Ebook Tour

BLB Book Tour – Interview with E. Van Lowe author of Boyfriend from Hell

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!

Today we are going to chat with E. Van Lowe, author of Boyfriend from Hell. She is touring her book as part of a BLB Book Tour. Yesterday I reviewed this delightful book. Make sure that you have a quick look at my thoughts!

Without further ado, here’s the interview:

Barb : Tell us a little about yourself.

E. Van Lowe – I’m a fun loving writer who likes putting his female protagonists in dangerous yet romantic situations. I grew up in New York City, moved to LA to go to graduate school, and wound up staying in California. I’ve spent most of my career writing television sitcoms (The Cosby Show, Even Stevens) and a few movies. I am happy to be returning to my great love—books. I laugh a lot; I love hanging out with my friends and family, and drinking either wine or tequila.

Barb : How long have you been writing?

E. Van Lowe – When I was ten-years-old I got pneumonia during the summer. For a kid who loves the outdoors, being housebound all summer could have been unbearable. Fortunately, my mother knew me well. She said “You love making up stories. Why not write some of them down?” Now, here’s the kicker. She said: “You can make money.” That was all my ten-year-old ears needed to hear. I was already a big reader. I started writing fiction. It got me through the summer, and I’ve been writing ever since.

Barb : What do you love about writing? Why?

E. Van Lowe : I am an entertainer at heart. I love telling stories, I really love it. As for why, I loved the feeling I got when I was a kid reading something that surprised me, or shocked me. I want to conjure up those same feelings in my readers. There is no greater joy than when someone says “I loved your book.”

Barb : What is your least favorite part about writing? Why?

E. Van Lowe : My least favorite part of the writing process is editing. The why is obvious: having your book come back from your editor again, and again, and again until you’re sick of it is no picnic. However, the process is worth it. Boyfriend From Hell is getting some great reviews so far. I’d like to take all the credit (*smiling*) but I know some of it belongs to my editors, just don’t tell them I said so. LOL.

Barb : Tell us about Boyfriend From Hell.

E. Van Lowe : It’s a YA paranormal about a fifteen year-old girl and her single mother, both of whom start dating mysterious young men—one of whom turns out to be Satan. If you’d like to know more, the first four chapters are available for free on my website (http://evanlowe.com/) Just go to the home page and click Boyfriend From Hell Sample.

Barb : Who is your favorite character in Boyfriend from Hell, or who do you identify with the most?

E. Van Lowe : I love all the characters. I do have a special fondness for Guy Matson, the handsome bad boy that Megan falls for. In high school, I wanted to be a bad boy. All the girls I liked seemed to gravitate towards bad boy types. I tried to be bad but I couldn’t pull it off. I was stuck with being a nice guy. Now I get to live out my high school fantasies through Guy.

Barb : What is your favorite scene from Boyfriend from Hell? Why?

E. Van Lowe : I have a number of scenes I am fond of in Boyfriend From Hell–the mathlete challenge where Guy seems to have the entire audience in the palm of his hand, comes to mind. My absolute favorite, however, is the scene in the kitchen where the gris gris comes to life. Anyone who has read the book knows that scene is a real shocker. For those of you who haven’t read it yet—big surprise.

Barb : Where did your inspiration come from for this book?

E. Van Lowe : When I finished Never Slow Dance With A Zombie (my first YA Paranormal), I was looking for something other than zombies or vampires to get into. I saw a YouTube video for Lucy Daughter of The Devil. It was funny and irreverent. A bell went off in my head—write about the devil. However, as I got into it, I really wanted to explore themes that were close to me, mother/daughter relationships and dating bad boys. Want to know how these two come together? Read the book. LOL.

Barb : What book(s) are you currently reading?

E. Van Lowe : Just yesterday I started The Gunslinger by Stephen King. I am also reading The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan, and Darlking by Yasmine Galenorn. You’d think I’d finish one before picking up another, but that wouldn’t be any fun now, would it?

Barb : Do you have an all time favorite book? Or do you have many?

E. Van Lowe : I can name lots of literary titles: Catcher in The Rye, The Invisible Man, Angela’s Ashes, all of which I think are great, but I really love Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli. That little YA book moved me. I think a piece of that boy, Leo Borlock, lives in all of us. Sad to say, but I have been in his shoes, and like him, out of fear, did the wrong thing. There’s a wonderful lesson to be learned in that book.

Barb : Where can your fans find you?

My website: http://evanlowe.com

My blog: http://vanlowe.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/evanlowe

My Facebook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/pages/E-Van-Lowe/152364748167154?ref=ts

Barb : Where is your work available for purchase?

