It’s All About the Book…
* Please
tell us about your current or upcoming release.
o
Title:
Lost Reputation
o
Blurb:
Casey Hayes has a secret—she writes the conspiracy theory column for her high
school newspaper. As the editor, she thrives on the thrill of uncovering the
facts—until she gets tangled up in a scandal.
o
When she
exposes a teacher’s shameful secret, threats start, demanding she stop
spreading the vicious rumors. Casey blows it off and keeps on writing. Even
sexy Victor Cruz, the hot senior with the adorable accent who chases after
Casey and tries to protect her, fails to convince her to keep her mouth shut.
But things only get worse as she ignores the warnings, and soon, Casey must
decide if exposing the truth is more important to her than her life.
* What is
this book’s genre? Is this the genre you
usually write in? Are there any genre’s
you haven’t written that you’d like to try?
Lost Reputation is a young adult contemporary novel. YA is my favorite
age group and I pretty much love all genres of YA, especially fantasy,
dystopian, and contemporary.
* What
inspired you to write this book?
I tend
to be a suspicious person and see scandals all over the place. I thought it
would be fun to put those scandals in a high school with a curious main
character who loves to break a good news story and also dabbles in conspiracy
theories.
* How did
you pick its title? Did it come first or
did you have to write the story first?
Lost
Reputation is actually a new title for this book. The original title didn’t
capture the flavor of the story, but the story was started first, then I worked
on titles. All of my books come from either a character or plot idea. The title
usually comes later.
* How did
you create your characters? Did you use
any real life people in their making?
I
usually have some characteristics of people I know in my characters, but those
characteristics just add to the character’s personality. None of my characters
are totally based on any one person.
* Who is
your favorite character of this book and why?
I love Vic, Casey’s love interest. He’s a sweet, chivalrous, sexy guy
who isn’t what Casey thinks he is. I also love his Spanish accent – it’s
adorable J
* What is
your favorite part of this book? Can you
share an excerpt from that part?
Let’s
just say my favorite part is when Vic rescues Casey in a rather unlikely way. I
don’t want to spoil it – it was really fun to write!
* What was
the hardest part of this book to write? Can you share an excerpt from that part?
Hmm, I don’t think anything in this book
was hard to write.
*Did you
have any special rhythm or quirks while writing this?
I love to sit on my back porch while listening to the birds as I write,
preferably with a cat on my lap. I don’t listen to music when I write because
it’s too distracting to me.
* Is this a
stand-alone book or is it part of a series?
If so, we want to hear about it and what’s next in the series. If not a series, what comes next to be
released?
I wrote this as a standalone
with series potential, so Casey may return with Vic and their friends. I have a
few other novels hanging out on my laptop waiting to find homes, so we’ll see
what happens!
***
LOST REPUTATION
Kimberly Ann Miller
Romance/Contemporary/Suspense/Young
Adult
Evernight Teen Publishing/237 pages
Casey Hayes has a secret—she writes
the conspiracy theory column for her high school newspaper. As the editor, she
thrives on the thrill of uncovering the facts—until she gets tangled up in a
scandal.
When she exposes a teacher’s shameful
secret, threats start, demanding she stop spreading the vicious rumors. Casey
blows it off and keeps on writing. Even sexy Victor Cruz, the hot senior with
the adorable accent who chases after Casey and tries to protect her, fails to
convince her to keep her mouth shut. But things only get worse as she ignores
the warnings, and soon, Casey must decide if exposing the truth is more
important to her than her life.
Excerpt:
I laughed at the memory as I locked
up the newsroom and rushed to my next class. I still had a smile on my face as
I plopped down on my seat in the back row of calculus. Victor Cruz, my secret
crush, entered the room. My pulse reacted to his presence, but, thank God, no
other part of me did that he could see. I didn’t want to be lusting after
anyone this year because I was planning on working hard toward my college goals
and didn’t need the distraction.
The worst thing was, Charli told me
he gave his ex-girlfriend some rash because he cheated on her. I so did
not do the sexually transmitted diseases thing, and I definitely had zerorespect
for cheaters. Not even for a hunk like him, who obviously screwed around and
didn’t care if he got girls sick.
But damn, did this guy make my
insides quiver. He was totally hot. His parents moved to New Jersey
from Spain during middle school when Vic was scrawny and didn’t speak much
English. When senior year started a month ago, no one recognized him because
he’d grown ten inches, gained fifty pounds—of muscle—and must have taken some
classes in style because, damn, the boy knew how to dress to show off his
build.
Loose jeans with a belt, black boots,
and a black, long-sleeved tee only made him sexier. And the way he walked? It
should’ve been a crime. He had a swagger about him that rivaled any of the good
old boys of Hollywood. Watching it made me quiver in places I didn’t know could
quiver.
But it wasn’t just his looks that
held me captive. He had the values of an old-fashioned guy—holding the door
open for girls, helping them with heavy stuff, defending them when guys were
too rough or mean.
If it wasn’t for that wild partying
side of him … sigh.
As he approached his seat, I couldn’t
help but stare at his thighs, mesmerized by the fluid sway they made with each
step.
He caught me staring and raised a
thick black brow. I diverted my eyes and pretended to be very interested in the
junior’s notebook next to me. But I didn’t even know his name. Ugh.
Vic slid into his seat next to me and
winked at the girls that were staring at him.
They always stared at him.
I rolled my eyes. But when I felt his
eyes on me, I shifted in my seat, fighting the funny tingle in my stomach that
came from looking at him.
The other problem was, besides being
a distraction, Vic knew how sexy he’d become. He acted so cocky and confident,
I wanted to smack the grin off his face and remind him that not long ago, he
could have passed for a ten-year-old boy who couldn’t speak English or speak to
girls.
But, whatever. He had a harem now, so
good for him. And shiny black hair, smooth, bronze skin, and deep brown eyes
that … never mind. Didn’t matter anyway.
Kylie sauntered over to him, swaying
her hips so hard, I wondered how they didn’t dislocate. She leaned over his
back and wrapped her arms around his ample shoulders, pressing her boobs into
his back. I’m sure he loved that. “Hey, Vic. Busy this weekend? My parents are
out of town, and we can go riding if you want. I’ll pack us a lunch.” She ran
her fingernails over his chest as she spoke, clearly enjoying the feel of him.
He pulled her fingers off him and
slipped out of her grasp. “Sorry, I’m busy, but thanks for asking.”
She leaned into him again, making
sure to press her boobs into his neck. I rolled my eyes so hard, they almost
didn’t return to face front. That would suck. What would I tell the nurse? I
was looking at my brain instead of in front of me and I needed an eye
adjustment?
“Maybe another time, okay?”
Vic nodded once. “Si.”
I pulled out my phone to check
messages, done with listening to the vixen and her attempts at charming the
hottest guy in school.
“Hey, Casey,” he said in his sexy
Spanish accent. He had this way of dragging out the end of my name, making it
sound like Kay Seee.
It was both unsettling and adorable,
so I just grunted at him. How else could I get anything done with him around?
About the Author:
Kimberly Ann Miller received
Bachelor's degrees from Georgian Court University and Rutgers University and a
Master's degree from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New
Jersey. She is an avid reader and particularly enjoys true crime and
young adult novels. She grew up in New Jersey and currently resides
in Monmouth County with her husband and cats. When she’s not writing, she loves
to travel to sunny islands where she snorkels by day and stargazes by
night. She always takes her Nook with her.
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5820784.Kimberly_Ann_Miller
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http://kimberlyannmiller.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5820784.Kimberly_Ann_Miller
Giveaway: $10 Evernight
Teen GC