Vortex Series Blog Tour: Author Interview

     I am so excited to be bringing you this interview I had with author Janine Caldwell! Janine is the author of the Vortex Series-- if you haven't heard of the series before, you can check out my review for book one, REMATCH, here and the second book, DOUBLE FAULT here! I am a big fan of the series so getting the chance to interview Janine was an absolute honour! Thank-you to SupaGurl Book Tours for allowing me to be on the tour!

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1) Here at The Y.A. Bookworm Blogger, I like to participate in a weekly meme hosted by YABound called Swoon Thursday (a meme where each week, from the book you are currently reading, you share a quote that made you swoon). If Rematch or Double Fault was being featured, which quote would have bookworms everywhere fanning themselves?

Book One in the Vortex Series, REMATCH

"You're not forcing me. I want you, don't you get it? That's why we need to stop. I'm too in love with you to hurt you more than I already have and surely will."

Did he just say love? My heart skyrockets and seems to grow two times its normal size. Trent Astor loves me! I can't remove the beaming grin from my face.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You said you loved me," I answer timidly.

"Of course I do. Like I keep telling you, there've been a lot of firsts with you."

REMATCH - the first time Trent tells Cassie he loves her.

"I will remember you, Trent, because you're just as much a part of me now as my beating heart is a part of me or my expanding lungs. You're as vital to me as any organ in my body, and forgetting you would be like forgetting my self."

DOUBEL FAULT - Cassie's plea to Trent

2) The Vortex Series is largely focused around time travel. What attracted you to write about this unique element? 

     I'm a huge fan of paranormal romance, but when I began to write my love story, I feared vampires, werwolves, and other supernatural creatures had been done to death. I didn't know how I could improve on the amazing stories already written about them, so I searched for something unique. Of course there have been many time-traveling stories before mine and surely more after, but I knew my idea about Sedona vortexes was truly one of a kind. Also, I've found that other time-traveling novels do not provide a reason for why the characters travel through time, just that they do. Trent, however, is given a purpose for his supernatural powers--to save lives. He becomes a hero and not just a victim of circumstance.

     Another element of time travel that intrigues me is the question of what I would do differently if I was given a chance to go back in time and alter my path. Every decision we make leads our life a certain way. Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I had made different choices. With Cassie, we get to find out how her shifting choices change her future.

3) How did you go about choosing the names for your characters? Is there a deeper meaning behind any of them?

     It took me some time studying names on the internet before I found just the right feeling behind Cassie and Trent's names. Cassie means "She who entangles men." I thought that pretty much sums up her troubles between Trent and Jeff. Her last name Moore represents her desire to have more in her life than she does in the beginning of the story.Trent means "Traveller; journey across" and Astor means "hawk." Both seemed fitting since Trent's a jumper or a "flyer through time" as Cassie calls him.

Book Two in the Vortex Series, DOUBLE FAULT

4) In both Rematch and Double Fault, I found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions. How do you come up with those one-liners/funny comebacks? Do they just come to you, or do they come from real-life conversations?

“Are we getting close to a rest stop?" Lorelai wants to know.

"We just stopped an hour ago!" Michael protests from the driver's seat.

"Well, gee, my apologies for being the only one on this trip with female issues," she spits back hostilely.”

     LOL! I would have to say a little of both. I have two sons, so I'm definitely outnumbered in my family by males. They can't relate to my female issues in any way. : ) Other one-liners I think about for a long while, trying to come up with the perfect zinger. So many times in my life, if I just had enough time to think about it, I could say the perfect comeback. Unfortunately, most of the time my brain seems to shut off when it's a live situation. That's what's fun about being a writer--satisfaction in knowing I've come up with the perfect response. 

5) You ended Double Fault with a cliffhanger that has been absoultely killing me! When can we expect Deuce (Vortex #3) to be released? 

     Well, I'm working on DEUCE right now, but the holidays do get in my way of working. Family first. I have to say it's been so much fun being with these characters again and letting them tell me where this final book in the series will go. I have a big picture idea of the storyline, but there's lots of juicy potential along the way for conflict. I hope to have the manuscript in good shape by fall of 2013. Some of my time will be taken away from it, though, as I publish VISITED and begin marketing it. VISITED is a coming-of-age fantasy about a teenage girl who is healed by a mysterious, crazy hot boy who claims he's not of this world.

6) Describe The Vortex Series in five words or less!

     Suspenseful, thought-provoking, sweet romance.

Speed-Round!

Favourite Author? Suzanne Collins & Lois Lowry for YA, Charles Dickens for classics

Hardcopy or ebook?  ebook

Bookmark or Sticky Note? bookmark picture of my kids

Which was easier to write: Rematch or Double Fault? Double Fault

Who are you more like: Cassie or Lorelai? Cassie, but I wish Lorelai

Coke or Pepsi? neither, no soda for me

Twitter or Facebook? both

Favourite Blogger ;)? The Y.A. Bookworm Blogger of course!

That's all for today, I want to thank-you again for taking the time to answer these questions today!

     Janine was raised in Northern California and has a B.A. in English from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. After 30 years as a California resident, she and her husband moved to Arizona and are currently raising their two sons in Anthem. Janine has always had a passionate love for literature—anything from the classics to the hottest YA series. Inspired by her visits to Sedona, she wrote her first YA series (The Vortex Series) based on the romance and mystery of the red rock formations. She is also grateful for the students in her life who remind her what the teenage years are like, good and bad. When Janine is not writing, she’s practicing yoga, spending time with friends, and taking care of her family.

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Have you read the Vortex Series yet?! Be sure to let me know in the comments below! Keep Reading!

Your Y.A. Bookworm,

Caitlin <3