Meet Theresa Paolo, author of (Once) Again.
Theresa Paolo lives in the same town she grew up in on Long Island, NY with her long time boyfriend and their fish. Her debut novel (NEVER) AGAIN, a NA romance, released in Fall 2013 with Berkley (Penguin). (ONCE) AGAIN will release this summer. She is also the coauthor of the Amazon bestsellers KING SIZED BEDS AND HAPPY TRAILS and SANDY PATHS AND BUMPY ROADS, a YA contemporary series, under her pen name Tessa Marie. She has a hard time accepting the fact she’s nearing thirty, and uses her characters to relive the best and worst years of her life. She put her love of writing on hold while she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Dowling College. When she’s not writing, she’s behind a camera, reading, or can be found on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook. Repped by Brittany Booker of The Booker Albert Agency.
Find Theresa at:
Thanks so much for having me!
First off, please tell us a bit about you?
I’m a NA/YA author and I sometimes write under Tessa Marie. I have a hard time admitting I’m closing in on thirty so I live vicariously through my characters. I’ve lived in the same town my whole life. I don’t have kids or pets unless you count my fish that I don’t even take care of. I’m addicted to Vampire Diaries and romance books. I’m also a total 90’s girl.
Did you always want to be a writer?
I’ve always wanted to be some sort of writer. I wrote my first picture book when I was 6 or 7. From there I started writing longer stories and decided I wanted to be an author. Then from there I wanted to be a journalist who traveled the world to a columnist to a poet (thankfully that was short lived. I was terrible) back to an author.
What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?
A total pantser. Even when I try to plot my characters take it in a completely different direction so I stopped trying. I let them take the reins and I just follow.
Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere. Anything can spark a new idea from seeing a scar on someone to hearing a news story. Ideas are constantly bouncing in and out of my head. (Never) Again came about from a breaking news story.
A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
Josh will have to reconcile his past… In order to make Kat his future.
What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
Anything with romance. Though I am a huge fan of second chance romances. I love the history and finding out about what happened in the past. Watching all the pieces fall into place and learning about the characters as they’re rediscovering each other.
Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
I have a lot. I couldn’t pick just one. But a few of my faves would definitely be Toni Blake’s Whisper Falls and Letters to A Secret Lover, Kristan Higgins My One and Only and The Next Best Thing, Marie Force’s Gansett Island series, Tammara Webber’s Easy, Sylvain Reynard’s Gabriel’s Inferno series, Cassie Mae’s Switched, anything Sarah Dessen or Simone Elkeles. And I’m going to stop now. I told you I had a lot!
What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?
The really sad ones. I tend to take on my characters emotions as I write them so when a scene gets really emotional I usually wind up turning into a blubbering mess. My boyfriend looks at me like I’m crazy while I wipe black mascara from my cheeks. There’s one scene in (Once) Again that I still cry at when I read it.
If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?
Oh good question! I think I would pick Sarah Dessen, Toni Blake and Kristan Higgins because they seem like they’d be a lot of fun to hang out with!
Last question, are you working on anything right now?
I’m working on about six books right now. I swear I’m not happy unless I have a million things going on.
I’m always looking to grow my TBR list. What is your favorite book and why?
Josh will have to reconcile his past…
In order to make Kat his future.
After surviving a real-life nightmare, Josh Wagner is sent home from his dream college on crutches. Bedridden and tormented by flashbacks, he’s just seen his world shattered and his baseball scholarship go up in smoke. Josh’s family hires a health aide to help take care of him, but when he opens the door, the last person he expects to see is his biggest regret…
Katherine Singleton is the only girl Josh has ever loved. Now, even though she’s only taking care of him because it’s her job, Josh is determined to win her back. But Kat had to move on after their breakup two years ago, and despite her feelings for Josh, a lot has happened since he left…
When Kat’s past comes back to haunt her, Josh decides it’s his turn to take care of her. But protecting her—and redeeming himself—will put Josh in the line of fire again. Will he survive this time?
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Check out the Again series:
Great interview! Theresa, go take care of your fish! Lol! Maybe it's a good thing you don't have other pets. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI loved (Never) Again!! Can't wait to read more by Theresa! :)
It's nice to know other writers cry over their own writing too. :)
ReplyDeleteLove both of these books! I zoomed right through them and they are FAN-TAS-TIC! Fabulous interview and I can't believe Theresa is working on 6 books! WOW! That's awesome!
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