Author Interview: Samantha March

It's my last post for the CLP Blog Tour for The Green Ticket by the lovely Samantha March. I reviewed the novel the other day (I loved it and you can read the review here) and Samantha wrote a great post about meeting her characters for Books Etc. as well. Today I have an interview with Samantha for your reading pleasure! I hope you all enjoy it :)

Favourite movie?

It’s a toss-up between anything with Reese Witherspoon or Will Ferrell ;)

Favourite author/book?

Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin

Favourite (or dream) travel destination?

Italy!

Favourite indulgence (food to eat, store to shop in, etc.)?

I love Coldstone ice cream – cake batter with Oreo’s to be exact!

The Green Ticket is your second novel. How was the writing/editing/publishing/promoting process this time around compared to with your first novel, Destined to Fail?

I felt like it was better all around. I felt more confident in my writing and also more pressured to get another book out there! I also felt like I had a much better marketing plan in place the second time around – though I basically had none with DESTINED TO FAIL and really learned that lesson!

What is your writing routine like?

When I am in writing mode, that is really all I focus on. I give myself goals each day – write 1,000 words or 5,000 words of finish a scene. I enjoy writing in the mornings since my nights can get a bit hectic, and my goals really help me stay on track!

What kinds of things do you like to do when you're not writing?

Reading! I run ChickLitPlus.com and have a lot of book reviews due day to day! But I also enjoy dancing and working out – particularly yoga and kickboxing! 

What is your favourite thing about writing and being an author?

That it was a dream I had when I was nine years old and after a lot of mis-steps and hesitance, I’m doing what I love.  

How did you come up with the idea for The Green Ticket?

I actually became fascinated a few years back with the money versus morals topic when I watched a young girl marry an older man (we are talking a 50 year age difference) and be fine that people knew she married him for money. Well, fascinated and quite disturbed I should say! That gave me the spark to write THE GREEN TICKET and even though the plot is entirely different, the concept is still there.

Do you find yourself giving your characters qualities that you or people who are close to you have?

I do. I think a lot of authors find inspiration from those around them, even if it’s something very miniscule. For example, in THE GREEN TICKET Henry mentions that he doesn’t like eating chocolate cereal that turns his milk into chocolate milk – which is a trait my fiancé has as well :)

Author Bio:

Samantha March is an author, editor, publisher, blogger, and all around book lover. She runs the popular book/women’s lifestyle blog ChickLitPlus, which keeps her bookshelf stocked with the latest reads and up to date on all things health, fitness, fashion, and celebrity related. In 2011 she launched her independent publishing company Marching Ink and her debut novel Destined to Fail. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you can find her cheering for the Green Bay Packers.

Connect with Samantha:
Website 

Facebook

Twitter

GoodReads

CLP Blog Tour: The Green Ticket

I cannot tell you guys how excited I was to read The Green Ticket. This is the second novel from the fabulous Samantha March - author and book blogger extraordinaire (she runs the popular site Chick Lit Plus). I read and loved her debut novel, Destined to Fail late last year (check out my review here if you missed it). So, did her second novel live up to the expectations I had? Oh yeah. I loved it.

Here's the synopsis:

College junior Alex Abrams scores her dream job at the ripe age of twenty – manager to a successful salon and spa. Thrilled to finally have a real adult job, Alex enthusiastically jumps into the world of schedules, conference calls, and getting a massage when interviewing prospective employees. What she doesn’t expect are the very grown-up issues that comes with a demanding boss. Kevin Dohlman quickly becomes Alex’s worse nightmare – covering up his affairs, dealing with his enormous ego, and trying to protect her female staff from him becomes a full-time job in its own right. Alex has also befriended Kevin’s wife and co-owner, Dani, and is trying to keep Kevin’s secrets hidden from her. The situation only worsens when Kevin starts paying Alex off to make sure she keeps her insider knowledge to herself. 

While struggling to keep her wits and stay happy with her new grown-up job, Alex is juggling college courses, a new love interest, and keeping up with her close group of girlfriends. When her roommate and best friend Lila gets offered an opportunity to move to Los Angeles and sign with an agent, Alex realizes her life truly is changing, and everyone around her – including herself – is growing up. Knowing she is faced with some hard decisions ahead, Alex struggles with keeping her job at Blissful. But does she really want to throw away what she dreamed of as a career – or will the secret-keeping for Kevin become too much to handle? The Green Ticket is a story about morals versus money, and how one young woman navigates the shaky line between the two.

One of the things I remember liking about Destined to Fail was that I could really relate to the characters. The girls were college students and it hasn't been that long since I graduated from university. The Green Ticket was just the same way. I could completely relate to Alex's lifestyle at school. She and her girlfriends all lived in the same dorm at their college. That brought back fond memories of my dorm in first year and then living with some of my closest friends for the next three years. It was so much easier to hang out when they were just upstairs or down the hall - instead of 3 hours or 6 hours or...apparently Google can't calculate the directions from where I live now to where one of my old roomies is in Nunavut. OK, a ridiculously long way away. Point is, I miss the days when my friends lived close enough that I didn't have to put on real shoes to see them (something Alex mentions in the book). I really liked that aspect and I think March does a great job of writing some really real friendships - so much so that I wish I could be one Alex's friends, too!

What I also liked about this book was that the romance wasn't the central storyline. This is a minor spoiler as you'll notice that it's not even mentioned in the synopsis. Now, don't get me wrong, I love that there was a (wonderfully written) romance with Alex and Henry but I'm glad it wasn't the main focus. I do think that they are an adorable couple and am glad they found each other.

The only negative I found with this book was that there was a chunk of time that was just skipped over - from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve. March caught me up and let me know what happened during that period of time but I just found it odd that over a month was just bounced over.

I couldn't believe the...well...crap, that Alex had to put up with at Blissful. I don't know what I would have done if I had been in her position. Though, I doubt I'd ever be in her position because there's no way that I would have had enough confidence in myself to run a spa when I was in my third year of university. I really admired Alex and I thought she was a fabulous main character.

I'm sure I could continue gushing about The Green Ticket, but I won't. Instead, I'll urge you all to buy a copy of it so you can see for yourselves how fabulous it is. I'm so glad I was able to take place in this tour and I'm happy to let you know that I'll have a guest post from author Samantha March herself, as well as an interview coming up later in the week. While you're waiting, hop on over to the main tour page and check out some of the other reviews. Maybe they'll help convince you to buy this book!

Happy reading :)