INDIE-pendence Day: MOTOCROSS ME Interview + Giveaway

Happy INDIE-pendence Day! When I first heard about this fun feature (click HERE to read more about it), I wasn't sure what book to choose until I remembered the premise of one indie book in particular I'd seen recently. I found the subject, motocross, intriguing. I mean, dirt bikes and racing and guys in a YA setting? Uh, yes please! Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

When Hana Fisher moves to the small town of Mixon, Texas to live with her dad, she dreads having to work at the boring pile of dirt he fondly calls a motocross track. But when she gets there, she finds the rinky-dink dirt bike track from her childhood has grown into the most respected racing track in the state.

Now popular by association, Hana endures the pain and sweat of working in the summer heat in order to fit in with a sport she’s growing to love. She gets a real family, a best friend and not just one, but two of the fastest racers trying to win her heart.

When Hana abuses her status as the track owner’s daughter to help the gorgeous Ryan Russo cheat in the biggest race of the year, she risks more than just losing her job. Every good thing in her life is at stake now- her friends, her dad’s trust, and Ash Carter- the kind-hearted racer who may not be as alluring as Ryan, but is proof that nice guys don’t always finish last.

I actually first saw Cheyanne and MOTOCROSS ME (though I can't remember if that was the title back then) on a writerly site a few years ago. I remember thinking it sounded like something I'd like to read, and then things happened as things in life tend to do, and I ended up not going on that site anymore. A few years passed until, while perusing the internet recently, I came across Cheyanne's post about MM's upcoming release. Yay! And here we are! 

Before we get to the awesome giveaway Cheyanne and I have planned, I'd like to share my mini-interview with her. Enjoy!

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Me:  It was pretty obvious the further I got into MM that you have had a lot of personal experience on the track. (That's one of the things I loved most about it, by the way--getting to learn how things work and the terminology and whatnot.) I assume you've met plenty of Ryans in your experience, but how about personalities like Ash? Was his quiet, not-so-talkative personality completely invented, or was it based on someone/s you've known/met over the years at the track?

Chey: Ash is 90% made up, and 10% inspired from a really good friend I once had. This friend had the same struggles as Ash, particularly in growing up without money and working really hard to be the best rider he could be. I haven't seen that guy in a decade or so, but I still think about him and his sister a lot. The world needs more people like them. As far as Ryan... I know a lot of what he does and says may seem absurd, but I stole most of those things from real life. :/

Me: A lot of times, a writer's MC is either a *lot* like them, or quite the opposite. In what ways would you say you and Hana are the same? In what ways would you say you are different?

Chey: Hm.... my gut says to pretend Hana isn't like me AT ALL, but that's not really true. We are both incredibly insecure and that insecurity leads us to doing and saying things that make us look really stupid in public. Plus I've made a ton of wrong choices when it comes to dating. Luckily, for Hana and me, things work out well in the end. :) We differ when it comes to coffee. As much as I wanted her to love coffee, she just refused. Hopefully I never have to write a coffee-hating character again.

Me: I'm going to list my three favorite quotes from MM. Pick one and tell me something about it.  (FYI, gave her three to choose from. The one she chose is below.)

I wipe my forehead and press the talk button on my walkie-talkie.

"Molly, tell Shelby her brother is a dork. Over."

Chey: I'm gonna pick this last one because it always makes me smile. This was the exact moment that Hana realizes she has a mega crush on Ash, so of course, she's gonna insult him 5-year-old style. Plus it just shows her having fun at her new job with her new step-mom and friend. It's where she really learns to fit in with these people.

Me: Near the end of the book, something happens that I didn't see coming. Without giving away the choice Hana made, can you explain why you had her do what she did? 

Chey: She did this for two reasons... First, because she felt rejected by you-know-who and wasn't in her right state of mind. The girl is too preoccupied with wanting to be liked, so it's hard for her when she thinks she's unliked. Secondly, you-know-who (the other guy) was incredibly good at getting her to do what he wanted...he had a silver tongue and she was in the right (or wrong) state of mind to do precisely what she did. I really think she knew it was wrong to do it, but she couldn't help herself.

Me: This last question isn't really a question, but more an interesting fact. Our family business is actually in construction, with dirt work being our specialty. At one point in Motocross Me, Hana narrates that with the track being watered down, you'd think it would turn to mud, but it doesn't. Curious, I asked my husband if there was a more technical way to explain what happens, and here's what he said:

Because the tires break the dirt down and peel it up, the moisture evaporates from the dirt very quickly. It doesn't turn to mud when it's watered down again because the dirt particles are loose from all of that wear, so the water goes down in between the particles, and the dirt sucks it up like a sponge. 

Chey: I LOVE this! Excellent explanation. I wasn't exactly sure how that happened but I do know that the track is never muddy in the summer, no matter how often they water it. And I'm glad you found this interesting...it's little things like this about motocross that I tried to incorporate into the book as a way to show my love for the sport and to educate readers on how great motocross is, when they might never have heard about it otherwise.

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Cheyanne was gracious enough to donate a signed paperback of MOTOCROSS ME, bookmarks, and a cool dirt bike necklace! Isn't that great? Enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can check out a few other posts about MOTOCROSS ME (including Cheyanne's cast list, playlist, and more) here. Thanks for the fun interview, Cheyanne! :)

About Cheyanne

Cheyanne is a native Texan with a fear of cold weather and a coffee addiction that probably needs an intervention. She loves books, sarcasm, nail polish and paid holidays. She lives near the beach with her daughter, one spoiled rotten puppy and a cat who is most likely plotting to take over the world.

She is the author of MOTOCROSS ME, debuting in June 2013, and the Powered series, a trilogy about a teenage superhero. 

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