The Perfect Boyfriend by Renee Novelle
(Boyfriend #2)
Synopsis:
The Perfect Boyfriend picks up right where we left Reagan and Ian in The Boyfriend List.
As their friendship blossoms quickly into a steamy romance, Reagan and Ian have to learn to navigate their shifting relationship…and everything that entails. But their newfound bliss doesn’t come without a few unexpected challenges.
In the midst of realizing just how sweet the romance can be between them, and all the benefits of their new dynamic, Reagan is informed that her ideal situation has changed. Not only will she need to begin taking on more classes to speed up her graduation date, but she’ll also have to start looking for a job to supplement her fading income. Meanwhile, Ian has chosen to pull out of school once his father is diagnosed with a terminal illness in order to help manage the family business and spend time with him while he still can. But he wrestles with the guilt of leaving Reagan behind, and the pressure of his new responsibilities.
As the two meet their new challenges head-on, they’ll be forced to discover whether or not they’re as compatible as lovers as they were as friends. With their focus pulled in so many directions, will they have what it takes to keep a long distance relationship alive? Can Ian prove that he’s still be the perfect boyfriend, or will they fold to statistics under the growing tensions of their lives? Throw in some manipulative exes, a new boss with an inflated ego, and a co-worker from hell and the two have a recipe for either a fairy tale ending, or a complete disaster.
The Perfect Boyfriend is a New Adult Romance about trust, love, and discovering the true depths of personal strength.
Renee’ Novelle is Preceded by a long line of published family members, including Pulitzer Prize nominated author and Poet Laureate of Kentucky Jesse Stuart.
As a child, Novelle was already gaining recognition for several of her works, and in her formative years, she continued this trend by earning local awards for her short stories and poems.
Inspired to cultivate her talent, Novelle pursued freelance journalism and has found placement of 75 of her pieces in both online and print publications since 2008. Additionally, she has written multiple screenplays, and contributed her savvy, effective writing style to many non-profit and for profit organizations. She launched several blogs over the years, which garnered international attention.
In 2013, Novelle returned to her first love – fiction. She writes psychological and paranormal thrillers, as well as contemporary fiction and new adult fiction. For a complete schedule of upcoming releases, please visit www.RSNovelle.com
Though she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Communication, Summa Cum Laude, she considers herself a constant student of the written word. She’s an avid reader, an enthusiastic quote poster, and rarely takes “no” as a final answer. She has an unhealthy obsession for theater, dance, music and art, and strongly believes that wine is simultaneously the beginning of, and resolution to, all of life’s problems. She believes in following dreams, and that in the end, you always end up where you're meant to be.
Interview:
Please start by telling us a little about yourself (education,
jobs, significant other, children, pets, etc.)
Hmmm...where to start.... I come from a family of writers,
and can’t remember a time when I wasn’t jotting down stories in some way. It’s
always been a really fun hobby for me. I worked as a freelance journalist for a
while and really enjoyed it. It’s a huge thrill for me to see my name in print
in magazines. I grew up in Gainesville (Go Gators!) where I got a degree in
performing arts, and later on got my degree in Communications. Now I live in
beautiful Southwest Florida, have two cats that I consider to be my children,
and try to balance writing with everything else in my life. I love art,
history, fashion, wine, yoga, and consider myself to be a bit of a foodie – but
I tend to lean towards more natural and organic restaurants, which is difficult
because there aren’t too many in this area yet. I love the beach, but the
Florida heat can be brutal so I’m more inclined to go in the evenings when it’s
more relaxing.
Tell us about your latest New Adult book and what inspired
you to write it.
I actually got the idea for the first book in this series
when I was in college myself. We all have those lists that we make in our heads
of what our perfect partner looks like, so I thought it would be fun to play
with that idea. When The Boyfriend List released, a lot of reviewers and
readers were telling me they wanted more of Ian & Reagan and needed to know
what happened next in the story. So, I decided to give them what they wanted,
and developed the idea for The Perfect Boyfriend. It’s not meant to be overly
dramatic or sexual or anything like that. I really wanted it to reflect real
life possibilities as much as it could, and I hope that’s what readers will
find. And yes, for everyone who’s a die-hard Petra fan... she’s going to get
her own book. And it’s going to be awesome, lol.
The New Adult genre is fairly new. What's your definition
of it? How does it differ from Young Adult or just regular Adult books?
