Elisa Dane’s EX FACTOR

Title: EX-FACTOR

Author: Lisa Sanchez/ Elisa Dane

Series: Diamond Girls

Published by: Swoon

Date published: April 14, 20134

Genres: contemporary

Book Length: 207 pages

Main Characters: Neveah Evans and Bodie Scot

Add to GoodReads

Buy on Amazon

 

 

 

 

 

BIsynopsis

Nevaeh Evan’s life is uprooted after her father’s death, when she moves in with her aunt and cousin, Livvie. Her plan to lay low at her new high school isn’t working. Her friend’s jerky boyfriend keeps asking her out, the guy she likes treats her like garbage, and the thought of tumbling again makes her want to hurl. 

So when her aunt pushes her into joining the elite X-FACTOR cheer leading squad, Navaeh goes along with it. 

But Nev feels she doesn’t deserve to be happy. Not after what happened the night her father died. 

Bodie Scott knows about grief all too well. Critically injured in an alcohol related accident the year before, Bodie struggles with the fact that he’ll never play football again, and he’s so far behind in credits he can’t see straight. That is, until he meets Nev. Haunted by their bloody pasts and wary of a shared future, Nev and Bodie turn to one another for comfort and support, and realize they’re not so alone after all. And when the party scene at school threatens the life of a loved one, the two stop at nothing to keep the past from repeating itself.

BIAuthorbio

7450641ELISA DANE is a self-proclaimed book junkie. A lover of handbags, chocolate, and reality television, she’s a proud mother to three All- Star cheerleaders. Writing is her absolute passion, and it’s her mission to create stories that will not only take you on a romantic journey that will warm your heart, but help you find a new respect and interest in the sport of All-Star cheerleading.

Elisa is no stranger to the publishing world. She writes steamy paranormal romance under her real name, Lisa Sanchez. Her adult works include the Hanford Park series (Eve Of Samhain, Pleasures Untold, and Faythe Reclaimed), Obsessed (an erotic suspense), and a paranormal novella, Cursing Athena. Elisa lives in Northern California with her husband, three daughters, and a feisty Chihuahua who stubbornly believes she’s human.

 

Contact her on Facebook at  Elisa Dane, and Lisa Sanchez Romance Author or Twitter @ElisaDane, and @LisaSanchez3.

 

BIinterview
 
1.  You often write paranormal books, like Eve of Samhain and Obsessed. How is the process or experience of writing different for a more realistic contemporary novel like Ex Factor?
Honestly, I feel like I found my niche in contemporary YA. I’ve got three daughters, and more often than not, my house is filled with teens. They’re what I know, so venturing into YA was easy for me.
 
2. Who is your favorite character in the book and why? 

Oh, goodness. That’s a tough question! I’ve got some made love for Bodie, but I’m going to have to go with Nev. Life’s tossed her into a blender filled with unholy amounts of grief and sent her spinning. I love her journey. She’s a tough girl who struggles to stay afloat in spite of what the cosmos throws at her, and I love how she manages to grow and discover she’s deserving of love and friendship despite

the poor decisions she’s made in the past.
 
3.  Besides being a contemporary, this could also be called an “issue” book about teen drinking and driving. Was it difficult to balance wanting to deal with a serious social issue without sounding “preachy” or like a public service announcement if you know what I mean? 
Honestly, when I was writing Ex Factor, I was worried about sounding preachy, or coming off like an after school special. I wrote the story shortly after attending an Every 15 Minutes program at my daughter’s school. The pain I witnessed
was heartbreaking, as well as eye-opening, and I tried hard to incorporate the same level of emotion into the story. Everyone should attend an Evert 15 Minutes program. You’ll walk away a changed person.
 
4. What has the response been to the book with this message? I imagine you are touching on some things that many people, sadly, have experienced – how do your readers react?
The response has been great! I’ve actually had a couple of reviewers share their own experiences and losses due to drinking and driving, which breaks my heart. This issue—drinking and driving is so easily combated. If you know you’re going to be drinking, get yourself a designated driver. If you can’t make that happen, call a friend, call a cab. For teens, I think it’s SO important that they know it’s safe to call mom and dad if they’ve put themselves in a situation where they’ve had something to drink and can’t drive home. I think a lot of parents have a “Not my kid” attitude, so they don’t engage in active conversation about the subject. It should be a regular conversation.
 
