We at the Blog of Sid Love are happy to welcome Authors Allison Cassatta and Tracey Michael to our blog 🙂

Our reviewer Donna had the pleasure of interviewing these two authors

 

Donna: Most co-authors seem to have a story to tell about how they started writing together. How did this writing partnership come about?

 

Allison:

We’ve been friends via Facebook for a very long time now. Tracey had her own writing. I had mine. She submitted stories for a few anthologies I put together, but we’d never written a book together or anything.

 

Tracey:

We started hanging out more, online last summer. We were in between projects and Allison came up with the idea for Beast.

 

The GRL in Atlanta was the first time we’d met in person. We had Beast complete before then.

 

Donna: Beauty and the Beast is easily my favourite Disney movie? Is it a favourite for either of you? Why choose this fairytale to retell?

 

Allison: Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairytale. (Aladdin is my favorite Disney movie. I mean, c’mon, Genie is hilarious)

I picked Beauty and the Beast because I think it’s important for people to realize that Prince Charming might not be the guy with sculptured abs and a magical smile. We’re not perfect creatures. We all have our flaws, and I think the world would be a better, more loving place if people stopped judging by what they see and start learning to be more accepting of the beauty in ordinary.

 

 

Donna: Did you each write a different main character and if so who wrote Ara and who wrote Ilias?

 

T&A: Allison wrote Ara. Tracey wrote Ilias. (They match our personalities well. Tracey is kind and compassionate and will only take so much crap. Allison can be a bit jarring and moody, but beyond the gruff exterior, she has a heart of gold.)

 

Allison, I’m aware that you’ve co-authored a book previous to this but how did the two of you find working together? Were there any nasty emails back and forth asking what on earth the other was thinking?

 

Allison: *Laughs* Tracey HATES my highlighter. We work in Google Docs, so we pretty much write on the fly and have chat going. I would highlight “was,” “were,” and “that,” and I think I drove her insane. She took it like a champ though. The chemistry was pretty great there.

 

By the way, she vehemently agrees with hating the highlighter.

 

Donna: Do you have a favourite part? Any bit you want to brag about because you know you just nailed it?

 

Allison:

For me, I think the part when Ara realizes how bad he’s screwed up and how miserable he’s destined to be is my favorite part. It’s the moment he really arcs as a character and we see him become a decent guy.

 

“I want to be able to love,” he quietly admitted. “I want to let go of all this-” He shook his head, searching for the word he wanted. “-insecurity. Yes, that’s what it is. I’m insecure. But I have every right to be, right?”

 

Tracey:

I don’t have a favorite part. I love the entire book. I’m going to brag about the whole thing. BEAST IS MAGIC COME TO LIFE!!!

 

Donna: Were there any parts of the fairytale that you wanted to include but didn’t because you couldn’t fit them in the story?

 

Allison:

We touched on the key components, I think. The story wasn’t meant to be exactly like B&B. We only wanted to make sure we conveyed the same moral…well, with the uber sexy library. I mean, c’mon, I’d swoon if a man gave me a library.

 

Donna: A lot of authors say they write with a playlist these days? Did either of you have a Beast playlist?

 

Both: We didn’t really write it to a playlist, but there was one song that really stood out in the writing of this book, and we even incorporated it in. Lego House by Ed Sheeran.

 

Donna: I don’t know why but I immediately loved Beni. Any chance of putting me out of my misery and sharing that he’s going to get his own story?

 

Allison:

Um.Erm.Uh… I haven’t thought about that. I can’t make any promises, but “Beni-like” characters pop up in my stories from time to time. Sometimes, they even get an HEA.

 

Donna: Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong but you’ve both written m/m, f/f and Allison you’ve also written m/f. Most authors seem to stick with one genre. Do either of you have a preference to write or find it easier to write in one genre over the other?

 

Allison: For me, it’s the characters. I might start a story thinking it’s meant to be hetero and I hit major writer’s block. I can change them to a gay or lesbian couple, and the words will flow again. I can’t tell my characters who to love any more than I can tell anyone else. LOL

 

Tracey: I also write M/F and MMF under my real name. I write whatever I see in my head. I can’t say any genre is easier or harder for me than another. I do love writing with Allison, though, sans the damn highlighter. LOL

 

Donna: And lastly how could I end an interview with any question other than – what’s up next for each of you?

 

Allison:

Together, we’re working on remaking another classic fairytale. I’ll let you guys try to guess which one. I’m also co-authoring another one with Remmy Duchene, as well as working on the 4^th book in my Dear Diary series. I’ll be heading to RainbowCon in April too, so please stop by my table. I’m giving away all kinds of great stuff.

 

Tracey: As Allison said, we’re working on another book. I just finished writing a dystopian m/f romance. I have a prompt from the MM Goodreads group to write a story for and a couple MM books started.

BLURB: Ara Costas has it all—riches, power, and the kind of beauty that attracts all the right people. He’s flying high and loves his life, until a serious car accident leaves him horribly scarred. Ara becomes an angry recluse, hiding away in his Chicago high-rise apartment, running his multimillion-dollar business from behind a computer screen.

Ilias Adams is a quiet farm boy who keeps his nose buried in books. A great education and stellar resume land him a job as Ara’s assistant and liaison to the board of directors. Little did he know when he signed up for this dream job that he’d end up working for the world’s moodiest, most uptight boss.

Ilias is scared of Ara at times, but he recognizes the challenge he faces when he meets Ara and sees the reason for the man’s anger. Ara is guarded and suspicious, since he can’t believe anyone can bear to look at him. Despite all this, Ilias is determined to turn the beast into a beauty again, at least on the inside, and tear down the walls Ara has so carefully constructed around him.

BUY LINK: Dreamspinner Press

Check out Donna’s 4 star pre release review on Beast here :

http://sidlove.com/2014/03/12/pre-release-review-beast-allison-cassatta-tracey-michael/

GIVEAWAY

Allison and Tracey graciously offered a copy of their new release “BEAST” to one lucky commentator

comment to enter .

Contest ends march 21 st