1Rad-Reader Reviews: LET'S WELCOME STINA LINDENBLATT AUTHOR OF: THIS ONE MOMENT

Welcome

Stina

Lindenblatt

Author of:

Fame, fortune, and stadiums full of screaming fans are right around the corner for the rock band at the heart of Stina Lindenblatt’s steamy, intense Pushing Limits series. But it’s an epic love affair that steals the show in this opening act.

When Nolan Kincaid skipped town to chase the music career of his dreams, he knew he wouldn’t miss the reminders of his broken family—he wasn’t so sure he could forget the girl he left behind. Now his band is touring nonstop, the recording sessions go all night, and the groupies are crazed. But when he hears that Hailey Wilkins is in trouble, he drops everything.

Hailey thought she’d missed her chance with Nolan. Five years ago, the moment she realized she loved him was the moment he decided to leave. Now, when a brutal assault lands her in the ICU, Nolan flies straight to her bedside, acting like nothing’s changed. What’s a rock star like him doing, canceling shows and risking his record deal, just to nurse an old friend back to health? And why should Hailey believe he’ll stay this time?

With her attacker still at large, Nolan’s ready to rise to the occasion. He knows he let Hailey down once before, but he’s ready to give her everything, heart and soul—and he’ll fight for the chance to prove it.

Thanks for having me Rad-Reader! You aren’t the only one who has wondered about some of these questions. :)

Rad-Reader: This was an active storyline. How did it come about?

Stina: I was skimming the local city newspaper one day, looking for an idea for my next project, when I found a story that left me shocked. It was about a court case involving a man who had axed his wife to death. That became the inspiration behind the story (just no axes was involved in the writing of the book). I still shudder at the thought of that news story. I mean, seriously, who does that???

Rad-Reader: Why did Nolan leave and dump Hailey like he did?

Stina: This is a question a lot of people have wondered. I’m going to discuss in a later question about the brain’s development at that age, which explains why teens and individuals in their early twenties do things we wouldn’t consider doing at an older age. Also, remember we are dealing with someone who went through a horrifying tragedy, parts of which he witnessed, but because of how his brain responded, he did things that someone who hasn’t experienced the same ordeal could never truly understand.

Now back to the situation in This One Moment. Nolan and Hailey weren’t dating at the time when Nolan left for L.A. His family was dead and this messed him up. He couldn’t remember what happened that night and he didn’t want to remember. He knew if he stayed in Northbridge, he would ultimately remember everything. Plus he was nineteen years old and had dreamed of being a musician. He couldn’t do that before because he was afraid to leave his sister alone with their father. He stayed home to protect her…which he didn’t do in the end (in his mind). That’s another reason why he left to go L.A. The guilt was too much for him. He needed a new start.

Also, as mentioned in the book, twenty-five percent of kids from abusive families go on to become abusers and bullies themselves. Deep down Nolan feared that he could end up like his father. He didn’t want to risk that, especially not with Hailey.

Rad-Reader: Nolan talked to Brandon and had Brandon do favors for him regarding Hailey to keep up with her life. Why not just be a part of her life?

Stina: Because he didn’t think he deserved her. Not after the way he left. Not after he felt guilty for being with her that night and not being at home to protect his family.

Rad-Reader: Okay, I could understand needing room for maybe 2-3 months to get his head on straight after all that happened to him. But 5 years come on now. Why did he keep in contact with her parents about the house apparently since that is why Hailey went there to get paperwork?

Stina: He hadn’t been in contact with her parents all that time. It was only when he finally needed the paperwork that he contacted them. At that point he was busy with his career and knew Hailey was at college back home, working toward her future as a physical therapist (which requires an undergrad degree before you can get into the masters of physical therapy program). He hadn’t seen himself as part of her life, not like he would like to have been. He was a musician in the L.A. music scene, making barely enough to support himself. It wasn’t the life for Hailey that he felt she deserved. And then when his music career did start to take off, it had been a long time since he had spoken to her, he couldn’t just call her and see how she was doing. There was never a good time for that anyway, especially when he was touring with the band. Remember, he didn’t want anyone to know about the life he had left behind, and that included his band mates.

Rad-Reader: During the time when he came back it seemed like it was more about him than her. It was about his emotions and how he was feeling. Not taking into consideration how she was feeling just assuming that she was waiting there all that time for his return. Am I wrong?

Stina: When Nolan returned, it wasn’t to start anything with Hailey. It was because he was worried about her. The girl he still loved was in a coma. If she had been married with kids, he would have still come back. If she had just broken her leg, he would have stayed away, afraid to risk the locked away memories from returning.

Rad-Reader: Why didn’t Hailey ever really speak up and give her side of what she was feeling to him? It was like she thought it but never voiced it. Why?

Stina: Because she knew Nolan’s life was in L.A. and not in Northbridge. She is more like me in that way. I would never tell a guy that I love him just because I hope he feels the same way about me and will give up his dreams just to be with me. She knew that he had worked hard to be where he was. And what if he hadn’t felt the same way? Well, rejection sucks!

