Talania – A trip down memory lane – My Day 2 with Author Crystal Spears
Readers of Talania – A trip down memory lane I have a surprise for you. If you thought Talania was heart wrenching get a load of this!
Author Crystal Spears is sharing a little of Underneath the Willow Tree with us. Underneath the Willow Tree is another emotional roller coaster set to release next year. Unedited angsty teaser.
I lay in a fetal position, my head under the blanket, my breathing ragged. I hear his footsteps stop right outside my bedroom door. I suck in all the air I can, willing myself not to make a sound. If he doesn’t hear me he may not enter. Days like this I don’t feel like living any longer. I wish the darkness that surrounds me would just swallow me whole. Just when my thoughts start running towards the deep end my door flies open smacking the wall with a loud thud. “Lila Anne, are you awake,” he growls.
My bottom lip quivers as I silently beg for him to leave, the knots in my stomach twisting and turning as if I’m being gutted alive. I might as well be when he is around. A tear slowly escapes the corner of my left eye, cascading down my cheek. I almost whimper, just almost. But the consequences of being awake are far too great so the sound is swallowed as it tries making its way up.
Talania~Book Description
Evelyn Beaumont can't remember anything from the time she was 14 until she was 19. She lost five years of her life because of brain cancer. Now she is a 20 years old survivor and enrolled in college, determined to reclaim her life. There she meets Tristan Monroe, but it isn't the first time they’ve met. In fact, Tristan and Evelyn were once in love. It was a love so strong that it shattered him when, after the three years they had spent together, she never came back to Laguna.
Evelyn wants nothing more than to have her memories back. With the help of Tristan and his brother Drake, they take Evelyn on an emotional journey filled with videos, photos, and memorabilia...a walk down memory lane.
While they stroll down memory lane, Evelyn must learn to deal with Tristan's rock star fame and the ever-present groupies. She struggles to find herself and to learn to love again.
Is their love strong enough to overcome the memory loss? Is it strong enough to survive whatever comes their way? Will all the proof Tristan shares with her be enough to show her how deeply they loved each other? Will love find Evelyn once again?
Evelyn wants nothing more than to have her memories back. With the help of Tristan and his brother Drake, they take Evelyn on an emotional journey filled with videos, photos, and memorabilia...a walk down memory lane.
While they stroll down memory lane, Evelyn must learn to deal with Tristan's rock star fame and the ever-present groupies. She struggles to find herself and to learn to love again.
Is their love strong enough to overcome the memory loss? Is it strong enough to survive whatever comes their way? Will all the proof Tristan shares with her be enough to show her how deeply they loved each other? Will love find Evelyn once again?
“This book was an emotional rollercoaster... I went from laughing, to crying, to having a big goofy grin on my face over and over again. ”
“The intensity of the love that these two characters share is so real, I cannot believe that this is not based on a true story. ”
This was 12 1/2 AMAZING STARS!!
I want this review to be EPIC among EPICS, but unfortunately, I'm not very good at reviews, but here it goes...
Evelyn Beaumont gets diagnosed with brain cancer at a very young age. After leaving for Thanksgiving one year she never returned home.
Her boyfriend Tristan Monroe thought it was his fault. Years later they meet again, only Evelyn does not remember Tristan due to her brain cancer.
Can Tristan bring Evelyn back her memories & make her fall in love with him once again?
Will Ev succumb to her cancer, or will she survive?
Will Ev & Trist find their happily Ever After?
Will they be able to forgive the deception?
You will find heartache like no other, unexpected deception, & what true friends really are...
This book will make you laugh, make you cry and let you a little deeper into the world of cancer.
Amazon~Talania A Trip Down Memory Lane
Interview with Author Crystal D. Spears
I asked and she answered....
Q1 WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO AS A WRITER/AUTHOR?
I admire them all if I'm being honest with you. I fell in love with reading as I watched my mother read when I was a child. She was always reading Cassie Edwards novels and I was never allowed to read them for obvious reasons of course. So— she took me to the library and I fell in love with reading, but not with fiction. I fell in love with non- fiction. I went through a huge Cleopatra phase. It wasn't until I started reading in high school that I fell in love with fiction. I think all Authors and Writers all alike deserve to be admired. It's not easy creating a story. I can't name one; I would have to name them all because it takes a lot of work like I said to create a story so I applaud them all.
Q2 WHAT BOOKS HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE THE MOST?
I didn't feel that life changing feeling until I read 'I Love You to Death' By Natalie Ward. I've lost almost 30 people in my life and I'm only 28 years old so that story touched my soul and my heart. She nailed every feeling on the head. If you haven't read it yet, you should.
Q3 WHAT MUSIC INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?
I'm a lover of music, but I have an amazing group of people that contribute to helping me find songs with what I'm writing at the time. But to name a few Sia, Des'ree, Three Days Grace, One Republic and Kelly Clarkson.
Q4 DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL FOOD WHEN WRITING?
*Laughs* Yes! Pepperoni. I have to always have pepperoni and I feel so lost without it.
Q5 WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU PREFER TO DO YOUR WRITING?
