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Thursday, June 23, 2016

Interview with Author Sarina Bowen and Giveaway

Meet Sarina Bowen author of Bittersweet.

Sarina Bowen makes her home in the Green Mountains of Vermont, where she lives with her family, eight chickens and a large pile of skis and hockey equipment. She is a graduate of Yale University.

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First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
I lead a glamorous, glamorous life writing novels in my car during my sons' soccer practices.

Did you always want to be a writer?
Since the 3rd grade. Is that always?

What kind of writer are you? Panser or Plotter?
Neither? I like to know the emotional crux of my stories before I start. But how I arrive there is a bit of a mystery until I write it.

Where do your ideas come from?

Everywhere! Especially news articles.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
Take one perky chef, add one grumpy farmer, season until scorching and serve hot.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write? Why?
When I have to do something awful to my character, that's always a struggle. I feel guilty. But it must be done.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?
Jennifer Weiner, because her blog is so funny. Carl Hiaasen because his books are so funny. Alice Hoffman because she was my first author crush.

Last question, are you working on anything right now?
True North book II! STEADFAST. It's gonna be a heartbreaker.


BITTERSWEET required some interesting research into farming and cidermaking. I hope I got it right. What are your research triggers in a book? IE which topics if done wrong make you crazy as a reader?



The new series is set in Vermont. True North is populated by the tough, outdoorsy mountain men that populate the Green Mountain State. They raise cows and they grow apples. They chop a lot of wood, especially when they need to blow off steam. (Beards are optional but encouraged.)

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the orchard.

The last person Griffin Shipley expects to find stuck in a ditch on his Vermont country road is his ex-hookup. Five years ago they’d shared a couple of steamy nights together. But that was a lifetime ago.

At twenty-seven, Griff is now the accidental patriarch of his family farm. Even his enormous shoulders feel the strain of supporting his mother, three siblings and a dotty grandfather. He doesn’t have time for the sorority girl who’s shown up expecting to buy his harvest at half price.

Vermont was never in Audrey Kidder’s travel plans. Neither was Griff Shipley. But she needs a second chance with the restaurant conglomerate employing her. Okay—a fifth chance. And no self-righteous lumbersexual farmer will stand in her way.

They’re adversaries. They want entirely different things from life. Too bad their sexual chemistry is as hot as Audrey’s top secret enchilada sauce, and then some.

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

Check out the True North series:

Up For Grabs:
  • 1 eBook copy of Bittersweet

To Enter:
  • What are your research triggers in a book? Which topics if done wrong make you crazy as a reader?
  • Please fill out the Rafflecopter form.

Good Luck!

Special thanks to Sarina Bowen & Bocci PR for sponsoring this giveaway.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

9 comments :

  1. I haven't found any research triggers for me yet. My husband is a farmer, so we'll see how your research worked out. Although, I know nothing of cider-making. lol

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  2. Sports! If an author wants to write a football story but knows nothing about football, ie there are 4 quarters in a game, there's a halftime, the positions, etc, that drives me batty!

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  3. Medical stuff is my largest trigger. Especially in fights, for gods sake don't have the hero acting like he's fine when he's just broken 3 ribs and has a concussion!
    Make Kay

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  4. Sports for me... I chided an author who had a college football player going pro a year too soon. NCAA rules... worked for a college athletic dept for several years. She admitted she hadn't asked her football crazed hubby.

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  5. There are very few triggers for me. I guess the only thing that would bother me would be sports. Get the terms and the rules of the sport you're writing about straight.

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  6. I really can't think of anything I have ever noticed was wrong.

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  7. I hate it when geographical or cultural references are wrong and/or a complete cliché.

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  8. Using abbreviations and just assuming that the reader knows what you are referring to.

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  9. The medical stuff is a big trigger for me.

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