Living Again by LL Collins : The Blog Tour

Book:  Living again
Author:  LL Collins
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Publication Date:  October 4th,2013
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Synopsis:

Kayley Carson thought she had it all--married to the love of her life, a great job, and a baby on the way. Then one day, her life changes forever when she loses her husband in a tragic accident. No longer sure how to navigate life after her enormous loss, Kayley clings to her newborn baby, her family, and her friends to keep herself living.

When she meets someone that challenges her belief that she's better off alone, she has to decide if she is capable of letting him in after swearing she was never going to love anyone the same way again.

She's not the only one with a painful past. He is struggling with trust issues after a previous relationship went horribly wrong. After a terrible misunderstanding brings out both of their insecurities, will the painful memories of the past keep them both from living again?"

My Review:

Living again is a book that speaks about Life. It speaks about how a person can survive through the worse pain imaginable and come out stronger and happy. It speaks about how one person’s life can turn from happy to miserable and back again. It speaks about raw pain, pure love, desire and affection. Like life, Living again is a journey – Kayley’s journey to love and happiness.

I absolutely loved Living again! Kayley is so strong and so affectionate. Of course, her little girl Alexis is the book’s firecracker and royalty (xoxo, you’ll know what I mean when you read it!).

The beginning was rough. I was in tears up until she met Ben, to be honest. And even then, I was scared out of my mind for something (not telling ya!).  L. L. Collins showed how incredible writer she really is. She captured Kayley’s pain so truthfully and so intensely that her pain felt like my pain. My heart broke for her. Collins’s words pierced through my heart and stayed there. I never encountered something like that. Not only I felt Kayley’s pain but it seemed to me like were talking to each other, instead of me reading about a fictional character. REMARKABLE

Fortunately for all of us, L.L.Collins didn’t torture us very much. Kayley met her Ben and everything else is history. Of course, there were many ups and downs. At first, Kayley felt guilt but extreme desire, too, which translates into hot and romantic scenes that had however the reality’s veil. We didn’t forget about Alex and jumped into Ben. It was real. We saw and felt Kayley’s turmoil. Then, jealousy made her appearance..So yeah there were a lot of tears then..Anyway, Kayley and Ben became stronger.

Like I said.. Remarkable Book..No more words are needed..Not only I recommend it..I’m telling you that you are missing something if you don’t read it..

Living again is simply elegant, remarkable and excellent!

Author bio:

LL Collins is a 30-something teacher from Florida. She's a wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend. Her love of writing has found a home in the self-publishing world. Look for her debut novel, Living Again, coming October 4th to eBook and paperback, and her second novel, Reaching Rachel, in January 2014. LL has been writing since she was old enough to write. Always a story in her head, she finally decided to let the characters out and start writing and try to make her lifelong dreams of becoming an author come true. She has been a teacher for over ten years, a wife for 14, and a mom to two boys, 11 and 9.

Social Links:

Facebook Author Page  |  Twitter  | 

 Goodreads Author Page |  Goodreads Book Page

Buy Links:    

Amazon

Book Trailer: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxEpgCQKsPs

And now I present you My Interview with LL Collins!!!!!

Welcome to my blog,LL!

I just finished Living again and I admit I stalked you online, but I didn’t find any info on you, so you should be prepared for many questions..lol

Thank you!!! I’m so glad you liked it, and thanks for being part of my blog tour!!! 

What does your pen name mean? How did you come up with it?

My pen name is my initials. I came up with it because I didn’t want to just use my first name, for several reasons (how about that for vague LOL)

Living again is your debut and so far, it has received amazing ratings! Congratulations by the way!! How does it feel to see your debut novel loved so much by the fans? Did you expect something like that?

It is a completely surreal experience! I mean, you write a story hoping that just ONE person will love it as much as you do, and then when you see the numbers downloaded and the reviews from complete strangers, plus messages from people, it’s just amazing. I could’ve never dreamed for the kind of reaction I’ve gotten so far. I swear sometimes I think I need to pinch myself to make sure it’s real. And, I squeal a lot. And get tears in my eyes J

Would you like to tell us something about yourself? How would you describe yourself?

I am a teacher and have been for over 10 years. I have only lived in the sunny state of Florida. I have two wonderful boys and a hubby that are my whole life, and a slew of amazing friends and family that have helped support my dreams. I would describe myself as a dedicated, driven, type-A personality. When I set my mind to something, I do it. I’m also a huge people person and love to be surrounded by people I love.

Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be?