At night when the house is quiet and my family are asleep. My writing area is in the corner of my bedroom; I constantly get yelled at by the hubby for my quick typing and the keys clacking away.
Q6 HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THE GENRE THAT YOU WRITE IN?
I don't really have a particular genre that I write in. I have works out in erotica and Talania will be my first full novel published and as you know it's contemporary romance. I have Fidelity coming out soon as well and that is adult dystopian. Next year I will be writing YA under a pen name too. So really I don't have one certain genre I write in.
Q7 WOULD YOU CONSIDER WRITING ANOTHER GENRE?
Answer is in question number 6 :)
Q8 WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS STORY?
This is not a secret. I've been open about Talania from day one. Talania was completely re-written. Same character names different stories and personalities. I was sitting and having a chat with one of my online best friends and we were talking about heart disease and cancer. And while we were talking the names Evelyn and Tristan kept creeping into my mind. Then memory loss. Then cancer — it was like something was telling me I had to write this story. So I did and I think it was the best thing I ever decided to do.
Q9 ARE EXPERIENCES BASED ON SOMEONE YOU KNOW, OR EVENTS IN YOUR OWN LIFE?
Oh you just had to go there huh? Yes, some things in the Strictly series are based off of my life growing up. I can't say, but yes in Strictly Stuck and Strictly Stripped a bit is based off of someone or something. Talania not so much, but I have a heart disease story in the works that is based off alot of my real life.
Q10 IF SO, WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME?
I'll let you know when it happens.
Q11 WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF WRITING THIS BOOK?
Oh goodness, all of it. Every-time I opened it up to write more I would cry. It's very emotional; I spoke with family and a few other cancer survivors so as I was writing I would think about it all. See I can't even answer this properly because it's just sad. And the fact that I incorporated memory loss and the way I bring back memories in Talania kept breaking my heart.
Q12 WILL THIS BOOK BE PART OF A SERIES?
Very good question. I have a lot of very lovable characters in Talania. I wasn't going to say anything, but everyone knows I'm a series lover. So— it's open ended for more writing if I decide I would like to continue with it.
CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE TEASER?
Talania - Evelyn Snip
The sound of quiet is almost the worst sound there is. When your own breath bounces off the walls echoing in your ears like your own personal hell. I need noise. I need noise for a billion reasons, but the main reason I need noise is so I don't hear the sound of the chemotherapy machine with it’s steady hum. When it's quiet it reminds me of that sound. That sound is my own personal hell. I need loud. Loud so loud it would be deafening to anyone else.
Also, here is the first teaser trailer for Talania - A trip down memory lane.
Q1 WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO AS A WRITER/AUTHOR?
I admire them all if I'm being honest with you. I fell in love with reading as I watched my mother read when I was a child. She was always reading Cassie Edwards novels and I was never allowed to read them for obvious reasons of course. So— she took me to the library and I fell in love with reading, but not with fiction. I fell in love with non- fiction. I went through a huge Cleopatra phase. It wasn't until I started reading in high school that I fell in love with fiction. I think all Authors and Writers all alike deserve to be admired. It's not easy creating a story. I can't name one; I would have to name them all because it takes a lot of work like I said to create a story so I applaud them all.
Q2 WHAT BOOKS HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE THE MOST?
I didn't feel that life changing feeling until I read 'I Love You to Death' By Natalie Ward. I've lost almost 30 people in my life and I'm only 28 years old so that story touched my soul and my heart. She nailed every feeling on the head. If you haven't read it yet, you should.
Q3 WHAT MUSIC INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?
I'm a lover of music, but I have an amazing group of people that contribute to helping me find songs with what I'm writing at the time. But to name a few Sia, Des'ree, Three Days Grace, One Republic and Kelly Clarkson.
Q4 DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL FOOD WHEN WRITING?
*Laughs* Yes! Pepperoni. I have to always have pepperoni and I feel so lost without it.
Q5 WHERE AND WHEN DO YOU PREFER TO DO YOUR WRITING?
At night when the house is quiet and my family are asleep. My writing area is in the corner of my bedroom; I constantly get yelled at by the hubby for my quick typing and the keys clacking away.
Q6 HOW DID YOU CHOOSE THE GENRE THAT YOU WRITE IN?
I don't really have a particular genre that I write in. I have works out in erotica and Talania will be my first full novel published and as you know it's contemporary romance. I have Fidelity coming out soon as well and that is adult dystopian. Next year I will be writing YA under a pen name too. So really I don't have one certain genre I write in.
Q7 WOULD YOU CONSIDER WRITING ANOTHER GENRE?
Answer is in question number 6 :)
Q8 WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS STORY?
This is not a secret. I've been open about Talania from day one. Talania was completely re-written. Same character names different stories and personalities. I was sitting and having a chat with one of my online best friends and we were talking about heart disease and cancer. And while we were talking the names Evelyn and Tristan kept creeping into my mind. Then memory loss. Then cancer — it was like something was telling me I had to write this story. So I did and I think it was the best thing I ever decided to do.
Q9 ARE EXPERIENCES BASED ON SOMEONE YOU KNOW, OR EVENTS IN YOUR OWN LIFE?
