utcpresents

ITD Blog Tour Banner

Welcome back to UTC, Samantha! So the last time you were here we spoke about the release of Down London Road, the second book of the On Dublin Street series. But this time, your newest release runs along the same lines, except that it is a Contemporary New Adult novel. It’s called INTO THE DEEP. A lot of people automatically assume or confuse the On Dublin Street series to be NA, but it’s not. Could you please tell us about INTO THE DEEP and maybe explain what makes this particular book a true NA book for readers?

INTO THE DEEP is a story about second chances. It alternates between the past and present, slowly sharing the story of Jake and Charley, a young high school couple who fall deeply in love only to have a tragic incident tear them apart. Readers are first introduced to them in the present, four years after the event, when they meet again by chance during a study abroad at the University of Edinburgh. Despite the many obstacles in their path, Jake and Charley can’t seem to let go of the past. What makes INTO THE DEEP a true NA is the fact that it’s a coming-of-age love story. It’s about growing up, events, life, all of it changing you every day, and it’s about learning to accept that in yourself and in others, especially in someone you love.

I have to say that I really love Charley’s smartass remarks. It gives a definite jump to the narration and keeps it fun and exciting. How much do you put of yourself into characters? Is there a particular character of yours that is most similar to your own personality?

Thank you. I’m more than a little fond of Charley and her smartass remarks. I can be kind of a smartass too, so there’s definitely a little bit of me in Charley in that respect. I’ve been asked quite a lot who I think I’m most like and it’s only on much reflection that I finally realized I’m actually most like my character L Moss from Slumber.

In a few words, how would you describe Jake Caplin?

Smart, funny, cheeky, kind, regretful, brooding, determined

Describe your experience writing in the NA genre. Did you find it different than NA or Contemporaries?

The only difference is in “the voice” of the writing style. For NA it came naturally to make the voice that little bit younger because these are characters who are still very much growing up. With adult contemporary, the characters still have a long way to go, but they’ve already been affected by so much that there’s a lot more maturity in the tone of those books. Moreover, for the most part the characters are quite literally more mature in age, anyway, so their narrations definitely have more authority in the tone.

How many books can we expect in the Into the Deep series?

Into the Deep includes two books, INTO THE DEEP and OUT OF THE SHALLOWS, but I won’t say never to a spin-off series for the secondary characters.

You’ve got your toes dipped in self-publishing as well as traditional publishing. Could you please give us a pro and cons for both avenues to publishing?

The advantages to self-publishing is that you have complete control over it and the process e.g. editing, cover art, marketing etc. The disadvantage is that you carry that weight entirely by yourself. It’s also difficult to get your paperback into stores if you self-publish. Moreover, it’s much harder and very expensive to distribute foreign editions of your work. I think the biggest advantage though is controlling the price and longevity. With trad publishing, there can be a shelf-life. Your book can go out of print. With self-publishing it can’t unless you want it to. The advantages of Trad publishing include having the support of editing, marketing teams etc behind you. There are number of people involved in shaping the book and it’s promotion. This helps take the pressure off, at least giving you more time to concentrate on writing. Moreover, as noted with the cons of self-pubbing, the pros of trad pubbing is that your book has a wider distribution and a greater possibility of finding its way into the foreign markets.

Jake absolutely adores Pearl Jam. So keeping with the music trend, what is one song that you think best suits this book? Or what one song best describe you as a person?

I think the one song that best suits this book is Black by Pearl Jam. The one song that best describes me as a person is a far more complicated question lol and it might take me a while to think on it.

If I raided your keeper shelf, what titles would I find there?

Ooh lots. The knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor, Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card, The entire VA series by Richelle Mead, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Divergent by Veronica Roth, Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane, On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves, Hopeless by Colleen Hoover, Harry Potter by JK Rowling, Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra, Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally, The Godfather by Mario Puzo, The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter, Oryx & Crake by Margaret Atwood, The Road by Cormac McCarthy and many, many more…

If a stranger came up to you in a bookstore and asked you for a recommendation, what book would you answer with and why?

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. It’s uniquely written, brilliant in its simplicity, and the characters are so well-written my emotions were all tangled up with theirs. It is a world unlike any other and I think everyone should read the Chaos Walking trilogy by Ness.

I love this series! Great pick! Lastly, with all the buzz around New Adult titles, what top three NA titles are your personal favorites?

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover, Wait for You by J. Lynn and The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski.

I’ve read and loved all these titles as well! Thanks so much for stopping by, Sam!

