Abigail Drake
Saying Goodbye
Passports
and Promises
Publisher:
Pennrose Press
INTERVIEW WITH ABIGAIL DRAKE
How would you describe you style of writing
to someone that has never read your work?
Very
personal, a little snarky, sometimes funny, always quite real.
I write
in first person because, when I write, I don’t feel like I’m observing
characters from the outside. To me it seems like I’m getting inside their skin,
understanding them on a deeper level, living their lives. On the surface, my
characters might appear to be different from how they actually are, and writing
in first person allows me to explore that more deeply, to figure them out more
completely.
What mindset or routine do you feel the need
to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project
or just free writing)?
Once
the story starts spinning around in my head, I just want to get it on paper.
Each book is a different experience, however. For some books, I’m a total
pantser (writing by the seat of my pants). For others, I’m more of a plotter.
Most of the time, I’m somewhere in between. I try very hard not to listen to
how others say it should be done, as far as routines and mindset go. Every
writer is unique, and each person has to find their own way.
Do you take your character prep to heart? Do
you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? Do
you people watch to help with development? Or do you build upon your character
during story creation?
Sometimes
I start with a plot line, but normally what happens is that I heard a character’s
“voice” inside my head, and they demand to be put on paper. In my new books,
Saying Goodbye, Part One and Part Two, it took me time to get my main
character’s voice just right, but every book is different. And people watching
is always a valuable tool for any writer. I’ve warned everyone around me to be
careful, what they say or do could easily end up in one of my books.
Have you found yourself bonding with any
particular character? If so which one(s)?
I
honestly bond with each of my characters. I have three sons, and write almost
all female protagonists. They are my escape from the reality of my
male-dominated household! I feel a particular affinity with the main character
in Saying Goodbye, Parts One and Two. Her name is Samantha, and she’s a college
student who makes lots of mistakes along the way, but she’s honestly trying to
do the right thing. I respect that aspect of her character. Also, she’s a
Japanese major, and I also studied Japanese in college, so we have a lot in
common.
Do you have a character that you have been
working on that you can't wait to put to paper?
I just
started writing the next book in the Passports and Promises series. It’s called
Delaying Departure, and it takes place in Turkey. I lived in Turkey for three
years, and my husband is Turkish, so this whole book is very special to me. The
character I’m most excited about is the one who will be in the love interest in
the story. He’s half Turkish, half Australian, and although I haven’t named him
quite yet, everything else about him is very solid in my mind. Now to come up
with the perfect name…hmmm. That can be the tricky part.
Have you ever felt that there was something
inside of you that you couldn't control? If so what? If no what spurs you to
reach for the unexperienced?
When you’re
a writer, you find that on days when the writing is going well, you are happier
than you ever believed possible. On days when it’s not going quite as smoothly,
you end up being crabby and miserable. I’m normally very even-tempered, but if
I’m not writing, or if I don’t have the right atmosphere to write (aka silence
and calm), I can be very irritated.
I also
get that way if I don’t have enough coffee. That’s another thing I can’t
control. My coffee addiction.
Saying Goodbye: Part One
Passports
and Promises, #1
Abigail
Drake
Date of Publication: September 10th
2016
Publisher: Pennrose Press
Cover Artist: Najla Qamber
Genre: New Adult Romance
BLURB Part One:
Samantha
Barnes always dreamed of seeing the world, and only has a few months left
before she starts a semester abroad in Japan. Enough time to say goodbye to her
friends, polish up her language skills, and maybe even squeeze in a quick fling
with handsome fraternity boy Dylan Hunter.
All
she wants from Dylan is something casual, and perhaps some mind-blowing sex,
but things don’t work out as planned. Dylan wants a lot more from her than a
hook-up. Before Sam realizes what’s happening, their relationship has become
serious, something she never intended. And then she discovers Dylan is hiding a
dark secret that makes breaking up with him nearly impossible.
Sam
is running out of time. She has to leave soon. She has no choice. But leaving
Dylan could mean more than just the end of their relationship. It could also
mean destroying him completely.
Buy Link: Amazon
Excerpt Part One:
I walked out of the classroom and straight into Dylan
Hunter. He’d been standing right outside the door to my classroom.
“What are you doing here?”
I’d wanted to see him in the sunshine, and I’d gotten my
wish. He was even better looking than I remembered, with his black hair, dark
eyes, and sexy crooked smile.
“This was the only Japanese III class being offered this
semester. I took a chance.”
I hesitated, not sure if this was nice or a little creepy.
“Oh.”
He lifted a bag he held in his hand. “I brought lunch.”
His face, so full earnestness, dispelled any worry I had
about his creepiness factor. We sat outside and ate the lunch he’d prepared for
us; peanut butter sandwiches, apples, and brownies.
“I bought the brownies, but I made the sandwiches myself.”
