The Boys of Summer by C.J. Duggan ~~ Interview ,Giveaway

From Goodreads  :    It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.

Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.
To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.
How did she let her friends talk her into working?
After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.

It will be a summer she will always remember. "
 

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A Penny For My Thoughts :   Every girl has a guy especially an elder guy ,for whom she lusts forever .Somehow no clue how Mean Girls ,just get real and have the guy ,obviously for their popularity issues . But The Boys Of Summer is much more than your typical summer read . It's fast-paced ,quick witted novel that traces the journey from being Invisible to being Independent , from being a Shadow to being Your Own Light , from disliking yourself to loving both yourself and others .


My Rating : 4.5 Roads

Recommendation : Sarah Dessen ,Jenny Han ,Rachel Hawthorne and Hailey Abbott fans 

PS: My Favorite part is ~~~~~~~~" A 'T' for Tess, a 'T' for Toby." 

Tess's Necklace by Toby (My Version )

 
Here's my interview with C.J. Duggan

Akansha : What is your writing process like, what comes first, characters or story?
CJ :     Definitely the characters, they are first and foremost in my thoughts, they’re the ones that dictate how the story is to be told. Just when I think I have it mapped out one way to write the story, a character will usually throw me for a loop and take me in a completely different direction. Although I am very organised in my office, in my surroundings in the dead of night I write mainly by the seat of my pants with only a vague outline in my head on where I want the story to go.That’s the bit I love about writing, the discovery.

Akansha : Which is your favoriteSummer book or novel?

Channing Tatum as Sean Murphy 

CJ :   I haven’t read many summer books and asking my favourite novel is like asking me to pick a favourite child (or in my case favourite pet!) I really loved ‘Anna and the French Kiss’ by Stephanie Perkins, I read it last year but it is still one of my all-time faves. It’s light, funny, sweet and beautifully written – great read.

Akansha : Does The Boys Of Summer has any parallels that could be drawn from your life ?
CJ :  I grew up in a small country town in Australia so I am well aware of what it’s like to have to make your own fun. Unfortunately our town wasn’t set on the banks of Lake Onslow but it was still a nice place to live. My first job was working as a barmaid at the local hotel and I remember the fear of my first shift and learning the ropes.



Akansha :.If The Boys of Summer was to made into a TV series ,which cast would you choose ?

Matt Bomber as TOBY

CJ : The Boys of Summer characters are so unique in  my mind it’s hard to match them with celebrities. So I had to have a bit of a think on this one. Plus it’s an Aussie story so picking Australian based actors is really hard, so let’s just go with fantasy.
A young Matt Bomer would make a dreamy Toby. Channing Tatum would be the perfect Sean Murphy (I defy anyone not to swoon over them). I have a particular fondness for Adam Brody who would make a great Adam. That would make for some serious swoony, romantic, fun!


Akansha :  What sparked the idea for the series ?
CJ : It was something that has been churning in my mind since I was a little girl, even if it was something no more mapped out than a group of friends hanging lakeside over a summer. It was an idea that has manifested into an entire world and I felt that I owed it to that eleven-year-old little me to develop it into a story. I know I was eleven because I had found an old exercise book with the story plotted out in my child-like handwriting and I could seldom believe it was something that had been swimming around in my subconscious for so long. It fell perfectly in line with me doing NaNo that year (National Novel Writing Month) and that was that, in one month I smashed out the bones of ‘The Boys of Summer’ (TBoS). In writing TBoS I really wanted to capture the essence of growing up in Australia. I set it in a small fictional lake side town in the 90’s to give it a certain flavor and provide a rich setting for a coming of age story, it is an absolute labor of love.


 Akansha : Which two things do you think readers would be amazed to know about you ?
CJ :   I was married in Fiji, on a little island at sunset.
I am real night owl! I write in the evening often not going to bed until 1-2am. All to get up at 7.30am for the 9-5 job.


Akansha :.If you had to pick your favorite scene from ‘The Boys Of Summer ’?
CJ : Without giving too much away, it would be the scene behind the velvet curtain of the D.J station.

Akansha :  Are you more of A Walk To Remember fan or Twilight Saga fan ?
CJ : Oh wow! Am I? Am I a Twi-hard? I guess I kind of am. Love or hate it for what it is I will always be eternally grateful to Stephanie Myer for it generating a whole new generation of readers. Although I also admit to liking Nicohlas Sparks I will pretty much read anything if it has a strong character driven element and a hint of romance.

 Akansha :  Dessert time: Which one do you go for, ice-cream or cupcakes?
CJ :  These are such difficult questions. I am so very torn, but I think ice cream, unless it was a red velvet cup cake from Magnolia Bakery in New York, then the cup cake wins…Hands down!

Akansha :  Did you have a music playlist for The Boys Of Summer ?
CJ : Absolutely!

Music to me is such a huge source of inspiration for my writing. It can set a mood, evoke a memory, transport you to an imaginary time or place, it's a powerful, magical thing.

Here is a list of what I was listening to at the time I was writing my novel. Some will be story specific and others are just what I happened to be into at the time.
So sharing is caring and hopefully it will also help set the scene and feel of my stories for you the beloved readers.

The Boys of Summer
Novel Specific

Linger - The Cranberries
Lightening Crashes - Live
Foreigner - Urgent
Bow River - Cold Chisel
Heartache Tonight - The Eagles
I Can't Tell You Why - The Eagles
A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
Cupid - Same Cooke
Wonderwall - Oasis
Flame Trees - Cold Chisel


The Boys of Summer
Writing Music

That’s when I think of you - 1927
We found love - Rihannah
Endless Summer - The Jezabels
Helena Beat - Foster the People
Pumped up Kicks - Foster the People
Heartbreak Warfare - John Mayer
Gotye - Save Me
Young Blood - The Naked and the Famous
Sunshine Eyes - Paul Mac featPeta Morris
Hand on Your Heart - Jose' Gonzalez



Akansha : Which three colors do you think describe you and why so ?

CJ :   I’ll go with my surroundings. My house is an old Victorian so there are Burgundies, Brunswick green (heritage colours) throughout. But for some reason my office has transformed into something very different, it’s light and bright with antique white desk, bookshelf, pepper grey lounge and accents of teal knick-knacks on my shelves, so I am a bit of a mixed bag really…. it all makes sense now!


Akansha :  What is /are your favoritequote ?
CJ : It’s one that I have known forever and so I had to include in ‘The Boys of Summer.’

“Love is not necessary for life, but it is what makes life worth living.” - Anon

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