Oh you just had to go there huh? Yes, some things in the Strictly series are based off of my life growing up. I can't say, but yes in Strictly Stuck and Strictly Stripped a bit is based off of someone or something. Talania not so much, but I have a heart disease story in the works that is based off alot of my real life.
Q10 IF SO, WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME?
I'll let you know when it happens.
Q11 WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF WRITING THIS BOOK?
Oh goodness, all of it. Every-time I opened it up to write more I would cry. It's very emotional; I spoke with family and a few other cancer survivors so as I was writing I would think about it all. See I can't even answer this properly because it's just sad. And the fact that I incorporated memory loss and the way I bring back memories in Talania kept breaking my heart.
Q12 WILL THIS BOOK BE PART OF A SERIES?
Very good question. I have a lot of very lovable characters in Talania. I wasn't going to say anything, but everyone knows I'm a series lover. So— it's open ended for more writing if I decide I would like to continue with it.
CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE TEASER?
Talania - Evelyn Snip
The sound of quiet is almost the worst sound there is. When your own breath bounces off the walls echoing in your ears like your own personal hell. I need noise. I need noise for a billion reasons, but the main reason I need noise is so I don't hear the sound of the chemotherapy machine with it’s steady hum. When it's quiet it reminds me of that sound. That sound is my own personal hell. I need loud. Loud so loud it would be deafening to anyone else.
Also, here is the first teaser trailer for Talania - A trip down memory lane.
Amazon~Talania A Trip Down Memory Lane
Author Bio:
Crystal resides in Indiana with her family, her dog Dozer and two fancy rats. She enjoys the outdoors and in the summer you will rarely catch her at home. Her other passions aside from writing are singing, dancing and photography. She is a retired blogger and professional book reviewer.She began writing at an early age, short stories and poems for school. It wasn't until she was around nineteen did she venture more into the writing world. While writing Talania she discovered the depth she could achieve if she just kept on going. So... she did and now she is developing the beautiful story Underneath the Willow Tree.
Crystal Spears on Facebook
Crystal Spears on Amazon
Crystal Spears on Goodreads
Crystal Spears on Twitter
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1 LUCKY WINNER
RIP Julie Murphy Stutzman
ReplyDeleteMy mom survived breast cancer but we lost her to lupus
ReplyDeletebmack31919 at yahoo dot com
Jerry my Brother n Law
ReplyDeleteI love this Book! And Crystal and Jodi are sweethearts!!! :) My mother had Thyroid cancer. She beat it! :)
ReplyDeleteMy Grandmother and Great Grandmother died from cancer.
ReplyDeleteGrandpa James
ReplyDeleteMy aunt.
ReplyDelete¤•**´✿ Congrats TALANIA a trip down memory lane BLOG TOUR !!¤•**´✿
ReplyDeleteName a person affected by cancer:
Presently, I know of no one afflicted with the BIG "C." Praise God...
P.S. Crystal, I wish ya much Success with your Tour, and it's Always a Pleasure "chatting" with ya on FB... Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
~Becky☆.¸¸.•´¯`♥
My very dear friend died from cancer 12/31/2011.....RIP Pixie
ReplyDeleteMy sister-in-law dies of cancer in September of 2005. She was only 26 years old and she left behind her husband (my brother-in-law) and 8 year old son (my nephew). She was a sweet person with a bright future. She is sorely missed everyday.
ReplyDeleteskyla11377(At)AOL(Dot)Com
I loved this book so much. I love Crystal and I really love that bracelet.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother passed away on February 22,2009 from brain cancer and I have a very good very close friend battling brain cancer right now.
ReplyDeleteMy Grandfather passed away September '03 from lung cancer. My mother-in-law passed away February'11 from liver cancer. May they both R.I.P.
ReplyDeleteI think my whole family was affected very much by my Aunt Clara's illness. The cancer had spread all over her body and there was nothing that could be done, only time and she was able to live for about 3 more years, but unfortunalety she lost her battle last month... RIP Auntie Clara, miss you so much.....
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother and my childhood friend both passed away from melanoma (skin cancer) (cuanam wolfspirit - howlofwolves@yahoo.com)
ReplyDeleteMy mom beat breast cancer a few years ago. My grandma also had it years ago.
ReplyDeleteMy mother, aunt and uncle all passed away from cancer
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this book!! <3
ReplyDeletethe first person to mind is my friend's dad. he is dying from lung cancer. i was told yesterday that he has less than a week left, maybe not even the rest of the day. my thoughts and prayers go out to each and every person that posted here and the families that are being effected. i love you all!
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to each and everyone one on this page. I know I will be making a few phone calls today to let some people know that I love them.
ReplyDeleteIn my Book, Blind Seduction, my main character is Teresa. Teresa is named for my childhood friend who not only battled non-Hodgkins lymphoma when we were kids, but also battled breast cancer as an adult. Teresa passed quietly in her sleep about four years ago. She is deeply missed.
ReplyDelete<3
ReplyDeleteMy cousin, Louie, died of tongue cancer:( Shortly after, my aunt was diagnosed with throat cancer. She beat it! Louie's sister was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. She had a double mastectomy and is doing well.
ReplyDelete