Noelle August

This is the third and FINAL novel in the Boomerang series! Any insight you can provide our aspiring writers on how to approach a final novel in a trilogy?

Lorin: I think Veronica’s the perfect person to comment on this because she’s worked on both a trilogy with a complete arc spread over three novels AND a series with three companion novels.

From my perspective, though, I wanted to make sure readers had some sense of where the protagonists from the other stories (Mia, Ethan, Alison, and Adam) ended up, as well as to show some progression in the world of Boomerang, which focused first on the website and eventually on the expansion into movies.

Veronica: Approach the final novel in a trilogy with plenty of wine and a good sense of humor! Kidding aside, it’s been the most enjoyable book for me to write, twice now. Middle books, however…Not fun.

How does Skyler and Grey’s relationship differ from any of those we have seen in the series thus far?

Lorin: For me, one of the ways their relationship differs is that they’re both a bit more raw, a bit less self-assured than Mia, Ethan, Adam, and Alison (though of course, those characters have their vulnerabilities, as well).

Beyond that, they’re also separated more for psychological/emotional reasons than for logistical reasons (e.g., Ethan and Mia were forbidden to date due to company policy). They’re both passionate about the same thing—music—and both figuring out how to juggle life and love and family commitments. I feel like they’re both rougher in some ways than our other characters and also more tender, which makes putting them together really exciting!

Veronica: As the youngest hero we’ve had in the books, Grey brings a visceral quality. It’s just part of his nature. He’s unstudied. Rough, as Lorin says. He says what’s on his mind and feels what he feels, and everybody just needs to deal with it. I loved seeing how that worked with Skyler, who’s this dynamic, sweet, wise girl. I won’t say much more about how they interact, so as to not spoil the fun, but they had mad chemistry. So great together.

What does the New Adult genre mean to you? Any favorite authors/books that you’ve been reading?

Lorin: For me, it’s about capturing that really exciting, tumultuous, fraught, complex time when people are making their first real steps into adulthood, into the world of meaningful work, meaningful love and/or sex, adult dynamics with family, etc.

Favorite authors in NA: Too many! Sophie Jordan, Megan Erickson, Colleen Hoover, Abbi Glines. I don’t know if she’s really characterized this way, but I’m going to add Rainbow Rowell to the NA pantheon as well. Always great.

Veronica: All of the above for me, too. And Jennifer Armentrout (J. Lynn) is a favorite, Cora Carmack…the list really does go on. I’m also a huge fan of Sarah Maas, and I think you can make an argument that A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES is NA paranormal fantasy. Also fabulous.

Music and film play a big part in this one. What are some of your favorite artists and movies you’d love to share?

Lorin: Music: Right now, I’m listening to X Ambassadors, Jamie XX, Arcade Fire, Grouplove, Blur, Ed Sheeran, Elle King… I’ll stop myself here!

Movies: Oh, the agony of picking! Shawshank Redemption; Defending Your Life; Broadcast News; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; and, like Beth and Titus in the book, pretty much anything by Richard Linklater or Wes Anderson. Plus Pixar. Inside Out made me cry approximately 2,153 times.

Veronica: I struggle with this question too, because so many of my favorites are going to sound outdated, BUT: Gladiator, The Bourne Identity trilogy, Shine, The Princess Bride. See? Not a lot of recent films here. I’m more a fan of television series these days. Can’t get enough of Outlander or Vikings. I also just binge-watched Parks and Recreation this month. Love that series. And I live with three males so if the television is on, it’s usually on a baseball or football game, which is great with me. Confession: I love sports. And I love books. Gasp! Shocking, right?

Choosing between personal career success and love is a major challenge people struggle with every day, millennials especially because of the pressure of success these days. What are some of the issues Skyler and Grey (and even some of the other Boomerang characters!) go through that can help some of the readers realize what’s truly important?

Lorin: What stands out for me is that all the characters are working out how to balance their careers with not only their romantic lives but where they fit into their families, how their families add to, or detract from, their professional and creative desires, and what it means for them to go their own ways, in work and in love. There’s a point in which almost all of them have to get clear of family expectations or legacies and decide who they are and what they love, independent of all that.

