Well…since today is the cover reveal for Four Seconds to Lose, I decided it was fitting to have another Throwback Thursday in honor of K.A. Tucker. Now this is very special to me because this was my first ever character interview and it just so happens to be with one of my favorite BBF’s of all time. *Sigh* Trent. Love him! So…I hope you enjoy!
Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.
Four years ago Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, holding her boyfriend’s lifeless hand and listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, twenty year old Kacey and her fifteen year old sister Livie escape Grand Rapids, Michigan to start over in Miami. Struggling to make ends meet, Kacey needs to figure out how to get by. But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.
Trent Emerson has smoldering blue eyes, deep dimples, and perfectly skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy. Hardened by her tragic past, Kacey is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but their mutual attraction is undeniable and Trent is determined to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means that an explosive secret could shatter both their worlds.
And now for the insanity happened when we met Trent and K.A…..
Well…the day we’ve been waiting for has finally come – the day we meet with the fabulous KA Tucker and drool worthy, über swoony Trent Emerson. As Jennifer, Brooke and I wait for their arrival, emotions are beyond high.
Brooke: “OMG OMG OMG!!! When are they going to get here? What time is it? What was that noise? Are they here?”
Lisa: “AHH! They’re here??? I’m not ready!”
Jen: “Wow…you two need to calm down, you’re embarrassing me already.”
Brooke: “Really? This is pretty calm for us?”
Lisa: “Seriously – it’s going to get much worse.”
As the words pass my lips, the click of a door closing behind us makes our heads spin in the direction of the sound…and there stands KA, as lovely as ever and the delicious Trent. Brooke and I clasp hands and begin to jump – yes, jump – up and down for joy, like 13 year olds on a sugar high…and let me tell you, Trent is a high I would welcome any day.
My eyes take in the 6’3” sex god standing before me. He’s wearing a blue checkered shirt and dark blue jeans, which immediately take me back to a very memorable scene in a basement laundry room. I totally agree with Kacey’s assessment of his body, it is…spot on and I might have to check if I’m drooling. I’m pretty sure I look like a loon with the goofy ass grin that is plastered to my face.
Jen rolls her eyes and steps forward with her hand outstretched “Hi Kathleen, so nice to meet you. Sorry about the girls, as you can see they’re a little excited to see you both.”
KA smiles, reaching forward to shake Jen’s hand “It’s fine, I knew Brooke and Lisa were fans, but I’m sure Trent appreciates the…enthusiastic welcome.”
Trent blushes and shrugs his shoulders as Brooke and I try and calm ourselves down, still shaking a little bit.
“H-Hi Kathleen,” I stumble out, extending my hand to shake KA’s like Jen did. Okay, now I get why Jen is embarrassed for us, I can feel my cheeks burning, “Sorry about that, you kind of surprised us.” I turn to look at Brooke and she blinks back at me with a ‘deer in headlights’ look.
“Y-Yeah,” Brooke stumbles just as badly as I did. SCORE! I won’t look stupid alone! “We weren’t mentally prepared to see you both yet.” She shakes KA’s hand, there is hope for us yet!
“Not a problem guys, it’s nice to have such a warm welcome.” KA replies.
Could she be any sweeter? I doubt it.
“Why don’t we go ahead and sit down, so we can get started? We don’t want to take up too much of your time – we just really appreciate the opportunity to get to talk to you both,” Jen says as she leads us to the small seating area of the meeting room we are using. “Can I get you two anything to drink?”
Thank God Jen is here. If it were up to Brooke and I, the odds of us staying vertical, let alone actually functioning as a proper host right now, it’s just out of the question. I don’t even hear their answer, focusing mainly on keeping one foot in front of the other and not falling flat on my face.
Thank goodness we were smart enough to get comfortable seats, my brain and body are in overdrive right now and I feel like I could just melt into the chair. As everyone gets comfortable, Jen start’s us off.
“Once again, KA and Trent, thank you both for meeting with us, we were so thrilled to be offered a chance to be on the Ten Tiny Breaths tour. I guess let’s start with Trent – what were your first thoughts when you walked into the laundry room and saw Kacey?”
