Interview: The Golden Boy, by Authors Seven Steps and Audrey Rich ***Giveaway***
The Golden Boy (A St. Mary's Academy Novella)
by Seven Steps & Audrey Rich
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 24th 2018
Meg has it made. She has money to spare, attends an exclusive private school with the best film production program in the country, and, to top it off, she has a super-hot boyfriend. But when her father’s business goes under, and her boyfriend cheats on her with a ditzy cheerleader, the only way she can maintain her perfect life is to figure out a way to stay in school.
When a fellow student offers to pay her tuition, Meg jumps at the chance. She only has to tell one tiny white lie to someone she’s never met.
How hard could that be, right?
Until she discovers she must deceive Julius 'Hercules' Samson, the school quarterback with a heart of gold. Even worse, he's determined to sweep her off her feet.
Can Meg go through with the plan to save her future, even if it means ruining Julius’?
Inspired by Megera (Meg) from the story of Hercules, The Golden Boy is a poignant, emotional, young adult contemporary romance about a teen girl's hard choices, loss, and love.
St. Mary's Academy is a young adult contemporary romance series that brings classic fairytale characters to life in a modern day, high school setting. It's filled with angsty heroines, hot heroes, and drama galore. St. Mary's Academy Shorts are shorter stories from within the St. Mary's Academy universe.
Buy this book today because you've never read a fairytale quite like this.
An Interview with the Authors
Welcome to Character Madness and Musings. Tell us about your writing career. How long have you been writing?
Audrey Rich: I began writing over six years ago and was published two years ago. I have three books, one short story in a collection with seven other authors, and this novella I co-wrote with Seven Steps in her world.Seven Steps: I’ve been published since I was 19 but I’ve been writing since I was a kid. At age 19, I self published a science fiction romance. I didn’t know anything about the industry, so it wasn’t a big seller. I started getting serious about the publishing business in the last three years. I’ve also switched genres from science fiction to young adult romance. I fit very well there.
How did you choose your genre?
Audrey Rich: I love writing about falling in love but without all the baggage that adults normally have to deal with and I love to be around the energy of teens.
Seven Steps: I love romance novels, but I wanted to write them super sweet. Plus I love teen culture. Young Adult romance was a very good fit for me.
Tell us a little about the books you’ve published. Series, or stand-alone?
Audrey Rich: I usually write standalone novels in A Stonehaven High Series, which is set in five fictional towns in South Florida, where most of the rich teenagers fall in love.
Seven Steps: Most of my books are part of the St. Mary’s Academy series. The series mixes classic fairytale characters with modern YA romance. So Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty. They all show up in St. Mary’s Academy.
What inspires your work?
Audrey Rich: Everything and anything inspires me. A teen movie, hearing teens talk at Starbucks, even walking in the mall. I’ll make up stories about a couple holding hands walking by me and I automatically picture them in Stonehaven High falling in love.
Seven Steps: I totally love Disney and anything young adult. I’m really loving the Descendants franchise, so that was a big inspiration for my Chasing Mermaids books.
Who are your favorite authors, and what is it that draws you to them?
Audrey Rich: Stephanie Laurens, who writes Regency books, is one of my favorite authors as she writes about falling in love mixed in with a mystery that involves the main character. I love how her characters are part of the exclusive Haut Ton society but still manage to find and fall in love with their soul mate.
Seven Steps: Brittinay Cherry is my favorite author. I love her emotional stories and her lyrical writing style.
Are you working on a story now?
Audrey Rich: I’m actually working on two stories right now. I’m adding the guy’s voice to my free short story, Where’s There’s Smoke There’s Fire, and I’m writing Denying Our Love, which will be the fourth book of A Stonehaven High Series. Both are set in the fictitious sunny South Florida beach town of Stonehaven.
Seven Steps: Yes. I’m working on The Secret Lives of Princesses, a YA retelling of Aladdin told from Princess Jasmine’s point of view.
Keep scrolling for excerpts from The Golden Boy.
Excerpts
"My brain felt like jelly. My arms heated as if I were standing in front of a furnace. The huge jacket was knee length on me, and the sleeves had so much slack I looked like I had snakes for arms.
Why did that make me feel so…
So…
Safe. ...
I felt safe with Julius.
And that was making me panic.
Because I was a fraud. And if he looked close enough, he would see it."
Excerpt 2
"Everyone laughed. The cacophony made my head hurt. I struggled against the hands holding me. I had to get out of here before things got worse.
Suddenly, the shouting died down.
My eyes flew open. My search for the grownup landed on a pair of gorgeous blue eyes....
Julius!
He pushed the crowd aside.
“Let her go. Right. Now.” His voice boomed against the walls. A couple of the kids covered their ears.
I felt the hands holding me quiver.
“Listen Herc, this girl is the reason you’re no longer quarterback and-”
“I don’t care what you think, right now, Grunski. Let go of her right now.” He closed his fingers into two giant fists and scanned the area as if searching for victims to pummel.
“I’m already leaving this school. I have no problem beating your head in on the way out.”"
About Seven Steps
"Let me be that I am and seek not to alter me."
--William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing.
I have been writing for as long as I can remember. One of my mentors (you know who you are) often reminds me of my first foray into the world of literary fiction. It was a lively story about a bee's journey to find a pot of missing honey. He says that I have improved since then. I think that he's right.
I am a working wife and mother, as well as a devoted owner of a beautiful cat named Rosie. I enjoy hanging out with my friends and family, thrifting, and anything that reminds me of my childhood.
My favorite genres are Sweet Romance, Science Fiction, Dystopian and Historical.
Author Links
About Audrey Rich
Audrey Rich is a New York City transplant living in South Florida, who writes sweet YA and NA Contemporary Romances and is an avid reader of novels where love conquers all.
Audrey enjoys volunteering with children of all ages at church, especially the enthusiastic teenagers, and teaching the Junior Achievement curriculums at local middle and high schools. She also loves to travel with her family.
She’s married to her own happily-ever-after Hero, is an inactive CPA, and a stay-at-home mom homeschooling her teenage daughter, while also missing her son, who is away at college.
Audrey enjoys volunteering with children of all ages at church, especially the enthusiastic teenagers, and teaching the Junior Achievement curriculums at local middle and high schools. She also loves to travel with her family.
Author Links
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