HOTHOUSE FLOWER Tour: A Character Interview with Ryke Meadows!

So this is a first for me, interviewing a fictional character here on the blog. But I think of any New Adult series I've come across, the characters in Krista and Becca Ritchie's ADDICTED series really pop off the page as organic people. (If you've been following the blog this year, you know I've become quite the giddy fangirl!) 

Ryke Meadows is one of my favorites. So let's pick his brain a little (by way of his creators) and find out more about HOTHOUSE FLOWER, their spinoff Calloway Sisters companion series, that comes out in five more agonizing days! And stay tuned for a giveaway at the bottom of the post!

Alright, Ryke. Tell us about yourself in [exactly] five words:

I don’t give a shit

Hmm...I should have said without cursing. You win that round. 

What did you want to be when you grew up when you were 5? 10? 15? 20? And now?

5: Can’t remember. My mom had plans for me though, I’m fucking sure.

10: rock climber

15: I just wanted to go to college and leave everything behind

20: rock climber

Now: I want to be there for my brother. And yeah, I still want to fucking rock climb.

If you had a magic wand and could change any three things about your life, what would they be? (Stop focusing on the word “wand”, that’s Lily’s job.)

*laughs softly and combs hand through thick brown hair. Slouches further in chair* I’d want my brother to be sober. I’d want his girlfriend to be healthy. And I’d wish that Daisy was a few years older.

What is your best hidden talent?

Making a girl…you know. *jaw hardens* Daisy’s parents are going to fucking read this. *shakes his head*

*Smirks* Right. Moving on. What were the best and worst parts of starring on Princesses of Philly?

The fucking media was the worst, no offense. And Julian, that fucking…*glares* and Scott. I pretty much hated the whole thing. Try living in a house with three crazy girls and three other assholes. I was ready to fucking leave. There were no “best” parts of Princess of Philly.

What’s your favorite thing about Daisy?

*looks over shoulder* Is she around here? Fuck… *sighs, turns back to Dannie* It’s easier to answer these kinds of questions with her.

I guess, without anyone chewing me out afterwards, I like her energy. I like hanging out with her. *shrugs* She brightens a fucking room when she’s in it.

Listen to you, being all adorbs. Okay, so what's your least favorite thing?

*slouches and smiles* Do you have all day? She can be way too fucking optimistic, impulsive, daring, easily excitable, which can be fucking cute but it can get annoying, and she’s too curious. *pauses* I like that she’s energetic, but sometimes, she needs to sleep. That’s important.

What is each of your costars’ greatest strengths?

Connor can break up almost any fight. Even for being a conceited prick and know-it-all, he’s usually right. *grimaces* Fuck. Don’t tell him I complimented him.

Who’s next? Rose? She’s really loyal. She’d drop everything if her sisters needed her.

Lily is a fucking goof. *smiles* I say that with affection. She’s the heart of my brother. I don’t think he’d be here if she wasn’t in his life.

Lo’s strength is to keep Lily standing. One really can’t fucking exist without the other.

And then Daisy. She has a really good soul, really sweet, probably too fucking sweet. Her kindness is her greatest strength but also a big weakness. She has a bad tendency to let people walk all over her

What’s your greatest strength?

I don’t know. Maybe I’m still trying to figure that one out. I’m sure Cobalt knows this answer. *takes out phone and texts* *Buzz.* He said… *laughs dryly* My greatest strength is pissing on my territory. *tucks phone in pocket* That’s coming from a fucking genius, everyone.

What’s your Achilles’ heel?

*shrugs* Ignoring my problems, probably

You have one day left to live. How do you spend it?

If you asked me this five years ago, I would have said alone, rock climbing. Now, I’d rather spend it with the people I love most.

And now, on to my traditional questions, stolen from James Lipton:

We already know what your favorite curse word is. So what is your *other* favorite word?

Carabineer

Ooooh. Good one! What is your least favorite word?

The fucking c-word. And yeah, I’m not saying it.

Thanks for that. :) What turns you on?

Restless spirits

What turns you off?

