Title: Whatever it Takes
Author: Lindsey Pogue
Series: Nothing But Trouble #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Release Date: January 22, 2016
Four years ago, I thought my life was pretty normal for a teenager. Three years ago, my world was shattered, and now I’m just trying to hold the pieces together. But regret and anger aren’t so easy to ignore.
I just need to catch my breath … for it all to go away …
I thought I might finally be ready to move on from that horrible night, but then he decided to come back.
He can’t come back … he’ll ruin me completely.
One horror-filled night changes the course of Samantha’s seemingly normal life. She’s ruined everything. Despite her determination to keep the family ranch up and running, her guilt makes it impossible to completely move on or forget.
Sam takes comfort in her quirky, endearing friends as she tries to balance between the girl she was and the woman she wants to become. Just when she thinks she’s finally making amends with her past, someone she never thought she’d see again returns, and Sam’s life is once again turned upside down. Both her head and her heart want different things, so she’s lost when, once again, she’s forced to make a decision that will inevitably change her life.
This is actually an interesting question because when I wrote Whatever It Takes (or a version of it) in high school, I remember thinking, “this is too ‘adult’ to be Young Adult and it’s not really chic lit either…” I told myself that I’d just have to start a new genre whenever it was published. Well, almost 15 years later there’s now a New Adult genre and that seems to be where all my stories fit in, in one way or another—historical, post-apocalyptic, romance, adventure, etc. It’s a diverse yet broad genre and I’m so happy there’s a niche for my stories now, though I’m not sure my stories will even be “typical” New Adult given the diversity of what I plan to write.
When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process (outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I love deciding what my characters are like. What are their likes and personality quirks, their appearance, their names, that sort of thing. I honestly don’t think there’s a better feeling than “knowing” your characters so well that you can write them without effort or much thought—everything they are transfers to page easily. Once you see and know each of them, the story starts to take form and it is more exciting and engaging to write.
When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
I enjoy reading historical fiction, especially with a thread of romance. I also enjoy New Adult, but I go back and forth as many stories in each genre start to feel regurgitated. That’s why when I find an author I love and colors outside of the lines, so to speak, I latch on. Life isn’t cookie cutter and I find I enjoy stories that aren’t perfectly wrapped up but push the envelope a bit.
If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
Hmmmm. I’ve co-authored before and it’s difficult. People have different schedules and visions, so no matter who I choose I know it will be an interesting and trying experience for sure. I enjoy Michelle Moran’s ability to transport her readers to a place that once was and make you feel like you’re there, seeing the colors on the walls and feeling the sunshine or gritty sand on your face in her historical fiction. But I also enjoy Jane Austen and think she’d be a hoot to write with given her social commentaries during her time. She fascinates me and I’d love to get drunk with her, honestly. I’d know all the gossip and learn who (if anyone) inspired her brooding, prideful characters.
Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
I have ALWAYS wanted to write but was too scared to try and put myself out there. But eventually I somehow convinced myself that failure is not trying at all and then missing out on something that makes would make me happy. Here I am, five years later with a dystopian romance and new adult series under my belt and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. My Wrecked series is next, which is a whole other ball game—19th century, survival, adventure, romance—I can’t wait! I’ll write until I’m either burnt out or my fingers fall off.
Lindsey Pogue has always been a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary school soccer field, wrote her first YA manuscript in high school, and as an adult, expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations of the world around her—whether she’s traveling, people watching, or hiking. When not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters, Lindsey’s wrapped in blankets watching her favorite action flicks or going on road trips with her own leading man.
