Today we are chatting with Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount, authors of  Crossing the Line.

Read on for more about them, the book, and a giveaway!

 

 

 

Meet Lynn Rush:

New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, LYNN RUSH, is a full-time writer, wife, and trail runner, living in the Sonoran Desert, despite her fear of rattlesnakes. Known as #TheRunningWriter, she can’t resist posting epic sunrise pictures while running in the desert with her trail sisters, even if she has to occasionally hop over a scorpion. When she’s not running, writing, or reading, she and her Ironman husband are watching movies that fuel her undying love of superheroes, vampires, and all things Supernatural. Find her on social media: @LynnRushWrites Sign-up for her newsletter: http://bit.ly/LRNewsletter

Website * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook * Tiktok

 

Meet Kelly Anne Blount:

KELLY ANNE BLOUNT is a USA Today bestselling author of young adult novels. She loves to alternate writing sweet romances and psychological thrillers. She’s a firm believer in balancing light with dark. When she’s not writing, she’s probably lost in a book, watching Coronation Street, or having an adventure with her family and friends. After living in a palace in Scotland, across from the Caribbean Sea, and in the snowy land of Wisconsin, Kelly and her family reside in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. She draws inspiration from the places she’s lived while world building in her books. Kelly loves connecting with readers on social media! Stop by and say, “Hi!” or ask a question. You can find her everywhere @KellyAnneBlount and be sure to sign up to her newsletter (https://bit.ly/KellyAnneBlountNewsletter) for exclusive content, giveaways, and more!

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About the Book: Crossing the Line

A patch of black ice is all it takes for Ryan “Preach” Armstrong’s perfectly planned future to skid out of control. The car crash shatters his hockey dreams…and injures Woodhaven’s newest student, Grace Milner. As much as this feisty track phenom gets under Preach’s skin in all the best and worst ways, she might just be his path to redemption…

Grace can’t believe that all it took was seriously bad timing and a hot but prickly hockey player to threaten her lifelong dream of joining the Air Force. Now, instead of prepping for the track season and upcoming start of basic training, she has to complete community service with the absolute last person she would ever want to be stuck with—the guy who shattered her future.

When two fierce competitors collide this hard, the only result is heartbreak…or an epic victory as they cross the finish line together.

Amazon * B&N * IndieBound

 

 

 

~Author Chat~

YABC:  What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

KELLY: After completing IN THE PENALTY BOX, Lynn and I knew we wanted to continue the world of Woodhaven and we were thrilled when Entangled gave us that chance! We decided to dive into Preach’s world, while still including Brodie and Willow (main characters of IN THE PENALTY BOX). It was exciting, heartbreaking, and at some points, frustrating! Lynn and I do a lot of research when it comes to writing our books and we wanted to make sure to share a story that is both accurate (i.e., using correct track terms) and compelling. I’m really proud of our book, CROSSING THE LINE and we hope you love reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it!

 

YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?

KELLY: This might be a bit biased, because I wrote this character, but, man, do I love Grace! She is strong, focused, and flawed. We see these aspects of her character throughout CROSSING THE LINE and the way she handles the tragedies and celebratory moments in her life are all impacted by her past. Both Preach and Grace experience growth in this book and it helps me to remember, even when faced with overwhelming sadness, stress, and/or anxiety, there are safe and healthy ways to heal those wounds and look forward to the future.

LYNN:  Preach! I just love Preach. I was glad to be able to write his book after his character came to life in the first book, IN THE PENALTY BOX. Don’t get me wrong, I love Brodie from the first book, but Preach… oh sweet Preach.

 

YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?

KELLY: Lynn and I started brainstorming pretty much immediately after we finished IN THE PENALTY BOX. We wanted Preach to be the main character of the spinoff sequel and we wanted him to be involved in a spring sport. We decided on track, which not only is a spring sport, but both boys and girls teams practice and compete during this season. Once we had that, we were thinking about track terms and trying to find a title that would tie in nicely with IN THE PENALTY BOX. It didn’t take long before we came up with CROSSING THE LINE, which worked with our main characters and the synopsis that we’d brainstormed. I absolutely love the title!

 

YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

KELLY: I’m really proud of the ending of this book. I won’t give away any spoilers, but I think we set up several strong possibilities as to how the story would end and we went with an ending that was just right for both Grace and Preach! I also love the deep, dark, heartbreaking scenes when Preach is hitting rock bottom. Lynn knocked those out of the park!

YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2022?

KELLY: I just won an ARC of Bloodmarked Book #2 of The Legendborn Cycle By Tracy Deonn and I’m so excited to read it! I absolutely LOVED the first book in the series, Legendborn! If you haven’t read it yet, go check it out!

 

YABC:   What’s up next for you?

LYNN: Personally, I have several more solo releases coming up in the next two years, so I’m working diligently on those. But…you never know where the Woodhaven series could lead. I’m curious to hear from readers who they’d like to see a story written about next! Any characters you might want to see redeemed… or not redeemed? ((LOL))

 

YABC:   Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?

LYNN: For me it was Preach’s journey through his injury. We first meet him in IN THE PENALTY BOX as Brodie’s best friend. So we see his love of hockey, sports, and his friends and family. So, when a traumatic injury threatens all of those… it brings up all the feelings. Especially when he’s at his low point dealing with it. I’ve shed some tears while writing and editing this book for sure.

 

YABC:    Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?

KELLY: Writing Emmett, Grace’s deceased brother, was tough. We needed to research and talk to experts in the Air Force, the field of aviation, psychology, political science, and more, to depict a realistic storyline for Emmett, his death (which occurs before our book starts), and the impact it would have on his family, especially Grace.

We also spent a lot of time researching and talking to experts about Grace’s injury. We needed to make sure that we were accurately depicting her injury, the recovery process, and the emotional impact it would have on her.

 

YABC:    What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?

KELLY: I’d love readers to come away with the message that if everything in your life is going wrong and your future seems to be nonexistent, you can persevere and find happiness.

LYNN: Amen, Kelly. I echo that statement. Some of the most precious things can be forged from fire, and tough times can feel like you’re walking through fire. But hang in and you’ll be stronger and wiser because of your experiences and trials.

 

YABC: What would you say is your superpower?

KELLY: My brain is definitely my superpower! Ha ha! My memory is pretty stellar and I’m often able to remember facts, dates, scenes, pictures, memories, experiences, etc., which comes in hand while writing a book!

 

Book’s Title: Crossing the Line

Author: Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount

Release Date: September 5, 2022

Publisher: Entangled Publishing: Teen

ISBN-10: 9781649371560

ISBN-13: 9781649371515

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Age Range: 14+

 

 

 

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*

One winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card. ~ US Only!

*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*

 

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