Fantastic books: Amour Amour Q&A with Krista & Becca Ritchie!

I am so excited to have been given the opportunity to interview this amazing authors! As you know, Amour Amour came out yesterday, and today you are able to have an exclusive look on what they think about this book.

And maybe something on Fuel the fire ;)

1. What inspired you to write this story?

Krista: Our first trip to Vegas last February, we saw Cirque du Soleil the Beatles’ Love and I remember after it ended, we both looked at each other with these huge grins—just knowing that this is something we had to write about. We’ve seen Cirque shows before and we’ve always been interested in it, but it really wasn’t until we went to Vegas and experienced the entire atmosphere did we sit down and say “okay, we’re going to do this.”

Becca: Exactly what Krista said :) We’d been fans of Cirque shows for so long, but it wasn’t until we saw Love in Vegas that we decided to create a story around the circus. The whole atmosphere moved us in certain ways that we knew we wanted to write this book.

2. Is Amour Amour very different from Addicted?

Krista: It’s really different. The tones are just far off. The Addicted series (Lily and Lo’s books) are very angsty and emotionally-driven. And there’s no large issue like addiction that we tackle in Amour Amour. It’s more about the romance and the circus and the people behind it. In the line of our work, it definitely falls in between Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower.

Becca: Amour Amour is really about stepping outside of your comfort zone and the risk involved with following your dreams. If you think about those two themes, it definitely falls in between KTS & HF. And even though it’s not a part of the Addicted series, our style of writing will always connect our books together. So it’s really different but it’ll still feel similar in some ways.

3. How did you chose a circus to be the main setting of this story?

Krista: We just find it so enthralling. We’ve been watching documentaries and docu-series about acrobats and the circus long before we ever considered writing a book about one. It’s the experiences that we know we’ll never have (like becoming an acrobat) that we love writing about the most.

Becca: Like Krista said, we’ve always been really interested in the circus. When PBS had a special on Big Apple circus, we freaked out and devoured each episode. We watched Fire Within (a crique docu-series) when we were growing up and we have this strong desire to literally see anything we can that takes us beind-the-scenes. I think that’s one reason we probably really, really wanted to write something that goes backstage of a Vegas circus show.

4. Is Nikolai very different from the male characters you usually write? Does he have similar aspects to other heroes in you're stories?

Krista: We always talk about how Nikolai is very very different than the guys in the Addicted series. We recently got asked on our Tumblr page to compare them to Loren, Ryke, and Connor (the men of the Addicted series). He’s honestly nothing like Loren. Not even an ounce.

Becca: But he does share certain similarities to Ryke and Connor. He’s very protective like Ryke and very mature like Connor. When Thora first meets him, he’s a complete mystery but very alluring, as a performer—so in that way he’s different from the other characters.

5. Can you tell us what to expect on this new romance?

Krista: Expect some sexual tension, lots of Vegas nightlife, the circus (of course), and some pretty steamy sexy times.

Becca: Also a giant Vegas pool party! We couldn’t resist adding this in there. And maybe even the most OMFG first few chapters we’ve ever written.

6. What can you tell us about Thora James?

Krista: She’s very confident and goal-oriented. Her dream is to become an acrobat in Vegas, joining the elite troupe in Aerial Ethereal. So she leaves her college, her family, and her friends in order to obtain that goal—even though it’s probably the scariest thing she’s ever done.

Becca: Thora describes herself as being “average” in the sense that she’s not supremely talented. She wasn’t on her way to the Olympics for gymanstics, but she has a love for this one thing (acrobatic circus) and tries her hardest to make it come true.

7. When you started writing Thora, did you integrated any characteristics from the calloway sisters, or she totally different?

Krista: We never intentionally wrote her saying she needed to have XYZ characteristics from any of the Calloway sisters. When we write characters, we try to build them from their backgrounds and their aspirations to make it more organic. But we always say that Thora ended up being an unintentional blend of Lily, Rose, and Daisy.

Becca: Thora ended up being a mix of all three girls, like Krista said. She shares a common attribute with probably each of them, like Daisy’s optimism and Rose’s independence.

8. What are you most excited about with this book?

Krista: For people to read it. We’re nervous-excited about it. But more excited than nervous. It’s been so long that it’s just been in our possession that we’re finally ready for other people to have it.

Becca: Definitely everyone reading it. This has been such a fun, addicting book to write and it’s really taken us a long time to achieve this version (the one we love the best) and we hope that you all enjoy it too. It’s a bit scary releasing something outside of the Addicted series for the first time—because it’s going to be natural for everyone to compare them. But we feel like Amour Amour fits perfectly within our work, and we feel so strongly about it :)

9. Anything you wanna add before we close?

Krista: Thanks so much for everyone considering reading Amour Amour! We love you big time <3

Becca: We love you all so much! There really are no words for how much we appreciate your readership and friendship – every reader is our friend, whether you realize it or not *hugs*

10. I know this is an Amour Amour interview, but fans are dying to know what to expect with Fuel the Fire? Anything you can sneak us on Connor & Rose in this new book?

Krista: Sneaky sneaky *wink wink* I wish we had some fun facts but most are too spoilery right now. We can say that some people in the Addicted series might be mentioned in Amour Amour ;)

Becca: Fuel the Fire! I wish we could start teasing that book right now! I’m already itching to start torturing all of you with teases :) But what Krista said… Addicted series may collide a bit with Amour Amour since they’re set in the same world. Look out for that!

Personally I am so excited to start this book, and look forward on meeting this two amazing characters! Nikolai sounds like an amazing man, and some sexy time never fails to get me in ;)

For anyone who doesn't know what fuel the fire is, Its the new book by this amazing authors that previously wrote the addicted series and are currently in the process of writting Damaged Like Us, which will be a spin-off on the Addicted series!

Love is a circus

"Every day,” he says lowly, “I hold a person’s life in my hands. The circus is based one-hundred percent off trust. I give it all to someone, and they give it all to me.”

The best aerial technique won’t land 21-year-old Thora James her dream role in Amour—a sexy new acrobatic show on the Vegas strip. Thora knows she’s out of her element the second she meets Amour’s leading performer. Confident, charming and devilishly captivating, 26-year-old Nikolai Kotova lives up to his nickname as the “God of Russia.”

When Thora unknowingly walks into the crosshairs of Nikolai’s after-show, her audition process begins way too soon. Unprofessional. That’s what Nik calls their “non-existent” relationship. It’s not like Thora can avoid him. For one, they may be partners in the future--acrobatic partners, that is. But getting closer to Nik means diving deeper into sin city and into his dizzying world.

Thora wants to perform with him, but when someone like Nikolai attracts the spotlight wherever he goes—Thora fears that she’s destined to be just background to his spellbinding show.

This sexy and exhilarating New Adult Romance can best be described as Cirque du Soleil meets the steamy, athletic romance of Center Stage.

*standalone & no love triangles—recommended for readers 18+ for mature content*

Get to know Krista & Becca!

AUTHOR BIO

Krista & Becca Ritchie are identical twins—one a science nerd, the other a comic book geek—but with their shared passion for writing, they combined their mental powers as kids and have never stopped telling stories. Now in their early twenties, they write about other twenty-somethings navigating through life, college, and romance. They love superheroes, flawed characters, and soul mate love.

They are the New Adult authors of the Addicted series and Calloway Sisters spin-off series, and you can find them on almost every social media, frolicking around like wannabe unicorns.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: http://kbritchie.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kbritchie

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KBRitchie

Tumblr: http://kbmritchie.tumblr.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/kbmritchie

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kbmritchie/