Guest Post with Author Cecy Robson and Giveaway

Meet Cecy Robson, author of Once Pure.

Cecy Robson is the New Adult author of Once Perfect, Once Loved, and Once Pure and the award-winning author of the Weird Girls urban fantasy romance series. A self-proclaimed professional napper, Cecy counts among her talents a jaw-dropping knowledge of useless trivia, the ability to make her hair big, and a knack for breaking into song despite her family’s vehement protests. A full-time writer, registered nurse, wife, and mother living in the Great Northwest, Cecy enjoys spending time with her family and silencing the yappy characters in her head by telling their stories.

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Character Torture aka Making Readers Feel

Thank you so much for inviting me to your blog, and for featuring Once Pure, my heart-warming story about first loves.

I have to say, I’ve developed quite a reputation for torturing my characters. I’ve received fan mail from readers telling me how much they’ve cried and agonized along with my characters―not to mention social media shout-outs like:

“Just read A Cursed Embrace.” *sniffles* “What the hell did I ever do to you?”

“I was THAT girl sitting at the end of the bus, reading and crying thanks to you.”

“I pick up all Cecy Robson’s books armed with tissues, wine, and chocolate.”

And my personal favorite:

“… but don’t expect and easy path for them with flowers, singing birds and unicorns… ok… with Cecy’s writing you could expect unicorns… but vicious, carnivorous unicorns.”

Believe it or not, I suffer right along with my readers―and my characters. There have been plenty of moments where my beloved husband has found me crying over my keyboard, and yes, reaching for the tissues and chocolates.

When I began writing, I never expected to feel as much as I have. Mainly because I never expected to embrace each character, and in many ways become them.

I attended a university with a very strong theatre department, and knew many actors. I’d see my happy-go-lucky friends turn into completely different people on stage. I remember asking my friend, Stephanie, following a production of All of My Sons, “How do you do it? How do you cry on stage so effortlessly? Do you think sad thoughts to prep you for the more emotional scenes?”

Her answer was simple. “Cecy, I’m so caught up in the moment, and what my character is experiencing, the tears come naturally because I’m now one with the character.”

I nodded politely, but in truth, I didn’t understand what she meant―until I began writing. My characters, in a way, are real people to me. Once I connect with their physical appearance, their likes, dislikes, their moods, and personalities, they take on a shape of their own. I connect with them as if they truly exist and develop their dialogue in a way that stays true to the characters depending on the scene.

I first introduced Sofia and Killian in Once Perfect, and revisited them briefly when they made an appearance in Once Loved. So when I began writing Once Pure, I had an idea what kind of people they were, but I never expected to love them as much as I do.

Once Pure is one of those stories in which the characters touched me and pulled at my heart-strings. I felt Sofia and Killian’s pain, their love, and ultimately their triumphs. While it hurt me to hurt them, I had to allow them to feel emotions that people in those circumstances would. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been fair to them or the readers. Readers want to forge a bond and invest in the characters. In order to do so, those characters need to feel real.

So do I enjoy torturing my characters? In truth, sometimes it’s really difficult. But when I receive feedback from my readers, telling me they felt each emotion along with my characters, I know I’ve done my job.

I hope you enjoy Once Pure. Moreover, I hope you’ll feel the extent of Sofia and Killian’s love.

She bears the scars of the past. He blames himself for things he can’t control. Their defenses are up, but in Cecy Robson’s latest Shattered Past novel—perfect for fans of Monica Murphy and J. Lynn—true love lands a knockout punch.

Sofia Tres Santos remembers a time before her life went sour, before her innocence was ripped away, before she began punishing herself with risky behaviors and unworthy men. Now, at twenty, she just hopes she’s ready to rebuild some of what she lost. One way or another, it always comes back to her childhood friend and longtime crush, Killian O’Brien.

As strong as Killian is, Sofia has always been his one weakness. He knows Sofia has suffered and wants to ensure she’s never hurt again—not like before, and definitely not under his watch. When Sofia agrees to work at his mixed martial arts gym, Killian seizes the opportunity to help and protect the sweet girl he’s always cared for. And yet, as he trains Sofia to defend herself using his hard-hitting MMA techniques, he’s drawn to the vulnerable beauty in ways he never expected.

As Sofia grows stronger, she also grows brave enough to open herself up to love. And along the way, she challenges everything Killian believes to be true, showing him that no matter how much he dominates in the ring, the real battle is fought in the heart.

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo |

Check out the Shattered Past series:

 

Killian’s head jerked our way, along with most of the behemoths training. I wasn’t sure if he could see how red my face was from where he stood, but the easy smile spreading along his strong features told me he could. He abandoned what remained of the heavy bag and crossed the padded floor as the rest of the fighters resumed their free-for-alls.

I froze, watching him prowl forward like the mad beast he was, his hulking and densely tattooed arms swinging loosely against his sides. It wouldn’t take him long to reach us, despite the large expanse of the converted warehouse, so I tried to speak fast. “I’m not his woman, Finn.”

“So you’re just banging?”

“No!”


“But you want to.”


“Want to what?”

“Bang my brother like a pair of cymbals,” he said, like I was the stupid one.

“Yes—no.” Oh, good heavens.


“Why not?”


“Finn!”

“He’s a good guy.”

“Finn, I’m not having this conversation with you.”


“Do you want to have it with Kill instead?”


“Have what with me?” Killian’s deep voice rumbled like thunder as he stopped just in front of me.

Dear. Lord.

It had been a few weeks since I’d last seen him. Dark stubble grazed his chin, forming a mini-goatee and emphasizing the angles of his square jaw. But his face didn’t hold my attention for long. My stare traveled down his body, taking in his light skin glistening with sweat . . . before I remembered that my sunglasses now rested on the top of my head and I was blatantly gawking at him.

“Like what you see?” he asked, playfully.

“I . . .” The urge to bolt had me shifting my weight, hard enough to slap the hem of my long white skirt against my bare legs. But I stayed put, trying not to faint from his scorching level of badassness and working to form a decent response. “I was just admiring your sweat.”

So much for a decent response. He stopped smiling. “My sweat?”

I punched him in the arm, because, yeah, I was just that lame. “Totally. You must have had quite the workout, huh, asskicker?”

Finn grimaced as if it pained him to watch me go down in flames. I was good with computers. I couldn’t say the same about men. If the fate of the world depended on me successfully interacting with the male species without stuttering, blushing, or recoiling, the world would just end and we’d all die some sick apocalyptic death.

Killian analyzed me closely like most would a bug they were debating on squashing, before his chest shook with laughter. God, this is Sofia. Please strike me dead.

Killian closed the distance between us, the fingertips of his large hand extending to tickle my chin. “I was just getting started. Nice to have a pretty girl appreciate my efforts.”

Check out what's up for grabs.

Up For Grabs:

• 1 Loveswept Mug, Flirt Mug + Loveswept eBook Bundle

To Enter: 

• Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

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Special thanks to Cecy Robson & Tasty Book Tours for sponsoring this tour-wide giveaway.

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