Courtney Cole and Eliza Freed chat about books and New Adult fiction

Debut author Eliza Freed celebrates the release of Forgive Me, book one in her Lost Souls Series, by chatting with Courtney Cole, author of Before We Fall, book three in the Beautifully Broken series (out in paperback this week) and her new Nocte, book one in The Nocte Trilogy.

CC: Can you tell us about your debut, Forgive Me?

EF: Forgive Me is the first book in the Lost Souls Series. It's about a 20-year-old, Charlotte O'Brien, who is suddenly lost and can't seem to find her way home. In the wake of her parents' tragic death Charlotte replaces a healthy mourning period with an emotionally and sexually intense relationship with Jason Leer, a fellow lost soul and an unlikely lover. She's a student of diversity, a lover of Manhattan, and about to be a junior at Rutgers University. He's a steer wrestler, an Oklahoma State cowboy, and the hottest thing Charlotte has ever laid eyes on.

Regardless of their differences Jason and Charlotte came from the same small town, and are now at the same dark place in their hearts. Charlotte buries herself in Jason. When they're together it's everything, but when they're apart it's utterly frustrating.

CC: Speaking of small towns, the Lost Souls Series is partially set in rural south Jersey where you grew up. Is there anything in your book based on real-life experiences or purely all imagination?

EF: Charlotte and I have definitely been around some of the same blocks. I'm a graduate of Rutgers University and still spend as much time at the Jersey Shore as possible. I may have road-tripped to Mardi Gras like Charlotte and her Rutgers friends … but the events of the Lost Souls Series are completely fictional. There are a few scenes I wish were real, though. (slow winks)

CC: What makes Forgive Me and the Lost Souls Series unique?

EF: The Lost Souls Series has an inspirational message layered within the pages of drug use, curse words and sexually explicit situations. It's absolutely a love story, but it's also a tale of faith and forgiveness. To say it was a challenge to find its position in the market would be an understatement. I'm hoping readers will identify with its very real depiction of our faith and our fight. We might get to our happily ever after, but in Lost Souls it's a hilariously ugly journey through hell along the way.

The feedback I always hear about the main character, Charlotte O'Brien, is how incredibly real she is. Charlotte plummets into some dark depths and then cracks us up on her way back to the surface. She's unsinkable, but flailing and gasping for air some of the time.

CC: How did you choose New Adult?

EF: I actually didn't choose it. I'd never heard of New Adult. This book, these characters, kept waking me up in the middle of the night so I wrote their story. It wasn't until I was ready to publish it I first heard of New Adult. My timing could not have been better. There's no doubt in my mind that without the emergence of New Adult, the Lost Souls Series would have never seen the light of day.

EF: What about you? Why do you love writing New Adult fiction?

CC: Well, first, I think it suits my voice very well. But second, I love it because that period of life (in your 20s) is so fraught with angst and learning. Some of the lessons you learn are hard, but you seldom forget them.

Another reason I love it is that all adult readers have "been there" to some degree or another. They might not have had some of the serious issues that I've read (and written about) in New Adult fiction, but they've been that age. They've had their hearts broken, they've lived to tell about it. And readers in their 20s are in that phase right now, as they read the stories. They might've just had their hearts broken, but through stories like mine, maybe they can see that life does go on. People like stories they can relate to.

EF: Why do you think your writing matters?

CC: When I write, I write with a singular purpose — to make my readers feel something. To distract them from their daily grind and whatever problems they might be having at the time, and put them into one of my worlds for a while. I want them to feel what my characters feel, to see what my characters see. I want to give them a brief respite from reality, to transport them to a place where they are free to daydream. If I've achieved this, then I think my writing matters. It gave my readers a little vacation from normal life.

EF: What has been the most stressful or upsetting part of your writing?

CC: Hmm. I'm fairly unflappable. There are times when I get stressed, but it's usually in the days leading up to release when there is so much to do. Reading bad reviews isn't fun, either, because sometimes people can get viciously personal for some reason, but thankfully that's not usually the case. And I've also grown a pretty thick skin.

I still think it's frustrating when my Muse abandons me, though. I keep saying that my Muse is bi-polar. I'll go several weeks writing at a frantic, maniacal pace, then for the next couple … nothing. Nada. Zilch. That's frustrating. The key is just to keep writing, because your Muse will always return.

EF: When you're writing, you have to have …

CC: I have to have quiet. : ) Some people like to listen to music or write in coffee shops, and I sort of wish I could do that, but I can't. I'm so distractible! I listen to playlists when I'm plotting, and when I'm editing, but when I'm writing, it has to be quiet. If I'm at the beach or in a coffee shop, there are way too many shiny things to distract me. I need to be in my office.

EF: What are three things readers don't know about you?

CC: Ha — they probably know everything at this point. But let me think. I'm not superstitious, I once broke both wrists at the same time playing basketball, and if auras are real, then I hope mine is Tiffany blue.

EF: Forecast the market for us. What's going to be hot next?

CC: Well, that's always the million-dollar question, isn't it? Haha. I don't know what's going to be next. I have a feeling that it's going to be dark suspense … you can already see some signs of that happening.

But as a writer, you can't try to predict the "next big thing" and write to that. You have to write what you're passionate about, or the readers can tell the difference.

EF: What can your fans look forward to next?

CC: Well, the paperback of Before We Fall (book three in the Beautifully Broken series) hit bookstores on Nov. 4. I'm very excited for paperback readers to see Dominic and Jacey's story. It's edgy and raw and hopeful.

Other than that, I'm working on a new series called The Nocte Trilogy. The first book, Nocte, released Nov. 3. It's a dark psychological romantic suspense. The storyline has been in my head for a couple of years, and the main character, Calla, just wouldn't give up trying for my attention. The story is dark, twisty and unlike anything I've ever written (or read!) before.

CC: And what's next for you?

EF: Charlotte's story continues with Redeem Me (Feb. 3) and concludes with Save Me (March 3). It's been a 300,000-word journey, and when it ends I'll be the lost one.

Besides celebrating the Lost Souls, I'm working on a new series that's a mix between The Office and Sex and the City. I can't wait to share them!

CC: Is there anything you'd like to say to readers and fans?

EF: It's tragically insufficient, but I'd like say, Thank You. The reviews have been generous and insightful, and with each one I read I'm almost brought to tears. It's impossible for me to pick a favorite book from the Lost Souls Series, but there was something different about writing Forgive Me. It poured out of me. Where the other two books took several months to write, this one was completed in six weeks. The love and acceptance of Jason and Charlotte has overwhelmed me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And thank you so much for having us here today. It's been fun!

Find out more about Eliza and Courtney and their books at their websites, www.elizafreed.com and courtneycolewrites.com.