Author Chat With Kasie West (Borrow My Heart), Plus Giveaway! ~ US Only!

Today we are very excited to share a special interview with author Kasie West (Borrow My Heart)!

Read on to learn more about her, her book, and a giveaway!

Meet the Author: Kasie West

Kasie West is the author of many YA novels, including Places We’ve Never Been, Sunkissed, The Fill-in Boyfriend, P.S. I Like You, Lucky in Love, and Listen to Your Heart. Her books have been named ALA-YALSA Quick Picks, JLG selections, and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. When she’s not writing, she’s binge-watching television, devouring books, or road-tripping to new places. Kasie lives in Fresno, California, with her family.

You can find her online at kasiewest.com.

Website * Instagram * Twitter

About the Book: Borrow My Heart

When a girl overhears a guy getting verbally destroyed by his friends for being catfished, she jumps in to save the day—and pretends to be his online crush. A young adult romance from the critically acclaimed author of Places We’ve Never Been.

Wren is used to being called a control freak. She doesn’t care; sticking to the list of rules she created for herself helps her navigate life. But when a cute guy named Asher walks through the door of her neighborhood coffee shop, the rulebook goes out the window.

Asher is cute, charming . . . and being catfished by his online crush. So Wren makes an uncharacteristically impulsive decision—she pretends to be the girl he’s waiting for to save him from embarrassment. Suddenly she’s fake-dating a boy she knows nothing about. And it’s . . . amazing.

It’s not long before Asher has her breaking even more of her own rules.  But will he forgive her when he finds out she’s not who she says she is? Wren’s not so sure. . . . After all, rules exist for a reason.

Purchase * Goodreads

~Author Chat~

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

We had a rescue dog for ten years and I knew I wanted to write a book where the main character worked in an animal shelter. I have so much respect and appreciation for those organizations. It’s like my love story to our baby. Little did I know that after completing this book we would lose him to cancer. It broke my heart, but I’m so happy for the joy he brought to our lives for ten years.

YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?

Bean….the dog. Lol No, but really, I love him.

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

Ha! I laugh because it is always the novel for me. Always. In fact, I’m notoriously bad at titles. I turn in my books and my agent says, No (in reference to the title) every time. And she’s not wrong.

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

I love the opening scene in this book where the closed off main character is faced with a decision that causes her to break some of the rules she’s established for herself. I love seeing an internal struggle that results immediately in a character growing opportunity. Even if they don’t realize it’s a growing opportunity at first.

YABC:  Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

That I can’t please everyone. I’m a people pleaser and so negative reviews in the beginning were really hard for me. I was like, I need to write the perfect book, the one everyone will like. I knew it was impossible and yet those thoughts would sneak in while I was writing. Learning to let that go was very freeing and helped my mental health a lot.

YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?

So much! Charly Clements, the artist, and Ray Shappell, the designer, did such an amazing job. I love the colors and Wren’s hair. And I love Asher’s glasses. And the animals! I love all of it.

YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2023?

You know who’s coming out with a new YA book, years after her last one was released? Robin Constantine. It’s called Someone You Loved. It comes out in June and I’m super excited. I love her books. We started publishing about the same time so I’m happy that she is writing and bringing us more stories.

YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?

Give Me a Sign by Ana Sortino was super cute. I read it to possibly blurb and I loved it. It comes out July 11^th. Add it to your lists, you won’t regret it.

YABC:   What’s up next for you?

More contemporary YA for me! I have another book coming out early 2025 (I know, that sounds like forever away!) I’ll share more details about that one in the next six months on my Instagram account.

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

Without giving away too much, I’ll say the scenes with her mom.

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

Sometimes I have a book where a character is a pain and hard to get a handle on. But in this book, I did not have that problem. The chemistry between the characters and their personalities was very real to me this go around and though I wouldn’t say this book was easy to write, it was one that didn’t give me as much trouble.

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

To open your heart even if it has been broken before. Protecting our hearts might keep us safe, but it also can keep us from wonderful friendships and relationships.

YABC:      What would you say is your superpower?

In writing? Or in life? In writing, I think my superpower is dialogue. It comes easy to me and if I could write a whole book of just dialogue, I would. Lol In life…that’s harder. Hmmm. Binge watching television? Is that a super power? I can knock out a good series in a weekend. I impress even myself. 😉

YABC:     Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?

For this book, I want to give a shout out to local animal shelters. Support them when and how you can. If you can’t adopt, go walk dogs or pet kittens or post about their animals. They would love that!

YABC:   What advice do you have for new writers? 

Write what you love and don’t compare yourself to others. It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking we’re not good enough. Try to find joy in the process and not worry so much about the outcome while writing. Also, take what advice works for you and don’t listen to the advice that doesn’t. No way of writing is the right way. The right way is what works. Do that.

YABC:   Is there anything that you would like to add?

I just want to thank readers for their support over the years and for the encouragement they give me. I get so many heartwarming and lovely messages and I am so grateful to know my books have been influential for people in many different ways. It means the world to me.

Title: Borrow My Heart

Author: Kasie West

Release Date: June 13^th

Publisher: Delacorte Press

ISBN-13: 9780593643259

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Age Range: 12 and up

~ Giveaway Details ~

Five (5) winners will receive a copy of Borrow My Heart (Kasie West) ~US Only!

*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*

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