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Amy Matayo | Let's Get Real
For the past seven years, Iβve written books. Young Adult books. Contemporary Romance books.
Humorous
books. All kinds of books. Five out of eight of these books have been published so far (because,
if
Iβm being honest here, three arenβt worth publishing without a complete overhaul of both content
and
style). But SWAY is my
first
foray into New Adult territory.
SWAY released last year,
but
to this day it is still my favorite. Unlike THE WEDDING GAME and LOVE GONE WILD before it, this book is classified as New Adult. What is New
Adult, you ask? Well I googled it, and this is what I found:
New Adult fiction encompasses the 18-25 age group, meaning the male/female protagonists fall
in
that age range. On top of that, New Adult fiction tends to focus on the characters leaving home,
exploring sexuality, and navigating through higher education and career choices. Which,
coincidentally, is what my characters in this novel are going through.
Now, just to be clear, SWAY
is a fairly clean readβthough there might be a few references to things and situations one might
not
normally find in an inspirational book. But going into it, that was my plan.
My biggest desire in life is to be real with peopleβat home, at the grocery store, at my kidβs
school, at ballgames. Case in point: my Facebook and Twitter posts normally feature my latest
mess-
ups. Like the time I let my daughter give me a make-over and then drove to the grocery store for
a
gallon of milk shortly after. I was out of the car and walking inside when I got a glimpse of
myself
in one of those claw-game mirrors. My eyes were blue from eyelash to eyebrow and beyond. My
cheeks
were a weird shade of red and brown because I think my daughter mixed a little eyeliner in with
the
blush to make things interesting. Interesting. Thatβs a word for it.
Mortified, I turned on my heel and practically ran back to my car. Thank God it was dark outside.
Then there was the time I made homemade salsa and then promptly broke half the jars because I
forgot
about the concept of not putting hot jars into cold water. Or the time I climbed on a treadmill
at
Sears only to hear my sister say, βYou have toilet paper hanging out of your pants.β And thatβs
when
I realized the workers whoβd been laughing hysterically behind me for a couple of minutes were
actually laughing at me.
This sort of thing happens often. I could go on and on with stories, but Iβm pretty sure I would
bore
you to death. Or maybe I wouldnβt. Whichever, thereβs only so much humiliation I can take.
Anyway, my goal in life is to be real. To be honest. Because we all do things we shouldnβt do, we
all
have thoughts we shouldnβt have, we all say things we shouldnβt say, we all feel things we
shouldnβt
feel. And my hope is that my characters reflect that. And really, when it comes down to it, Godβs
grace is in the middle of all our screw-ups. And mine are frequent. And my charactersβ are
frequent.
And if youβre like me or them, yours are frequent too.
Bottom line: in SWAY, my
characters mess up. They mess up so much that some situations they find themselves in might seem
insurmountable. I hope youβll read it anyway. I hope youβll like it anyway. I hope youβll
identify
with them anyway. Because messing up is just a part of life. They do it...and I do it...extremely
well.
Happy reading!
Amy Matayo
GIVEAWAY
Do you read New Adult? What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below and be entered for a
chance to
win a copy of SWAY.
Author Amy Matayo is an excellent speaker, mathematician, seamstress, chef...and liar.
She's
decent at writing books but not much else. Then again, the book thing makes her marginally cool
and a
whole lot intimidating.
Not really. Not even her kids are afraid of her.
She graduated with barely passing grades from John Brown University with a degree in Journalism.
But
she's proud of that degree and all the ways she hasn't put it to good use.
She laughs often, cries easily, feels deeply, and loves hard. She lives in Arkansas with her
husband
and four kids and is working on her next novel.
Website | Facebook
| Twitter | Blog
Falling in love is a beautiful thing. Unless you fall for the wrong person.
