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Today, we will be sharing a little interview that we did with Joanne and Karen Rock. The Fluffy Readers gave them a set of questions to answer, and today we’re sharing some of those. If you have more questions, don’t worry! You’ll be able to ask them on the Twitter Chat on Saturday. Or you can tweet them using #ReadCampBoyfriend.
We also added a link below to bonus questions and answers from the authors.
In yesterday’s challenge we asked participants to share their camp stories, do you have any personal camp story you could share with us?
One time the CITs (counselors-in-training) got to go on an overnight canoe trip to a really remote spot- so we thought! We were an all-girls camp so imagine our excitement when we lugged our canoes to shore and saw that a group of guys were also camping at the spot! Our counselors were less than pleased, but their hands were tied and we got to hang out with boys- something we’d been deprived of for a month! I met this really cute guy who was practicing to become a football kicker when he went to college- SWOON. Later that night, the craziest thunderstorm I’ve ever seen swept over us. Since we were in lean-tos the sideways driven rain drenched everyone and the thunder rolled overhead. Lighting streaked all around us and lots of girls screamed and cried all night… I know this sounds like a terrible story, but here’s the good part: the football player found my lean to and stuck his head in to make sure I was alright… ahhhhhhh… he stayed for a little while and we held hands and watched the light show. It was one of the most romantic moments of my life.
How were you able to effectively write with only one point of view? How were you able to mix well together?
In CAMP BOYFRIEND we only had Lauren’s perspective, which made finding her voice and sticking to it easier. In CAMP PAYBACK we gave ourselves the challenge of writing from Alexandra and Javier’s point of view, so it was more difficult to make sure we both sounded the same with respect to each character. The best way to make sure the character sounds consistent is to do a lot of work before writing to figure out who they are, what motivates them, holds them back, what they want… stuff like that. If you know the character really well, the voice is unique and special for that person and the writing is no longer Joanne’s voice or Karen’s voice, but Alex’s voice or Javier’s voice. If that makes any sense- lol.
We’ve heard that sometimes characters tend to have a mind of their own. Which of your character has been the most stubborn?
I would have to say, (although this stays between us!), Lauren… I wanted her to make up her mind and pick a guy- either one, they really were both awesome, but she kept us guessing almost up until the very end. Seriously. We did not know whom Lauren would pick until the last quarter of the book! It wasn’t an easy choice and she took her time and was careful to make the one that was best for her.
Who are your favorite characters from Camp Boyfriend?
Hands down, Emily as number one. She’s exactly the kind of counselor every camper wants. She’s fun, spontaneous, quirky, has a big heart and an 80s obsession. What more could you ask for? Also, while Lauren is a really strong heroine, Seth and Matt were amazing guys in their own way. Seth is more of a lone wolf- one who’s a bit wounded from a hard childhood. He’s has lots of cool interests like being able to identify every animal and plant in the area, rock climbing, kayaking, and marvel superheroes. Matt, on the other hand, seems to be the more typical guy- a star quarterback, prom king kind of guy that everyone loves for his easy-going charm. But he grows a lot in the book when his family falls apart and we learn that there is a lot more to Matt than meets the eye- and he’s pretty easy on the eye, btw ;)
Because the Fluffy Readers are torn between Seth and Matt, who are your personal choices between the two and why?
Ah! That’s asking a mother to chose between her children! They are both awesome. Seth really gets the old Lauren before she transformed herself back home into Miss Popularity. He loved her when she had a mouthful of braces and he gave her her first kiss when she was covered in Poison Oak. He’s sensitive and doesn’t push Lauren into making up her mind which shows a lot of respect and maturity, even though he’s dying inside when he sees her with another guy! Matt, on the other hand, is like a lot of guys who are struggling to live up to what other people expect of them- to be the best at sports, be popular, have the hottest girlfriend- but he wants more and doesn’t know how to get it until he gets to camp and really becomes the person he was meant to be. And that is someone who is absolutely incredible!
If Camp Boyfriend was going to be made into a movie, who would you like to star in it?
Lauren would be played by Demi Lovato, Channing Tatum would play Matt and Chris Hemsworth would play Seth. Oh- and with all those hot guys, we’d want it in 3D, high def please.
What are your favorite parts from Camp Boyfriend?
The kiss at Rockbrooke Falls, the kiss in the baseball dugout, the kiss in the hermit’s hut during the thunderstorm, the kiss on top of the lean-to while star-gazing… ummm… is it a coincidence that all of my favorite parts involve kissing? Lol
What can we expect from the rest of the books in the series?
The awesome thing is that while each book (except CAMP CHRISTMAS) stays at Camp Juniper Creek, a different couple takes center stage in each novel or novella in the series. It’s great to have the same world with a stronger focus on certain campers that, in a previous book, were more in the background. We get to learn about what their lives are like, their secrets, and, of course, their beautiful love story.
What do you think are fluffy reads?
I hope that fluffy reads are books that make us smile! I started reading some fluffy reads during college as a counterpoint to all the dense reading I had to do for class. I truly needed a lighter, happier escape to decompress from the tangled explanations of literary critical theory! Fluffy reads provide that, delivering a fun, lighter read with a hopeful ending that has a reader sighing happily at the end.
J. K. Rock is the pseudonym for YA writing partners - and sisters-in-law - Joanne & Karen Rock. After years of comparing notes on their favorites books and films, often dreaming up new endings to suit them, they decided to write their own stories. Their first Young Adult book, CAMP BOYFRIEND, is part of a three-book series. CAMP PAYBACK will be an April 2014 release, and CAMP FORGET-ME-NOT arrives in Fall 2014. Visit the Camp Boyfriend website at http://campboyfriend.net to learn more about the free novellas they are offering readers prior to each full length book. Individually, Joanne Rock is an award winning Harlequin author published in 26 countries and translated into 20 languages. Karen Rock writes critically acclaimed stories for Harlequin Heartwarming including her latest, HIS HOMETOWN GIRL.
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