E. Van Lowe : Amazon of course, and B&N, as well as any independent book store. If it’s not on the shelf, please ask for it. It’s in everyone’s catalog.

Barb : Do you have anything else on the go?

E. Van Lowe : I recently turned in the sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Earth Angel, to my editor. It should be out early next year. I am also working on putting together the Never Slow Dance With A Zombie movie musical. Fingers and toes crossed please 😉

Barb : Anything else to add?

E. Van Lowe : Yes. I’d like to add that Boyfriend From Hell is the first book in the Falling Angels Saga. AND my big news is that while my book is scheduled for publication September 1st, my publisher (White Whisker Books) is offering an ebook pre-sale, where for two weeks (from Aug 15th-31st) Boyfriend From Hell kindle or Nook will be available for just $2.99. On September 1st the book will go up to its regular price. So now is a good time to get it. Readers can go to my publisher’s website (http://whitewhisker.com/) or my website (http://evanlowe.com/) to purchase on or after the 15th.

I’d like to thank E. Van Lowe for dropping by and treating us to such a delightful interview. Here’s the blurb from her book – it really is as entertaining as it sounds!

Aww, Hell No!

Fifteen year-old Megan Barnett and her single mom, Suze, have a special relationship—they are friends, close friends, who do almost everything together.

“But come on, guys, she’s my mother… Can I really tell her that while we’re snuggled up on the sofa watching Spider Man Three, I’m secretly undressing James Franco with my eyes? Of course not…”

The special bond takes a turn for the worse when Suze decides to start dating again. She hasn’t had a man in her life since Megan’s father left ten years ago.

Enter two mysterious young men, Megan’s new classmate, sinfully attractive bad boy, Guy Matson, and the dangerously handsome art dealer, Armando. Before long Megan and Suze both wind up in steamy relationships. But neither of the handsome pair is quite what he seems. In fact, one of them is Satan, with his sights set on a new bride. Megan has precious little time to figure out how to stop him. If she doesn’t, either Megan or Suze are quite literally going to HELL.

Boyfriend From Hell is the first book in the Falling Angels Saga from the author of the gruesomely hilarious, Never Slow Dance With A Zombie

BLB Book Tour Review – Boyfriend from Hell by E. Van Lowe

By Barb Drozdowich

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!

Today is a review of a YA Paranormal book that is currently being toured by BLB Book Tours, Boyfriend from Hell by E. Van Lowe! Tomorrow, the author will drop by and visit. Be sure to drop by tomorrow to find out more about E. Van Lowe!

Aww, Hell No!

Fifteen year-old Megan Barnett and her single mom, Suze, have a special relationship—they are friends, close friends, who do almost everything together.

“But come on, guys, she’s my mother… Can I really tell her that while we’re snuggled up on the sofa watching Spider Man Three, I’m secretly undressing James Franco with my eyes? Of course not…”

The special bond takes a turn for the worse when Suze decides to start dating again. She hasn’t had a man in her life since Megan’s father left ten years ago.

Enter two mysterious young men, Megan’s new classmate, sinfully attractive bad boy, Guy Matson, and the dangerously handsome art dealer, Armando. Before long Megan and Suze both wind up in steamy relationships. But neither of the handsome pair is quite what he seems. In fact, one of them is Satan, with his sights set on a new bride. Megan has precious little time to figure out how to stop him. If she doesn’t, either Megan or Suze are quite literally going to HELL.

Boyfriend From Hell is the first book in the Falling Angels Saga from the author of the gruesomely hilarious, Never Slow Dance With A Zombie

Boyfriend from hell by E. Van Lowe is a YA Paranormal that is part of BLB Book Tour’s latest tour. Megan Barnett and her mom Suze have been living a perfectly comfortable life since Megan’s father left some time ago. They have a close relationship! When Suze announces that she’s thinking about dating, Megan is a bit taken aback. Who wouldn’t be concerned about their mom dating after so many years. Megan is concerned that her mom is interested in having more children before she gets much older, and that is the motivation behind dating again. When Megan meets Armando, her mother’s new boyfriend, he seems too good to be true! He good looking, never been married, a successful gallery owner and very charming. Megan’s concerns are escalated when she goes to a gallery event with her mom and has a weird older woman stare at her the entire time. A few days later, Megan follows this woman home and runs into Armando. While all this is going on, a yummy teen joins the math club at school and befriends Megan. She happy that such a good looking guy would want to date her and doesn’t look beneath the surface. Meanwhile, her two best friends, Matt and Erin have decided to date and increasingly leave her out of their activities. I’ll leave the rest of the story for you to discover!

