two of the Bourbon series.

"I absolutely adored Charli and Luke's story and was super excited to dive right back into the town of Bourbon, Missouri where deadly secrets lurk behind every corner. When I discovered that this book was going to be told in Collin and Lonna's point-of-views I was ecstatic to see what their story had to offer. If you though the first book had many twists and turns, it does not compare!" ~ Aurora Hale (Whoo Gives A Hoot)

|| Synopsis || Trailer || Teaser: KCR Preview || The Series || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to A.C. Land; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

We love music; do you have a music playlist that you used in A Double Shot of Bourbon, or which inspired you whilst you were writing it?

"I don’t necessarily listen to music while I’m writing, but there are songs that make me think of my books, and Collin plays the guitar and has a special bond with music because he has a stutter and singing is one way he expresses himself.

The first three songs below are from the book, the others inspire Collin or remind me of the book."

What was the inspiration for A Double Shot of Bourbon?

"A Double Shot of Bourbon is set in a fictitious version of my very real hometown. It is too perfectly named for me to not use it, and I’ve heard from a lot of people how they wish they’d had the idea first. The ‘Bourbon’ in the books is different from the real Bourbon, but there are similarities that only the locals would recognize."

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

"Not myself necessarily, but I’m very close to my nephews as I’ve helped raise them since they were born. I didn’t realize I was writing characters with personalities and a bond similar to theirs until someone else pointed it out to me."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for A Double Shot of Bourbon - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I absolutely love the cover for A Double Shot of Bourbon. The model on the front is a dead ringer for Collin. The theme of the cover (with she snap ‘shots’ of pictures on the side) matches up to the first book in the series, A Shot of Bourbon.

Anita Carroll with Race Point US did a phenomenal job capturing the theme of the books."

Why should we read A Double Shot of Bourbon and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"A Double Shot of Bourbon is different from other books in the NA genre because it takes place in high school, but it is very much too racy to be considered YA."

Can you tell us something quirky about A Double Shot of Bourbon, its story and characters?

"It’s kind of funny, but I named the character Lonna because my mom had said that Lana wasn’t pronounced the same. (Turns out it was). But I actually went to school with a girl (who looks scarily like Lonna) and her name is Alonna. It doesn’t really matter how many times I try to say that it was a complete coincidence, it’s hard to deny the similarity. (They even have the same middle name!) I maintain that I’d sort of forgotten about that girl and it really was a coincidence."

Who would you recommend A Double Shot of Bourbon to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I would recommend A Double Shot of Bourbon to anyone who likes romance, particularly NA romance. I can’t exactly recommend it to teenagers (and I wouldn’t) because the language and content is a bit ‘edgy’ for minors to be reading. While the story is realistic and not too sexually explicit, it’s just not something I feel okay marketing to kids."

If you could / wished to turn A Double Shot of Bourbon and the Bourbon series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Lonna definitely has an air of Marilyn Monroe to her. She’s a beautiful (almost too beautiful) girl with a terrible self esteem. I’ve never really found anyone right for Collin, but I’m sure he’s out there.

I’ve always seen the book series as more of a tv series as opposed to movies. I think with all of the different characters and anti heroes a tv series has plenty of material to draw from."

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

"I like to write about high school because it’s a point in life that most people can relate to, having experienced it. However, I enjoy writing romance, so there’s a fine edge between steamy romance and tame YA books. It’s definitely a genre I would like to read more of if there were more books in it. I only know of a few, but I think it’s a genre that has a good market."

What is your writing process?

"I have to go into a quiet room, usually with my ears plugged (not even any music) to block out the outside world and really submerge myself in my stories."

What is in store next?

"A Double Shot is actually the second book in a trilogy. (There are other stand alone books, but these three go together). They follow the story of two brothers as they discover the truth about their convict father and ultimately overcome the crappy card they were dealt."

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 two dogs, ironically named Riley and Charlie (Two character names from the books, except my characters are girls and my dogs are boys). I’m absolutely a dog-lover and they’re my babies. Riley sleeps at the foot of the bed and Charlie sleeps right beside me on the ground—he’s too big to fit up there with us.

Here’s a snap of me and Riley and one of my nephew and Riley, both dressed up for Halloween.

Charlie’s still a puppy so it’s hard to get him to stand still long enough for a picture. "

Thank you for sharing! Love the pics, especially the one with your nephew :-) A big hello to him! *waves*, and of course lots of cuddles to the two gorgeous furbabies, Riley and Charlie!