I'm thrilled to be over at author Christina Alexandra's blog today. We're having a blast. So grab yourself a coffee and join us for a good chat.
Sarah's Blog
REVEALING A BEAUTIFUL STARR
ABOUT THE BOOK
On the run from the Organization, Starr never planned on falling in love.
Starr Bishop’s the complete package. A perfect smile, brains to match, and a winning attitude. Boys want to date her and girls want to be her. She’s the type of girl you want to hate, if only she wasn’t so damn likable. But don’t worry, she’s not interested in your boyfriend. Boys are one complication she can live without.
When the Organization decides she’s not only the model student but the ideal assassin, Starr’ll need a lot more than high test scores and extracurricular involvement to get herself out of that commitment.
Dark, moody, and dead sexy Christian Evergood is the last person she’d expect—or even want— to come to her rescue. From opposite ends of Webster High’s social hierarchy, their lives collide in one electrifying moment. Christian isn’t the Goth loner he pretends to be, he’s a part Cherokee, All-American boy who wants to be a hero, Starr’s hero. Christian makes Starr forget that the Organization is after her, but nothing will stop the Organization from collecting their top recruit.
By the way, the spot for junior class president just became available.
MEET KIM BRIGGS
Kim once smashed into a tree while skiing. The accident led to a concussion, a cracked sternum, temporary notoriety as a sixth grader returned from the dead, and the realization that fictionalized accounts are way more interesting than just slipping on the ice.
An unhealthy obsession with conspiracy theories combined with a love of travel and happily ever afters led Kim to write her YA novel, Starr Fall, where a secret organization decides Starr Bishop would make the ideal assassin. While in hiding, Starr meets dark, moody, and dead sexy Christian Evergood. Cue the swoon worthy music. But it’s not all happily ever afters for Kim, her NA novel, And Then He, explores the dark and scary corners of the human psyche. Following a night of innocent flirting with a handsome stranger, Tiffani finds herself in the midst of a nightmare she can’t escape. And Then He is available now through Amazon and other major book retailers. Starr Fall will debut November 2016 with Inkspell Publishing.
When she’s not doing something writerly, Kim can be found jumping into snow drifts with her three kids, husband, and dog. She’s careful to avoid trees.
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday
Paper Planes Take Flight
I have a really hard time with titles. One manuscript I've been pitching to editors and agents has changed titles three times. When I'm working on writing and editing a manuscript I keep the title the same. And that title seems to take on a personality of its own. When I'm submitting the manuscript everything changes again, and I try to find something that really encompasses all that I want the story to be. Often I get my inspiration from song titles, book titles, television shows and once it was something I saw written on the wall of a coffee shop.
When I was writing "Kisses On A Paper Airplane" it started out as the first kiss manuscript. It didn't have a title for the entire time I was writing it. I brainstormed titles one day when I was on writing safari at Panera. I started with "Fly Me To The Moon" and "Come Fly With Me," and moved on to "Big Ole Jet Airliner." None of these did the trick. I thought I had found the right when when I came up with "First Class Kisses" and then moved on to "Kissed At 33,000 Feet" and "Kissed By A Pop Star." None of them had the whimsical quality that I really thought the story should have.
Finally I came up with "Kissed On A Paper Airplane." But if you read the book, I didn't think that was accurate and I settled on "Kisses On A Paper Airplane." I offered to change the title to something more marketable when it was accepted by a publisher, but she wouldn't hear of it. I'm so glad. She was right.
You can't imagine how surprised I was to see this story recently about how paper airplanes were a part of the relationship between Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. She even was inspired to write a song about it. You can see a photo of them wearing their paper airplane charms here.
Maybe there really is something dreamy about paper airplanes and sweet kisses that makes us all swoon.
Life Imitates Art
When I first started to brain storm the plot for "Kisses On A Paper Airplane," I knew I wanted to write a story about a girl who wanted to have the perfect first kiss. Then I had to think about who that person might be. When I was a teenager the guy who was on the cover of the latest issue of Tiger Beat magazine would've been the one I would've chosen. So I looked around at today's pop stars. There were quite a few to choose from -- Justin Bieber, Mike Posner, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and the rest of the gang from One Direction.
So you can imagine my surprise when I came across this real life news story about Niall Horan (of One Direction) being upset with a fan for posting a photo of him sleeping on a plane. It's thisclose to the plot of "Kisses On A Paper Airplane." Sometimes life is even crazier than fiction.