Introducing author Heather Dowell and her book Summers and Winters:
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I love to be adventurous, meet new people, and visit new places. I’ve
white-water rafted down the mountains of Turkey, swam in the Blue
Lagoon, hiked the mountain sides of Oman, snorkeled in Seychelles, seen
the beautiful architecture of Barcelona, slid down the Leap of Faith in
Dubai, karaoke-ed in Bahrain, partied in Djibouti, and became a Shellback
after crossing the equator.
2. When did you start writing, and why?
I’m 23 now, so I’ve been writing for about 10 years. I don’t think
there was ever really a moment when I decided to write. I never really
thought about it until now, but I think I started coming up with ideas
after watching A Walk to Remember. The first plot I
came up with was for “Summers & Winters”. I didn’t make it past the
first 60 or so pages until 2009. On my second deployment, my writing
really took off. I was tired of looking at a black screen watching the
minutes go by, so I started stealing computer paper, and pretending like
I was working on job requirements, when really I was working on this
novel. Now that the novel is finished and I have all of these other
ideas swarming around in my head, I don’t think I’ll ever stop writing.
People always say they were born to do something, and I believe writing
is the thing that I was born to do.
3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
I write in just about every genre, except for nonfiction, westerns,
and horror. I’d never be able to finish a nonfiction book; I’m just not
that patient. I won’t even watch Western movies, so I definitely
wouldn’t spend the time writing a book. If I wrote horror, I’d probably
wind up scaring myself.
For the most part, all of my books, no matter the genre, have at least
some bit of romance in them. I enjoy writing romance, because love is
one of the best things in life and I want to capture it on paper.
I never thought that I would write anything other than teen fiction,
but then I started to do a lot more reading, and book ideas would just
come to me - usually at very awkward times, when I needed to be sleeping
or doing something important. Now, I can’t see doing general fiction. I
love paranormal, sci-fi, dystopia, and fantasy, and I enjoy the
challenge of trying to write them and make them realistic.
The thing I love most about writing is giving life to my characters. I
don’t feel settled until others can read about them. Sometimes I think
of my characters as real people. I cry when they cry, laugh when they
laugh, and love when they love.
I love watching people read while I’m writing too. One time I was
writing and a guy was looking over my shoulder, so I asked him what he
was doing. He smiled. “I’m sorry, it’s just so cool watching you write.
It’s like I’m reading your mind, knowing that what you are writing is
exactly what you’re thinking at this moment in time.” It’s a interesting
way to think of reading. You really are reading the author’s mind.
One of the coolest things that happens when writing is surprising
myself. I don’t use outlines, so sometimes I think I’m writing a boring
scene to avoid an awkward time gap, and BAM!!!!!! something brilliant
just hops on the page and I’m like, “where the heck did that come from?”
4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
My
latest book in the series is “The Coldest of Winters”. It picks up
right where book one left off, well, a few hours later to be exact.
Sorry about the cliff hanger, but it had to be done. It was the perfect
ending to book one and lead in to book 2. I’m sure some of you saw it
coming, but I doubt you will be able to predict what will happen in book
2.
I love giving titles double meanings. Every
title contains a character last name, reflects the season that the
events are taking place, and gives you a hint to what will happen in the
book.
“Summers & Winters” – Heather Winters and Mitch
Summers – reflects the seasons they spend together – lets us know that
they are meeting in this book
“The Coldest of Winters” – the
focus will be on Heather Winters – the book takes place in the winter –
and “cold” lets us know that this is not going to be all rainbows and
butterflies. This book gets pretty deep. Expect tears and anger. Some
characters are probably going to tick you off, and you’ll want to rip
their heads off. Others will make you think “what the hell. I can’t
believe you just did that!”. Depending on how you feel about certain characters, you may be doing a happy dance and screaming “’bout time!”.
“The
Coming of Summers” – Mitch Summers will be the focus – it will take
place during the spring – “coming” signifies the action, though I won’t
give away which meaning I am referring to, you dirty minded people. :)
“A
Summers for Forever” – the focus is actually on Mitch and Heather in
the this one – it takes place during the summer – the title says it all,
but it may not happen or be like what you think.
If you like my
writing, don’t worry, there is a lot more to come. I have a few books in
the works. I’m not sure if they will turn into a series or not. It all
depends on how long it takes me to tell the story. The next two are:
“The
Newcomer” – paranormal romance – Due to the complexity of the story's
line, this may wind up being a chronicle. It could be up to twelve
books. Every creature you can think of: witches, fairies, trolls,
werewolves, vampires, dragons, elves, 4 of my own creation, mermaids,
seers, seekers, shape-shifters, angels, human warriors - you name it and
it’s probably in this book. Evil forces are lurking about and Emma is
their best hope at defeating them, but she still think she’s human. Will
the creatures of this earth be able to train her in time, and will they
accept her if they find out she is the most dangerous creature of them
all?