Misogyny

What sound or noise do you love?

Birds in the morning

What sound or noise do you hate?

Whining

What profession would you most like to attempt?

Ice climbing

What profession would you least like to attempt?

Law

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear G-d say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

“Welcome to fucking Heaven.”

Title: Hothouse Flower

Author: Krista & Becca Ritchie

Series: Calloway Sisters #2 (Spin-Off of the Addicted series)

Pub Date: March 28^th, 2014

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18308266-hothouse-flower?from_search=true

Amazon: Link not available until March. 28^th

Ryke Meadows, meet Daisy Calloway ... she’s all grown up. 

Twenty-five-year-old Ryke Meadows knows he’s hard to love. With a billion-dollar inheritance, a track-star resume, and an alpha-male personality—he redefines the term likable asshole. But he’s not living to make friends. Or enemies. He just wants to free climb three of the toughest mountains in Yosemite without drama or interruption.

And then he receives a distressed call from a girl in Paris—a girl that he has never been allowed to have.

Daisy Calloway is eighteen. Finally. With her newfound independence, she can say goodbye to her overbearing mother and continue her modeling career. Next stop, Paris. Fashion Week begins with a bang, and Daisy uncovers the ugly reality of the industry. She wants to prove to her family that she can live on her own, but when everything spirals out of control, she turns to Ryke to keep her secrets. 

As Daisy struggles to make sense of this new world and her freedom, she pushes the limits and fearlessly rides the edge. Ryke knows there’s deep hurt beneath every impulsive action. He must keep up with Daisy, and if he lets her go, her favorite motto—“live as if you’ll die today”—may just come true.

New Adult Romance: recommended for readers 18+ for mature content

***Authors' Note***

Hothouse Flower is a spin-off of the Addicted series. Kiss the Sky is required before reading, and we strongly recommend reading the Addicted series before this spin-off. 

Addicted Series Recommended Reading Order

Addicted to You (Addicted #1)

Ricochet (Addicted #1.5) 

Addicted for Now (Addicted #2)

Kiss the Sky (Spin-Off)(Calloway Sisters #1)

Hothouse Flower (Spin-Off)(Calloway Sisters #2)

Thrive (Addicted #2.5)

Addicted After All (Addicted #3)

About the Authors

Krista & Becca Ritchie write New Adult books that make you cringe, gasp, and go ooh-la-la. (If you do that sort of thing.) They are currently working on the spin-offs and final books in the Addicted series. Connect with them on twitter and their website: kbritchie.com 

Enter to Win:

$15 Amazon Gift Card & 3 Kindle Ebooks of Hothouse Flower

**open internationally**

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Launch Day Blitz! SAVING QUINTON by Jessica Sorensen

Happy Book Birthday to Jessica Sorensen, who's sequel to BREAKING NOVA (which I freaking LOVED) comes out today. Check out the excerpt below and stay tuned tomorrow for my review of SAVING QUINTON. Happy Book Birthday, Jessica!

Buy Links:

Amazon     B&N     iTunes

SAVING QUINTON by Jessica Sorensen (February 4, 2014; Forever E-Book; $4.99)

Nova Reed can't forget him-Quinton Carter, the boy with the honey-brown eyes who made her realize she deserved more than an empty life. His pain was so similar to her own. But Nova has been coming to terms with her past and healing, while Quinton is out there somewhere, sinking deeper. She's determined to find him and help him . . . before it's too late.Nova has haunted his dreams for nearly a year-but Quinton never thought a sweet, kind person like her would care enough about a person like him. To Quinton, a dark, dangerous life is exactly what he deserves. And Nova has no place in it. But Nova has followed him to Las Vegas, and now he must do whatever it takes to keep her away, to maintain his self-imposed punishment for the unforgivable things he's done. But there's one flaw in his plan: Nova isn't going anywhere . . .

I suddenly realize that I’m in my room. Awake. And Nova’s here. With me. My thoughts start racing as I try to recollect what happened. I was planning on those guys beating me to death. Why didn’t that happen? Because it was too easy? Do I deserve not to be let off so easy—do I deserve worse than death? But if that’s true then why’s Nova here?

