Promo Tour + Giveaway! This Much is True by Katherine Owen

This Much is True (Truth in Lies #1) by Katherine Owen 

Publication date: August 11th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Both on the verge of fame. A ballerina who lies. A baseball player who believes her. Well, the truth changes everything. 
Tally Landon is just trying to survive the death of her twin sister, graduate from high school, and escape her tragic story by pursuing her ballet career in New York. She doesn’t count on Lincoln Presley, Stanford’s baseball wonder, to affect her at all. Adding him to a long list of one-night stands is the plan. Lying to him about her age and name is her standard method of operandi. She doesn’t count on being found out, on seeing him again, or falling in love.

Lincoln Presley’s life is all mapped out for him. There is only baseball. With Major League Baseball circling their favorite prospect with a lucrative offer, he cannot afford to mess up. And, he doesn’t; until he meets up with the girl he saved in that burning wreckage on the 101 on Valentine’s Day months before. By the time he learns her real name and of all the lies she’s told, he’s in far too deep to ever really let her go.

Fate has a different set of plans, but when fame and lies tear them apart, one truth remains.

Amazon // B&N // Book Depository

Purchase Book 2:

Amazon

B&N

Kobo

Apple

1.       Where did you get your inspiration for This Much is True?

The idea of Tally came to me about three and a half years ago during a writing assignment for one of The Writers Studio classes, I was taking at the time. In that assignment, the main character (Tally) was an artist.  At first, she was naive, and the hero was the bad boy. I decided to change that up. Tally evolved as the promiscuous one who was bent on self-destruction in so many ways who then meets Lincoln Presley, Major League Baseball’s next star. The characterization of Linc as the good guy didn’t change too much from the initial beginnings, but obviously Tally did. She remained promiscuous and bent on self-destruction but instead of an artist made her a ballerina. I thought it would be interesting to see two athletes on different ends of the spectrum. I wanted the conflict to be more than just an emotional one between these two. I wanted their promising careers to influence their decisions and show how achieving fame can come at a hefty price.

I also wanted to write about two characters that had been dealt their fair share of tragedy and show how it shaped their psyches and influenced what they did and did not do and influenced what they ultimately wanted out of life. I don’t think of these two as being co-dependent. I see them more as being whole and complete with the other. Enhanced. In reality, these two would be perfectly fine conducting entirely separate lives on their own—away from each other—because they put their all into their chosen careers of perfection. Tally with ballet. Linc with baseball. However, I hope what readers come away with—in reading This Much Is True—is that ballet and baseball are just a means to an end for both, but the true dream they long for is being loved for just themselves.

2.       Who was your favorite character to write about?

To date, Tally Landon has been the most complex character I have ever written. She’s my favorite because she challenges me as a writer. I spend a great deal of my time ensuring the plot twists and turns are believable in relation to her character. What would Tally do? How does Tally feel? These guide me in writing her story. Tally Landon has to be the most complex character I’ve written. After two books with her, I’m not sure that me as the writer or readers completely get where she is coming from and why she is the way she is. It’s not just Holly’s death that affected her; there is more back history that probably needs to be explored. So, yes, Tally is the most complex.

Runner-up would have to be Jordan Holloway from When I See You. In some ways, Jordan’s just a more mature version of Tally Landon. Huh. Interesting.

3.       What is your current favorite book/the book you always recommend to people?

My current writerly crush is Gillian Flynn because of Gone Girl fame. (Would you call this a love story? Yes, pretty much the worst kind, due to hyper reality. And, if you’ve read This Much Is True, you know why this appeals to me and also inspired me.

My lifetime writerly crush is Audrey Niffenegger with The Time Traveler’s Wife. She broke all the rules in writing this love story. She’s an inspiration to me as a writer for technique and also in owning the story however it needs to be told.

My forever writerly crush is Tess Callahan, who wrote April & Oliver because I’ve read that book again and again for the past several years. This book was an early inspiration for me as a writer. This story stays with me. Whenever I feel I’m writing too much angst, I remember the story of April & Oliver. I loved it!

