Author Interview: Chelsea Fine

I read Sophie & Carter a few weeks and instantly fell in love with it. It is easily one of my favorite books that I read in 2011. When I had the opportunity to interview the talented Chelsea Fine, I jumped at the chance!

Chelsea is as nice and sweet as she looks in this picture and I was so grateful that she agreed to do this interview. Now unto the interview!

How would you describe Sophie & Carter to someone who has never heard of it?

I would say it's a heart-breaking tale of true love and hope despite the hardships of life. 

How did you come up with the concept for it? 

Sophie & Carter was actually a writing exercise. I know that sounds lame, haha. I had been working on a different book at the time and I hit a wall. So, I opened up a blank Word document and started typing out some nonsense--just to clear my head. Before I knew it, I had characters and this heavy plot, and I was crying and typing like crazy. Haha :)

The characters were heartbreaking. I said this in my review, but when Carter was talking about every scar, I was sitting there crying. I could not take it, and I never cry when I read. How did you come up with the backgrounds of Sophie and Carter? Which one was harder to write? 

Because I didn't plan to write Sophie and Carter, I didn't have an outline or anything when I developed the characters. So, they pretty much just appeared in my head. I think I wanted to write something about hope and encouragement--something that defeated the odds and made readers really care about the characters. And Sophie & Carter's back stories made that possible. Carter was harder to write...and I think that's because he's a guy. I don't really know how guys think, or what motivates them to become better men, so I had a hard time committing to Carter's inner thoughts. I asked my husband for advice MANY times, haha. 

Who would be your ideal actor and actress for the characters of Sophie and Carter? 

Oh, this question is so hard for me, haha!  Hmmm...actors... I think I would do Jessica Alba for Sophie and Zac Efron for Carter.

When did you realize that you wanted to be a writer? 

In college. I took a creative writing class that forced me to write short stories and essays about completely fictional things and I absolutely LOVED it!! I felt energized and inspired and, just, totally on fire! It was then that I was like, "Okay. I HAVE to do this with my life." Haha. 

Tell us about your new book Anew. I love the cover for it! 

Anew is the first book in my new paranormal series, The Archers of Avalon. It's about a girl, who wakes up in the woods without her memories and tries to piece her history back together. She meets a boy with a familiar voice and, slowly, memories of her past start to fall into place. As she falls for this boy, she soon meets his dark and mysterious brother, and then her world gets CRAZY! Turns out both brothers know a lot more about her than they're letting on....  

Anew is a story of magic, love, jealousy, strength, life, death, friendship and promises. It's by FAR my favorite of all the stories I've ever written and I really, REALLY hope people like it. :) 

What are you working on now? 

Right now, I'm working on book 2 in the series, Awry. I'm also working on a Christmas love story for next year....a sequel to Sophie & Carter...and a funny book about a matchmaker in high school trying to set her teachers up on a date. :) Haha. 

Favorite book? 

Hmmm..it's a tie between The Count of Monte Cristo and The Notebook. I just love them both SO much!!! 

Favorite book character? 

Good question! Hermione, from Harry Potter. She's so fearless and awesome! :) 

Favorite music group? 

Florence+The Machine --I could listen to them ALL day! 

Favorite TV show? 

Vampire Diaries. Hands down. I'm totally Team Damon. (Although, this last season, I was kinda Team Stefan...I think I have a thing for bad boys... haha)

Favorite movie? 

Ooooh, another tie between Big Fish and The Princess Bride. 

Anything else that you want your readers to know about yourself or your work? 

Hmm....I guess I would want people to know that I write from my heart. :) I, literally, wake up in the morning and sit at my desk typing for at least 10-12 hours nonstop. I don't stop to eat, I don't take breaks...I just write and write until I'm either laughing or crying or nervous for my characters. I get completely immersed in my stories until I feel like I'm in the scenes--and I hope my readers feel the same way when they read my work. I hope they laugh. And I hope they worry about the characters when something bad happens in the plot. 

Ooh! But always know this: I will always, ALWAYS, have a happy ending to my books! :) The world has too much sadness in it already...books are meant to take us away and give us a whole new world to believe in. And because of that, my books will always end well. :)

~

While other high school seniors are dreaming about their futures, Sophie and Carter are just trying to make it through each day. Carter is overwhelmed by issues at home as he struggles to support his mother. Meanwhile, next door neighbor Sophie is left to care for her three younger siblings in place of their absent and troubled mother. All that holds these two best friends together is each other, and knowing that each night they'll sit together on Sophie's front porch swing and escape from reality, if just for awhile. But as their relationship reaches a turning point and high school graduation nears, will their friendship become something more?

Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery...until she met a boy with a familiar voice.

Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet's determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer.

Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet's world becomes even more muddled. While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out of her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past...might just be the death of her.

Read my review of Sophie & Carter! This is a book that is not to be missed. I am also looking forward to reading Anew!

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