Yes. I’ve been a writer since the moment I knew that a pencil and paper existed. I wrote stories from the time I was a kid, and still have them. Writing has always been my escape and my first love. I never thought I would have the chance to pursue my dream of publishing, but I finally did.

What was the biggest problem you had to overcome while writing your book?

The biggest problem was not at all in writing the book, but what comes after it! Finding people to help you with the process of self-publishing was exhausting. Editing, covers, formatting, figuring out websites and promoting yourself and reaching out to people is way harder than you ever imagine. However, I have met some of the BEST people from networking with other authors and bloggers. There are some GREAT people out there. I have some fantastic friends now through this process.

How did it feel when you hit the “Publish” button?

It was terrifying!!! I hovered over the button for several minutes (ask my assistant Kellie!) We had been sitting in Starbucks for hours, researching just the right category, making sure everything was exactly how I needed it to be. She said, “Okay, it’s time!” and I said, “I’m not ready!” But I did it and then when I saw my book pop up for sale on Amazon, it was the craziest feeling. My name is out there. On a website. For sale. Totally one of the most awesome experiences of my life.

  

What inspired you to write Living again?

I never know when ideas are going to strike for stories. Usually I get ideas while driving, which is funny but that’s the way it happens. Other times I may be watching tv or hear a story from a friend that triggers an idea. The inspiration from Living Again came from thinking one day about what it would be like to have to start your life over after losing a spouse, and then I thought, what if you had a child? I have been married for almost 15 years and have two boys and I just started thinking about what would happen if that ever happened to me. I also toyed with the idea that some people say there is only one soul mate out there for you and I wondered, is that really true? So the story of Living Again was born and the characters came to me with their story after that.

Let’s continue with questions about these amazing characters you created!

Who is the closest to your personality? Kayley or Emily?

Hmm. I think I’m a mix of Kayley and Emily. I am sarcastic like Emily, but sensitive and dedicated like Kayley. Kayley wears her heart on her sleeve, and that is very similar to me as well. I’m a teacher like Emily, and I would stand up for my friends in an instant.

While you were writing it, did you imagine anyone in particular(celebrity or a friend of yours maybe?) as Kayley or Ben or any character at all?

No I didn’t. The best part (for me) about writing and reading is that you create the way the characters look in your own head. No two people think characters look the same, and that’s my favorite part about it. It was even hard for me to put a ‘person’ on the cover of my book because I didn’t want anyone to think that was the only vision of Kayley.

And now some “Favorite” questions…

Favorite Author(s): Wow. Too many to list. I LOVE to read. I would say Gail McHugh makes the top for sure, and also Colleen Hoover.

Favorite Artist: none

Favorite Stand-Alone Book: I can’t pick L

Favorite Series: Any of Gail and Colleen’s J

Favorite Movie: Liar Liar (oldie but goodie)

Favorite TV Show: it was Breaking Bad but it’s over L I have a list of them though Parenthood, Scandal, Duck Dynasty

Favorite Actor or Actress: Channing Tatum (LOL)

And Last but not least: A Teaser Question!

Would you like to share anything about your next book Reaching Rachel?

Reaching Rachel is a completely different but equally as riveting story about Kayley’s friend, Rachel Dawson. In Living Again, Rachel is a friend that Kayley works with. Throughout the story, she is very cynical about relationships and refuses to commit, but also is very tight lipped about why, not even confiding in her friends about what has happened to make her feel the way she does. We start getting some clues that she was in love once but it ended badly during that story. 

In her story, we are going to delve into Rachel and what happened to make her the way she is. We are also going to see her get involved in something way over her head because she’s blinded by her need to be loved. We will also see her have to face her past in a way she never thought she would have to while also dealing with some pretty terrifying things that are happening to her now. It will have angst, romance, danger, and some pretty serious topics within this book as Rachel tries to work through her past and present. She will also come face to face with the one she let get away, and he will learn that things weren’t the way that they seemed.

Here’s a teaser from the book (subject to editing and final changes)!!!

None of her friends came here, and that’s why she came when she needed to be alone. The neighborhood it was in didn’t warrant young mid-twenties single girls to frequent it. She didn’t come here to meet men, or to have fun with friends. She came here to drink away the memory of him, every year on this day. September 3^rd. She would never forget that day as long as she lived. The weeks before it had been bad enough- life altering, devastating blows to what had been a happy, lively girl with a bright future. It had been five years, but that didn’t stop her from thinking of this day, dreading it as the days marked off her calendar towards it.