Finally settled after a tragedy-laden life, 24-year-old Caleb has found security in his faith,
his
friends, and his career. It's the life he's always wanted-simple, predictable, and safe. Enter
Kate
Hawkins, the attractive 21-year-old stranger he rescues from a bar fight who has an odd affinity
for
the color pink and a unique sense of humor.
It doesn't take long to realize their connection is intense, but after only a handful of dates, a
shocking revelation surfaces. Lines are drawn, sides are taken, and loyalties are decided as
their
newfound relationship is brought to a sudden halt.
But unlike most couples who split, avoiding each other is impossible. As daily interactions
become
unbearable, one realization becomes clear: they've both fallen hard for the absolute wrong
person,
which leaves both scrambling for a way to make it right.
Comments
23 comments posted.
Re: Amy Matayo | Let's Get Real
Sure I read almost anything.
(Marissa Yip-Young 1:46pm September 25, 2015)
Yes I read it, enjoy reading the books.
(Jean Patton 1:58pm September 25, 2015)
Yes, I read a varied and diverse choice.
(Sharon Berger 3:29pm September 25, 2015)
Yes, but it is my least perfered type. I do enjoy a variety, more
on the clean side.
(Nancy Luebke 6:31pm September 25, 2015)
Lately, I've been reading anything and everything!
(Sheryl Pike 10:39pm September 25, 2015)
Yes, I read New Adult and Yes I would love to read your book. By the way, thank you for sharing your story :)
(Holly Loch 2:09am September 26, 2015)
Amy, I think your book sounds amazing! It's definitely a book that I'm
interested in reading! :)
(Stacy West 2:35am September 26, 2015)
Yes, I enjoy new adult.
(Lisa Garrett 7:54am September 26, 2015)
Yes I read New Adult :) This book looks so GOOD!
(Michele Wiegert 8:29am September 26, 2015)
As far as reading New Adult, I've read a few of them, and have
enjoyed the ones that I've chosen. My choice of genres are a
bit all over the map, as they say, and I select books to suit
my mood, so a New Adult book is in the mix, as well as other
genres. Your latest book sounds interesting, and will make a
good read, since I don't know anyone who doesn't mess up at one
time or another!! Congratulations on your latest book!! I'm
sure it will do well!!
(Peggy Roberson 9:15am September 26, 2015)
I have read some of the New Adult but really I prefer some romance with a good mystery , murder ,edge of your seat book .Your book sounds like it will be an exciting read , maybe it's an 'edge of your seat' book. Thanks for this giveaway.
(Joan Thrasher 9:22am September 26, 2015)
I read all kinds of books. Yours sounds very interesting.
(Mary Hay 9:37am September 26, 2015)
All kinds - I read the blurb to see if it sounds interesting.
(Beth Elder 11:04am September 26, 2015)
Yes I read New Adult, thanks for the chance to win
(Colleen Jensen 2:23pm September 26, 2015)
i read all genres
(Debbi Shaw 8:50pm September 26, 2015)
I love to read anything that has a great storyline and captures my imagination!
(Trish Wakeman 11:06pm September 26, 2015)
I actually did not know what New Adult was before now or that it was even a genre. But, yes, I suppose I do read New Adult. I'm 22 years old, so this genre is perfect for me and what's going through my life right now.
(Heidi Ingalls 7:20pm September 27, 2015)
I have several genres that I read and New Adult is one
along with young adult!
(Peggy Clayton 1:08pm September 28, 2015)
I like reading young adult books and now have aged in to new adult titles.
(Nadine Stacy 2:39pm September 28, 2015)
Yes, I do. If I like the storyline, I will read any genre.
(Linda Levine 4:06pm September 28, 2015)
I never heard of New Adult until now - it is VERY fascinating!
(Felicia Ciaudelli 6:08pm September 28, 2015)
I like New Adult!
(Susan Mahaffey 9:47pm September 28, 2015)
I enjoy reading a variety of books, including New Adult.
(Bonnie H 4:40pm September 29, 2015)
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