Our very own Olivia sat down with Ann Marie Frohoff, author of HEAVY INFLUENCE: FIRST KISS! What did Anne have to say? Keep reading to find out!
Want to win your own SIGNED copy of FIRST KISS and Annie’s soundtrack? Live in the US, Canada, or the UK? Follow @YAmzine and @RockinWriterChk on Twitter and tweet this article with #yamzine for your chance to win!
A sexually charged coming of age. ~ Jake, an up and coming teenage rocker on the verge of stardom, reconnects with Alyssa, the younger girl next door. When she becomes something more they’re forced to face the harsh realities on his road to fame and the expectations of their friends and family. Sacrifices are made as everything changes as they know it.
Olivia with YA-Mag: Annie, welcome to the Young Adult Magazine!
YA: Tell us about Jake and Alyssa, how you first met them and decided to tell their story?
Ann Marie Frohoff: I met Jake and Alyssa when I was a teen. I knew them intimately. I lived the same type of life and, though my story ended differently, I wanted to tell theirs. It all came in a dream, literally, after I’d taken my then-8-year-old to a concert. I’d dreamt a certain scene and it just blossomed from there. I felt so compelled to write about what I’d witnessed and then pulled from my own life and the lives of people I know.
YA: What sets Jake and Alyssa’s story and the HEAVY INFLUENCE series apart from other music-centric romances, like NICK & NORAHS’ INFINITE PLAYLIST by Rachel Cohn?
AMF: Jake and Alyssa’s story is not that uncommon as far as young love is concerned. HOWEVER, set it in the throes of fame and stardom and it gives star-crossed a new meaning. The difference between Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist and the Heavy Influence series (FIRST KISS, book 1) is that Nick and Norah were searching for a band on their adventure, where as Jake is the frontman of the band and Alyssa is his ultimate love interest, their adventure is trying to make their relationship work through some very extenuating circumstances. Everything about Jake’s songs bleed Alyssa. She is his reason for success and potential failure – he may just lose it all because of her. Their journey is an intense mixture of love and loss.
What also sets this series a part from most other music-centric book series, is that an original soundtrack was made for book 1, FIRST KISS. The lyrics that appear on the pages of the book were written by different musicians.
YA: Because none of us grew up in bubble, I know that every author has influences beyond the obvious! What non-book influences (films, television shows, music, plays, etc) helped spark this story or your writing career in general?
AMF: I would have to say a major influence as a writer would be screenwriter, John Hughes, he was famous for the 80’s teen flicks Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, Pretty In Pink, Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles etc. My musical influences are such a wide variety – but I’d have to say that Foo Fighters is a top one, lyrically genius and of course my main muse Christo Bowman of Bad Suns – whom is my cover boy for book one, FIRST KISS. I’m all about the lyrics and how they’re weaved together. Musicians and music in general are such a huge influence with my writing. My next book series is a fantasy series which was inspired by one song alone, MY GEMINI, by a band named Lights Resolve. The frontman Matt Reich was a major influence for book 1 in the series as well, musically and as a sounding board.
YA: When you were a teen, what was your favorite book (YA or otherwise)? Now that you’re an author for teens, what is your favorite contemporary YA?
AMF: My favorite books as a pre-teen were any Judy Blume books. Teen: I loved all the S.E. Hinton books (i.e. The Outsiders; Rumble Fish; That was Then, This is Now). Right now I’m totally into Simone Eckeles. I adore her Perfect Chemistry Series… and I’ve recently become a fan of Katie McGarry (Pushing The Limits). Ellen Hopkins (Smoke, Crank, Burned) and Cheryl Rainfield (Scars, Stained, Hunted) – these are on my reading list for sure! (My kid is a huge fan!)
YA: What is the story on the title HEAVY INFLUENCE? How about FIRST KISS?
AMF: Heavy Influence was originally something different. I was looking for something that would encompass the entirety of the series and what Jake deals with throughout the years (this series spans 10 years) and how emotions effect, hence influence, every aspect of their being. First Kiss is just that, that first moment when it all came together for them. I don’t think you really know if you’re into someone until you have that first real kiss, when it’s passionate and mind-bending, and a hormone-reeling moment.
YA: Jake and Alyssa actually go through ten years over the span of the series. What can readers expect from coming books?
AMF: First Kiss takes place when Jake and Alyssa are in high school. Book 2, Broken Notes, starts off when Alyssa has graduated high school and Jake is now a full-on rockstar, dealing with some gnarly shifts in life, with Alyssa and the loss of someone very important to him. Book 3, Title TBD, is about Jake putting his life back in order and how a new potential love interest breathes life back into him, putting life in perspective and vice versa. I’m currently writing another teaser novella, Fever Pitch, as a lead into book 2, Broken Notes, all in Alyssa’s POV. That is set to release in January (Kindle Edition).
YA: If you could cast the Dream Film Adaptation of your work, who would you cast?
AMF: This is such a tough question – and I’m going to be so lame – because I can’t answer this. I’m on the line of finding new blood. My dream cast would be people that do not have a name behind them yet. I want to discover talent.
YA: Do you have any pet projects you’d like to try out sometime soon?
AMF: Hmm. Yes! I’m currently in the development stages for another book trailer to promote the series. I’m very excited about it. It’s more of a video short than a music video like the last one. You can see the original one here!
YA: Last one! You have a unique marketing extra with this series, involving original music. Where did this idea come from? How has it been implementing it? What has been your favorite part about having original music for FIRST KISS?
AMF: The idea for original music came with me trying to write the lyrics to Jake’s songs. There’s a formula to it and I didn’t want them to be cheesy. So I reached out to my musician friends and asked them to write lyrics for me, then it evolved from there. I was like – hey, I wanna hear what this sounds like. So we recorded them. Here is the link to stream the music – eventually they will be available for purchase – I do however give them away with the book when I do promotions: www.reverbnation.com/heavyinfluencesoundtrackvol1 – You can see who the artists are who were such an influence to this series.
YA: Thank you very much, Annie. And again, from YA Mag, congratulations on FIRST KISS! We know our audience is going to love it!
~*~
Readers, be sure to check out Ann Marie Frohoff at her website www.AnnMarieFrohoff.com. Or follow her on Twitter @RockinWriterChk.
FIRST KISS is now available at your favorite online retailers!
And don’t forget: if you live in the US, Canada, or the UK, you could win a SIGNED copy of FIRST KISS plus Annie’s soundtrack! Follow @YAmzine and @RockinWriterChkon Twitter and tweet this article with #yamzine for your chance to win!
Olivia Hennis is a transplanted New England girl dropped by a tornado into the magical Land of Jersey. For more info, follow her on Twitter.