Author Interview: Steve Cushman + Giveaway

We have Steve Cushman, author of Heart with Joy stopping by the blog today! If you haven't read his book you need to do it now! I highly recommend it! You can read my review of it here!

Describe yourself in one sentence.

I may not always succeed, but I’m always trying.

What are five things most people don’t know about you?

I don’t have a middle name.
I once owned a Ferret named Molly.
I never went to my high school prom.
I have acted in a couple student films.
I have a street named after me in a trailer park my grandfather used to own.

What is your favorite memory while growing up?

Growing up in Florida, I always loved to visit my grandparents’ house in Massachusetts. They had all sorts of cool toys—old Army jeeps and mopeds—and all the junk food any chunky kid could ever want.

What are some of the books that have influenced you?

Raymond Carver’s short stories
Larry Brown “Father & Son”
Anne Tyler “Accidental Tourist”
Richard Russo “Nobody’s Fool”
Amy Tan “Joy Luck Club”

Did you always know you wanted to write a book?

Nope. I didn’t start reading seriously until I was in the my early twenties and didn’t start writing until my mid-twenties. Before that, I wanted to be a baseball player, then a musician, then a rock band roadie, and then somehow through music, and working in a record store, I discovered books.

How would you describe your book in one sentence?

Heart With Joy is a novel about following your heart and trusting that it will take where you need to go.

How does it feel to know that there are people reading your book?

It’s wonderful to hear what people have to say. This is my third book but still I’m amazed that people want to read what I’ve dreamed up. Very cool indeed.

What do you think is the easiest and hardest thing about writing a book?

The easiest thing about writing about a book is coming up with ideas. The hardest part is sitting your butt in that chair for the three or four years it takes to finish.

Anything else you would like to say?

Thanks again for taking the time to read my work.
 

Goodreads Summary: In Heart With Joy, fifteen-year-old Julian Hale’s life is turned upside down when his mother suddenly moves from North Carolina to Venice, Florida under the pretense of running her parents’ motel and finishing the novel she has been working on for years. While Julian has always been closer to his mother and wants to go with her, she tells him he has to stay with his father until the end of the school year.
 
Six weeks after his mother leaves, Julian’s father decides to run a marathon. This surprises Julian because he has never seen his father exercise, but once he agrees to help him train the two develop the sort of close relationship they’ve never had before. Also, with the help of an elderly neighbor, Julian learns that the most important thing in life is to follow your heart. And Julian’s heart leads him to a passion for cooking and a young cashier at the local grocery store. By the end of the novel, Julian is forced to choose between staying with his father and going to live with his mother.

Heart With Joy is an uplifting coming of age novel about cooking and bird watching, about writing and pottery, and about falling in love and the sacrifices we all make. But ultimately, it’s about the importance of following your heart and trusting that it will take you where you need to go.

The Details

-There will be 1 lucky winner.

-This giveaway is international.

-You don't have to be a follower but it would be nice if you were! =)

-Deadline is Friday 18th at 11:59pm Pacific time.

-Winner will be announced on the 19th and will have 48 hours to respond to my email.

Just fill out the form!