“Alien Invasion” (tentative title) -
fantasy/sci-fi/suspense/romance - two co-conspirators, Alora and Luke,
fight to stay alive and destroy the aliens that are overtaking the
earth. All the while, Alora battles for Luke’s heart, but will she still
want it when she finds out who he really is? What he has done in the
past?
5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
Homestead,
South Carolina is a fictional place. I took a few of the settings from
places I lived in the past and mixed them together to create Homestead.
Samson’s
Creek was modeled after a Creek I went to with my cousins in
Mississippi. That is also where I jumped off the tree, played chicken in
the water, grilled out, and witnessed my cousin get stung by a bee in
the eye.
The courtyard, where the group always has
lunch, was at my old high school in Crossplains, TN. I always loved that
setting, in the middle of the school but outside and away from the
hustle and bustle of the crowded hallways. It’s really beautiful during
the winter, snow falling around you as you sit on the cold cement, your
lover's arms keeping you warm.
I modeled Homestead High after Portland High School in Tennessee. They are also home of the Panthers.
6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
I like that Mitch is more mature than most 17-year-olds. He never
dated anyone before Heather, which would probably seem weird to most,
but you have to realize that he only dates when he thinks there is a
prospect of marriage. Though he has had no real experience with girls,
he is quite the romantic and says eloquent things that most would find
cheesy, but come from his heart.
Heather is a lot like me, strong but overly sensitive at times. Some
would find her emotions a little over the top, but the fact that she is
so open about how she’s feeling is endearing. She loves with her whole
heart and isn’t afraid to be vulnerable.
Brian is my favorite to write. He’s very witty, bold, and sometimes
dangerous. He is definitely the clown of the group. Even though most
people see the comedian side of him, Brian is a lot deeper than people
know. He’s loyal to a fault and often puts others before himself. It’s
rare that he find someone he feels he can truly relate to, and when he
does, he falls for them – hard. We catch a glimpse of this in “Summers
& Winters”, but we’ll really get to see this side of him In “The
Coldest of Winters”. Brian can only be loyal to his friends for so long,
it eventually developes that he follows his heart in his own desires,
putting everything on the line.
Brittany is not your typical cheerleader. Yes, she dates a football
player and is very popular, but there’s a lot more to her than that.
She's sweet, and kind, and very girly, but she’s also smart and isn’t
afraid to stick up for her friends. When she finds out Heather has
befriended a girl known for starting trouble, she warns her but still
allows Heather to make her own decisions. Brittany also has a knack for
knowing just what to say. This comes in handy a few times, when Heather
is on the verge of exposing her relationship with Mitch.
Sammy is the voice of reason. When anyone has an issue, they run to
him. He’s trustworthy and knows how to hold his tongue. Other than
almost ripping the hinges off of Hot Guy’s door to go after Brittany,
who went in for a “warm shower”, Sammy is usually calm and collected.
All of the subordinate characters bring something to the table as
well, but there too many of them to talk about now. You’ll just have to
read the books. But I will tell you, there are a few “mean girls” who
are out to destroy everything.
7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
Some of the events in the book are modeled after real things that I’ve
done. For instance, I did jump off of a tree and into a creek, and I
did kill a snake with a shovel, though I didn’t eat it like Heather did.
A lot of people commented on the Surf War scene, and in case you were
wondering, you really can surf on trash can lids. You just need about an
inch of water. I take a lot of little things from life and twist them
around to fit my books.
8. Blog/site link, and where your book is available.
Blog:
http://heatherdowell.blogspot.com/
Book is available at Amazon
About the Author:
Hey
everybody. My name is Heather Dowell and I was born in Tennessee on
March 12, 1990. My family moved around frequently when I was a kid,
mostly from county to county, so I've had a lot of experience with being
the new kid. I graduated from Portland High School in Portland, TN in
May 2008. Shortly after my 18th birthday, I enlisted in the United
States Navy. I went to boot camp in Greatlakes, IL, which is a short
train ride away from Chicago. I went to Chicago with my sailor friends
as often as I could. I really enjoyed the city.
