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Find Out Which Character From Her Book Ashley Blake Would Bring to Life! // Interview with Author of Suffer Love, Ashley Herring Blake
5/12/2016
Thanks for having me, Kaitlin. I’m excited to be here!
2. What are some words you would use to describe the different emotions you go through in Suffer Love?
Excellent question! For me as the writer, there were a lot of feels and so I hope the same is true for the readers. I think Hadley and Sam’s story covers a lot of emotions. Loneliness and anger play a big role with both of my main characters as they are dealing with pretty heavy family issues. I also think nervousness and the excitement of first love are factors in their relationship, along with that relief of finally interacting with someone who understands what you’re dealing with. Betrayal is also a big word for this book, but in the end, I think that hope is one of my favorite words to describe what readers might feel while reading Suffer Love.
3. What are 3 books people might enjoy if they enjoy Suffer Love?
Oh, this question! I love it and fear it because it always feels like I’m comparing myself to these amazing books, which, you know, readers can only be the judge of that. :) Okay, so, it’s hard to pick actual titles, so I’m going to stick to authors. I think readers who enjoy books by Sarah Ockler, Kasie West, and Corey Ann Haydu might enjoy Suffer Love. While writing the book, I wanted that glorious blend of romance and familial issues and situations that many teens face or have faced in their past. Those are my favorite types of books to read, so that’s what I set out to write.
4. If you were to bring one character from your book into life, who would it be and why?
That’s a tough one. I do love Hadley and Sam, but if I were to bring one character to life from Suffer Love, it would be Livy, Sam’s little sister. I really fell in love with her while writing the book. She’s this beautiful blend of lonely and lonely, and fiery and strong. She really leaped off the page for me.
5. Who are some people who inspired your love for reading?
I always read as a kid, books by L.M. Montgomery and Ann M. Martin, Mary Dowling Hahn, and Judy Blume. I drifted away from fiction in my early twenties, but when I came back to it, I fell in love with kidlit because of three specific authors. Polly Horvath, who writes amazing and quirk middle grade fiction; Jandy Nelson, whose The Sky is Everywhere not only helped me grieve my own mother but also helped show me that contemporary YA was where I belonged, and Holly Black’s Curse Workers series, which really just got me to fall in love with story again.
6. If you were to find slips of paper on your front door, what would you want them to be about?
Oh wow, well, certainly not what they were about when Hadley found them! Hmm…I think I’d want them to simply be beautiful words. Before I wrote fiction, I wrote poetry—still do—and I find I can be inspired by the simplest sentiment if it’s said beautifully.
7. Thanks so much Ashley for being here today! My final question for you is what is one thing you are doing to celebrate the publication of Suffer Love?
Thanks for having me, Kaitlin, and for asking such lovely and fun questions! For Suffer Love’s publication, I’m going to take the day off from work, go ogle my book in bookstores with some friends, and celebrate with a lunch party at my favorite book store, Parnassus Books, in Nashville, TN!
Suffer Love
Author: Ashley Herring BlakePages: 352
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 3rd 2016
“Just let it go.” That’s what everyone keeps telling Hadley St. Clair after she learns that her father cheated on her mother. But Hadley doesn’t want to let it go. She wants to be angry and she wants everyone in her life—her dad most of all—to leave her alone. Sam Bennett and his family have had their share of drama too. Still reeling from a move to a new town and his parents’ recent divorce, Sam is hoping that he can coast through senior year and then move on to hassle-free, parent-free life in college. He isn’t looking for a relationship…that is, until he sees Hadley for the first time. Hadley and Sam’s connection is undeniable, but Sam has a secret that could ruin everything. Should he follow his heart or tell the truth?
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Ashley Herring Blake
Ashley Herring Blake is a poet, teacher, and YA novelist. Her debut novel, SUFFER LOVE, follows two teens as they attempt to wade through an intense relationship complicated by their parents' infidelities. Ashley lives in Nashville, TN.
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