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Somethin’ Kinda Wonderful by Ava West ~ Genre: Contemporary Romance
A single event can change the course of someone’s entire life. In the blink of an eye, everything is altered and nothing remains the same.
Jaxon Ward had places he was going until disaster struck and the pain was crippling. Nothing helped until he ran into Nikki Bedford. His sister’s best friend and the girl he had once terrorized becomes his only salvation.
Nikki is cursed by her tragically long list of failed relationships and fears the same will become of her romance with Jaxon. Can they persevere or will he be another regret of hers?
Writing has never been optional for Ava West. Like eating and breathing, it’s something integral to her existence. Everyday she is thankful to be able to make a career from something that brings her so much pleasure.
Ava has published her first novel, Somethin’ Kinda Wonderful, in 2021 and hopes to continuously put out work that touches her readers in the same way writing touches her.
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AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR!
Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
From a young age, I was told I had the potential for being an incredible author but had no interest in writing professionally until I fell in love with books. I fell in love with romances like Carly Philips novels and mysteries from Mary Higgins Clark. From there, I started forming my own ideas and sharing them with my friends. It wasn’t quite fully formed ideas but the people I shared my ideas with demanded more so I started writing which slowly developed over ten years until I had the confidence to start publishing my work.
What is something unique/quirky about you?
When I was a preteen, before I got into writing, I was a figure skater and participated in a sychronized ice skating team that took first place in Nationals in 2003.
What are some of your pet peeves?
My number one pet peeve is when anyone is interrupted in the middle of talking. It had always gotten to me.
Where were you born/grew up at?
I was born in Tomball, Texas but grew up in Houston. Through my life, I have lived in Edmond, Oklahoma and Norton, Massachusetts.
What are you passionate about these days?
I am passionate about my writing, soending time with my family, and binge watching Vampire Diaries on Netflix.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
Witty, caring, goofy, and friendly.
What inspired you to write this book?
The main characters, Nikki and Jaxon, both suffer from anxiety and PTSD. These are things that my family and I battle with every day. I feel like it needed a light shined on it. I use my writing to force people to take a look at things no one wants to openly talk about.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I have a mass of books in the works. If you can think of a trope, I have a manuscript that deals with it! My next release will be a dark, BDSM, Age-Gap romance called His To Claim.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Somethin’ Kinda Wonderful?
Nikki is a college student, working in the Blood Moon Cafe. She is still dealing with the grief over her mother’s vicious rape and murder that Nikki witnessed over ten years before. She has her dad, Clark, and her best friend, Jessica, that she leans on for support until she runs into Jaxon in her cafe.
Jaxon has been struggling to cope with being soul-survivor of a bank robbery gone wrong. He’s isolated himself off from the world. He has his friends that care about him and his family but no one quite understands what he’s going through. No one does until he runs into Nikki.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I enjoyed writing all of the banter. It was so great. I was laughing so hard writing it. I also loved the drama and spreading out the clues to the mystery of Nikki’s mom’s murder. Writing Jaxon develop as a character was truly heartwarming.
Who designed your book covers?
My cover was designed by Eleanor Lloyd-Johns with Show of Schmidt Designs. She is incredible! She does all of my covers, teasers, and branding graphics.
If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Oh, I love this question. Jaxon would be played by Kit Harrington. I love him in Game of Thrones and he has a real Jaxon vibe to him. I wouldn’t settle for anyone else!
I would have Nikki be played be Kerri Medders. She is just so perfect!
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
My favorite part would have to be when Nikki and Jaxon have a completely honest discussion about their feelings. It comes immediately after a highly traumatic event for both characters and it makes them more honest and more responsive in Nikki’s case. She struggles with admitting her feelings because of past heartbreaks and she’s able to push past her fear to be honest with Jaxon. It’s a really beautiful scene.
If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?
I would absolutely chill with Destiny. She is one of Nikki’s coworkers. She’s open and honest. I could totally see us getting a drink together. Girls night with my fictional character, absolutely!
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
My favorite is contemporary romance. I love work from Ivy Smoak and Jaine Diamond
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
It depends on the book. If there is some drama going on, I need silence or my anxiety gets amped up so I can’t write and have to take a break. If things are calm, I prefer loud rock music and sometimes dance music.
Pen or type writer or computer?
It might make me strange but I perfer writing from my computer. I used to be a computer type of a writer but I went without a computer for so long that I learned to write on my phone. Now, it’s my comfort zone.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
I’m halfway between a plotter and a pantser. I have an idea of the main events, more in detail if its part of a series that happens in the same time frame. I will spend a day or two daydreaming–I mean brainstorming! Once I’ve got all the main plot points and the characters personalities down, I start writing or jot down my ideas in a document to go back to when I’m ready to start writing.
Nina Soden 