Thursday, October 17, 2013

{Book Blitz + Giveaway} Escape In You by Rachel Schurig



Escape In You by Rachel Schurig
Publication date: October 15th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Jet Taylor is the quintessential bad boy. A womanizer. A fighter. Dangerous. The type of guy most girls do their best to avoid. But Zoe Janes is no saint herself. In fact, she sees in Jet the perfect opportunity to distract herself from her responsibilities at home and the mistakes that keep her trapped there. He’s gorgeous, likes to party, and is clearly only interested in having fun—just like Zoe. But the more time they spend together the harder it is to stick to her “fun only” mantra. Jet is getting under her skin, making her believe things could actually be different. She knows they’re both trapped by the sins of their past but Jet is starting to make her think freedom might actually be possible. And that makes him the most dangerous boy of all.
{Guest Post +  Interview with Rachel Schurig }


Character Flaws

If I think about my favorite characters, whether from books, television shows, or movies, I find that they usually have something in common: I have a soft spot for flawed characters.

Now, that doesn’t mean that I have a thing for jerky guys or bratty girls. But I also find myself pretty much automatically turned off if a character is too perfect. For me, there needs to be a balance. Too many flaws and a character comes across as nasty or hopeless. But no flaws? Chances are I’ll tune right out, assuming the character is a bland goodie-two-shoes. A good balance, on the other hand, makes a character relatable. More interesting. The kind of person I want to root for.

The Notebook is one of my favorite movies of all time. Duh, right? Ryan Gosling is totally swoon-worthy as Noah Calhoun. Noah’s relationship with Allie (played by Rachel McAdams) is pretty much perfect—even though neither character is perfect. Allie is spoiled and really hot-headed. Noah is arrogant and has a temper to match Allie’s. The two fight like crazy (but isn’t it the best when they make up?). I think those flaws make the characters more interesting, more relatable. And I absolutely love how they make each other better. Isn’t that the hallmark of a great love story?

The characters in my new novel, Escape in You, are definitely flawed. Both Jet Taylor and Zoe Janes are hiding things about their pasts. They both deal with a lot of pain in their home lives. And, over the years, both have escaped their pain through alcohol, fighting, partying, and meaningless sex. They’ve hurt people who care about them and hurt themselves even more. But, as their relationship grows, they make each other better. Both become calmer. Less volatile. Stronger. Falling in love makes them realize how much they’ve been missing by hiding from life. My hope is that readers will enjoy watching them change and grow and fall in love—and will appreciate their imperfections just as much as I do.

What was your inspiration for writing Escape In You? I was walking my dog, Lucy, through a wooded area by my house when I saw a couple sitting on a fallen log off the path. The girl had her head on the boy’s shoulder and both had their eyes closed. There was something sad about them, but they also seemed insulated in each other, like the rest of the world couldn’t bother them when they were together. They stuck in my mind, and even though I never saw them again, they wouldn’t leave my head. From then on, anytime I walked Lucy in those woods I would imagine a love story for that couple. When I finally sat down to write Zoe Janes and Jet Taylor’s story, I had the entire thing planned out to the last detail.

What can you tell us about Zoe? Zoe is a girl who has had to go through a lot of changes in her life. There was a time when Zoe was your typical high school student—she got good grades, had lots of friends, and gossiped with her mom about cute boys after school. All of that changed for Zoe when her mom started to have issues. She had to move, she lost her friends, members of her family, and her dreams for the future. By the time she meets Jet Taylor, Zoe feels very trapped in her life. She parties a lot as a way to escape but she doesn’t think long-term freedom will ever be possible for her. Even with all of these hardships, Zoe is really loyal to her friends and her mother. She comes across as a bit of a badass, and she really is very strong, but she shows Taylor a more vulnerable side.

What’s the deal with Jet? Why does Zoe call him Taylor? How many names does that kid have, anyhow? Taylor does seem to have a lot of names, LOL! Different people call him different things, and you can actually tell a lot about his relationships by what he’s called. His full name is Jeremy Edward Taylor. The people who have known him the longest, like his parents, still call him Jeremy. It represents his past, before things got messed up in his life. Jet, on the other hand, is a high school nickname given to him based on his initials and his speed on the baseball diamond. By the time he meets Zoe, Jet has become a bit of an illusion. He’s not that person anymore. He recommends Zoe call him by his last name, Taylor, and she’s the only one who does so. This is important, because Zoe is also the only one who really sees Taylor for who he is.

Can you give us five random facts about Escape In You? I like random facts! Here we go:
1.      This is my ninth book! I also wrote it faster than any other book I’ve ever written. By the time I started writing I knew exactly how the story would go. That never happens to me!
2.      This is the first book I’ve written without a cameo from one of my Three Girl characters (the Three Girls are from a chick lit series I wrote). I decided since Escape In You feels so different from my chick-lit books, I would keep the Three Girls separate. In the end, I kind of missed having them pop up.
3.      This is the first book where I’ve based a character on someone I know in real life. Don’t worry, it’s a small part and he said it was okay!
4.      I may or may not have a huge crush on Taylor’s friend, Fred. I have an entire backstory for him planned out that didn’t make the book. I might have to revisit that someday…
5.      Ellie’s reaction to the roller coasters in the Cedar Point scene is pretty much the same as mine. I’m terrified of heights. I actually like roller coasters, but only once they start to go downhill. The whole way up I’m a huge mess.


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AUTHOR BIO:

Rachel Schurig lives in the metro Detroit area with her dog, Lucy. She loves to watch reality TV and she reads as many books as she can get her hands on. In her spare time, Rachel decorates cakes. Her THREE GIRLS series is available now from Amazon!
{Giveaway} 

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