I had friends in university who were in the same situation. They were in love with their best friend and were too afraid to admit it, or were too afraid of going there and wrecking their friendship. I was in the same situation, only in reverse. One of my best friends was in love with me and I was completely oblivious. I really liked him, but I was afraid of destroying our friendship. It wasn’t until a few years later, when we weren’t living in the same city anymore, that I bumped into him and he confessed his old feelings for me. I will say one thing, he was one hell of an amazing kisser. ;) And in case you are wondering, that was the inspiration behind the friends-to-lover storyline.

Rad-Reader: Nolan came back and picked up like he never left. How did he figure in any way that would be okay? Was it ego, blind love, or worry?

Stina: Remember, they were only friends when he left home. Neither knew that they both loved each other as more than just friends. So, he was hoping they could be friends again, maybe not best friends like before, but definitely friends. That was why he teased her like he used to. For Nolan, that was who he was around her. A large part of it also had to do with him being worried about Hailey. She had been attacked, left in a coma, and no one knew why and if the person would try to hurt her again. He couldn’t turn his back on her when she was in that situation. That was the type of person he was. Yes, I know, it’s ironic since he hadn’t let Hailey be there for him when he was struggling with his sister’s and mother’s deaths. Call it male ego…and call it the result of the five years that had past, in which time his brain had fully developed into an adult brain.

Rad-Reader: Why did Nolan have Brandon be a creeper but not just call her? It wasn’t like he had to commit to be in her life it was a phone call.

Stina: Because he knew Hailey. He knew she wouldn’t just let him go so easily given what he had gone through. Plus he was afraid that by contacting Hailey he would inadvertently remember events of the night he was trying to forget, given that they had been together for part of it.

Rad-Reader: It was interesting when he left to go record and she wouldn’t return his call and the shoe was on the other foot how he didn’t like the feeling of not being connected to her. How did he think it made Hailey feel when he did it to her?

Stina: LOL He’s a guy, a guy who was now five years older (and five years wiser). The brain of a nineteen year old is still developing. It’s not fully developed into an adult brain until around twenty-three years old. Until then, the emotional side of his brain would have been more involved when it came to his thought processes. Once your brain hits full maturity, the logical side rules the thought processes. Although for some of us, we’re still ruled more by emotion than logic even at an older age. The same holds true for a lot of the questions here that pertain to when Nolan was nineteen years old. If the sequence of events happened now, his reaction to the murders would be very different.

Rad-Reader: Loved how this turned from love story, to who done it, to mystery. Did you have it laid out that way from the beginning on a storyboard or did it just evolve?

Stina: No, it had always been my intention from the very beginning to turn it into a mystery. But it wasn’t until near the end of the first draft that I figured out who did it.

Rad-Reader: If your book was made into a movie who would you like to play…

Hailey: Nina Dobrev

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNTUwNjUwMTk1M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDkyNDM2NDE@._V1_UY1200_CR85,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg

Nolan: Alex Pettyfer

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/sites/womenshealthmag.com/files/images/1401-alex-pettyfer-art.jpg

Stina:

Hailey: Ironically, when I sent in the celebrity name to my publisher (which they asked for to make it easier for the cover designer to visualize the characters), I picked Nina Dobrev.

Nolan: Wow, I haven’t seen this picture of Alex before. And yes, that could totally be Nolan!

Rad-Reader: What song out right now best tells you books story?

"Let Her Go" - Passenger

Stina: Actually, I have no idea. I listen popular music (I have two teens and one almost teen), but I can’t say that any I’ve heard fit my book. And if one does, I haven’t clued into it yet. lol

Rad-Reader: Where can our readers find your books?

Stina: This One Moment

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Nm6a7p

NOOK: http://bit.ly/1XK6dx3

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1OjcqOU

iBooks: http://apple.co/1Hn649d

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1OjcCO1

(More links on my website: http://wp.me/P3RjVE-1nB)

My Song For You

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1X5COMv

NOOK: http://bit.ly/1Udg0gc

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1W1N48m

iBooks: http://apple.co/1tCmHOe

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1ULBBeA

Rad-Reader: What is your next project? When is it coming out?

Stina: My Song For You : Due out <Sept. 16.>

At twenty-one, Jared Leigh had been prepared to give up the life of a touring musician to be a father after getting his girlfriend pregnant. When she told him that she’d gotten an abortion, Jared was devastated. Now at least he has the groupies to keep him company—until a blast from the past rocks his world.

Callie Talbert hasn’t seen her sister’s ex since high school. But after Callie bumps into Jared while she’s grocery shopping with four-year-old Logan, there’s a spark that wasn’t there before. Jared quickly realizes that her deaf “son” is the same age his own child would have been. When Jared demands to know more about Logan, Callie panics. There are things she just can’t tell him. Besides, Jared’s a bad-boy rocker, not a dependable father figure. He’ll move on to his next gig soon enough . . . right?

Trouble is, Jared refuses to be pushed away, and the more quality time he spends with Logan, the more he’s captivated by the woman Callie has become. When the truth is revealed, Jared only hopes that the three of them have what it takes to become a real family.