INTERVIEW, REVIEW & GIVEAWAY - Girl with Guitar by Caisey Quinn

Romance Addict-K: Kylie is such a great character: controlled by her heart, strong and strong-willed, feisty and outspoken, yet at the same time, so sweet, tender and innocent.  Her determination and her unwillingness to waver from her dreams was one of the things I loved most about her; even in the face of doubt and fear, she pursues this life in music.  Kylie is brave.  And she’s loyal and generous, both emotionally and physically.  She would literally give her last dollar to someone she loves.  Can you tell us a little about how she came to be?

Caisey Quinn: Well…now I’m just intimidated at the sheer eloquence of that question. Oh, Kylie. If I write one hundred books it’s entirely possible that she may forever be my favorite character. Way back in November I was on my first draft of Girl with Guitar, which began as Trace and Mia’s story. (You’re gaping in horror now, aren’t you?) But they had no chemistry and Kylie came strutting up out of Oklahoma and stole the show. And Trace’s heart. If you have a copy of the book and you look at the In Loving Memory dedication, you will see my dear sweet friend who lost her life too soon in a car accident in March 2012. The wonderful things you said about Kylie in your question could all be said about my late friend Nikki. 

Romance Addict-K: When I think about the setting of this story, I think of it as the world of country music. What made you want to write a story set in this world?

Caisey Quinn: In the interest of full disclosure, I love all types of music. But country is my absolute favorite. Those are the songs that always seemed to say exactly what I wanted to when I couldn’t find the words. 

Romance Addict-K: Do you think Kylie will ever go back to Pride, Oklahoma?  Is there anything left for her there, other than her father’s grave?

Caisey Quinn: This is a question I’ve been asking myself for a while. I’m waiting to see what Kylie decides. There are three books in this series and while I don’t see her returning home in Girl on Tour, (though she does have a stop in Oklahoma and she meets up to party with Lulu of course) I think we may see her spending some time in Pride in the final book, Girl in Love. 

Romance Addict-K: It seems like people are drawn to Kylie: Trace, his sisters, Clive at the bar and her friend, Tonya.  They all take to Kylie very quickly and become almost surrogate family members.  What do think it is about Kylie that draws people to her?

Caisey Quinn: Pretty much the same things that drew people to my late friend I mentioned earlier. Like Nikki, Kylie doesn’t judge people. She’s tough but vulnerable and I think that a lot of people see that even though she needs some help now and then, she’d never ask for it. They respect and admire her drive, determination, and strength. As do I!

Romance Addict-K: Darla is just a nasty piece of work right now.  I’m curious about her back story, pre-Kylie.  Will we ever get some info on just what makes Darla so miserable?  Will we be seeing Darla again?

Caisey Quinn: Ohh Darla. I always try to see redeeming qualities in everyone, but Darla’s a tough one. She’s extremely self-involved (you know that friend that goes on for hours about herself without ever asking how you are), and her life hasn’t turned out quite like she expected it to. I don’t know if we’ll see any more of Darla in Kylie’s story. I suspect they might run into each other whenever Kylie does return to Pride. It’s a small town. There is, however, an adult romance novel I wrote where we see the family of the man that Darla is currently dating. I don’t know if I’ll ever publish it, but maybe! 

Romance Addict-K: Can you give us a peek at what we can expect for Kylie and Trace in the next two books?  

Caisey Quinn: Sure! In Girl on Tour, Trace and Kylie are on separate tours. Anyone who’s ever tried to make a long distance relationship work can probably guess some of the issues this presents. Gossip, rumors, temptations…Love on the road ain’t easy, that’s for sure. Especially when your relationship is new and built on shaky ground. And the media is involved. They both have some personal issues to work out and the overarching issue (and pretty blurb on the cover) is “Sometimes chasing your dreams and following your heart don’t lead you to the same place.”

Girl in Love is a wild ride and I actually am SO EXCITED for this one. Maybe even more than Girl on Tour. I don’t know. I’m pretty excited for both. But in Girl in Love there’s a bit of a time jump and Kylie’s career is at its peak. Think Carrie Underwood + Taylor Swift = HUGE.  As for what’s happening with Kylie & Trace, let’s just say there are LOTS of complications. (Steven Blythe and the mysterious Bryce Parker to name a few!) 

Romance Addict-K: I’m really curious to see how things play out with Mia Montgomery, and as much as I’d like to know all that happens with these girls on tour with Kylie, I’m hoping to get a double dose of Trace in Girl on Tour.  Will I be a happy girl?:)

Caisey Quinn: You get Trace’s point of view in Girl on Tour so I hope so! Also, if you’ve ever been in a long-distance relationship or one where you just see your other half less than you like, you know the importance of making the most of your time together. I’d say they do a pretty good job of that. *fans self just thinking about it* 

Romance Addict-K: I found out about Girl with Guitar via Twitter.  Can you tell me how being on Twitter has affected your writing career, both before and after Girl with Guitar was published?  How are your Twitter friends and fans involved in your process?