 
 
5. The Ex Factor is the first in a series, yes? Could you share a little with us about what’s ahead? How many books do you envision for the series and who will we meet in them?
Yes, Ex Factor is the first book in the Diamond Girl trilogy. Book two (Unbreakable) is currently out. The story centers around Livvie, who we’ve met in Ex Factor, and deals with domestic abuse. Defenseless
is the final book in the trilogy and is currently with my editors at Swoon Romance. The final installment centers around the always sassy Claire, and a broken fighter named Ryker Vaughn.IN

BIexcerpt

“Ahh… Mr. Scott!” My gaze automatically swept to the front of the classroom, Keltar’s loud, obnoxious voice almost impossible to ignore. “So good of you to grace us with your presence today. I trust you’ve learned something during your time away from school? Violence is never the answer, young man.” Frowning, the surly Santa wannabe begrudgingly swept a pink slip of paper from a tall, muscular boy dressed in dark clothing.

My heart jumped a little in my chest as I surveyed the colossal mass of male student at the front of the class. What the hell were the people of Indigo Falls feeding their sons? Some type of über growth hormone? Over half the guys in the school looked as though they belonged on the cover of a weightlifting magazine—chiseled, as if cut from granite. And what was that about violence, and time away from school? Had he gotten into a fight? From his size, he looked like someone who could deliver massive amounts of pain with ease.

The new guy stood in complete silence as Keltar continued on, delivering the same tired speech he’d given me upon entering the room. The same nervous feeling that had plagued me when I entered the school just a short time ago returned with a vengeance, and I caught myself struggling to breathe. What the hell? The new guy, whoever he was, had a bizarre effect on me, and to be honest, it was freaking me out a little. I mean, hell… I hadn’t even seen his face and I had butterflies whirling in my stomach. How was that possible? What kind of person had that type of effect on people?

He turned around then, and the answers to my unspoken questions all but slapped me upside the face.

Holy Mary, Mother of Pearl…

If boys were classified into two shades: light and dark, my Paper Thief, Eli would hover somewhere in the realm of ivory or beige. But this new guy was dark. We’re talking black down to the very pit of his soul type dark.

Ebony eyes void of emotion swept over the room before finally settling on his seat: the empty chair next to Erin. Short, dark hair hugged his skull, bringing attention to the chiseled line of his jaw. His features were strong, hard, and entirely masculine—beautiful. No joke, he looked like an avenging angel hell bent on mayhem and destruction. Bad. The boy was bad to the bone.

Heat scorched my neck and cheeks and my pulse ratcheted up another notch.

Electricity arced through the air as he neared the table, and the oxygen in the room seemed to thin even more. Incapable of speech or movement, I sat open-mouthed, gaping at him like an imbecilic fool. The black T-shirt he wore stretched across his broad chest like a second skin, and revealed a set of arms, one of which sported a wicked tribal tattoo. His gait was confident, yet lazy, and clearly shouted “I don’t give a fuck. I’m only here because I have to be, so stay the hell out of my way.”

Erin cleared her throat and cast me a knowing “Well, well, well. Look who thinks the bad boy is hot” smirk.

The boy’s most stand out feature was a jagged scar which ran from the center of his skull, down along the top of his left ear. It ended just below the left half of his jaw. The skin was thick, raised and silvery pink making it obvious that whatever trauma had placed it there hadn’t happened that long ago.


Heat scored the base of my skull, and I reached, as if on autopilot, for the fat, rigid bump that crawled across my hairline. How had he gotten his scar? A hundred different scenarios played out in my head, none of which included the circumstance that had earned me mine.

BIgiveaway

 

SteffSig

One Response to “Elisa Dane’s EX FACTOR”

  1. Steff says:

    Thanks for stopping by, Elisa! This one goes on the TBR list for sure.

Leave a Reply to Steff

CommentLuv badge