“What are you doing here?” It’s painful to talk, but I force the words to leave my mouth. “Or am I dreaming?”

She repositions her hand on my cheek, but doesn’t pull away, the startled look in her eyes diminishing. “You’re not dreaming…you were unconscious but…are you okay?” She seems nervous and it reminds me of how innocent and good she is, and how she shouldn’t be here in the crack house that I call home.

“Why are you here?” I ask, my voice feeble as I try to sit up, but my arms aren’t working and I fall right back down on the mattress.

“I came here to see you,” she replies, absent-mindedly touching her lips, and I wonder if I really kissed her or if I was imagining it.

She stares at me with her fingers on her lips and it’s uncomfortable because she’s really looking at me. I’ve been so used to people looking through me, as if I were a ghost, seeing the drugs, the person that I am now, the worthlessness all over me, instead of who I used to be. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be really looked at and for a split second I enjoy it. Then she looks away and I feel like I’m dying, my brain registering the pain in my legs, arms, chest—everywhere. And I’m crashing. Badly. My hands start to shake, my heart rate picking up as soon as I realize this.

“Go put some ice in a plastic bag,” she says, snapping her fingers at someone.

I hear a mutter and then Tristan steps into my view. He glances down at me and the haziness in his eyes lets me know he’s high on something, but I’m glad he’s at least here and it doesn’t look like he’s been beaten up. 

“Dude, you look like shit,” he tells me with a dopey-ass grin.

“I feel like shit,” I mutter, managing to get my hand up to my face to rub my eyes. “You look like you got away.”

“I did, and you should have run with me, you dumbass…I thought you were for a while until I realized I was alone.” Tristan chuckles under his breath. “Wait until you see yourself in a mirror.”

His amusement seems to piss Nova off and she gets to her feet, tugging the bottoms of her shorts down, fury burning in her eyes. “Go get a fucking bag to put the ice in,” she says, not yelling, but her tone is cold, abrupt, harsh, and she sort of shoves him. This isn’t the Nova I remember at all and she kind of scares me.

She seems to scare Tristan, too, who surrenders with his hands in front of him and backs toward the doorway. “Fine. Jesus, Nova. You don’t have to get crazy about it.”

“You haven’t even begun to see me get crazy,” she snaps, pointing at the door. “Now go get a damn bag.”

After Tristan leaves, she turns to the doorway and says, “What am I going to do?”

I can’t see who she’s talking to and it makes me wonder who the hell is in here. Delilah? I doubt it, since I don’t think she’d be asking Delilah that question.

“I don’t know,” someone replies. I still can’t see who it is, but I can tell the voice belongs to a female and I hate how excited I get over the fact that Nova’s not here with a guy.

Suddenly a girl with black hair and big blue eyes steps in. “He looks…” She assesses me, then looks at Nova. “He looks like he needs to go to a hospital.”

“No hospitals,” I croak. “I don’t have the cash to pay for that.” And I don’t deserve to heal so easily. I should suffer for getting up and running away from my death.

Nova stares down at me with reluctance. “Quinton, I really think you need to go to a hospital.” She kneels back down on the mattress, sweeping her long brown hair to the side as she leans over me. Her fingers gently enfold my wrist and, moving slowly, she bends my arm so I can get a good view of my hand. It’s twice the size it normally is and my skin is purple and blue. Even where her fingers are, the skin is swollen and raw, and it seems like her touch should hurt, but all I can feel is heat—her heat. God, I’ve missed her heat. I’ve spent the last year wrapped up in coldness, feeling the numbness of drugs and sex with random women and now she’s here and I feel like I’m burning up.

“It’s just a bruise,” I say, not looking at my hand, but at her. I want to hold her, hug her, kiss her, touch her, but I also want her to go away. Stay. Leave. Right. Wrong. Lexi. Nova. Guilt.

Guilt.

Guilt.

Guilt.

It was all your fault.