I've lived in
Tennessee, Mississippi, Illinois, and Florida. If you count the womb,
then I've also lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, that's part of the reason why
I chose for Heather Winters of “Summers & Winters” to live in Las
Vegas. I asked myself, "How would my life have been if I grew up in
Vegas?", and created a whole new world.
I
served four years on the USS Carney(DDG-64) in Mayport, FL and lived in
Jacksonville, FL. I met some of the most wonderful people on that ship,
and that is when I really started writing. In my upcoming book "The
Newcomer", I transformed my real friends on the Carney into mythical
creatures, like Mermaids, Vampires, Trolls, Fairies, Werewolves, and
some creatures of my own creation, that are battling the Evil Black
Dragon and his minions in order to keep them from conquering the world
and dominating the human race.
I
write books of almost every genre, all with a little hint of Romance, so
if you are into that sort of thing, you should definitely try out one
of my books.
I'm currently pursuing a
bachelors degree in Elementary Education at Western Kentucky
University. I have a passion for teaching children and for writing
novels. I also love music and I'm a flag girl in the Big Red Marching
Band. I'm married to a wonderful husband, and I love seeing my family
every weekend. Family and friends are very important to me. You can
probably see that through the characters that I have developed. They're
all very unique and some of them are based on people I know. Some of the
events stem from real events in my life as well, but I twisted them
into a very fictional story. I hope you enjoy my work, and if you have
any questions, feel free to contact me. Thanks for reading.
Read on for some excerpts from Heather's book!
Book Excerpts:
“Thank you so much for dinner,” I tell Mitch.
“No problem, I'd love to take you out every night.”
“That’d be nice.”
We head out the door and I start walking toward the car, but Mitch
takes my hand in his and we head for the beach. I almost retract my
hand. I'm still getting used to this whole out in the open concept.
He smiles and gives me a light squeeze. “Heather, do you remember me
saying I'd take you to the beach?” I nod. “Well, this isn't Myrtle, but
it is a beach.”
I bite my lip and look up at him through my lashes. He's always so dang thoughtful.
“You're going to ruin your dress shoes,” I tell him as we walk over a
wooden bridge and onto the sand. He smiles and runs his hand through my
hair before planting a light kiss on my forehead.
He slides off his dress shoes and hides them under the bridge. “Hand me your flip-flops.”
I do as he says and watch his luscious body bend over once more. I
curl my toes as he straightens and then loosens his tie. Next, he
untucks his button up shirt and bends back over to roll up the hem of
his dress pants right above the ankles. It’s so nerdy and sexy all at
the same time.
“Now that I won’t ruin anything, would you do me the honor of accompanying me on a sunset stroll?”
He does a halfway bow and sticks out his hand, palm up.
“Is this how you get all your women?” I tease. He straightens and tries to hold back a laugh.
“No, but now that you mention it…”
I sock him in the arm.
“Come on.”
“There are a lot of sticks.”
“Afraid of cutting your feet?” I nod. “OK, I have a solution for that.”
He bends his knees and picks me up like he’s about to carry me over
the threshold. He seems relaxed and unstrained as he carries me over to
the smooth part of the beach. I run my hand over his corded bicep and
feel his taut muscles. I look up into his deep blue eyes and he slows,
heading out into the water, but I’m only focusing on his eyes. His eyes
meet mine and I shudder. Our gazes hold. He continues to move steadily
forward. I’m surprised he’s still able to carry me as I’m not exactly
light, but he makes it seem so effortless, like it is something he was
born to do. I feel fragile but in a good way, because it also makes me
feel beautiful. I raise my hand to his cheek. He stills and gives me a
gentle kiss
“Are you ready for me to put you down?” he asks.
I look around. We are no longer on the shore. We’re about fifty feet
out into the ocean, and he’s standing on a strip of relatively dry land,
a sand bar.
“How?”
“This is what is called low tide, when the water starts to recede from
the shore. It’s kind of messy during low tide, but it shouldn’t be too
bad right now. Do you wanna take you first step into the ocean?”
“Depends. How cold is it?”
“You tell me,” he laughs, putting me down. My toes dip into the water.
It’s a little cold at first, but I get used to it quickly. My toes sink
into the sand as I look at them, still holding onto Mitch’s shoulder
with my hand.
“I wanna take a picture of you,” he says, taking out his camera phone.
“OK.” I release him.
Mitch takes a few steps back and then begins to take pictures. The
wind has picked up and my hair is not staying put. Neither is his. It’s
not hard to smile looking at him. I love the wind going through his
hair. I wanna be the wind – caressing every inch of him. I give up on
taming my hair and shift between different poses.