Trent: “Well, I knew she was going to be there, given I saw her pass by my window with her laundry. My first thoughts? I was freaking out. Seriously, terrified. And then she dropped those quarters and … *grins sheepishly* those were some short shorts.”
Brooke found her voice before I even located the rest of my motor functions, and chimed in after he answered Jen. “So Trent…how does it feel to be considered a stalker?”
Trent: “I’ve been called worse *chuckles* Seriously, it wasn’t one of my better decisions but it’s all in the past. And, come on, it kind of worked out, didn’t it? What else can I say … I had my issues.”
“Oh, I think it definitely worked out.” I croak out. Come on Lisa, you can do this. “One of the most emotional scenes in the book for me was the mirror scene…so this is the hardest question ever – how did you walk away from that mirror? Especially knowing Kacey was on the other side.”
Trent: “Because I loved her that much. It made it simple. Plus I honestly thought she was getting ready to toss a chair through the glass. I had no idea she was crying on the other side. If I had known that, it would have made walking away a million times harder.”
Wow…I think I just fell in love with him all over again. Kidnapping is illegal, right? I wonder for a moment if Kacey would notice if he just disappeared, but my devious thoughts are quickly distracted when Jen picks up on the somber mood the room has taken with such a heavy question.
Jen: “Alright, let’s change it up…how about some rapid fire questions?”
Trent: “Sure, sounds fun.”
His dimple is showing – have I mentioned I love his dimple? Ugh, there goes my brain again – and I was doing so good. I shake my head trying to clear it of my wayward thoughts – Focus!
Lisa: “Salty or Sweet?”
Trent: “Sweet”
Jen: “Movies or Books?”
Trent: “Books”
Brooke: “Fast or Slow?”
Trent: *laughs out loud* “Fast”
Jen: “Chocolate or Vanilla?”
Trent: “Chocolate”
Brooke: *with a devious smile on her face* “And now for the best question…right Lisa?”
“Oh yes, this is the best one.” I pause for dramatic effect and can hear Jen mumble, “Oh No,” with a sigh. I ignore her and with the biggest smile on my face, and an arch of my brow, I ask, “Blonde’s?”
“Or Brunette’s?” Brooke finishes my question, adding a wink for emphasis.
*For those of you who are unaware…I am blonde, Brooke is brunette 🙂 *
We couldn’t be more obvious if we tried, but if this is the last question we get to ask this fine piece of man candy – we’re going to make it worthwhile!
Trent’s eyes are all over the place, not really sure where to look now that we’ve put him on the spot…he bites his lower lip, almost as if willing the words to leave his gorgeous mouth but afraid of the reaction.
Trent: “If I don’t say Redheads, Kacey will beat my ass to the ground”
Brooke and I pout while Jen shakes her head.
Jen: “And…with that, I think it might be best if Trent waits outside so these two can get their heads out of the gutter.”
Brooke & I and snap our heads in Jens direction and a millisecond later, look at each other and in unison, whine “But…What…Why…No!!!”
Jen holds up her hand and Brooke and Lisa cross their arms over their chests and go back to pouting.
Jen shakes her head again as Trent rises from his seat and with a smile thanks us – really? Pretty sure we should be thanking him. I turn to Brooke and we both share a knowing ‘Cheshire cat’ grin and turn to Jen. Jen covers her face with her hands, knowing what’s coming next. Brooke and I immediately lunge from our chairs, each of us attaching our bodies to either side of Trent, giving him a hug. He chuckles, amused at our last ditch effort to show him how much we love him, and pats us on the back. With a slight wave as he exits the meeting room, Brooke and I wistfully fall back into the plush chairs…still in our la la land of happiness that we got to TOUCH Trent freaking Emerson. Life can’t get better.
“Ahem” – Jen’s fake cough brings us back to the here and now, but the look on her face says she’s totally over our antics. If it wasn’t for KA’s indulgent smile, we might feel a little embarrassed too. But this is what we do…we’re fangirls, damn it!
Brooke and I straighten up, ready to continue our little interview – possibly with more common sense than before. Trying to redeem myself, I turn to KA and say, “Sorry about that. I promise, we can act like normal human beings…when we try.”
KA: “It’s not a big deal, I understand Trent has his charms.”
