Pushed Blog Tour
I was writing an adult fiction novel in 2008 and young adult lit wasn't really on my radar. Then a friend introduced me to a few YA books, and I began to devour whatever I could get my hands on. Exciting things were (and still are) happening in YA, but one thing disappointed me: a lot of novels featured a girl waiting on a boy to save her. I wanted to see girls who were doing the saving or acting as equals to their counterparts. That inspired me to write a kickass heroine. Remy's healing powers (and her more violent ones) give her the ability to stand up for herself, and I love how brave she is and how willing she is to step up to the plate when anyone hurts her loved ones. I also like that there's a deep personal cost for using her powers because of the abuse she suffered at her stepfather's hands. Her background and abilities are tied closely together and that gave me layers of emotional complexity to explore.
* How many books are planned for the series? Is this the last one? Any hints for what's next if so?
The series is a trilogy. IGNITED, the final book in the Sense Thieves series, releases on May 27. Where PUSHED has a lot of action, IGNITED deals way more with the relationships Remy has developed and the small found family she's created. We also get to see her coming into her powers and finally understanding what she can do. And of course, there's heartache as she deals with the aftermath of the events in PUSHED. For those fans of Gabe (and man, do you readers ever love that boy!), I can promise you that you will see a lot more of him.
*If your books were to be made into a movie, who would be your top picks for the cast?
I'm so terrible at casting. I mostly use unknowns for character inspiration. I could see Tyler Hoechlin (of Teen Wolf) for Gabe with a slightly younger version of him for Asher (the brothers look very alike).
I've never pictured an actress for Remy. In my mind, she's not your average pretty girl. She's different, and people are drawn to her for her strength and character, rather than how attractive she is. Honestly, I don't think looks are that important to her either. She's been forged by so many other trials that her appearance falls to the bottom of her priorities.
*Could you tell us a little about the ups and downs you have experienced in publishing?
The hardest part of getting published has been giving up control. I am the type of person who wants to organize ALL THE THINGS, and if I want something, I make a plan of action to achieve it. Talent will only get you so far in publishing, though. The rest of it comes down to luck and timing. Having the right story at the right time and having the right agent who can get it into the right editor's hands at a time when they are receptive to it. There are so many factors that a writer can't impact. That was very difficult for me to accept, and I still bang my head against that wall all the time. I've had to realize (daily) that the one thing I can control is the writing, so I've tried to focus on telling the best stories that I can and hoping they get to the readers.
*What are some of your favorite books in the paranormal genre?
Lately, I've fallen for two series, the Lux series by Jennifer Armentrout and the Significance series by Shelly Crane. Both of these series felt so original and they are full of the hot romance factor that I adore. They both have a kind of forbidden romance element to them, which creates that tension I love to read.
*If you could tell readers one thing about yourself or your books, what would that be?
Is this where I insert shameless pleas to read my books? No? Seriously, I would say that I write about real people that you know and can relate to and usually they are people who feel cut off from others by painful circumstances. Remy (of the Sense Thieves series) and Quinn (of If I Lie) are imperfect, strong girls who are doing the best they can with the hands they've been dealt.
*What is the craziest or at least most interesting thing you have ever done?
I performed in a Super Bowl show with Michael Jackson when I was in high school. My cheer squad was invited to take part, along with lots of other squads. We all acted like it was no big deal at our weekend practices. (And having been teased about my name most of my life, you can imagine I was a little over it.) Then Michael Jackson showed up at our final rehearsal, surprising us by popping out of the stage to sing "Billie Jean." Let me tell you our cool act fell apart in the 2.1 seconds it took hundreds of screaming girls to swarm the stage. I will never forget how cool it was to be on the field staring up at thousands of fans in the stadium.
*Finish this statement: "You'll like the Sense Thieves series if…
...you like a strong, scarred heroine teaming up with two hot boys to save her family and friends.
Thanks Corrine!
“Asher, lower your guard.”
“No, you’re right. That was a reckless idea. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”
“You weren’t thinking. You were feeling,” I said, moving closer to him. Trust me. Lower your guard, I repeated in my thoughts. And close your eyes.
He did as I asked.
“Promise me you’ll stand still,” I whispered.
He nodded after a slight hesitation. His heartbeat spiked when I laid a palm on his chest. His skin radiated heat, and I wanted to curl into it, but I took a deep breath. One of us had to be in control, so I raised my mental walls, knowing that when I felt this much, Asher could see through them. I opened my mind and let my imagination go, as I closed my eyes, too.
I pictured myself touching him the way I wished I could without fear of repercussions. I pushed the coat off of his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground. My jacket and his T-shirt followed, leaving miles of skin and muscle for me to explore. I inhaled the scent of the woods mixed with that of Asher. In my mind, I placed one of his hands on my shoulder, bare except for the thin strap of a tank top. Then, mimicking what he’d done to me earlier, I trailed my fingers down his forearm, into the crook of his elbow, up his arm, and very lightly down his side.
Asher’s real-life chest moved under my hand, as he sucked in a deep breath and I smiled. And then the mental version of me grazed her lips across Asher’s cheek to his mouth, sharing a breath with him. The kiss the imaginary me laid on him could have burned down the forest.
“Remy,” Asher said.
He sounded tortured, and I let the images fade from my mind, worried he hadn’t liked what I’d pictured. Back in the reality of the forest, we opened our eyes. My hand still rested against the thump, thump, thump of his heart.
“You’re not the only one who’s frustrated,” I said.
VALENTINES
Want to send a Valentine to a friend? In the spirit of romance and Valentine’s Day, PUSHED author Corrine Jackson created these Valentines for you on someecards.com. Just follow these easy instructions to send them out.
1. Right click on the card image you like below.
2. When prompted, save the image to you desktop.
3. Attach the image to your tweet or post and send to a friend you adore.
Author Info:
Find Corrine Online:
For centuries an ancient evil has slept beneath the streets of New Harbor. This Halloween, it wakes up. An action-packed debut horror novel from talented new writer Matthew Quinn Martin, Nightlife pits a feisty bartender and a mysterious loner against bloodthirsty terrors as alluring as they are deadly.
Nightclub bartender and serial heartbreaker Beth Becker might be a cynic. But when her best friend goes missing Halloween night, Beth knows it's up to her to find out what happened.
Her quest will take her on an odyssey through the crumbling city of New Harbor, Connecticut. Along the way she meets a homeless prophet warning of something he calls the "Night Angel"-a bloodthirsty creature that feeds on the forgotten. And she will form an unlikely bond with a hunted stranger who knows all too well what stalks the streets at night.
