The Crush Collision by Danielle Ellison Blog Tour!
The Crush Collision (Southern
Charmed #2)
by Danielle Ellison
by Danielle Ellison
Publication Date: February 18, 2019
Publisher: Entangled Teen: Crush
Haley Howell has had a hopeless crush
on her brother’s best friend, Jake Lexington, for as long as she
can remember. Too bad to him, she’ll forever be off-limits. But
with senior year and acceptance to a college outside their tiny
southern town of Culler, South Carolina, comes new confidence.
Haley’s ready to get Jake to notice her—whatever it takes.
No one in Culler notices the real Jake anymore—to them, he’s nothing more than the star football player or the kid with the family tragedy. When one mistake lands him in community service, he’s shocked to find his best friend’s little sister there, too, looking cute as hell and threatening all his no-friends-with-benefits rules. But Jake isn’t ready to take a chance, no matter how crafty Haley’s willing to get to prove him otherwise…
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EXCERPT
A few minutes later, we’re standing in the park at the middle school. Leaves are piled up in three enormous stacks on one side of the yard. The jungle gym is a lot smaller than I remember it being, and so are the swings, but Jake looks at me. Race you.” “Go!” I yell, and we run through the playground toward the swings, like we all did when we were kids. Jake tries to cut me off halfway there, but I dodge him and beat him by a step to the swings We’re both laughing, and my face is red from running when he kisses me. God, it’s a good kiss. We pull apart; he sits next to me on a swing, and we push off the ground. “You know what’s funny?” I ask him once we’ve both got a little bit of swing going. He looks at me, waiting. “I always used to dream about kissing you on these swings.” He grins. “Well, now you have. Cross that one off your bucket list.” I laugh. “A few years too late.” “Better late than never,” he says. “Where else did you dream about kissing me? Maybe I can make some more of them happen.” He winks at me. God.
I have to look away. “I’ll prepare you a list.”
“A list, huh?”
“Don’t mock me.”
“But it’s so fun,” he says. I pout, and he chuckles. “I’m playing. I am into lists.” “Really?” “No, but I am into you, so I’m down with lists. Especially if they involve kissing you.” My heart flips inside my chest, and it takes everything inside of me to not lean into him right now for another. I can’t believe we’re here now, me and him, like this. It’s everything I’ve ever imagined and never dreamed I could have. “What are you thinking?”
I point to the large piles of leaves. “Race you!”
And while the swing is in midair, I jump off and barrel roll toward the ground. It’s way less graceful than it was in my mind, but Jake is right behind me as we run toward the piles of leaves. I jump in, followed by him. We’re laughing, throwing leaves at each other, making snow angels in the piles, and when he kisses me again, everything is perfect. Truly perfect.
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
Danielle Ellison is a nomad, always on
the lookout for an adventure and the next story. In addition to
writing, she’s the founder and coordinator of the NoVa TEEN Book
Festival. When she’s not busy with books, she’s probably watching
her favorite shows, drinking coffee, or fighting her nomadic
urges. She is newly settled in Oklahoma (for now) with her cat,
Simon, but you can always find her on twitter @DanielleEWrites.
INTERVIEW
--How did you come up with the title?
It was actually a long process. I’m
either really good at titles, or really bad them. This was a title I
had thought of before the story was written, and no one really liked
it. We tried so many things, but it never felt right. We never even
had a solid idea, just themes and rejections. Then, after we were
revising, my editor was like we really need a title, I thought of it
again. I actually thought it was new when I presented it, and since
the whole story had changed, everyone loved the title. It was a week
or two later my friend said, “You went with the original” and we
had all forgotten. I guess it was meant to be.
--If you had to do it all over again, would you
change anything in your latest book?
Actually, I wouldn’t. I really love the
choices that were made here, and the finished project to me, is
exactly the story I wanted to tell. I love Jake and Haley, and I hope
readers will too.
--Is there anything you find particularly
challenging in your writing?
I write characters. I started writing, really
developing my love of writing anyway, while writing plays. So, my
first drafts are often more like plays with characters and movement,
and then I have to spend more time developing the rest of the book.
--Did you learn anything from writing your book
and what was it?
It’s not always the story you think it is.
When I had started writing this book, I had the HARDEST time making
it work. I knew all the pieces, what the plot was going to be, who
the characters were, but it just never would happen. I’m talking
for months. Then one day my agent said they didn’t have chemistry,
which for a romance is needed…and then I realized I was trying to
put the wrong couple together. That A and B weren’t the love story,
A and D were. So I tried something new and sparks flew. A lot of the
story wrote itself from there on in.
--Do you write an outline before every
book you write?
I am an avid outliner. I spend a lot of time
really exploring the characters and the story before I start writing.
It helps me focus, and stay focused when I’m writing .It also
allows me to see majority of the story’s flaws before I’m in the
midst of it, because I’ve found that’s when I get overwhelmed.
Outlining doesn’t save me from everything, but I always feel more
prepared when I have a direction.
--What is your favourite theme/genre to
write about?
I really enjoyed the realm I was in for The
Crush Collision. I love the romance parts, but it dealt with some
heavier topics too. I think I have a sweet spot right there where I
get to dig in and ask hard questions, but still experience the joy of
first loves.
--While you were writing, did you ever feel
as if you were one of the characters?
Often I connect with the characters in a
surreal way. Am I them? I’m not sure. But I am like in the same
headspace as them. I can see what they’re feeling. It’s more, for
me, usually one character over another, but even then I always find
myself surprised over what is on the page.
--What are your current projects?
I’m currently trying to revise a two-year-old
project and I’ve put that aside to develop book three for the
Southern Charmed series.
--Can you share a little of
your current work with us?
I will just say that when you read the book,
you’re going to meet a character whom seems pretty perfect—and
that person is one half of the love story of book three. ;)
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