For me, the NA genre is about those college years, or the
few years immediately, after where you’re really figuring out who you are as an
individual and as an adult. Some people figure that out faster than others, but
it’s kind of that crossroads in life. You’re not exactly a kid still and under
your parents guidance/control, but you’re still figuring out how to navigate
the “adult” world and everything that involves. It’s where you grow and blossom
and become the person you’re meant to be. The Young Adult genre focuses more on
the teen years, when you’re still tied to your parents, but you’re just
figuring out how to claim independence and what that means in your life. And in
the regular Adult genres, you’re kind of have an idea of who you are and what
you want out of life, but life can get messy and have many ups and downs that
you may have to navigate. NA is that brief, but sweet, time in between.
Do you belong to any critique groups and/or do you have
other people read your work as you're writing it? Who's brutally honest and
who's a cheerleader? Which do you prefer?
I don’t really belong to any groups, but I have a core group
of people who I trust to read and critique my writing. Some of them are family,
some are people with publishing/writing backgrounds. The people in the industry
are the most brutally honest with me, and my mom of course is my die-hard
cheerleader. I like having a nice balance in the two styles though. Because I
do this for fun and really for myself, I like to have people who are
encouraging. But I don’t want to put something out there that’s less than what
I’m capable of achieving, so having someone who can be honest with me is really
important too.
What are your all-time favorite authors/books?
There’s so many I would have no idea where to start!
Do you outline before you write or just dive head-first
into a manuscript? Do you maintain a schedule for writing, or is it
more haphazard?
I’m a die-hard outliner. If I don’t, I get lost in the story
and it ends up going nowhere fast. I tend to try to balance a lot of things in
my life, so I have to schedule everything into my days, including my writing
time. If I left it up to chance, I would never sit down and write. There’s just
too many fun distractions. I’m really bad about giving myself firm deadlines
too. I’m very strict with myself about when I want to have a book completed
when I start it!
Where do you do your
best writing? (Ex: desk in your office, public library, under a tree in the
park, in front of a Real Housewives
TV marathon, etc.) Do you like music or some other background noise, or do you
need quiet?
I tend to do my best writing in my office, where it’s quiet.
Music tends to inspire me all throughout the day, but when I actually sit down
to my computer, I need a space that’s completely quiet.
What are the best and worst parts of writing a book?
The best part is hearing that others have enjoyed the little
world and characters that you created. Stories are such a subjective thing, so
when a reader really connects with your style, it’s fantastic! The worst part
about writing for me is the book is never good enough no matter how many times
I edit and rewrite it, so I never feel like it’s completely done. I’ve sat on
books for ten years because it’s never good enough to let go of!
When you're driving
and you have a sudden, brilliant idea for the new manuscript you're working on,
what do you do? (Ex: pull over and fire up the laptop, keep driving while
scribbling on a McDonald's bag, tell Siri, etc.)
That depends on where I am! I keep little notepads with me
to scribble ideas on. Sometimes I’ll text or email them to myself if I’m at the
grocery store or something like that.
Imagine you have a whole day free for shopping. Where do
you go? (Mall, unique boutiques, flea market, antique shops, bookstore, home
improvement store, etc.)
I’m not a mall person. I honestly tend to do all my shopping
online because crowds of people aren’t my thing. But if I am out and about, I
love wondering through boutiques and bookstores. There intimacy and uniqueness
are inspiring.
What are the top 5
titles in your Netflix queue? (Be honest.) Or if you don't have a Netflix
queue, which books are on your bedside table? (Again, be honest.)
Again, so many I don’t know where to start! I LOVE Orange is
the New Black, the world kind of stops when a new season comes out so I can
marathon that show. I loved the movie Argo, so I’m reading the book now.
Shutter Island is up there in the top somewhere for me – or anything Leonardo
diCaprio is in actually. I was a huge Gatsby fan too.
Do you prefer to read
ebooks or print?
Print for me. I’m a little old fashioned like that.
Where is your favorite
place in the world?
I’m not sure yet.
There’s so much of the world left to be explored.
Do you have any advice for people who want to write a book?
Write it for yourself, first and foremost. Don’t ever write
because you want people to love you, or because you want to make a lot of
money, or whatever else. Write from your heart because you have a story you’re
burning to tell. That’s when the writing is the best, when the readers can
connect with your story the most and when you’ll get the most satisfaction out
of the end result.
Please give us your website and any other links you'd like
included in the interview.
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