“I wanna get some naturals of you. Don’t pose, just do whatever is natural.”
I look around to see how far this sand bar goes. I start to follow it.
There are a few seagulls or pelicans; I don’t really know coastal
birds, at the end of the sand bar. I get closer, and one of them snaps
its head up to look at me. I get down on my knees, pulling up the hem of
my dress so that it doesn’t get wet. The temperature of the water no
longer fazes me as I inch forward. I reach out to one of the birds and
it flies away, the others following. I lean back on my calves and drop
to hem of my dress. I no longer care if it gets wet. I just want to
enjoy this. I want to take this all in.
I close my eyes for a minute, breathing in the salty air and listening
to the waves crash on the shore. I run my hands through the cool sand.
Arms wrap around me from behind.
“I’m so lucky to have you,” Mitch tells me.
I look up into his eyes. “I’m the lucky one.”
I take his phone from him. I can’t believe he’s sitting in the moist
sand, wearing dress pants. His mom is going to kill him. But now that he
is, we might as well have fun with it. I snap several pictures of him,
and then I sit in his lap to take some with him. He wraps his arms
around my waist and I lean back into his chest. I feel his breath on my
neck and I feel like I’m floating as I snap pictures of us. I just start
snapping without even looking at the camera.
I spin around to face him and rest my head on his neck as he smoothes
my hair. I hand him his phone back and unbutton his dress shirt from top
to bottom as we both breathe heavily. I slide it down his arms and it
rests only on his wrists. He’s wearing a white beater tank underneath
and I edge it up with my thumbs. He slides his dress shirt off his
wrists and slides it under his bottom, freeing his hands. I remove his
tank and he puts it under him as well.
His eyes travel from my eyes to my lips to my chest and then to his
phone. We have to be careful not to get it wet. I take it from him and
slide it under my bra where it will be safe.
“I’m never washing that phone,” he laughs.
“I would hope not. You’d ruin it.”
“Well, right now, I’m really jealous of my phone.”
“I want you to be this phone, but if I let you do that with no
barrier, I’ll be done for. I won’t be able to stop. I’m having a hard
enough time controlling myself as it is.”
“Kiss me,” he pleads.
“So demanding!”
“What did I tell you about stealing my lines?”
“Hum, if I recall you said you don’t use lines, you only tell the truth.”
“Do you remember everything I say?”
“Maybe,” I grin.
“Alright, that’s it. I’m kissing you whether you like it or not.”
He places both of his hands tenderly on my face.
“As if I could ever not like it.”
His lips meet mine. His thumb slides down my neck, and when he finds
my breast he cups it with his hand, gently caressing it. His other hand
chooses that moment to slide down my side as he moves his lips down to
my neck, I can’t stop the moan that escapes from me. His touch is all
too wonderful. I want more.
I slide
my hands down his smooth pecs and then trace his abs with my index
finger. His breath hitches. I reposition myself so that I’m straddling
him as we begin to kiss with sudden urgency. I lean forward causing him
to lie back in the sand. The water is closing in on us. I feel it creep
onto my stomach as Mitch’s hands glide down my back, finally resting
right above my bottom.
I let out a small giggle midway through a kiss.
“What is it?”
“You don’t have to be so nice. I like you. You don’t have to ask permission for everything.”
“I just don’t wanna disrespect you. This isn’t about sex for me. It’s more than that.”
“I know, which is why I don’t mind if you take a little initiative.”
“Oh, yeah?”
He plants both of his hands on my behind and squeezes.
“Just keep your hands above my clothes.”
“Whatever you want, Baby.”
I kiss him harder as he runs his hands all over my body. Then I feel
the ocean water soak my bra. I look up and the sand bar is completely
gone, with some fairly good-sized waves off the horizon. We both jump up
and run toward the shore.
“Looks like low tide is over,” Mitch says ringing out his shirts.
“How are we going to explain this?” I ask, motioning to my dress that has sand all over the backside due to Mitch’s caresses.
“Give me the phone and take a full dip.”
I hand it to him and run right back into the water, letting it consume
me. I swim out into it until I can no longer touch the bottom. The sun
is starting to set, and Mitch was right, it’s so much better watching it
from the beach. I linger for a little while longer before Mitch swims
in after me.
“We need to get back before dark, or Brian will send out a search party.”
I give him a kiss, we grab our shoes and head back to the car.
“Dare number two… make out, with tongue, with the person to your right…” To my right is Mitch. This is so my dare. “For five minutes.”
“I got it!” I yell. I’m going to make out with Mitch, right here and now.