About the author:

Jessica Sorensen is a #1 New York Times and USA Todaybestselling author who lives with her husband and three kids in Idaho. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

Website      Facebook     Twitter     Goodreads

 Buy links are above! And check out the giveaway below!

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Fangirl Friday: An Interview With Krista and Becca Ritchie

Far and away, my favorite New Adult book(s) on addiction so far have been the ADDICTED series by Krista and Becca Ritchie. Last month during their blog tour you may have witnessed me fangirling out over ADDICTED FOR NOW (which, if you like NA, sexy books, or books dealing with addiction should absolutely be on your TBR list!). Today I am totally thrilled to pick their brains a little more as I prepare to devour the next novella in this series. Here's a little bit about these incredible women and their book babies!

About the Authors

Author Website│Nawanda Files│YA Book Exchange

Becca’s Links:

Goodreads│Twitter

Krista’s Links:

Goodreads│Twitter

Krista & Becca Ritchie write New Adult books that make you cringe, gasp, and go ooh-la-la. (If you do that sort of thing.) They are currently working on the spin-offs and final books in the Addicted series. Connect with them on twitter @Becca_Ritchie / @Nawanda_Files and their website: kbritchie.com

Tell us a little about your writer's journey so far:

Becca: I’ve been writing for about ten years. The first couple of years I started writing my stories on legal pads, so I’d say it wasn’t very productive and there’s no way it was very good. But I never stopped writing, and once I entered college, I teamed up with my sister to work on a couple novels. Addicted to You was the one we thought was ready to be shared, and here we are now! The response has been crazy, and we’re just so grateful for all the support and readers.

Krista: I haven’t been writing as long as Becca, but I wrote throughout college and some of high school. I really loved it, and I was so excited when Becca told me she wanted to work with me. We didn’t know what to expect when we published Addicted to You, but I agree with Becca, the response and support has been so amazing.  

Okay, let's hear your Twitter Pitch! (140 characters or less.)

Becca: I’ll tackle this one ;) – A female sex addict and her alcoholic best friend pretend to be in a relationship to hide their addictions from their families. #craziness

Krista: Couldn’t have said it any better ;)

What inspired you to write this book? How is it a book only you could write?

Becca: We really wanted to write a story about female sex addiction, and we felt the only way for people to understand the reality behind that addiction would be to juxtapose it with a known addiction—one that’s not as taboo. Like alcohol addiction. 

Krista: Answering the second question…Becca and I are twenty-two. We were in our senior year at college when we wrote Addicted to You. Our characters are around our age and they face some of the same insecurities and challenges about becoming adults that we face. We put—however corny this may seem—our souls into this book. It has our humor, our love for dark, emotional dramas, and our beliefs about being twenty-something in our generation.

 

What's your favorite thing about writing?

Becca: I love creating new people, as weird as that may seem. They become so real to us over the course of writing, and what’s fun is being able to just think about simple things like: how would Rose handle a gym class? Or what would Lily do while shopping for groceries? And being able to construct a scene based on that everyday scenario is actually more fun than it seems.

Krista: Same! I love creating our characters. And being able to talk about them with Becca is an added bonus.

What's your least favorite thing?

Becca: Knowing something is really wrong with the book and not being able to figure out what it is. We’ve had those moments with Addicted for Now and Kiss the Sky where we’re about halfway through and we step back and go, “Dammit, something’s wrong.” And we have absolutely no clue what it is. It’s just this weird insane feeling. We always figure it out, but it eats up our time.

Krista: Agreed. When something is off with plot, pacing, or characters and you just can’t figure out which, it’s a mood killer and a time suck.

Now it's time to brag a little--What do you love most about your book?

Becca: Oh, I love our characters, without a doubt. They’re all so different and unique. They’re constructed based on every little thing. Like environment, psychology, who raised them, their wealth, everything. I love our characters so deeply. They’re flawed, most are assholes, but they’re so lovable in the end…to us anyway.

Krista: Our characters are complete assholes. But I agree, I love them all! They all bring something new and fresh to our books since they’re all incredibly different.

Okay, now a little about you. (And yes, I stole these questions from In the Actor's Studio with James Lipton.)

