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!

Heart With Joy by Steve Cushman

Title: Heart with Joy
Author: Steve Cushman
Published: 2010
Pages: 182
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: 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.

Review: This book doesn't need any paranormal stuff to be amazing and that's something that I don't find often!

Julian is trying to cope with his mother leaving to Florida. His mother refused to take him and said she had to help with the motel her family owned and to finish her fifth unpublished novel. Julian knows there's more to it than his mother tells him and when he asks her he finally gets his answer that he may not like. Throughout the book Julian makes a connection with his father that he never thought possible and also finds what he wants to do with his life.

I loved how Julian changed and matured through the whole book as he met people that help him figure out who he is. To me he seemed to be like many fifteen year old kids would be while at the same time being someone who was trying to figure things out in his life. Another thing that I loved was that he can cook! That's one thing that many male characters aren't able to do.

I liked how his relationship with his father changed so much. At first they didn't really talk and seemed to be two people who had to live together while not knowing who the other was. At the end Julian had to take a tough decision and the time he spent with his father greatly influenced him. I loved Mrs. Peters! She was a great character that loved birds but that also helped Julian deal with his life.

This is such a short read that holds many things. It shows that we need to do the things that make us happy and not try to something that will make us unhappy. This is one of those books that I think everyone should read just because it's something different to what's out there but that is just as good!

I received the book for an honest review.