Thursday, August 8, 2013

Interview with Will Parkinson, author of debut novel, Pitch!

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Join me in welcoming fellow Harmony Ink author Will Parkinson to my blog. To celebrate the release of his terrific debut novel, Pitch, I thought I'd ask Will a few questions about his writing process and his first crush. Yep. Will answered that question, too.
 
Cody: Do you bond with your characters? Or do you maintain distance between yourself and them in your stories?

     Will: I bond tightly with them. When they hurt (even if it’s my doing), I feel for them. Even the bad people I bond with because it makes it mean more when I understand what drives them.

Cody: Is it difficult to write characters who you don't like or identify with?

     Will: I feel all of my characters. Their hopes and dreams become mine because they are a part of me, even the bad ones are part of my subconscious on some level.


Cody: How do you make a character feel real if you don't feel a connection to him or her?

     Will: In Pitch, Kevin is my ‘bad boy’. He does things that are way over the top, and I understand that. I get why he thinks he’s owed what he wants.

Cody: What was your first crush like and how much of that experience is in Pitch?

    Will: My first true love was named Jim. I gave him everything (and yes, I do mean everything) and thought we’d be happy forever. That lasted until he started smoking pot and hanging around with some not-so-nice people. I didn’t really put any of that in Pitch. My guys are destined to be together, even though it’s going to require work for them to get there.

Pitch by Will Parkinson
Pitch
The day Jackson Kern walks into Taylor Andrews’s classroom is a momentous day in Taylor’s life. He’s had crushes before, sure, but as time goes on, this is starting to look a whole lot more serious. Still, Jackson doesn’t return Taylor’s feelings.

Taylor has his own admirers, though. Kevin Richards is used to getting what he wants, and what he wants right now is Taylor, so when Taylor rejects him, Kevin retaliates. At first Taylor’s entourage rallies around him, but then Kevin takes his deception one step further and Taylor sees his support dwindle, teaching him the valuable lesson about who he can truly consider a friend.

Be sure to enter to win a SIGNED copy of Pitch and a $25 gift card to the winner's choice of online book reseller: a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
About Will:
WILL PARKINSON believes that no matter what obstacles are thrown in the path of young love, it will always find a way to win in the end. He wants his characters to have their happily ever after, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to come easily. None of this would have happened if he had followed the advice he was given many years ago. “What are you wasting your time on that for? It’s never going to amount to anything.” He believed it for the longest time, abandoning characters he’d created in his childhood. He picked up his very first m/m story by a writer named Eden Winters, who was an absolute joy when they corresponded. She asked him if he wrote and he told her the story. Eden explained to Will that the voices in his head would never go away and how he needed to let them out. With that thought in mind, Will put e-pen to e-paper once more. It was truly a liberating experience and one he has no intention of giving up again.

 
Find Will's web site here and find him on Goodreads here.

Read the first chapter and get your copy of


Join the Blog Tour for Pitch!

8/5/2013

Magnolias and Men
True Colorz
Hearts on Fire

8/6/2013

Cate Ashwood's Blog
Guilty Pleasures

8/7/2013

My Fiction Nook
Madison Parker

8/8/2013

Cody Kennedy, author
The Risque Redhead Reads

8/9/2013

Book Reviews & More by Kathy
The Land of Make Believe

8/12/2013

Author Susan Mac Nicol
N.R. Walker

8/13/2013

Iyana Jenna
Dawn's Reading Nook

8/14/2013

Wild Wordy Women
Mary Calmes Books
A Bear On Books

8/15/13

House Millar
Joyfully Jay

8/16/2013

Elisa - My Reviews & Ramblings
Mrs. Condit & Friends Read Books

 
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26 comments:

  1. woohoo! Looking forward to reading it. It was pre-ordered, do I will download it now, but I have a list of reading to do already!! Good luck, Will. And glad to see you on Cody's site!

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    1. Thank you, Wade! (You have one of those forever long reading lists, too?)

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    2. Thanks, Wade! It is my pleasure to have Will - masterful author that he is - on my site! Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Empathy with one's characters is crucial--this will be great to read!

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. Thank you for the kind words. :)

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    2. Thanks for dropping by, Vitajex! It's great to see you here!

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  3. Sounds great love when an author puts a lilbit of their real life in their books

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    1. I think it helps make a character more believable.

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    2. Thanks for stopping by, Dana! Will has an uncanny ability to build a bit of himself into each character. Stay tuned. Will has many more great stories on the horizon!

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  4. Loved the questions, and the answers Will! Looking forward to reading Pitch :) It's been highly recommended!

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    1. Thank you, Kerry. I hope you enjoy it. :)

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    2. Hey, Kerry! It's always great to see you here. Pitch is a great read. Thanks so much for stopping by!

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  5. Hi, Will. Great interview. Love the book, congratulations, and I reserve the right to be *smug* ^_^

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    1. The right isn't only yours, sweet Pamela! I always like a good 'I told you so.' It's always great to see you here. Do drop by more often. <3 it when you're here!

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  6. Great interview. Congratulations to Wll. I'm looking forward to reading Pitch.

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  7. Enjoyed the interview and look forward to reading your story when I get a chance to get to it.

    ~MommaB~

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  8. Great interview Will!!! Can't wait to start reading this wonderful story.

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  9. Such a wonderful story, Will! I wish you all the success and happiness you deserve, dear man! Keep on writing. I want to have an entire Parkinson Library!!!

    ~Rush~

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