Interview: Lucy Connors, author of 'The Lonesome Young'

Debut author Lucy Connors wears more than one hat, she is a Paste BN and New York Times best-selling author writing paranormal romance as Alyssa Day, and she won a RITA Award for her work writing under the pseudonym Alesia Holliday. As Lucy Connors, she's stepping into the contemporary YA romance genre, and her debut novel, The Lonesome Young, is a story of teenage star-crossed lovers.

Lea: Welcome to HEA, Lucy! Congratulations on the release of The Lonesome Young!

You graduated summa cum laude from law school and practiced as a trial lawyer for several years before "coming to your senses and letting the voices in (your) head loose on paper." There are a number of popular, successful romance authors who have backgrounds in law, and many write romantic suspense. Did you ever consider writing stories in that subgenre?

Lucy: I did write a mystery using my background, Blondes Have More Felons, as Alesia Holliday. I plan to go back to my protagonist December Vaughn and write more of those funny mysteries one day!

Lea: The majority of readers associate YA with paranormal, dystopian or fantasy worlds, given blockbusters such as Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight, etc. You've written numerous paranormal novels and have established a loyal fan base writing that genre as Alyssa. Why did you not stick with the tried-and-true and write a paranormal YA novel?

Lucy: This was a project that spoke to me — teens in a rural town facing gritty problems and a terrible family feud. I'm so eclectic in my writing — and my reading! — I'm published in non-fiction, mystery, romantic comedy, chick lit, paranormal romance, and paranormal tween fiction (writing as Jax Abbott), that branching out into yet another genre is kind of the norm for me.

Lea: The YA reading community is pretty tight-knit and, as mentioned, the genre has been associated with paranormal worlds. However, we are starting to see more contemporary YA/teen romance hitting the shelves. What has encouraged this hot, new trend in YA?

Lucy: I think that, while everyone will always love paranormal, there has been so much of it in the market that readers are ready for something different. Also, readers have a different kind of emotional connection to contemporary teen fiction, because it involves situations they're more likely to be living through than those in fantasy or dystopian fiction.

Lea: Do you see this new direction in YA attracting a new, more diverse audience to the genre?

Lucy: The audience for YA is already hugely diverse! Teens read it, adults read it, everyone reads it! There's a special kind of wonder in discovering all those "firsts" — first kiss, first heartbreak, first major conflict — and, of course, the coming-of-age novel has always been popular.

Lea: I couldn't help but think of the feuding Montague and Capulet families while reading The Lonesome Young. Like Romeo and Juliet, your book's lead characters are teenage star-crossed lovers (without the whole double-suicide thing—lol). Did the Shakespearean theme established in Romeo and Juliet inspire the development of the feuding Whitfield and Rhodale families with Mickey Rhodale and Victoria Whitfield caught in the crossfire? Or, was it the Hatfields and McCoys? lol

Lucy: It was actually both! I have always loved the trope of star-crossed lovers, and part of my "What if?" for this book was: How far would two people in love actually go to be together, in spite of family hatred, horrible circumstances, and actual danger? I always explore how far I can push my characters into the fire in my books, and then watch them to see how they cope and how they change as they fight their way through hardship. It's pretty rough to be one of my characters!

Lea: Your characters in The Lonesome Young are complex and embroiled in a legacy of hatred, violence and criminality, and you throw adultery and blackmail into this toxic stew. Please tell us about small town Whitfield County and the feuding Whitfields and Rhodales.

Lucy: Like Victoria, I moved from a fairly sheltered upbringing to a small, rural town after a family crisis. I lived there for the second half of high school, and it always astonished me just how long-lived the memories of every actual and perceived slight would persist. "That's Sally Jones; her granddad cheated on my grandma with Janie Smith's grandma, so we don't speak." Knowing everyone else in town's business, all the time, made for some interesting situations. On the other hand, in a crisis, everybody comes together to help, no matter what.

A small town is a wonderful kind of microcosm of society, and tiny (fictional) Whitfield County is no different. The Rhodales are born and grow up under the dark expectations that they will turn out to be "no good," and the weight of that shadow can be overwhelming. The feud started long ago, and every incident between the families only turns up the heat. Mickey and Victoria's relationship should be doomed before it even starts, but sometimes the most forbidden love burns the brightest.

Lea: What is the significance of the book's title?

Lucy: I think it's poetic and poignant; evocative of the lonely lives Mickey and Victoria have been living. And Lonesome Ridge is the name of a spot high on a hill overlooking the county that becomes Mickey and Victoria's special place in the book.

Lea: I think so, too, it's very fitting for the context of the story. I also love the cover.

So, what can readers look forward to coming from Lucy Connors/Alyssa Day/Alesia Holliday? Will we be revisiting Whitfield County?

Lucy: Yes!! I'm finishing Carry Me Home, book two in the Lonesome Young series, right now! And Alyssa Day has two more books coming out in the League of the Black Swan trilogy, plus an exciting boxed set, Dark & Deadly, coming out April 14! Alesia wants to get back to more comedies, but the rest of my personalities are pretty busy right now, so I'm not sure when those will happen ...

Lea: Thanks so much for sharing your time with us today, Lucy! Good luck with The Lonesome Young. It's a great read! : )

Lucy: Thank you so much for inviting me! I'm thrilled to introduce Mickey and Victoria to the world.

Find out more about Lucy Connors' books at lucyconnors.com.

Lea Franczak cannot remember a time when she didn't have a book in her hand. She's read and enjoyed multiple genres but is especially partial to contemporary and erotic romance, dark gritty romantic suspense, paranormal romance and has recently become a New Adult junkie. Lea has been blogging and reviewing since 2008 and is active on Goodreads. Lea is also HEA's Tweeter Extraordinaire. Follow HEA on Twitter (@HEAusatoday).