The time it was about When Joss Met Matt

Posted February 26, 2015 by Stacee in Blog Tours, Giveaways, Interviews | 0 Comments

I am mildly obsessed with everything Liz Czukas writes.  So when I saw that she was writing some NA under the name Ellie Cahill, I was all over it.  And when I got the invite to be part of the blog tour for When Joss Met Matt, I jumped on it.

CAHILL_WhenJoss_blogtourBefore we get to the interview, let’s check out the book, shall we?

Untitled-2Ellie Cahill is poised to coin the term “sorbet sex” with her charming twist on the age-old ‘friends-with-benefits’ story.

Dating can be fun, but it can leave a nasty taste in your mouth. For Joss, ever since her longtime boyfriend cheated on her, she doesn’t want her last memory of a guy to be that jerk. Enter her college friend, Matt. They come up with a theory: after a bad break-up, a person needs to cleanse the palate with a little sorbet sex. Lovers for a night, but always back to being friends in the morning. The two can handle it because they have a contract: rules they wrote, rules they follow and rules they can sometimes bend. The arrangement works: everyone needs a little sorbet now and again … until it starts to be the only thing you want. And then Joss breaks the one rule they never wrote down: don’t fall in love.

Sounds good, right?

right

1. Where did the idea for When Joss Met Matt come from?

It was an idea that had an initial spark, but the final form is pretty far removed from that first glimmer. I was listening to the Killers’ song Mr. Brightside and the lyrics seemed to be about a man watching someone he loves go back to another man, and I thought “What if he did that over and over again?” and that led to the idea of having a designated rebound relationship, which over much brainstorming and early drafts, became the Sorbet Sex relationship you find in When Joss Met Matt.

2. Why do you love Joss and Matt and why should we root for them?

I love that neither of them are particularly remarkable. They are very normal people that you could easily know in real life. So many romances involve the girl who is stunningly beautiful but doesn’t know it, and the broodingly handsome stud muffin. Joss and Matt are ordinary people who have this special relationship. I like that they can have something weird, and different and still be real. And still have great sex.

3. Where there any weird google searches you did while writing?

I learned a lot about what it takes to become a veterinary technician! And I had to learn the technical names for a number of sexual fetishes. Very unsual stuff out there. But overall, this was not the kind of book research that lands you on a CIA watchlist.

4. Without spoilers, were there any scenes you had to cut that you wished could stay?

Not really! There were a few scenes in older drafts that didn’t make sense as I did re-writes, but I don’t miss any of them. They needed to go.

5. What makes a good villain?

I like a villain that isn’t over-the-top. I don’t necessarily want to know this is the bad guy right off the bat. Maybe a subtle clue here and there that tells you something isn’t quite right, but I like to be kept guessing. Like Hans in Frozen, he was so unexpectedly evil.

6. Describe When Joss Met Matt in 5 words.

Friends with benefits, version 2.0.

Speed [ish] round:

1. What is one question you wish someone would ask you and what is the answer?

Q: Would you like this bag of money, no strings attached?

A: Yes, yes I would.

2. You wake up and discover you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently? {Thanks to Bookish Broads for letting me use this question}

First, I tell Edward is it NOT COOL to watch me sleep. Then I get someone else to turn me into a vampire a lot sooner, because I’m at my most likable undead.

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

The Stand by Stephen King.

4. What is one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

When “they” say it can be slow, you cannot truly fathom how much patience you are actually going to need to survive the waiting periods.

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8e021855f483477661c2c6a6a276b452Liz Czukas is a freelance writer (on sometimes sad or boring topics), and also writes books for young adults (which are rarely sad and full of kissing).  Before that, she was a nurse and she still kind of misses starting IVs.

She lives outside Milwaukee, WI with her husband, son and the world’s loudest cat.  She types too loud (according to her husband), spends too much time on the Internet, and can’t get enough of disaster movies.

Liz is also the real person behind the New Adult novelist Ellie Cahill, who also writes books full of kissing (and more!).  Ellie has remarkably similar interests to Liz.

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Huge thanks to Ellie aka Liz for taking the time! Make sure you’re checking out her website, following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page and adding all of her books to your Goodreads TBR shelf.

Go here to check out the other stops on the blog tour for additional goodies.

And now the giveaway!

**Good Luck!!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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