Playing it safe and fitting in may have rocketed Kayla West into the “In” crowd at Camp Juniper Point, but it’s left her lonely. The only person she’s ever been herself with was her former best friend, Nick, an outsider that pushed her to join the most popular girls cabin two years ago. Too bad being a Diva meant pressure to break up with Nick. Of course, Kayla had her reasons, but Nick can never know the real one.She always thought she'd forget him one day and move on. Until he returns to camp a super-hot Olympian snowboarder. Now, every girl wants him and Nick seems determined to show her what a mistake she made. Or at least, she thought that's what he wanted. But when Nick starts sending her private notes--just like he used to--she wonders what kind of game he's playing. Nick's attention is making it tougher to stay in the background and play in safe, forcing Kayla to make a decision--stay on the sidelines and get overlooked? Or take a chance on trusting Nick and, maybe... herself.
We are so excited to get to participate in this tour! We love these books to pieces. Today we get to chat with Nick from the book and we're so excited to have him with us!
Hi Nick! Welcome to The Cover Contessa. So great having you
here with us today so we can pick your brain a bit. Don't worry, we'll be
gentle. But we do want to see what makes you tick!
We went to summer camp. We loved it. We could
never have seen ourselves taking time away from our friends like you did. Was
it weird acclimating to camp after being away for so long?
Weird in a good way. Having a break from training was great,
but strange to go from having so much freedom (I was flying to New Zealand by
myself at fifteen during snowboarding season) to “lights out” at eleven during
camp. Summer camp is surprisingly strict, but you don’t really care when you’re
hanging out with all your friends. It’s definitely where I wanted to be this
summer. I had a girl on my mind and I knew she’d be there.
You snow board, how about surfing, ever tried
it? Thoughts?
I come from a family of sports nuts so there’s not much I
haven’t tried. I like surfing because it’s a way to be on a board without worrying about a score
attached to every run. And honestly, even when I’m snowboarding for “fun” I’m
thinking about the sport on a lot of levels and trying to improve my speed or
my jumps. But with surfing, I can burn out and who cares?
Tell us about your perfect date. Fancy dinner?
movie? Snuggling? Sunset on the beach?
The perfect date? Happens because of who you’re with, not
where you are. But assuming I’ve got the right girl with me… there’s a certain
waterfall I like in North Carolina. I’d take a hike around there and maybe a
sunset picnic afterward.
Besides snowboarding, what are your favorite
sports? Are you any good at them?
Remember about the sports nuts family? I had to be good at
everything or I would have been left in the dust. I like tennis and it’s always
fun to get in a pickup basketball game. Also I’ve been on the ice a few times
with some serious hockey players since I train in cold places and there’s
usually a good arena nearby. I love the speed of the game even though it’s
probably one of my worst sports.
List your top three favorite movies and tell us
why.
I like a lot of classics since Netflix keeps me company long
flights.
Top Gun has
fighter jets. That seems like reason enough.
Karate Kid.
Scrawny kid learns how to kick a professional athlete’s butt. If you met my
brother, you’d understand why this movie works for me. Want to see my Crane
kick?
21 Jump Street. I
laughed the whole time. That’s a good thing.
Let's talk music. We love music. Do you? What
songs make you happy? Sad? Do you have a soundtrack for your life?
Gotta have music when I go down the mountain. I’ve been
listening to a lot of Arctic Monkeys lately. Do I Wanna Know? is a good one. But for happy songs, I’d probably
go with Gold on the Ceiling by the
Black Keys. That always fires me up and… you know, keeps my eye on the gold
which is important in my sport. As for a soundtrack for my life… I’m not there
yet. I’m hoping the future balances some more romantic stuff with the boarding
tunes.
Here at The Cover Contessa, we love to learn.
And we love school. Do you like school? What is your favorite subject?
I actually really like school, but I don’t get to be there
that often with my training schedule. I end up doing virtual school a lot,
which makes you appreciate how much more a teacher helps you learn. It’s tough
to stay focused reading long lessons on a computer screen when there are a
hundred things to distract you, but in a traditional classroom, you have a
teacher to say “Hey Nick, you listening?” and that helps me focus. I like
physics a lot because I’m kind of obsessed with stuff like speed and force. But
history is cool, too.
Finally (I'm sure you're happy this is the last
one), we must pick your brain a bit about the girl. You knew this was coming,
right? So, tell us, what is it about Kayla that makes her so special?
Just between us, right? Because I’m not the kind of guy who
kisses and tells, especially where Kayla is concerned. We were friends even
before I fell for her. She’s special because she has such a big heart and she’s
always rooting on the underdog. Last year, one of the Munchies Manor girls got
kicked out of her cabin and Kayla was all like “come stay with us.” Seriously,
she’d do anything to help out a friend. I ought to know. She helped me achieve
a lifelong dream.
Fast Track:
Favorite color? Depends what color Kayla’s wearing that day.
Chocolate or vanilla or neither? Vanilla. I’m a
traditionalist about some things.
Car color? I’ve got a Jeep in forest green. I like it
because it blends in with the mountain.
Favorite TV show?
I like when the X Games are televised. Any extreme sport is fun to
watch.
Can you touch type? No. And my life is the slower for it,
which I hate!
Favorite book? I just read Stupid Fast, by Geoff Herbach, and it rocked. Before that, I was on
a Michael Crichton kick. When my laptop dies on a flight, I like to have a book
around.
Thanks so much for being here with us today, Nick. It's been
great getting to know you better.
Glad to talk about stuff besides snowboarding! Sometimes
people assume athletes can only talk about sports so it was very cool to talk
about books and movies and Kayla. Especially Kayla…
Writing partners Joanne and Karen Rock pen Young Adult books as a team in addition to solo careers as adult romance writers (learn more below). Married into the same big, boisterous clan, Joanne and Karen quickly bonded over a shared love of books. After a decade of re-plotting their favorite films during family parties, they decided to write a book of their own. They sold their first attempt to the Spencer Hill Contemporary imprint of Spencer Hill Press as the launch title.
***Important Links***