He handed me a soda. The September sun peeked through the
leaves on the trees, warming us as we sat on a stone bench and ate. He turned
and straddled the bench to face me. My cheeks got a little hot. I’d barely had
time to pull my hair into a bun this morning. I wore yoga pants and a hoodie,
and not a touch of makeup. The longer Dylan stared, the more uncomfortable I
became.
“What?”
“Are you still with Max?”
I shook my head. “We broke up weeks ago.”
“But do you still love him?”
I decided the direct and honest approach would work best. “I
never loved him and he never loved me. It ended well. We’re better as friends.”
He grinned and the effect shocked me. An odd tingling
sensation rushed through my whole body. If his smile could do that to me, I had
to wonder what his other parts could do. His lips. His hands. Everything else.
He leaned forward and, for just a second, I thought he might
kiss me. Instead, he got really close and stared into my eyes. “That’s good
news, Sam.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to be mine.”
My half-eaten brownie remained clutched in my hand as I
tried to formulate a coherent thought. I took a sip of soda and stared at him.
“That’s awfully direct, isn’t it?”
He shrugged. “Why pretend? It’s what I want. Why shouldn’t I
be honest about it?”
“You hardly know me.”
“I know enough.”
He reached for my hand, lacing my fingers with his. It
reminded me of our walk home from the frat.
He let go of my hand and looked at his watch. “I’ve got to
go. Can I see you later?”
“When?”
He gathered up our trash and tossed it into a bin. “How
about dinner? Would seven work for you?”
I hesitated only a second before answering. “Yes.”
“I’ll pick you up at the Theta house. Wear a dress.”
I stood next to him, holding my books against my chest. “I’m
not sure if this is a good idea...”
He touched my face, his thumb stroking my cheek. “What’s
there to be unsure about?”
“You’re a nice guy, but I’m leaving in January. I’ll be in
Japan for the whole semester. It would be crazy to get involved with someone
right now.”
“It’s dinner, Sam. No worries. No strings. Just food.”
“Just food?”
“Just food. I’ll see you at seven.”
Saying Goodbye: Part Two
Passports
and Promises, #1
by Abigail
Drake
Date of Publication: September 10th
2016
Publisher: Pennrose Press
Cover Artist: Najla Qamber
Genre: New Adult Romance
BLURB Part Two:
What
if you meet the right person…at absolutely the wrong time?
When
Samantha Barnes starts her semester abroad in Japan, she brings along a heavy
load of emotional baggage. With her ex-boyfriend in the midst of a mental
health crisis back home, she’d been forced to make some difficult choices,
choices that now fill her with guilt and remorse. She also made promises to him
she isn’t sure she can keep, especially when she meets Thomas MacGregor, an
irresistibly charming Scottish rugby player. Thomas is studying at the same
university as Samantha, and, although she tries to fight it, she begins to fall
for him. Hard.
Life
in Kyoto is everything Samantha could imagine, but, when tragedy strikes, it
sends her on a downward spiral into darkness. Will she be able to come to terms
with what happened, and have a future with Thomas, or will she forever be
plagued by regret?
Forgiveness
is a tricky thing, especially when the person you need to forgive most is
yourself.
Buy Link: Amazon
Excerpt Part Two:
As we walked through the lobby, I felt a little underdressed.
Most of the women had on skirts, and the men wore suits. The only other
foreigners, a group of men sitting in the bar, laughed and talked loudly,
causing people to shoot them curious glances. The bar opened into the lobby,
and they watched what looked like a very noisy and exciting rugby match on a
large television. I suspected they might also be students, here for the Tokyo
orientation, but we automatically steered away from them. They seemed rowdy,
and had begun drawing annoyed looks from the hotel staff.
“Some people leave home for the first time and don’t know
how to act,” said Hana under her breath.
One of the guys in the group stood up and yelled, raising
his hands in the air. His booming voice echoed throughout the lobby.
“Bloody hell. They did it.”
I caught a glimpse of possibly the tallest, broadest guy I’d
ever seen. He had a headful of unruly curls streaked with gold that made him
look a bit like a lion. He wore jeans and a wrinkled dress shirt half tucked
and half untucked into his jeans. He turned around and his eyes met mine for
just a moment. A shockingly deep shade of blue, they lit up when he saw me.
“Oi,” he said, waving at us. We ignored him and ducked into
the hotel gift shop.
“Do you think they’re in the Ritsumeikan group?”
Hana glanced over her shoulder. “Dr. Eshima told me there
would be a bunch of ruggers from Scotland, England, and Australia in our group.
This is the first year they’ve had a team, and they recruited the best
collegiate ruggers in the world for training and marketing purposes. I would
bet that is them.”
Dr. Eshima had taken a position teaching at Ritsumeikan this
semester. I was excited, not only because I loved having him as a teacher. It
would be nice to have another familiar face around.
“Ruggers?”
“Rugby players,” she said. “Uh-oh. Here comes one now.”
The giant lion man stood at the doorway of the gift shop,
swaying slightly on his feet. His eyes scanned the shop until he found me.
“Oi,” he said again.
