Author Interview + Giveaway: Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn

Hey everyone! I’m so excited to have Katie Finn, author of Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend (May 13, 2014) here for an interview today! Here’s the official Goodreads excerpt for the book:

Broken Hearts, Fences, etc
Summer, boys, and friendships gone sour. This new series has everything that perfect beach reads are made of!

Gemma just got dumped and is devastated. She finds herself back in the Hamptons for the summer—which puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friend that she wronged five years earlier. Do people hold grudges that long?

When a small case of mistaken identity causes everyone, including Hallie and her dreamy brother Josh, to think she’s someone else, Gemma decides to go along with it.

Gemma’s plan is working (she’s finding it hard to resist Josh), but she’s finding herself in embarrassing situations (how could a bathing suit fall apart like that!?). Is it coincidence or is someone trying to expose her true identity? And how will Josh react if he finds out who she is?

Katie Finn hits all the right notes in this perfect beginning to a new summer series: A Broken Hearts & Revenge novel.

Hope you guys enjoy the interview!

Question: Describe your book using no more than three adjectives. Go!
Answer: Fun, beachy, revenge-y!

Question: How did you come up with the idea for Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend?
Answer: I thought it would be fun to tell the story of someone who did something wrong in the past, but is very much trying to make things right. When I realized I could pull in the mistaken-identity part of it, I realized it would create a lot of fun situations and mistakes.

Question: The title is so unique and interesting. Did you have any say in it? How did it come about?
Answer: I actually thought of the title for the sequel (Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold) first. And then I realized I liked that construct, and came up with the title for Broken Hearts. I had the titles before I even started writing, and it really helped me figure out what the story was. It helped me put together the pieces – okay, she has a broken heart. She’s trying to make things right. The titles kind of led the stories, in a really interesting way!

Question: Why the Hamptons? In what ways does this setting make the perfect backdrop for this book?
Answer: I’ve spent time in the Hamptons, and always loved it. (Plus, this way I got to go back and call it “research”). I like that it seems a bit like a world apart. Gemma only lives an hour and a half away in Connecticut, but it’s like this whole other world. I also liked that she’d encounter different people – people who just come for the summers – than she would back home. Which was also helpful, because she’s going under another identity for much of the book!

Question: Which scene do you most regret having to cut during edits?
Answer: I feel like I can’t quite answer that without giving away a major spoiler! But I can say, that looking back on it, it was the right thing to do! My editor was right, as per usual.

Question: On the flip side, what was your favorite scene that got added during edits?
Answer: I don’t want to spoil anything, but there’s a scene toward the end of the book where Gemma and Josh (the love interest!) end up having an impromptu sleepover and watching the Princess Bride, and it’s now one of my favorite scenes in the book. But it was nowhere to be seen in the first draft!

Question: Can you give us any hints as to what the sequel will be about?
Answer: The biggest hint can be found in the title – Revenge, Ice Cream, and Other Things Best Served Cold. Revenge is definitely afoot, and Gemma ends up having to get a job at the local ice cream parlor. The book picks up about 12 hours after the first book ends – so you jump right back into the action!

Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a work in progress?
Answer: It’s for a throwaway line, but I went down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about Iceland with this book. Now I’m desperate to go visit!

Question: Biggest writing quirk?
Answer: I always spend time making a really great playlist, but almost always turn it off and write in (mostly) silence. Music can help when I’m planning or thinking about what to write, but when I’m really writing, I find it too distracting.

Question: What are three must-have items when you sit down to write?
Answer: At least one beverage – preferably two or three. But always something caffeinated. Starbucks iced lattes and diet coke are essential. My glasses – I only wear them for writing, so they’re like my signal to myself that it’s time to start working. And I use Mac Freedom to turn the internet off!

Question: Are you working on anything new?
Answer: I just finished the sequel to Broken Hearts! I’ll revise that, and then get started on the third book in the trilogy – Hearts, Fingers, and Other Things to Cross.

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Thanks to Macmillan, we have ONE ARC of Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend for giveaway!

-Giveaway is US only

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

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8 thoughts on “Author Interview + Giveaway: Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn

  1. Haha, I’m not sure how I would handle it-it kind of depends on “who” I’m being mistaken for ;)
    More than likely, though, I’d choose to be myself! ‘Cause I enjoy being myself ^.^

  2. Actually, I don’t think I will correct people’s mistake because for once, I can act crazy without really facing the consequences for doing so. ;D<3

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