RIVALS release #giveaway and character interview

Hey, all! Rivals, (Skid #2) released last week, and as part of the blog tour, I have Manny and Samantha here to talk a little bit about racing today. But first, a summary of RIVALS:

Last season seventeen-year-old Samantha Sutton shined as the hottest new racing star of Formula One, but her rise to the top takes a hit when her boss steals her arch-rival Emilio Ronaldo away from Ferrari and makes the sexist jerk her team's number-one driver. This sends Samantha's perfect life into a tail spin that threatens to destroy everything she's worked so hard for.

Besides her six wins last season, the best thing Samantha won was Manny, the cute German boy who saved her from herself. But Manny chafes against the self-absorbed racing star rising above the ashes of the simple girl he fell in love with. Can he save that simple girl from destroying herself again?

While Samantha's performance on the track suffers and her status on the team plummets, Emilio rises within striking distance of another championship. Is this the final wake-up call the girl needs to beat Emilio and win the world championship? Or will the pressure break her. 

Thanks for being here, guys!

Samantha: Thanks for the invite, Jess!

Manny: You're welcome.

First of all, how do people who don’t race or watch racing react when you guys start talking shop? You guys know your stuff!

Samantha: Ha! People get this real glazed look in their eyes when we talk about front wing adjustments and racing lines. They have no clue what we're talking about. I try not to talk too much about racing around other girls because they could care less. But that's okay because I like talking about stuff they're into also. Now Manny probably can't talk about anything else.

Manny: I can talk about other things beside race cars.

Samantha: Seriously? Like what?

Manny: Mechanical engineering. Cosmology. Chess.

Samantha: You never talk to me about those things.

Manny: I did try talking mechanical engineering with you once, but you fell asleep. And you did it again when I attempted to explain how the exhaust system works on your race car.

Samantha: I probably didn't have my vanilla latte yet.  

Have the two of you ever gotten into a fight about who’s a better racer? If so, who won?

Manny: I don't race cars. I work on them. But I wish I could race a car like Samantha.

Samantha: Yeah, Manny suffers from severe motion sickness. One time my sponsor gave me a free Porsche 911 and I took it on the German Autobahn. You know, the highway you can go really fast on? Well, I drove a little too fast and Manny tossed his cookies all over the dash.

Manny: Why did you have to bring that up?

Manny, I know you pretty much grew up working on cars with your uncle being head honcho and all, but was it frustrating to not be able to race, too?

Manny: I was never frustrated about it. I knew I'd never be inside the cockpit of a race car because of my motion sickness. But when I started working on the cars, I found myself enjoying that much more. The science behind car racing fascinates me.

Samantha, your father loved racing. Obviously your love of the sport comes from that, but was there anything else that grabbed you from a personal standpoint?

Samantha: Believe it or not, I was seriously shy when I was younger. I had no confidence in myself at all. I was interested in my dad's racing but he really had to coax me into my first kart race. Dad said if I didn't like it, I could quit racing all together. But something happened to me on that track. A new fire burned inside me and I went with it. I passed car after car. I didn’t know what got into me but I felt so free and like...invincible. For the first time in my life, I felt strong and confident, and I loved how racing made me feel like that. So I keep doing it. And the more and more I did it, the better I felt about myself. Racing gave me this rock that I could stand on when I felt bad about myself.  

Having a relationship with someone in the same industry as you (Formula One racing in this particular case) can add another element to the relationship mix that most couples don’t have to deal with. It’s no secret that the two of you have had your ups and downs recently, but is there anything either of you may have learned that might help others in the same situation?

Samantha: I don't know if we've learned anything because it's something we still kinda struggle with. Manny is part of the crew so when I get frustrated with the car, I try not to take it out on him. But sometimes I fail at that.

Manny: I know she doesn't mean it. She's under a lot of pressure so I don't take things like that personally. But sometimes it does hurt.

Samantha: Manny puts up with a lot of my word vomit. I'm lucky he forgives me. Some people don't want their boyfriend or girlfriend to work with them. But in my case, I'm so glad Manny does because he understands what I go through on a daily basis and I can talk to him about it. That really helps.

If one of your siblings had to fill your racing shoes, Samantha, who would you choose? Do you think they’d agree with your decision?

Samantha: Ha! None of my sisters would want my racing shoes. Seriously. My dad tried to nudge them towards racing when we were all growing up but they were never interested. My little cousin Toby might do it, but Mom would probably talk him out of it. She's still uneasy about me racing. But I wouldn't mind if Toby wanted to get into it. In fact, I'd be kinda fun to teach him everything I know.

Last, if you could TP one rival’s car and get away with it and no one would ever know (and, okay, it wouldn’t damage anything aside from their ego), whose car would you choose?

Samantha: That's easy. My teammate Emilio Ronaldo. I would LOVE to trash his car so bad that he couldn't race it. Thanks for the idea, Jess!

Manny: I believe she means a friendly prank. Your answer sounds a little too...vicious.

Samantha: I don't care. I would still love to do it. Fine. Okay. I guess I would TP Jonathan's car. He was my teammate from last season but now he drives for another team. I don't hate him, only a little jealous of his success this season.

Thanks for being here, guys! :)

Samantha: Thanks for the great questions, Jess!

Manny: Yes, it was fun!

To celebrate RIVALS' release, Doug is giving away a paperback of SKID and a paperback of RIVALS! Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win:

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Download SKID's ebook free: Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | Kobo | Smashwords | Nook | iTunes | 

Get RIVALS: Amazon | Amazon UK | Kobo | Smashwords | Nook | iTunes

About Doug: Doug began writing screenplays in 1998 and became a 2001 semi-finalist in the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. His script Father Figure was one of 129 scripts left from 5,489 entries. Doug made the switch to writing young adult novels in 2008. Skid, a young adult novel set in the world of Formula One, is his first. Doug is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Doug respects cats, loves the mountains, and one time walked the streets of Barcelona with a smile on his face.

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