I feigned tremendous interest in the postcard collection,
but he refused to take the hint. He came over, standing a little too close.
Hana deserted me, sneaking to the far side of the gift shop to get two cans of
grape juice from the fridge. Lion Man stared down at me, forcing me to
acknowledge his presence.
“Yes?”
“I came to say hello.” It sounded more like “Ay kem ta sey
halloo.” His eyes, only half open, appeared glassy. Definitely trashed, but he
didn’t seem dangerous. Just very large, and loud, and Scottish.
“Hello.” I nodded at him and returned to my postcard
perusal. My heart hammered in my chest. I forced myself to take slow, even
breaths, feeling a now familiar tightening in my ribs.
I’d had the first anxiety attack of my life not long before
I left for Japan, and the lack of control had been as frightening as the attack
itself. I’d had a few close calls since then, but never another full-blown
attack.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm down as I analyzed
the situation. For all his size, the rugby player wasn’t an actual threat. He
was just a large, good-looking drunk who wanted to flirt. As soon as I realized
that, my heart rate slowly returned to normal.
He tilted his gigantic head to one side, looking a bit like
a golden retriever. Maybe that was his spirit animal. Not a lion but a big puppy
with giant, overgrown paws.
“Do we have problem, sorority girl?” he asked, his eyes on
the Greek letters appliqued onto my hoody.
I gave him a tight smile, wanting to hide the fact my hands
still shook from the adrenaline rush I’d just experienced. I shoved them into
the pocket of my hoodie. “I don’t have a problem. Excuse me.”
I tried to slip past him, but he blocked my way. “Aren’t you
high and mighty?”
“Aren’t you drunk and sloppy?”
His friends laughed. They stood at the entry of the shop
waiting to see what might happen.
“Come on, Thomas,” one of them said. “Leave the poor girl
alone.”
He straightened his spine, making him seem even more
ridiculously tall, and made a half-hearted attempt to tuck in his shirt,
bringing my attention to both his six-pack and his bulging biceps. In spite of
his rudeness and slovenly appearance, I found him attractive. Scary thought. A
wall of muscle, charm, and Scottish hotness, he probably picked up women as
easily as picking up a pair of socks. The last thing I needed right now.
“Let me try this again, the proper way. Hello. My name is
Thomas Alexander MacGregor. How do you do?”
He gave me a very formal bow and held out a beefy hand.
Against my better judgment, I took it. “Samantha Barnes.”
He swayed again on his feet, but kept my hand firmly gripped
in his. I wondered what would happen if he passed out in this tiny gift shop
full of delicate glass trinkets in elegantly lit display cases. Thomas
MacGregor, built like a redwood tree, would take out half the shop if he fell.
The little Japanese woman behind the counter seemed to think the same thing.
She watched our interaction with wary eyes, her fingers hovering above a button
on her desk. Thomas didn’t even notice her. He only had eyes for me. Bleary,
bloodshot eyes, even if they were a beautiful shade of blue.
“Samantha Barnes. You are lovely. Really lovely. Not the
friendliest girl I’ve ever met, and a bit stuck on yourself, I’d say, but
lovely. As lovely as an angel, in fact. Why don’t you and your friend join us
for a drink?”
I wiggled out of his grasp and ducked around him. “No,
thanks.”
He spun around, almost losing his balance. “Why not?”
Hana and I slipped out of the shop, but I paused in the
doorway. “Didn’t a MacGregor try to kill Peter Rabbit?”
He frowned, his eyebrows coming together as he thought about
it. “That was Farmer MacGregor. And Peter Rabbit got away, if I remember the
story correctly.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “So I guess history will repeat
itself.”
He left the shop and watched as I walked toward the lobby
with Hana. “You won’t even have one wee drink with me, little rabbit? Why?”
“Because you are a drunken, rude, overbearing Scottish ox.
And you’ve already had one ‘wee drink’ too many.”
His friends cheered; laughing so hard they nearly fell over.
One of them shouted, “She’s right, Tommy. You are a bloody ox.”
He got very red in the face and lumbered back to his
friends. “No chance with that one. Pretty to look at for sure, but as prickly
as a damned thistle. You were right. I owe you a pint, Malcolm.”
My ears burned as we walked away. Hana gave me a sympathetic
look. “Well, hopefully you’ll never have to see him again,” she said.
I sighed. “I’m not that lucky.”
Author Info
Abigail
Drake has spent her life traveling the world, and collecting stories wherever
she visited. She majored in Japanese and International Economics in college and
worked in import/export and as an ESL teacher before she committed herself full
time to writing. She writes in several romance genres, and her books are
quirky, light, fun, and sexy. Abigail is a trekkie, a book hoarder, the master
of the Nespresso machine, a red wine addict, and the mother of three boys
(probably the main reason for her red wine addiction). A puppy named Capone is
the most recent addition to her family, and she blogs about him as a way of
maintaining what little sanity she has left.
Author Links:
Giveaway
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Part One will be given to people randomly selected.
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