Character Interviews,  Suspense

Character Interview: Cassidy Novak @stacyjuba #RLFblog #Suspense

Young Ladies of Mystery
Stacy Juba, welcome to Romance Lives Forever. We’re excited to
interview your character, Cassidy Novak from the book, Sink or Swim.
Genre: Mystery/Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Thunder Horse Press
Cover artist: Karen A. Phillips (through Mainly Murder Press
as originally published in paperback)
Length: 241 pages
Heat rating: PG13 (Sweet romance subplot)
Tagline: For reality show runner-up Cassidy Novak, it’s hard
enough being famous and not rich. When a stalker shows up, reality TV has never
been so real.
Blurb: A fun beach read endorsed by contestants from Survivor,
Big Brother, and The Amazing Race. Ambitious personal trainer Cassidy Novak has
gained fame for starring on Sink or Swim, a hit reality show. Not only does she
lose and have to walk the plank, but after the game show ends, the terror begins.
Upon returning home, Cassidy discovers she has attracted a stalker masterminding
his own twisted game. She struggles to focus on her health club job and celebrity
endorsement opportunities, but her stalker has other plans. As her former competitors
get knocked off one-by-one, Cassidy refuses to play by the stalker’s bizarre rules.
She’s also being shadowed by hunky photographer Zach Gallagher, who has been assigned
to capture her personal moments for a spread in the local newspaper. She wants to
trust Zach, but fears he may not be what he seems. When the stalker forces a showdown,
Cassidy must once again walk the plank…this time for her life.
Buy links:
Barnes and Noble http://ow.ly/kEywi
Kobo http://ow.ly/kEz7K
Also available as part of the Young Ladies of Mystery Boxed Set:
http://stacyjuba.com/blog/young-ladies-of-mystery-boxed-set/
What are your main characters’ names, ages, and occupations?
Cassidy Novak: 25, personal trainer and fitness director for
a health club

Interview with Cassidy Novak

Tell us about yourself.
I’m a personal trainer and fitness director for Spike’s Muscle
Madness. (I’m trying not to cringe as I answer.) I LOVE helping people to lead a
healthier lifestyle and educating them about fitness and wellness, however, Spike
is interested in his bottom line and not in advocating health. I have a hard time
working anywhere that offers tanning beds, which can cause skin cancer. My goal
is to establish my own chain of fitness centers, but I’m in debt due with my college
loans. That’s why I went on the new reality TV show Sink or Swim, because I was
hoping to win enough money to start following my dream.
Tell us about (insert lover name here).
Zach Gallagher. He is a photographer for the local newspaper
that’s doing a series on my return home after my months competing on Sink or Swim.
He’s gorgeous and has this sexy Texas
drawl. He looks cute in a cowboy hat, though who knew I was attracted to cowboys?
He’s so easygoing though, that it drives me crazy. We’re complete opposites because
I’m so driven. He’s hiding something though, and I’m starting to wonder what’s going
on with him.
What do you think is your strongest point?
My determination and my vision. When I have a goal, I see it
clearly in my mind and I do whatever it takes to pursue it.
What would Zach say is your strongest point?
He’d probably say that he admires how I want to help people have
healthy lifestyles. He’s always teasing me about how I nag my family to watch what
they eat, but I think he admires how I want to take care of people.
What would Zach say is your biggest weakness?
He thinks I’m afraid of failure. Zach thinks I ought to start
with opening one small fitness center and to forget about launching a chain of them,
at least for now. He thinks I’m focusing on this unattainable goal that could take
years to accomplish because I’m afraid to open my own business. Zach thinks I’m
procrastinating. That’s ridiculous. Did I mention that he thinks I’m stubborn, too?
Sink or Swim
What was it like where you grew up?
I grew up in a small suburban town in New
England called Garrett. My dad took off when I was four and I never
saw him again. My mom, Pepper, is flaky but I love her. I was psyched when she married
my stepfather Glenn, but they’re divorced now. He’s still an important part of my
life, though. So is Bo, my younger brother.
What do you wish was different about your life?
I wish I had enough money to open that chain of fitness centers!
I don’t like working for other people. I really want to be self-sufficient and not
have to depend on anyone else for my income.
If you were given your fondest wish, what would it be?
It would be for my dad to have stayed in my life instead of running
away from his family.
Describe a place of perfect refuge.
Jogging around the track or lifting weights. Exercise helps me
to escape from my thoughts and to be fully present in my body. It clears my head.
As a child, who was your best friend? Tell us about him/her.
I don’t know if I ever really had a special best friend. I wasn’t
anti-social by any means – I did have friends. But a best friend? I guess it’s sad
that I can’t answer it. I wish I knew Zach when we were kids. I wonder if he still
wore a cowboy hat?
What do you wish I had asked you? Please ask and answer it
now.
I wish you had asked me how I am dealing with the stalker who
is terrorizing Sink or Swim contestants. I don’t know who this psycho is, but he’s
messing with the wrong girl.

About the Author

Stacy Juba has made numerous bestseller lists including GalleyCat’s
Barnes & Noble Bestsellers, GalleyCat’s Mystery and Thriller Bestsellers, and
multiple Amazon Top 100 lists, and she has also been ranked as one of the Most Popular
Authors in Mysteries on Amazon. She has had a book ranked as #5 in the Nook Store
and #30 on the Amazon Kindle Paid List. Stacy has written about reality TV contestants
targeted by a killer, an obit writer investigating a cold case, teen psychics who
control minds, twin high school hockey stars battling on the ice, and teddy bears
learning to raise the U.S.
flag: she pursues whatever story ideas won’t leave her alone. She is a former journalist
with more than a dozen writing awards to her credit.

Previous Books

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today (adult mystery/romantic suspense)
25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back (essay
anthology)
Dark Before Dawn (YA paranormal)
Face-Off (YA sports novel)
The Flag Keeper and the Teddy Bear Town Children’s Bundle (children’s
picture books)

Books Coming Soon

A brand new romantic comedy/sweet romance inspired by the Cinderella
theme.

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