“Mitch, it looks like it’s your lucky night,” Brian tells him, handing
the camera phone over to Kenji. “Heather, make it good for the camera.”
“Oh I will. I just hope Mitch is up for it.”
“Oh I’m up for it,” Mitch grins.
“Alright Kenji, keep track of the time.”
Kenji nods and then says, “Go.”
This is it. It’s now or never. Mitch is looking at my lips. He’s
ready. I lace my hand with his and then turn to straddle the log I’m
sitting on. He does the same. I’m so nervous. I’ve never made out in
public, and I never thought I’d be able to do so with Mitch. I tenderly
touch his shoulder with my free hand and then lean slightly forward. The
spark returns as soon as I touch him. His breathing is slow and
strained like he’s incredibly nervous, too.
“I’m restarting the time,” Kenji says. “I’ll start it when you start kissing.”
Mitch and I both let out a laugh as our foreheads meet. I look up at
him through my lashes. He’s so perfect. I drag my hand up to his cheek
and then kiss him gently. His free arm goes under my arm and around my
back. He licks my bottom lip and I part my lips, giving his tongue room
to enter my mouth. Mmm, he tastes so good. Just like winter fresh gum.
The tip of his tongue traces a line across the roof of my mouth. I put
my hand on his neck and then run it through his hair. I let go of his
hand that is holding mine as our tongues dance. I let my now free hand
cup his firm peck and push him downward.
I detach myself from his mouth long enough to move on top of him and
then I suck and nibble on his bottom lip as he lets out ragged sighs. I
love his breathy responses. They make me want to be wild. What’s a game
of Dare without a little risk? With him I want to do things I’ve never
been brave enough to do with anyone else. And I don’t care what anyone
else thinks about it. I’m going to do what I want.
I kiss his cheek and then suck and nibble on his earlobe. He’s
breathing so hard now. Or is it me? I don’t know, and I don’t really
care. I want him. I wanna make my claim on him, and I want everyone to
know that he is mine. “Unsnap me,” I whisper into his ear. He tilts his
head to the side and kisses my cheek.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
His hands travel to the clasp of my bra and he fidgets. Then I feel
the pressure on my back fade away. “Take it off,” I say while tugging on
his lip. He doesn’t hesitate. He slides down both of my straps and I
slip my arms out. He pulls my bra off with a little tug and then tucks
it under him.
“For my eyes only,” he says.
I love the feel of myself on top of him with little between us. I kiss
his neck and his hands drift down my back as Ty say, “Go for it,
Mitch.” I laugh and nod into Mitch’s neck. His hands drift slowly to my
bottom. When he gets there, I can’t help but grind into him
inconspicuously. Hopefully, the others won’t notice what I’m doing. He
presses me to him and I can feel his hardness. He presses upward and
holds me down. My whole body goes hot. I let out a soft moan as he
presses me harder against him.
“That’s enough for me,” Christine says.
“It was enough for me before they started,” Marie says.
“Still got two minutes,” Kenji tells us.
There’s a sigh in the background. It must be Brittany. She’s probably making out with Sammy.
“It’s not yawls Dare,” Ty says, confirming my suspicions. “So,
Christine...if you don’t like watching, I could always kiss you,
instead.”
Brian
laughs at Ty’s flirtatiousness. Considering that Ty hasn’t even asked
Christine out, it is a little odd that he would try persuading her to
kiss him.
Now that
Mitch and I are no longer the center of attention, we really go at it.
Our kisses become much more urgent. We only have a minute or so left and
I’m determined to make the best of it. Mitch must be having the same
thought. His hand slides up my dress and to the zipper. He slowly inches
it down, waiting for me to protest. I feel the warm breeze on my
exposed skin, until he covers it with his hand. He doesn’t try to take
my dress off, but he lowers the zipper a tad bit more and presses
himself to me. My thighs start squeezing together. Oh no! Not now! Not
here! He presses me tightly against him as I let out a much louder moan.
How am I going to explain that? This is no longer a
Dare. It’s us, alone in his bedroom, that first time he made me wet. I
don’t understand how he can have such an effect on me. But…I like it.
His fingers trail down my spine and I come undone. I collapse, no
longer able to keep my breathing regulated. He did it again. Except this
time, it was in public. I breathe hard onto his neck. He trembles under
me. If the group around us didn’t know we were together, they would
know now. I can’t believe I just did that in front of everyone here. I
really, really hope none of them noticed what just happened. Heat rushes
to my cheeks.
Summers and Winters
Available at
AmazonHeather's Blog:
http://heatherdowell.blogspot.com/