Lisa: “Oh yes…we’re well aware of his charms. So…I have to ask, Ten Tiny Breaths – so simple, so perfect, so BRILLIANT – how the heck did you come up with it???”
KA: “I wish I had a clever answer but I don’t. I really just came to me and I knew immediately that it had to be the title.”
Brooke, having had more time to recover after Trent’s exit, speaks up more confidently. “Did you have a specific inspiration for Kacey? Her looks, her personality –she’s one in a million, where did she come from?”
KA: “I bought the cover before I started writing the book. It was a pre-design with a redhead and, to me, that just fit. I have a small obsession with redheads and the Irish (in my YA series, I also have a redhead and an Irish man in the story. Don’t be surprised if all of my future books have those two elements somehow worked in.) In terms of Kacey’s personality, I wanted someone strong but broken and snarky but fun. She has a tough exterior shell but she’s quite emotional inside. Beyond that, she just took shape until she came alive on the page.”
Jen: “We felt SO many emotions while reading this book – a rollercoaster ride is putting it mildly.”
KA: “That was my aim so I’m glad the book delivered! The best books are the ones that make you feel all the feelings.”
Lisa: “Alright…last question, but we have to ask…how much of Trent and Kacey do we get in One Tiny Lie?”
Brooke: “OMG yes…anything? Please! We’ll beg!”
KA: “LOL. I’m just going through final edits now. You will get quite a bit of Kacey—a lot in the beginning and in the end, as well as phone conversations, etc. throughout. She actually plays a bigger role in this book than I originally expected her to and that’s due to their bond as sisters. There are a few scenes with Trent in the book but he is not the focus. There just isn’t enough room in the plot for him and two other leading male characters (who I think you will like J )”
Jen: “Wow…leaving us with a smile, how can we be mad at that girls?”
Lisa: “We can’t…we just may have to attack her for OTL!”
KA laughs as she stands up.
Brooke: “We want to thank you so much for meeting with us KA, it’s been an exceptional experience and we hope you know how much we appreciate it.”
KA: “Thanks so much for having us here today! It’s been fun.”
As we walk KA out the door, waving goodbye the three of us look at each other in disbelief. We walk back to our chairs, falling into them – emotionally exhausted from the awesomeness that was just in the room.
Brooke: “OMG did that just happen?”
Lisa: “I don’t know. My mind has been blown, I can’t think right now.”
Jen: “I’m never going out in public with you two ever again, unless you’re medicated beforehand.”
Brooke and I turn to Jen and burst out laughing. We’re all cracking up so hard we have tears in our eyes and can barely breathe (Ha! Made a pun!)
We can’t thank KA Tucker and Trent enough for doing the interview with us and of course KP with InkSlinger for putting on an absolutely fabulous tour. 🙂
Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5+ “Seize them. Feel them. Love them.” Kisses!
Pain, sorrow and grief have a way of changing our lives…morphing them into something we could never imagine….never fathom. When tragedy strikes you so hard it hits you to your core – forever erasing the person you once were, it’s what you do with those feelings and emotions that will forever shape your future. Ten Tiny Breaths is about strength and learning when it’s okay to be weak…being broke and learning how to heal…going thru heartbreak and having the strength to forgive.
Kacey Cleary is a brave soul….a damaged soul…a fighting soul. Every day she fights – she fights for her next breath, she fights to keep control…but mainly she fights for her sister. Livie – Olivia – while there is a 5 year age difference (Kacey is 20, Olivia 15), the only other difference between these gorgeous girls is their hair color…Kacey’s stand out red hair to Livie’s stunning black.
“Livie’s an angel….Where I’m a looming thundercloud, she’s the sunshine breaking through.”
Livie longs for “Before Kacey” – she’s lost a lot with the tragic accident that took their parents life four years ago and almost took Kacey’s as well…with the way “After Kacey” is, it might as well have taken her life as well. She’s broken and barely put herself back together…a shell of her former self. Barely graduated high school after being a star student, drugs, alcohol and sex consumed her life – all the combination you need for a perfectly destructive lifestyle.
Kacey is fighting her way thru existence after the accident that killed four of the most important people in her life. Once again, Livie is why she changed – so Livie wouldn’t be without the only other living family member (since their Aunt and Uncle aren’t worth a damn) that she has left…and Kacey wants Livie to have the happy life she is meant to have, because it’s clearly out of the question for Kacey.