What is your favorite word?

Becca: Captivate (I rarely use it though)

Krista: Ethereal

 

What is your least favorite word?

Becca: Moist!

Krista: Masticate

What turns you on?

Becca: Good sense of humor

Krista: Intelligence

What turns you off?

Becca: Misogyny

Krista: Incompetence

What sound or noise do you love?

Becca: Wind chimes

Krista: Typing

What sound or noise do you hate?

Becca: Crying baby

Krista: Fuzzy television

What profession, other than your own, would you most like to attempt?

Becca: Firefighter

Krista: Doctor

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear G-d say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

Becca: Remember when you fought with your twelfth grade Government teacher, *leans in to whisper* you were right. (Thanks God!)

Krista: Just kidding. Turn around. You’re immortal. J

Finally, what's the one question you've always wanted to answer in an interview? (And of course, you have to answer it!)

If you had to choose to live in the world of one book, what would it be and why?

Krista: The obvious answer here is Harry Potter. Who doesn’t want to be a wizard? But we also have to consider the fact that you could be a muggle. And since I’m not British, I probably wouldn’t be the one wielding the wand. Then again, I think it would be more fun to be a muggle in Harry Potter than it would be to be human anywhere else. So I’m sticking with the obvious answer – Harry Potter.

Becca: Harry Potter. And yes, I’m copying Krista (but she’s right, it’s the obvious choice). Even though I’m not British, I’d hope they’d accept me into Hogwarts. I’d most definitely, without a doubt, be Hufflepuff. (Krista would totally be Ravenclaw!)

About KISS THE SKY

Virgin. Sex addict. Daredevil. Alcoholic. Smartass … Jackass. Her five friends are about to be filmed. Reality TV, be prepared. 

Rose Calloway thought she had everything under control. At twenty-three, she’s a Princeton graduate, an Academic Bowl champion, a fashion designer and the daughter of a Fortune 500 mogul. But with a sex addict as a sister and roommate, nothing comes easy. 

After accepting help from a producer, Rose agrees to have her life filmed for a reality television show. The Hollywood exec is her last chance to revive her struggling fashion line, and boundaries begin to blur as she’s forced to make nice with a man who always has his way. 

Twenty-four-year-old Connor Cobalt is a guy who bulldozes weak men. He’s confident, smart-as-hell and lives with his equally ambitious girlfriend, Rose Calloway. Connor has to find a way to protect Rose without ruining the show. Or else the producer, who’s never been denied a thing, will get what Connor has always wanted—Rose’s virginity. 

This New Adult Standalone Romance can be described as Friends meets The Real World. Expect fist fights, drugs, sex of varying degrees, crude humor and competitive alpha males. Definitely for mature readers audiences only.

**Dannie Note** I bought KISS THE SKY earlier this week and dropped everything to read it. Like EVERYTHING. And once I finished it, I started reading it again. Not kidding. Review coming soon but for now just know that this book is Krista and Becca's best so far!!

Fangirl Friday: ADDICTED FOR NOW by Krista and Becca Ritchie--REVIEW & GIVEAWAY!

Addicted for Now (Addicted #2) by Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie

Release Date: 11/30/13

Category/Genre: gritty New Adult Romance

ARCs of Book 1, Novella 1.5 and Book 2 received via YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. 

Dannie Says: *This* is how you write NA Contemporary about Addiction. 

He's addicted to booze. She's addicted to sex...staying sober is only half the battle.

Addicted for Now (Addicted #2)

by Krista Ritchie & Becca Ritchie

Release Date: 11/30/13

Summary from Goodreads:

He's addicted to booze. She's addicted to sex...staying sober is only half the battle.

No. More. Sex. 

Those are the three words Lily Calloway fears the most. But Loren Hale is determined to be with Lily without enabling her dangerous compulsions. With their new living situation—sleeping in the same bed, for real, together—Lily has new battles. Like not jumping Lo’s bones every night. Not being consumed by sex and his body.