My top angsty love stories, besides mine…which I define as: angsty love stories, as in, filled with angst, not whining…

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

April & Oliver by Tess Callahan

Falling Under by Danielle Younge-Ullman (This inspired me to try my hand at a broken character. Loved this story. Loved it!)

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson (The sole guy on the list. This story still haunts me. Loved it!)

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay (Memorable writing. Some of the best lines I have ever read in my life are in this book.)

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons (Whenever I think I write long, I think of The Bronze Horseman and Simons’ follow-up books in this series. What an incredible journey for Alexander and Tatiana. I loved it!)

Reason To Breathe by Rebecca (Angsty, yet believable storyline and a sympathetic heroine.)

I have an all-time favorite list of books and those writers who inspire me on Goodreads because all these writers write complex characters and that is what I strive to do as well.

4.       Are any of the characters inspired by real people?

No. I write fiction. However, I will say I am a great observer of life and that helps me come up with realistic storylines.

5.       Do you usually have to do a lot of research in preparation for writing your books or do you just see where the story goes?

I do research as I go along and it all depends upon where the story takes me. In the case of writing This Much Is True, I did a lot of research. So, now, I know a lot about baseball and ballet because I did a ton of research for this novel about those very things.

6.       Who designed the cover? It’s gorgeous!

Thank you! I design all of my book covers for both e-book versions as well as print (trade paperback). It’s probably part of my need for control of the creative process in all aspects. I spend a lot of time searching for the right photographs for all of my book covers, but I think it’s important to find the look that conveys the story and compels readers to want to read it.

7.       What inspired you to start a career in writing?

I had a successful sales and public relations career for a long time because the draw of stock options and spending money like Evian water and working with high-tech clients appealed to my Type A personality. However, writing for a living has always been a part of my plan, and almost six years ago, that became a reality for me. I feel lucky and challenged to be a full-time writer pretty much every day.

8.       What was the first book you fell in love with?

In my teens, that would have to be To Kill A Mockingbird. In college, I fell in love with everything William Shakespeare wrote after taking a class focused upon his writing. In my adult years? It would have to be The Time Traveler’s Wife and then, please reference the Goodreads list so I don’t leave any books out.

9.      Are you working on anything new that your fans can look forward to?

I released the second book in the Truth In Lies series, The Truth About Air & Water, in late August 2014. The enthusiasm for more of Linc and Tally has me writing a third book about these two called Tell Me Something True. It should be out prior to Summer 2015. I’m also working on another novel, Saving Valentines with a planned release for the fall of 2015. Writing. I am always writing or preoccupied with building the next story to see where it takes me.

Katherine Owen writes contemporary edgy fiction, which translates to: she writes love stories that are contemporary in setting and both edgy and dark. Some readers term her books emotional roller coasters. With her writing, Owen admits she has a fondness for angst, likes to play with a little drama, and essentially toys around with the unintentional complications of love. She contends this began early on when she won a poetry contest at the age of fourteen and appears to be without end. Owen has an avid love of coffee, books, and writing, but not necessarily in that order. She writes both Contemporary Romance and New Adult fiction which includes her bestselling TRUTH IN LIES Series (a series despite despising 'series') beginning with This Much Is True and her latest release, The Truth About Air & Water. The TRUTH IN LIES series is fan-driven. So. There will be a third book about Linc and Tally released in 2015 titled Tell Me Something True.

About Owen's fiction...This is NOT the light trope stuff. She travels a unique, writerly path and enjoys writing dark and angsty (a "non-word" she is fond of) emotional love stories. She often warns readers to be prepared with: time, tissues, wine, Advil or your drug of choice. And, as her most favored character, Lincoln Presley, would say, "do what you must, Princess."
Goodreads // Twitter // Facebook // Website

a Rafflecopter giveaway