Blitz Guest Post : Come Back To Me by Coleen Patrick

Coleen Patrick author of Come Back To Me

Q&A

When and how did you get the idea for COME BACK TO ME?

The idea first came to me around three years ago. I was driving (This seems to be an idea generator for me), and Pink's song Sober, was on the radio. I pictured a guy and a girl in a car. All I knew in that moment was that she was confused, but projecting a tough exterior - and this guy, who seemed to be a stranger, calls her out, gets her to think about things she'd been avoiding. The story evolved over the next couple of years, but there is an important scene between Whitney and Evan that takes place while he's driving. That scene is a nod to that first glitter speck of idea.

Is there another book in the works? If so, what can we expect?

Yes! My next book should be out this fall-and it's the first in a series. The main character's name is Grace. She's almost sixteen, and the great thing about writing her story is that she's funny. The book is about friendship, family and how she deals with falling in love with her best friend.

Where do you like to write?

I have an office. I don't sit at my desk, though. Instead, I have a comfy chair in the corner that faces a window. Sometimes I have to close the window shade so I don't start staring outside, but I put a big dandelion decal on the inside of the shade to remind me what I'm doing. Underneath the dandelion, it says, "Wishes"

Do you have a special routine you like to do before you write?

Drink Coffee, and then turn off the Internet. The coffee is the easy part. :-)

Ten Random Things About Me

I am the oldest of four siblings and there were times I let that power go to my head.

Sometimes I run errands only to notice later that I am toothpaste spatter on my shirt.

I think TV is awesome. Gilmore Girls is my favorite - I could live in Stars Hollow.

I love the smell of books. When I pull up to the drive thru at my library I inhale deeply when they slide back the window.

I broke my finder ( and wore a cast for weeks) after a battle with a spider. Obviously, the spider won.

I think mushrooms are way too chewy to eat.

I am gluten intolerant, so sometimes cupcakes and pizza seem like sparkly, shiny things. I just can't look away.

When I was a kid, I thought it would be cool marry Godzilla.

I've lived in the same house for the last 18 years, but before that, I moved 16 times.

After college, I turned down an interview with ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco  Firearms, and Explosives), and instead got a job working at a library.

Quick Fire Questions

Last book you read?

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Last movie you watched?

Remember Sunday

First TV character to come to mind?

Damon Salvatore

Song that's stuck in your head?

When I was your man by Bruno Mars

Last thing you Googled? 

Hairstyles-Because I was going to get my hair done.

Farthest place you've traveled?

Israel

Favorite Snack?

Anything with peanut butter and chocolate-and if you add in backed potato chips, I will love you forever.

Coffee or tea?

I drink both during the day, but if I'm at Starbucks, soy lattes are a favorite.

Last thing you pinned on Pintrest?

A beach pic, with a guy holding a surfboard.

Sometimes I get Tattoo Envy

There is a moment n my new YA novel, Come Back To me, when Whitney realizes everything she'd ever assumed about Evan Foster could be wrong.

It's when she gets a glimpse of his tattoo

Whitney already didn't want to like him, not because he was a typical bad boy, but because he was the opposite - the good guy who drove her home from a graduation party, after she'd passed out next to a ditch. The good guy who inadvertently got Whitney sent away for three weeks of trust falls, group therapy and crafting.

The tattoo surprises her, makes her think about him in a different way.

Tattoos intrigue me too. I don't have one (Yet?), but there's something about a tattoo that symbolizes a certain element of freedom, an ability to express yourself (Almost) permanently.

Maybe I have tattoo envy.

And I'm not alone. According to recent poll on BuzzFeed, the number one question people with tattoos are sick of hearing is,

Can I touch it?

It's not that I'm a stranger to them. My husband has one (Fraternity letters). Both my sisters and my brother got tattoos. Even my dad.