BLOG TOUR & INTERVIEW - Dancers and Divas by Kathy Petrakis

Passion and Pain

Bittersweet

Passion and Pain

The first book in the YA/NA Contemporary Romance series - Passion and Pain.
Please note: This book contains mature content - recommended for ages 15+

Does passion and desire guarantee success? Can friends really be trusted? Can true love be found beneath lust and deceit? 

These are questions street dancer Elena Martinez faces as she struggles to compete against the most talented students at New York's top Performing Arts High School. Along with her best friend, the carefree and mischievous Sebastien Duval, they are determined to make center stage.

But the singing diva Letitia has other plans. Beautiful, talented and popular, her desire for revenge could ruin everything for Elena and Sebastien. Now, they must fight against prejudice, treachery and deceit as Letitia sets out to destroy Elena's friendships, her romance, her dignity and her dreams. Can Elena win the battle for true love, happiness and success?

Bittersweet

The second book in YA /NA Contemporary Romance series - Dancers and Divers
Recommended for ages 15+ - contains mature content.

Can secrets stay hidden forever? Can people really change? Are some mistakes unforgivable?

As Elena and Sebastian embark on a fresh start, will Letitia keep his secret, or will she use it to destroy them?
As Veronika falls in love, Frankie is out of rehab and trying to make amends, but will it last for either of them?
Meanwhile, as Anya is torn between loyalty to her Nana and love for Darius, could Darius fall for the new temptress, Rosa? With her stunning looks, her powerful, sensual dancing and her desire to seduce, she has everyone nervous but what secret is she hiding?
Continue the roller-coaster journey with your favorite characters as they try to survive junior year at the country's top performing arts school.

Romance Addict-Steph: How did you get into writing?

Kathy Petrakis: It’s an interesting question. I rarely used to write. Apart from emails to my family about my disastrous travels, I didn’t write at all. Then all of a sudden, while in London, this story – Dancers and Divas was burning to be written. I didn’t know what would eventuate or that it would get this far! But not only did I keep writing, I have more ideas sitting, waiting to be written. And now, it’s my priority.

Romance Addict-Steph: What is something not a lot people know about you?

Kathy Petrakis: I’m a terrible cook, I love TV legal shows such as Law and Order, and I dance a mean salsa.

Romance Addict-Steph: How did you come up with the concept behind Dancers and Divas?

Kathy Petrakis: I knew I wanted to write a story about teenagers in the performing arts world – I love dance, theatre and singing. Plus there were experiences I knew about or had overcome that my characters then also went through. And then it suddenly became one book, two, and soon three.

Romance Addict-Steph: What are some projects you are currently working on right now?

Kathy Petrakis: I am working on a play called Black Rainbow, short plays for local competitions, learning to be a director and of course, the third book in the series!

Romance Addict-Steph: What helps give you inspiration when it comes to your writing?

Kathy Petrakis: I have a lot of dreams which come to me early in the morning-  sometimes ideas and sometimes entire stories. I also am intrigued by stories of good people in bad situations or making bad decisions. When I see these situations, I want to write about them. For example, Black Rainbow is about a highly intelligent high school student who secretly sells drugs to survive but who only wants a normal life.

Romance Addict-Steph: Have there been any other books or authors that have inspired you?

Kathy Petrakis: I haven’t got one favorite author but there are books that have impacted me such as A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simmons, As The Crow Flies by Jeffrey Archer. I love a good story and I’m not a fan of long descriptions - I like strong emotion and lots of action!

Romance Addict-Steph: Are there any good books you’ve read recently?

Kathy Petrakis: Most recently I read Woman In Berlin by Anonymous -  a story of the experiences of a woman in the eight weeks following the invasion of Berlin by the Russians. It was a bit disturbing but very well written. Another book I’ve recently enjoyed is Origins of Love by Kishwar Desai which is a fiction book which looks at the surrogacy industry in India. None of these books are anything like my books but I like being challenged.

Romance Addict-Steph: If you could collaborate with any other author, who would it be?

Kathy Petrakis: I’m inspired by Abbi Glines’s success as a self-published author so would love her advice and input. I’m also impressed by Sara Shepard’s success of both her books and the subsequent TV series so her advice and assistance would be invaluable.

Kathy Petrakis was born and raised in Sydney Australia by Greek immigrant parents. She always had a passion for the performing arts - dancing, acting and singing but they were hobbies giving way to a traditional professional career in banking. Before this book, her writing was used to entertain friends with her unusual, and often disastrous travel adventures from around the world.

By the hand of fate, Passion and Pain and Bittersweet were born while living in London, heaven for lovers of the performing arts. After launching Passion and Pain, she returned to Sydney for the launch of the sequel, Bittersweet.

Twitter: @KathyPetrakis
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DancersandDivas
Website: kathypetrakis.com
Mailing list: http://dancersanddivas.us6.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=63da6740eaf9108b4bc1b3a3b&id=a9bc9dcd7d
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6539861.Kathy_Petrakis

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