Book 1
A Life, Redefined by Tracy Hewitt Meyer
Genre: NA contemporary
Seven years ago, an innocent act by Rowan Slone turned her life into a nightmare. Since the age of ten she's lived with the burden of her baby brother's death. Now she is seventeen and all she wants to do is graduate high school, go to college, and escape the loveless family she has endured all these years—the same family that holds her responsible for his death. But no one holds her responsible more than herself.
When long-time crush Mike Anderson invites her to the Prom, suddenly her future looks brighter. Rowan's younger sister, Trina, however, is determined to ruin her new-found happiness, no matter the cost. And when Rowan discovers her mother’s long-held secret, she finds herself teetering on the edge of an abyss. Can Rowan find the strength to move toward the future or is she doomed to dwell in the past?
Book 2
A Life, Forward by Tracy Hewitt Meyer
Her father is gone. Her mother is in jail. And Rowan Slone has left her dysfunctional, violent past behind. With college looming on the horizon, she has a new job that she loves, and a safe place to call home. She is close to achieving everything she ever wanted-a sense of family, a sense of purpose, and a sense of self.
But there are cracks in Rowan's life that threaten to send her future crumbling to the ground. When her relationship begins to suffer, her father returns and her long-held secret is discovered, Rowan must find the courage to fight for the most important thing yet-herself.
Book 3
A Life, Freed by Tracy Hewitt Meyer
Genre: New Adult
On her own for the first time, Rowan Slone is no longer waiting for the future. She’s living in the present, and relishing every minute of it. She has a new boyfriend. She is helping best friend, Jess, raise her five-month-old son, Jacob. And she continues to work as Assistant Manager at the animal shelter-all while settling into her first semester of college. Rowan’s stars are aligned and she’s not looking back.
But all is not as golden as it seems. Being a young mother is too much for Jess to handle, leaving Rowan to shoulder much of the burden of raising Jacob. Trina becomes involved in a religious cult causing Rowan to fear she may have lost her sister forever. And her mother has a new psychiatrist whose goal is to get Rowan into therapy, forcing her to deal with her mother, and the past, once and for all.
Adding to the rising turmoil, Rowan’s first love, Mike Anderson, returns, and wants to see her. She is surprised how much she wants to see him too. But his sudden reappearance makes her wonder if there is room in her future for the boy with the pine-colored eyes or is it too little, too late?
As the winds begin to stir, threatening to send Rowan’s carefully-built life into a tailspin, she must search deep inside herself to discover what she truly wants. Will soul-searching help her achieve that elusive sense of peace and family she’s always craved or will the pain of the past prove too great?
Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
A Life, Freed is the third and final book in the Rowan Slone Series. In the first book, A Life, Redefined, Rowan discovers a family secret that changes everything she knows about herself and her life. Book two, A Life, Forward, follows Rowan as she tries to pick up the pieces after learning that harrowing secret. And in this last book, Rowan is on the cusp of being a strong, independent young woman, but she must deal with her past in order to have a future and the sense of family she’s always craved.
What inspired you to write it?
These books are raw and gritty and I see people suffering around me all the time. In writing these books, it was important to portray that no matter how bad things are, there is always hope. In the end, that’s what Rowan’s story is about - hope.
How did you come up with the idea for the cover?
For all three books in the series I worked with Blue Harvest Creative. We nailed down the cover model (Rowan) and then used different poses as the books progressed. They are books about a young woman trying to find her inner strength and that was the driving force behind the types of covers we did - focusing on the character and little else.
If it was made into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?
Rowan: A young Kristen Stewart could expose Rowan’s vulnerability; or a brunette Avril Lavigne, based on looks.
Trina (Rowan’s sister): Ashley Benson from Pretty Little Liars. She has fantastic facial expressions.
Mike Anderson (Rowan’s ex and love of her life): Zac Efron (as long as he has green eyes!).
Jess (Rowan’s best friend): That’s tough. Maybe Elizabeth Gillies from Victorious.
And Shane (Rowan’s current bf): a young Ryan Gosling.
What is it about this genre that appeals to you so much?
Plot moves fast and pulls no punches. Pretty simple.
What made you want to become an author?
I love stories-to read them and create them. I live half my life in a fantasy-land and always have.
How do you come up with character names?
I look up names on the internet, research famous people, think and think and think until it finally just clicks. Rowan Slone couldn’t have another name. Once it clicked, there was no other option.
Name one of your all-time favourite books?
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Who, or what, inspires you?
People and stories...people and their stories. Kindness, above all, inspires me. It can be difficult to be kind all of the time, but it is so important and vital.
Where is your favourite place to write?
In a leather chair in my office (where I can slip into a nap if I need to!) or the library. I love to be surrounded by books and quiet.
What is your favourite movie that was based on a book?
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, hands down. I’m borderline obsessed.
Name two of your favourite authors.
Oh my. How can a reader choose just two? I absorb books like I absorb air. I’ll say Gillian Flynn and Stieg Larsson. And, in my head, I’m still listing!
If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?
Dostoevsky, Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King. Now that would be some dinner party. Dostoevsky because I think his mind must have been a very dark place and that fascinates me. The same goes for Poe. Stephen King because he’s an author’s inspiration and I loved his book On Writing.
Tell us a random fact about yourself.
I sleep with my Kindle. I don’t even put it on the nightstand when I’m ready to go to sleep. I keep it by my arm or under my pillow so I can easily return to reading if I wake up in the middle of the night, which I do almost every night. I’m a bad sleeper.
Who would play you in the movie about your life?
Katie Holmes, probably because I’ve been told we look alike. This isn’t true, per se, but we both have long brown hair. I think people see that and poof! think we look alike.
Tell us an interesting fact about where you live.
I live near DC but can be in the mountains, with no trace of city life anywhere, within a short drive.
What are your (writing) plans for the future?
More and more books. I love to write. I’ve tried to stop when it’s become difficult or disheartening and I can’t. I’m working on an adult contemporary romance now. Stay tuned!
Tell us one thing that's on your bucket list.
To go to France, rent an RV and travel the countryside while Le Tour de France rolls by.
Favourite myth / fairytale?
Alice in Wonderland.
Who /What did you want to be when you were a kid?
A writer. Always a writer.
*Many thanks to Fiction Dreams for the interview!!
Such a pleasure, Tracy!!
Tracy Hewitt Meyer is a multi-genre, multi-published author of new adult fiction as well as adult paranormal and contemporary romance. She has a B.A. in English and a Master of Social Work, both of which feed her true passion-a love of writing. Born and raised in the beautiful state of West Virginia, Tracy now lives in the mid-east with her family, a goldendoodle, and a bearded dragon.
The Giveaway:
(5) ebook copies of A Life, Redefined (Book 1) by Tracy Hewitt Meyer
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Lucina Stone has a Master of Arts Degree in Clinical Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in depression, family conflict, LGBT affirmative therapy, and life coaching. She lives in New Jersey with her family. This is her debut novel.
