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Monday, October 22, 2018

Monster Mash Countdown: "Before," A Young Adult Romance by Catina Haverlock and Angela Larkin


As Halloween approaches I'm participating in Loving the Book's Monster Mash Countdown, a collection of intriguing, mysterious, and scary reads. And a raffle! Watch this space!

Day Eight belongs to Catina Haverlock and Angela Larkin and their Young Adult romance novel Before.




True love doesn't always mean a happy ending. Presley and Landon finally have a chance at a real relationship when they travel back in time, but their leap backward to two months before his accident has altered reality: Landon has no memory of Presley.

Hurt and lonely, Presley is still determined to save his life, even as Landon's death-date looms. He's alive for now, but nothing is like it was . . . Before.

About the Authors

Catina Haverlock worked her way through college as a TV reporter and a dating game show host. She's a sucker for Young Adult romance stories (both real and make-believe). She has a panache for match-making and loves that many of her "set-ups" have resulted in marriages. After spending most of her adult life in Las Vegas, Catina traded in tumbleweeds for earthquakes and now lives with her husband and four children near San Diego, California. If she's not home, chances are you can find her at the beach, Disneyland, or In-N-Out Burger.

Angela Larkin writes clean teen romance and is a big fan of kissing (in life and in books). She's been a gold miner, a pool cleaner, a mannequin dresser, and a teacher. She's lived a true romance: meeting her husband in a case of mistaken identity. They recently moved with their four children from the sparkling city of Las Vegas to the shade of the North Carolina Pines. Chances are, she's reading past bedtime.

Q&A with the Authors

a) Angela’s Answers  b) Catina’s Answers 

When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?

a) I've always enjoyed writing in school, but I started writing short stories and bookish things on my own after high school. It was my way of dealing with a huge unrequited crush! Reading the Grapes of Wrath was a formative moment for me as a writer. It was the first book that powerfully showed me how incredible writing can be.

b) I've loved writing stories my whole life but developed a passion for it in college when I started writing for our university's newspaper and TV station. One morning, the idea for Beyond (the prequel to Before) came to me and I knew I had to morph my journalism skills into that of an author, because the story had to be told!

Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it?

a) Right now I'm querying a romance set in rural NV. It's like The Breakfast Club meets Holes. I'm currently working on a romance about a British Prep School boy forced to accompany his father on a business assignment to a tiny Tennessee mountain town. There he meets a girl struggling to support her family. Though total opposites, they have a lot to learn from each other . . . and of course they fall in love!

b) I am currently working on a middle-grade adventure. Because I have a request for the full manuscript, I can't say much!

What is your favorite writing snack?

a) Trader Joe's dips and hummus.

b) I love to eat flavored popcorn while I write. I can feel like I'm indulging without doing too much damage!

If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones would you choose? Why? What food would you serve?

a) I'd have dinner with Reese from the Beyond series because I like the funny boys. We'd eat microwave convenience store burritos and Dr. Pepper - his favorite:)

b) I'd have to have dinner with Reese and Landon together. I love their brotherly cousin dynamic and their senses of humor. I'm also a little star struck by their awesome skiing skills and ravishing good looks. Ha! They have huge appetites so I'd probably grill piles and piles of rib-eye and serve it with a yummy pasta salad and dessert.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

a) I learned I can do harder things than I thought I could. And that all skills can be improved upon with practice, no matter who you are.

b) I've learned to write what's in your heart. Write, write, write and do not edit as you go. Save the editing for after your entire first draft is complete. I've also learned that my writing improves so much when I hit it every day. Big breaks aren't awesome when it comes to writing skills.

How do you relax, or what do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?

a) I eat brownies in bed and watch Netflix shows about food, decorating, or kissing.

b) I love going to the movies. We are an opening night kind of family. I also love to read as much as I can. At any given time, I'm reading a book for book club, one in the genre I'm writing, one for my kids, and one off my personal list.

What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?

a) I'd love to get my MFA in creative writing. Currently, I'm researching schools and hyperventilating about taking the math portion of the GRE.

b) Ooohhhh - that's a tough one - but I'd have to say seeing my work on the big screen. That would be incredible.

What do you fear most?

a) Betrayal.

b) Spiders. Being bitten by a brown recluse in the night.

What was your favorite Halloween Costume?

a) Without my mom's permission, I bought a Harem Girl costume when I was nine. As an adult, I see the folly in this, but at the time I LOVED the purple veil and the gold sequins belt and headband. And it even came with brass finger cymbals!

b) My favorite Halloween costume wasn't really for me - it was one I created for my son. He was Wolverine. We grew his hair out for four months, found an awesome leather jacket at the thrift store and bought him his first pair of jeans. Ha ha! We nailed it and everywhere we went, people wanted a picture.

Connect with the Authors


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