BLOG STOP TOUR: One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy

Becca the Bibliophile is thrilled to welcome Monica Murphy to my blog with her debut novel.  Monica, One Week Girlfriend was such a fantastic emotional rollercoaster! Thank you so much for stopping by to talk with me.
Thank you so much for having me as a guest, Becca! And I’m so glad you enjoyed One Week Girlfriend – the reader response to the book has been overwhelming in such a great way. All the readers who reach out to me—they’re the best!

Since you are new on the scene, tell us a little about yourself.  What launched you into writing?

Well, I’m a native Californian, I’ve been married for almost twelve years and we have three children. They all keep me busy but I sneak in my writing where I can. I’ve always loved to read, always wanted to write and finally one day I told myself I needed to get serious. So…here I am.

What was your inspiration for writing a book that bridged such difficult subject matters?

**Adding a spoiler alert! If you haven’t read OWG, then skip this answer**

I saw a story on our local news about a young, pretty female high school teacher who was arrested for having sex with one of her students. She claimed she thought he was eighteen. He was only sixteen or seventeen, I don’t remember, but I immediately thought, “This sort of thing happens all the time yet it’s not talked about so much, when it’s a boy.”

I think society almost makes it a joke. As in, when a teenage girl is molested by a parent/teacher/etc. it’s a tragedy—as it should be. But when a teenage boy is, it’s considered more like, “Oh, he scored, banging the teacher,” or whatever. That’s messed up.

So that’s how I messed Drew up. His life may look perfect, but it is so not.

What is your process for writing? Do you use social media (Pinterest, Music sites like Playlist or Spotify) to help motivate and inspire ideas?

I didn’t use anything really for One Week Girlfriend, though I found the cover image before I finished the book so the couple on the cover was certainly inspiration. At the moment, I’m furiously working on Second Chance Girlfriend, the sequel to Drew + Fable’s story and I created this fabulous playlist on Spotify with all sorts of songs that are perfect for these two. And then I discovered The Weeknd and his Trilogy album. I’ve switched over and he’s pretty much all I listen to while I’m writing this book.

Specifically the songs House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls, Wicked Games (explicit), and The Party & The After Party. The entire album is moody and sexy and…I love it.

There is something so fascinating about Drew and Fables chemistry. I really felt their hurt and their excitement. Their relationship is so combustible.  Drew and Fable are such polar opposites yet so similar. Was it hard writing such passionately charged and scared characters?

They weren’t hard to write, thank goodness, but I did feel their pain, specifically Fable’s as she watched all of the craziness that is Drew’s life unfold. These characters came to me first…and then their story grew and blossomed as I delved deeper. I knew where I wanted to take it as I wrote, but some things that popped up were a surprise. Good ones.

Here’s the deal—when I wrote this, I didn’t expect readers to view Fable as the hero. Or that their story is different, with Drew as the one who needs help. It just sort of happened. So many readers have responded to Fable and how strong of a character she is and that makes me happy. It’s awesome that I created a character so many people responded to positively.

I really had a great time creating their world, even if the subject matter was fairly heavy. And it’s been a lot of fun being back in their world currently, though these two can hardly keep their hands off each other this time around, ahem. *winks*

I, for one, am looking forward to the continuation of Drew and Fables story in Second Chance Boyfriend being released in April. Do you have any other projects on the horizon?

I cannot wait for you all to read Second Chance Boyfriend. I’m both excited and scared—I really hope it lives up to everyone’s expectations. *bites nails*

As for future works, there’s a character in Second Chance Boyfriend who I think deserves his own story so I plan on working on his book next. Plus, I would love, love LOVE to eventually write Owen’s story, Fable’s little brother. I’d start it a few years later, make him older. I adore him. I hope readers do too.

New Adult Contemporary Romance

**Mature situations and sexual content - recommended for ages 17+**

Temporary. That one single word best describes my life these last few years. I’m working at a temporary job until I can finally break free. I’m my little brother’s temporary mother since our mom doesn't give a crap about either of us. And I’m that temporary girl all the guys want to get with because I give it up so easily. According to the rumors, at least.

But now I’m the temporary girlfriend of Drew Callahan, college football legend and all around golden guy. He’s beautiful, sweet—and he’s hiding way more secrets than I am. He’s brought me into this fake life where everyone seems to hate me. And everyone seems to want something from him. 

The only thing he seems to want though is…

Me.

I don’t know what to believe anymore. All I know is, I think Drew needs me. 

And I want to be there for him.

Forever.

http://monicamurphyauthor.com

Monica Murphy is a writer, a wife and a mom. She drinks too much coffee and spends too much time in front of her computer. She likes to read, she watches bad reality TV and she sometimes acts younger than she really is. Though most of the time she's sure her kids think she's a complete buzz kill. One Week Girlfriend, a new adult/contemporary romance, is Monica's first book. 

                                         

                          

a Rafflecopter giveaway