“Well then it’s your lucky day. I’m already jaded.”
Kacey also has a hand thing – it stems from her boyfriend and what happened during the accident. This brave girl who could bust the knee cap of a grown man is scared stiff of hands. She doesn’t touch them – except Livie’s. Once again, Livie is the exception to everything…though…until Trent comes into the picture.
Trent Emerson…6’3”, 25, golden brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes…a.k.a. ‘Sex on a Stick’. Oh and he’s got tattoo’s and a motorcycle…and he’s a graphic artist/computer nerd – hello, let me introduce you to my dream man. KA Tucker just crawled into my brain and made him…the second I knew all of those facts, Trent could tell me anything and I’d sit back with googly eyes and say “Sure honey, whatever you say.”
I. Love. Him.
“I could lay here and stare at him forever. I don’t want to let go. Ever.”
He knock’s Kacey on her ass…almost literally (ha! Well she is on her hands and knees…but you’ll have to read to understand that!) in a laundry room. He makes her feel things, he breaks her down and he makes her want things she hasn’t wanted in forever…and get this – she likes it. It’s a complete shift from the “After Kacey” that has come to take over. And it’s aaaaawesome to watch her change right in front of your eyes.
They are so perfect together…omg I loved them – I loved how happy he made her, and that’s all he wanted in the world. How can your heart not burst over hearing that – a guy that just wants to make you smile, he just couldn’t be any more perfect.
“Give me your heart, Kacey. I’ll take everything that comes with it.”
“I’ll make you whole again, Kacey. I promise you, I will.”
“From now on, Kacey. I will. I will devote every day for the rest of our lives to making you happy. I promise.”
I could quote this man forever – he Blew. Me. Away. with what he said…it was achingly perfect. And reading those lines a second time…changes things completely. They hit you harder, strike deeper with what he is really saying…it squeezes your heart.
But as perfect as Trent may seem, he’s got secrets…he’s got a past and while he is focused on getting Kacey to breakthrough and be the person she could be after getting over the pain of the accident, his hidden pain becomes more difficult to hide. Just know that they are both equally tortured in their own way…and when the truth is revealed, it’s pain is almost as bad as the accident was.
“Trent and all the good that he brought to my life is dead. It was never really alive.”
My heart was wrapped up in Kacey – she is a smartass, she is funny, she is so strong and brave it makes my head spin, but lord have mercy is that girl damaged. She can compartmentalize better than anyone out there and that’s what works for her. I loved her from the get go, she is a very compelling heroine. I loved Livie too…she’s a sweetheart, selfless, kind, hopeful…wiser beyond her years unfortunately.
We also get to meet Nora Matthews, the next door neighbor – with a name like that, you’d think kindergarten teacher or CPA right? Nope – she goes by Storm…and she’s a bartender…at a strip club, where she also performs a very interesting….act. I’ll leave that to your imaginations until you read it…but I will say it’s freakin bad ass. Factor in she is a walkin epitome of a Barbie doll and actually turns out to be a fantastic influence on Kacey – it was hard not to like Storm.
The scene that broke me down involved a one way mirror…Trent on one side, Kacey on the other. It ripped my heart out and stomped on it. Possibly one of the most emotional scenes I’ve ever read – and I’ve read it multiple times since then. I need a new word for heartbreak because that scene was heartbreak and hurt and pain and forgiveness and so many other emotions all balled up into one. Emotionally spent after reading that scene….just done!
I can’t lie…I was worried about the ending. Come on, we read these books for HEA’s – I know I LIVE for a good HEA…and I was worried. But…to ease your fears, Trent and Kacey get their HEA and I loved the epilogue. Also, because the epilogue gives us a glimpse at 18 year old Princeton undergrad Livie…and the next book, One Tiny Lie, is her story. Can we say excited???
Yes…Yes I am!
I loved this book so much I read it twice…which I would love to do with every book I have, but it’s very difficult to do…but there are exceptions and this is one of them. This a beautiful book about love, loss and forgiveness and will take you on a beautiful rollercoaster you’ll never forget.
Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.
This is a great teaser. I’m glad the librarian helped her write her first book.