You have to admit that the cover is pretty interesting. It’s what caught my attention when this book first came across my computer some time ago. As you all know, I tend to pick books by their covers! No, this isn’t a glittering ball gown picture, but it is intriguing none-the-less! I’m normally not a huge fan of YA but this book kept me interested and reading. I could identify with both the mother and the daughter. The mother wondering if she could still have the large family she had always dreamed of having, and the daughter apprehensive of her mom re-entering the dating scene. The interaction between mother and daughter was well written, but the interaction between Megan and her various friend carried the book. The story of Megan trying to get someone to listen to her concerns and not think she was crazy was incredibly well written. I admired her determination to expose Armando for who he is. There are little twists and turns to the story which keep the reader guessing. The story line is well written, enjoyable, and has the reader cheering for Megan to succeed all the way through the book!

A delightful read and one that I would certainly recommend to a fan of YA Paranormal books! Drop by tomorrow when we will have an interview with E. Van Lowe!

Amazon Purchase Link for Boyfriend From Hell (Fallen Angels Saga)

BLB Tour- Pepper O’Neal of Blood Fest: Chasing Destiny

By Barb Drozdowich

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The home of the Romance Novel

Today we are welcoming Pepper O’Neal to the blog! She is the author of several books including her latest, Blood Fest: Chasing Destiny. When I was doing the research for this post, I realized that one of her main characters, Roman, is half vampire-half werewolf. That is an interesting combination, I think. So, I asked Pepper to write on this topic. Here is what she had to say:

I have often been asked why I combined a werewolf and a vampire to create Roman my hero in Blood Fest: Chasing Destiny. Most people seem to think it is a weird combination. In fact, one agent I sent the book to rejected it because Roman’s mother was a vampire, and the agent didn’t think vampires could have children. Luckily, I found a publisher who believes world building is up to the author.

So why the strange combination? When I get the idea for a story, it usually comes with sketches of the characters—most of them anyway—attached. And these characters usually resemble—in both looks and personality—real people I know. Most of my friends know full well they’ll end up in my stories sooner or later, and they don’t take it personally. In fact, most of them have been delighted to be in a novel and have been immensely helpful in character development.

But when I was first presented with Roman, I had a problem. All I knew was that he was a vampire, good looking, and had many striking similarities to a guy I’ll call Ryan, a member of a team I worked with in Southern Mexico and Central America, except that Roman didn’t have the arrogance and aloofness associated with so many vampires in fiction. He was more down-to-earth, more sensitive. Since Ryan was definitely an alpha male with—as the whole team agreed—a little too much testosterone at times, I had some trouble reconciling him with my idea of Roman. While trying to decide how to tone down the in-your-face attitude that was such a part of Ryan, I remembered a shy wolf I once met. I don’t know where he came from, whether he’d been someone’s pet, or if he’d escaped from a breeding program somewhere.

He used to sneak into our camp to steal food. (He loved tuna fish sandwiches.) He was young, skinny, lonely, and hungry. He would come just so close to us and no farther, letting us almost touch him, but not quite. Although shy and skittish, he was very gentle, and not once did he ever even growl at a member of the team. We all grew quite attached to him. One of the guys named him Wiley Wolf, because he reminded us of Wiley Coyote on those old Roadrunner cartoons.

Wiley was the perfect solution to my problem. By combining his sweet and gentle nature, with Ryan’s more aggressive one, I got an alpha male with a sensitive side, who has tremendous control over his animal nature but struggles with his human-like emotions. Based on this combination, what choice did I have to but to make Roman half vampire and half werewolf? As it turned out, it added a lot of complications to the story I hadn’t envisioned, as well as giving Roman more enhanced abilities than he would’ve had if he had been stuck being either just a vampire or a werewolf. In short, it not only gave me a better storyline and more complicated plot, it made the book more fun to write.

It also added another element to the story, I hadn’t foreseen, but I was quick to see the advantages. My heroine, Chase, is half human, have weretiger. And when I decided to add Wiley to Ryan to flesh out Roman, it never occurred to me the reaction the cat in Chase might have to the wolf in Roman. It wasn’t until the two started to interact as the story unfolded that I realized what I’d done. It was a happy accident that made the obstacles they faced, as well as their relationship, a lot more interesting.

These picture are representative of Wiley, Bumper, the tiger I used to create Chase, and of Chase, and Roman, since I can’t use the real ones. I did promise not to reveal my sources, after all.