Veronica: I think the answer is right there in your question. Each of our characters are trying to figure out what’s important. They’re asking themselves: What matters to me most? How do I want to spend my time? How do I want to start—and shape—my life?

In my opinion, BOUNCE reads more of a standalone than the first two in the series! Any intention, or was that the way the book flowed?

Lorin: Just the way the book flowed, though I think we hope they all stand alone pretty well!

Veronica: Perhaps this one feels more standalone because the setting moved away from the BOOMERANG offices a bit more than in the last two novels. We’re mostly on a movie set in this one. And, yeah. It wasn’t planned; it just happened!

Did the long distance writing get any easier as each book went on? The writing is so seamless, it boggles my mind there were two brains at the helm of the manuscript!

Lorin: Aw, thanks! And yes, book three was a really fun and seamless experience. As seems to always be the case, book two is always the bear, and I think we’d both say that was the case. But I feel lucky to work with someone as dedicated and brilliant as Veronica. DEFINITELY makes it easy AND inspiring!

Veronica: Thanks, Lorin! And likewise! I felt like we found our groove early with this one. It was a blast to write. And, yes. All Book Twos involve some agony. It’s one of Nature’s Laws.

We are tearfully saying goodbye to the Boomerang clan. What will you miss most about these characters, and series?

Lorin: Honestly, I think I’m in denial about this actually BEING the last book. Veronica and I have talked about other characters’ stories, so they’re living on in our imaginations and, who knows, may end up with works of their own someday! I would LOVE to know what kind of dude could make an honest woman of Cookie! ;-)

Veronica: Ha-ha. Cookie does deserve her own book, doesn’t she? I know I’ll miss all the main characters, and so many of the secondary characters, too. I love that we write about genuinely good people—who make mistakes, sure—but who are generally trying to do the right thing. No knock against the darker heroes and heroines out there, of course, but these stories have been a welcome source of cheer for me. I believe this world can always use more laughter, heart, and positivity.

Dare we ask – any favorites?

Lorin: Cookie! She just cracks me up, and she’s so loyal to Adam. Also love Paolo and the gang from the Boomerang offices, plus Grey, Grey, Grey. Sigh…

Veronica: Grey. Mia. Cookie. Rhett… Geez. Is it fair to say I think I love them all?

Thank you! Don't miss the first two in the series! BOOMERANG and REBOUND

About Noelle August

Question: What do you get when friends pen a story with heart, plenty of laughs, and toe-curling kissing scenes? Answer: Noelle August, the pseudonym for renowned editor and award-winning writer Lorin Oberweger and New York Times bestselling YA author Veronica Rossi, the masterminds behind the Boomerang series.

Don't miss the first two in the series! BOOMERANG and REBOUND

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About BOUNCE

This final chapter in the fun and steamy New Adult trilogy by Noelle August (authors Veronica Rossi and Lorin Oberweger) features two aspiring musicians who must choose between their careers…and their sizzling attraction for each other.

Playing the occasional club gig just isn’t cutting it for twenty-two-year-old cellist Skyler Canby, who’s trying to support herself and her mother back home in Kentucky. Persuaded by her best friend Beth to accompany her on an audition for the first feature film launched by Blackwood Entertainment, she figures why not? Beth’s a shoe-in for the lead, but maybe Skyler’s newly dyed pink hair will help her stand out enough to score a small speaking part.

Never in her wildest dreams does Skyler imagine she’ll land the lead role or that she’ll have her shoes knocked off her feet by the kiss her audition partner, Grey Blackwood, plants on her—a kiss that feels very real and not at all “acted. ”

After throwing a party that causes thousands of dollars of damage to his older brother’s home, reckless musician Grey Blackwood gets roped into working off his debt on the set of his CEO brother’s newest project. Grey spends his days fetching coffee and doing odd jobs around the studio, but he lives for nights when he performs with his band. He knows if he can stay focused, success as a singer is just around the corner. But that’s tough with a distracting pink-haired girl occupying his every waking thought.

Skyler and Grey have every reason to resist each other. But, like a song neither of them can get out of their minds, they have no choice but to go where the music takes them.

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