Caisey Quinn: Oh gosh! Best question ever! Yay Twitter!! It was on Twitter that I put author Emily Tippetts on the spot and asked her to be a Critique Partner of mine. She said yes and then after reading the very first draft of Girl with Guitar she responded with “You have to publish this.” (and a whole bunch of notes about things I needed to fix first!) I was already a beta reader of hers so it’s possible that I would’ve eventually worked up the courage to email her with this request. No way to know for sure though. 

As far as my Twitter friends and fans go, they mean the world to me. They have been so sweet and generous with helping spread the word about the book that I can’t say enough about my crazy obsessive love for them. One special friend (@ashsbooknook) actually gets quoted in Girl on Tour. Mia says a line of Ash’s that I love. They are also my cheerleaders when I’m in a rut. My #countrygirls and #guttergirls that you see in Girl with Guitar’s acknowledgements have made such a difference. They’ve held my hand, cheered me on and cheered me up, and basically just made life worth living. ;)

So to answer your question, they are VERY involved! And I’m so glad you found out about the book and enjoyed it enough to do this interview. Thank you so much for having me!

“Nobody wants to see Bomont in their rearview more than me.”  Remember Ariel in Footloose?  It may as well have been Kylie talking about Pride, Oklahoma, or in my case, Tobaccoville, North Carolina.  I’ll just admit it up front:  I’ve got issues with the South.  I can say that because I grew up there, and when I was 18, I left and I’ve never wanted to go back.  Not once.  So, I wondered when I started this book, if I’d be able to get past it and give this book the chance it deserved.

I need not have worried.  Right away, I fell into this book with a kind of comfortable familiarity that I rarely feel when dealing with anything that reminds me of the South.  Maybe my love for Hunter Hayes or my undying devotion to Taylor Swift have softened me up, but generally I don’t like country music.  Or Southern accents.  Or barn dances.  See a pattern?  If it reminds me of home, I say a big no thank you.  But to Caisey Quinn, I have to say a big, fat thank you.  When I stepped into this world, I could hear these characters speaking, and I rode all over Trace’s Macon property w/ them, and I didn’t want to run away.  I actually felt a little homesick.  That was a gift.

And so were these characters.  Kylie is a heroine you’ll cheer for.  She’s smart and talented and determined, and she has a heart bigger than Texas.  Sometimes, that heart gets her into trouble, but mostly she’s learned to live wide open to life, and she says what she feels when she’s feeling it (mostly!) because she knows that there isn’t always a next time.  Her love of music and the joy that performing gives her came right off the page and into my heart.  I couldn’t help but think a little of Reece Witherspoon in Walk the Line (one of my all-time favorite movies) whenever Kylie had a microphone in her hand.  She was just that irresistible.  If you’ve read any of my reviews before, you know it’s important for me to love my heroine.  I’ll finish a book with a heroine who gets on my last nerve, but I’ll never get past it.  Remember the Thoughtless series?  I finished those books for Kellan; I still don’t have anything nice to say about Keira.  Yeah, it’s been a while but I can’t get past it.  Mention her to me, and I swear the hairs on my arms rise up.  I want my authors to make me love their heroines as much, if not more, than their heroes.  And I FLOVE Trace, but Kylie is my homegirl.:)  I just want to hang out with her and be her friend.

And Trace.  I sigh as I write this.  He is so delightfully messy.  I love a messy, dysfunctional book boyfriend.  They’re my favorite.  Put a guitar in his hand and I’m done.  So, Trace and I are pretty much made for each other.  He rarely says anything that Kylie wants to hear but even then, I wanted to hear more.  I’ll admit it:  He’s one of those Southern boys I always wanted to fall in love with but couldn’t because I had my eyes on the highway.  He takes care of the women he loves, he’s a bad boy with a sweet side you don’t want to miss, he makes breakfast (which is easily my favorite meal. I bet he’d make some kickass grits, too! It wasn’t mentioned here but can I see that in book 2, please?), and he pays attention to details.  I want to ride in his golf cart and throw mud at him and write songs with him.

I want to go on and on about Trace because I honestly just love him, but I keep coming back to Kylie.  Read this book for her because she tries so hard to get what she wants, and she’s so honest and sweet and feisty, and don’t even think about crossing her or she’ll “Taylor Swift you” in her next song.  I’m going to read this book again, and think about the girl I used to be when I ran away from a small Southern town because I knew there was more out there for me; and I’m going to cheer this girl on again through this book and the next and the next because she and this book have so much heart that I’m surprised my little Kindle could contain them.  Read Girl With Guitar because Caisey Quinn has created a world that I promise you want to get lost in and because Kylie may be my favorite book girlfriend. Like. Ever.

Wearer of cowgirl boots, writer and avid reader of New Adult romance, lover of wine, who is addicted to chai tea lattes. Brand spanking new author of soon to be released books including Girl with Guitar and Keep Me Still (which may or may not include spanking).
Gemini, wife, mom, and former high school English teacher living in Birmingham, Alabama. I spend my days chasing a three year old and hiding away with my Macbook. I spend my nights writing because sleep is overrated.
I love hearing from readers and other writers, and those freaky hybrids like myself! You can email me at caiseyquinn@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @CaiseyQuinn.

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