Loren plans to stay sober, to right all of his wrongs. So when someone threatens to expose Lily’s secret to her family and the public, he promises that he’ll do anything to protect her. But with old enemies surfacing, Lo has more at stake than his sobriety.

They will torment Lily until Lo breaks. 

And his worst fear isn’t relapsing. He hears the end. He sees it. The one thing that could change everything. Just three words. 

No. More. Us.

New Adult Romance recommended for readers 18+ for mature content

What I Liked

The fluid weaving in of backstory without it consuming the novel and clogging the pace. I think when you write the kind of characters who have history like these two MCs, it's easy to get bogged down with telly history. The authors do a good job of avoiding this, and the flashbacks they include are timed well to advance the story, not hinder it. 

The antagonistic characters--I actually wish we saw more of them, which is why they are likes, not loves. But they do what bad guys are supposed to do--set up hurdles and roadblocks for the MCs while simultaneously making the protags more sympathetic. They make the mysteries in book 2 more mysterious, and while I had a hint of where we were heading for the climactic reveal, I was still surprised, which doesn't happen that often to me anymore. 

What I Loved

The authenticity--as a licensed therapist who spends (at least) forty hours a week working with people who experience addiction, I feel like I'm a decent judge of authenticity on the subject. I didn't notice even a hint of inaccuracy in Book 1, Book 1.5, or Book 2 in this series, and believe me, I was looking. The authors know what they're doing--they've done their research and the authenticity is spot on. Color me impressed. 

The relatable main characters--it is really easy when writing about addiction to create characters that are despicable--selfishness, predatory behavior, stereotypical behavior, and characters who are not all that sympathetic reign in many books dealing with addiction. (I've ranted about a few of them here on my blog.) But in this series the authors do an amazing job of balancing authentically addicted characters with multidimensional, human, people who jump off the page. The fact of the matter is that addicts are people (and were people before they became addicts). They have personalities and gobs of insecurities and facets to who they are that lie outside of their vices. These are--far and away--the most multifaceted characters I've seen in this theme in a long time, maybe ever. And holy crow, if you do not fall in love with Lo by the end of Book 2 then I just can't help you.

And the minor characters, too. I was so excited to learn that we'll be getting to see some of the minor characters' stories play out in additional companion novels. Connor, in particular, is probably my favorite minor character and I cannot WAIT to see what the authors have in store for us when we get to step inside his head. (This is my not-so-subtle plea for him to be a POV character in his own story, ladies.)

That the addiction themes don't overshadow the New Adult themes, and vice versa. Particularly in Book 2 we see the Coming of Age issues the MMC and FMC are struggling with and how their addictions compound and highlight the themes that make New Adult fiction its own animal. It's a delicate, difficult balance, and for me the balance was spot on here.

What I Wanted More Of

Honestly, and I *rarely* say this, I think anything I'd put here would be nitpicking. I loved every heartbreaking moment of these books and I cannot wait to read more. This is my favorite New Adult series to date, and that's a small group, you guys. For me to say that about a CONTEMPORARY New Adult series that's set in the traditional NA (college) setting, should have you falling off your chairs and checking to see if hell froze over. 

Short story long, if you dig the books I write, read, or review on this blog, buy the hell out of these books. You won't be sorry. 

Click here to access the sale!

About the Authors

Becca Ritchie is a carnivore of pop culture, television, film and of course YA and NA books. While in college, she worked at The CW television network and put her vampiric knowledge to good use, blogging about hit series and swooning over actors’ abs. When she’s not blogging, she writes novels and has teamed up with her twin sister for their New Adult novel ADDICTED TO YOU. Available July of 2013. 

Krista Ritchie is the mind behind popular trading website YA Book Exchange and created Nawanda Files, a book blog that also features books into movies news. When not pouring over entertainment news and the newest releases, she spends her time conducting research in a genetics lab. She’s happy to join forces with her sister, harnessing their twin powers to produce the first in a New Adult series.

 

Author Website│Nawanda Files│YA Book Exchange

Becca’s Links:

Goodreads│Twitter

Krista’s Links:

Goodreads│Twitter

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