17970255

READ OUR REVIEW

Live young. Live hard. Love deep.

Charley Redford was just an ordinary girl until Jake Caplin moved to her small town in Indiana and convinced her she was extraordinary. Almost from day one Jake pulled Charley into the deep and promised he was right there with her. But when a tragic incident darkened Jake’s life he waded out into the shallows and left Charley behind.

Almost four years later Charley thinks she’s moved on. That is until she takes a study year abroad in Edinburgh and bumps into none other than Jake Caplin at a party with his new girlfriend. The bad-boy-turned-good attempts to convince Charley to forgive him, and as her best friend starts spending time with Jake’s, Charley calls a truce, only to find herself tumbling back into a friendship with him.

As they grow closer, the spark between them flares and begins playing havoc with their lives and relationships. When jealousy and longing rear their destructive heads, Charley and Jake struggle to come to grips with what they mean to one another.

And even if they work it out, there is no guarantee Charley will ever trust Jake to lead her back into the deep…

 

 

Author pic (2)About the Author

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. She’s been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Author and Best Romance for her international bestseller ON DUBLIN STREET. ON DUBLIN STREET is Samantha’s first adult contemporary romance and has sold in twenty-three countries.

For more info on Into the Deep visit the official blog http://intothedeepseries.blogspot.co.uk

For info on her other books visit www.samanthayoungbooks.com

Connect with Samantha online:

Facebook
Twitter – @SYoungSFauthor
Goodreads 

Sam is graciously giving away a SIGNED copy of INTO THE DEEP as well as a bookmark. This contest is open internationally!

 

Avatar photo

Books have the power to unite people and that is exactly what happened with us! Our love for books have brought us together and we’ve become good friends in a short amount of time. We “met” online through Goodreads and decided to share our passion of books with fellow book lovers. And that is how Under the Covers came to be.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

71 Comments

  4. great interview! Sam you’d better do the spin-off, we want to know all about the other characters. thanks for the recommendations about the books you liked and thanks for the giveaway

    Reply

  15. Great interview! I love the way she writes and I can’t wait to read OUT OF THE SHALLOWS.

    Thank you for the giveaway!

    Reply

  20. I’m a very new fan of the books by Samantha Young. I just finished reading On Dublin Street. And reading the book and the interview makes me a fan! Great work! Can’t wait to get to know Jack and Charley.

    Reply

  21. I am a huge fan of Samantha Young and cannot wait to read this book! Hope to win! Thanks for the giveaway and interview!

    Reply

  25. I love reading interviews with authors and characters!!! LOVED the first one, and I desperately NEED the second book. Like now. Thank you ladies 🙂

    Reply

  29. One of my TOP 10 reads from this year. And soething tells me that Out of the Shallows will also figure on my 2014’s list.

    Just love Samantha Young, and at this point I’ll read anything she writes 😀

    Reply

  30. I loved insight into Samantha’s ‘keeper shelf’. She had so many that I also love, and ones that I would like to read. Great interview!

    Reply

  33. I really enjoyed the interview. Some of your keeper books are the same for me. 🙂 I am definitely going to read these two new books. Sounds like great reading.
    Carol L

    Reply

  36. This book was so good!!! I love Samantha Young and I can’t wait till the next book comes out! Thanks for the awesome giveaway!!

    Reply

  40. I’m so in love with NA and Samantha Young! ( I just realized that sounds wrong and stalkerish.) I can’t wait to read this book!

    Reply

  42. This book had me intrigued a while ago but I never got the chance to read it but hearing the author describe her characters makes me want it again lol I love a smartass heroine.

    Reply

  48. Thanks for the book recommendation of The Knife of Never Letting Go.. since I love everything Sam has written, I will definitely check out her recommendation!

    Reply

  50. I LOVED On Dublin Street!! I enjoy reading books by Samantha because her writing style is superb! Thank you for this wonderful giveaway!! Crossing my fingers!!

    Reply

  51. I love knowing that I have the same books on my shelf. Although I have not read Collen Hoover’s books, and everyone I have recommended the Hopeless. And Wait for you it was not my cup of tea.

    Reply

  64. Still haven’t had a chance to read this one, must rectify as soon as possible. Thanks for a giveaway and a great interview! 🙂

    Reply

  68. I am a huge fan of Samantha Young’s On Dublin Street. On the top, top of my favorite ever reads. I recommended it to everyone I know, and I still do. I would love to read this! Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply