Model Position by Kitsy Clare-Review, Interview and Giveaway

Model Position
by Kitsy Clare
Release Date: February 20, 2014
Genre: contemporary, new adult, romance

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MODEL POSITION by Kitsy Clare

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 20, 2014

For Sienna, love and art are perilous games. Is she ready to take that gamble?

Sienna is a beautiful, talented artist poised on the precipice of soaring into the glamorous, yet cutthroat Manhattan art scene.

Dave Hightower is a hooked-up, handsome heir to the hippest gallery in NYC, Gallery Hightower.

Erik is the live drawing model with his sizzling green eyes fixed only on Sienna.

Three’s a crowd, so Sienna must make a choice: date Dave and ride the fast track to landing a show at Gallery Hightower and hobnobbing with the art glitterati, or follow her heart and take a chance with Erik, the stunning male model who’s stealing her heart. But Erik has some worrisome secrets, and who in their right mind would make live modeling their career?

Dare Sienna throw away her chances of hitting it big to follow her heart?

••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: MODEL POSITION is a new adult, contemporary romance novella by Kitsy Clare focusing on graduate art student Sienna and the two men in her life. Dave Hightower is the heir to the Hightower Art Gallery and Erik is a model and painter whose beauty is not lost on any of the classroom students.

Kitsy Clare pulls the reader into a short story of one woman and her chance to make it big in the world of artists and graphic arts. When Dave offers to introduce Sienna to the woman in charge of one of the most prestigious galleries Sienna jumps at the chance only to realize that perhaps her relationship with Dave is not what is seems. When she finds herself inexplicably attracted to the latest model, Sienna must chose between what she knows she wants and what she know is right-but are the two inseparable?

MODEL POSITION is a quick and simple romantic read. There is no graphic sex or graphic language but there is an undeniable attraction between Sienna and Erik that will make your heart flutter. This is a story of attraction; about two people who know what they want and they want one another. The sexual tension builds with every encounter and you can almost feel the desire and burn.

The characters are likeable even Dave and his misguided intensions; you understand the attraction, the anxiety and the building romance between Sienna and Erik; and you can sympathize with the misdirected feelings between two people when the future is on the line. Although there are two men vying for Sienna’s heart, this is not a true love triangle storyline-there is none of the indecision or angst in the choice; there is no drama or internal fight-Sienna knows her heart and her heart wants only one man.

If you like a cute, romantic storyline where everyone gets his or her HEA then MODEL POSITION is the perfect read for a lazy afternoon.

Copy supplied by the author.

Reviewed by Sandy

 

TRC: Hi Kitsy and welcome to The Reading Café.

Kitsy: Well, hello to you too!

TRC: We’d like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

FOLLOW: Website / Facebook/ Goodreads/ Twitter

Kitsy: I started out as an artist, attending art school, though I was always writing seriously on the side—always! Eventually I realized that I was much more interested in writing, and at that point, I did an MFA in creative writing. I sold my thesis to Random House! It was my first YA (Refugees). I live in NYC but I’m from Philadelphia and I go back to hang out there often.

TRC: You also write YA novels under the name Catherine Stine. Do you have plans for a new release in 2014?

Kitsy: Yes, I’ve written a YA magical realist/horror tale inspired by Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray. My novel, Dorianna, has a female lead. It’s a cautionary tale for the Internet Generation, and it has a smoking love triangle. ☺ Look for it in fall 2014.

TRC: Which genre do you believe is easier to write and why? Or do they each have individual challenges?

Kitsy: YA lit is focused on the teen coming of age, with first kiss/crush and interactions with high school friends and rivals. New Adult lit is more about finding one’s place in the larger world with first long-term love, first full-time job, figuring out one’s career and where to settle down. New adult is also very focused on the love relationship, yet it is not simply YA with more sex. It’s about finding one’s identity in the world in large part through dealing with a serious relationship. Right now I like the ability to delve more deeply into a love relationship that NA offers, but I enjoy writing for both age groups.

TRC: Model Position is your February 2014 contemporary, New Adult release. Would you please tell us something about the premise?

Kitsy: Because I went to art school, and I showed my paintings in NYC, I have many story ideas featuring artists and the inside scoop on the art world, which I think people are quite curious about. Plus artists are sexy risk-takers who are often very colorful personalities!

Here’s the story summary of Model Position:

In Manhattan’s glitzy gallery scene love and art are perilous games. Will Sienna dare to play?

Sienna is a beautiful, talented artist poised on the precipice of soaring into the glamorous, yet cutthroat Manhattan art scene.
Dave Hightower is a hooked-up, handsome heir to the hippest gallery in NYC, Gallery Hightower.

Erik is the live drawing model with his sizzling green eyes fixed only on Sienna.

Three’s a crowd, so Sienna must make a choice: date Dave and ride the fast track to landing a show at Gallery Hightower and hobnobbing with the art glitterati, or follow her heart and take a chance with Erik, the stunning male model who’s stealing her heart. But Erik has some worrisome secrets, and who in their right mind would make live modeling their career?

TRC: Are any of the characters based in reality or a culmination of fact and fiction?

Kitsy: My characters are always an amalgam of the real and the imagined. For instance, Sienna from Model Position shares my early awe and intimidation with the art world, and then I added in a neat-freak quirk that makes it hard for her to dive into the actual mess of oil painting! One of Sienna’s dates, Dave Hightower is inspired by a familiar artist type, but with an added dash of family money and impeccable clothing thrown in. The gallery owner, Lydia is based on some scary, narcissistic dealers I knew! Not mentioning any names…

TRC: If you could virtually cast the leading characters in this storyline, which models or actors best represents your ideal image?

Kitsy: Erik, the live drawing model would be Charlie Hunnam (from Sons of Anarchy).

Sienna, the main character would be Evan Rachel Wood or Carey Mulligan.

Dave Hightower, the rich artist would be James Marsden or Adam Brody.

TRC: How do you keep the plot unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Kitsy: My favorite thing is to create lots of plot twists and spicy surprises. You don’t have to sacrifice believability if you write in a compelling, honest way that inspires readers to invest in the story.

TRC: Are you a plotter or a panster (write by the ‘seat of your pants’)?

Kitsy: When I first started out I didn’t outline. Now I always do; it saves a lot of time in the long run, and it’s wise to know where your story is going. That said, the story takes turns that even I didn’t expect! When that happens I revise my outline—nothing super-detailed, just a spare road map.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Kitsy: My characters sometimes step out of my outline and start to act and speak in unexpected ways. For instance, in my YA futuristic thriller, Ruby’s Fire, the guy I planned for Ruby to get together with was not who she ended up with! Yet, it was an organic change that made total sense.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writers fail in this endeavor?

Kitsy: A writer’s first job is to entertain. A writer’s second task is to pull a reader in through the characters’ emotions. I tell my students when I teach workshops that each scene must have an emotional heart. This also holds true for the novel as a whole. Part of the craft is voice, and the other is the ability to make us care deeply about the fictional world. Sometimes the characters are too formulaic. But even if they are interesting, if there’s not enough action or high stakes to propel the story, we don’t care enough. One must examine plot, voice, character, stakes, all of it to diagnose issues and revise properly.

TRC: Writer’s Block is a very real phenomenon. How do you handle the pressures and anxiety of writer’s block?

Kitsy: I don’t think I have it. I think often what folks call writers’ block is really the state of being where you’re in the process of starting a new project and you haven’t yet figured out enough of the plot to charge ahead with confidence. At those times I do something else—read, free-write, teach, travel. I start in again once I’ve figured out the plot in my head.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Kitsy: I discuss story ideas with friends who enjoy talking plotlines, and my writers’ group who also does retreats together. We sit around and babble on about kinds of crazy plot ideas. It’s fun!

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Kitsy: I’m working on the second new adult romance novella in the Art of Love series, of which Model Position is the first. Sienna gets an internship with an edgy, super-rich, very difficult artist named Casper (Caz) Mason. I love working on it because you never know what Caz will do next, and how Sienna will react! It’s called Private Internship. I’m hoping it’ll be out later this year, so I recommend you read Model Position in order to be up to date with Sienna’s world.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Kitsy: Just a big, warm thank you for inviting me to be interviewed today! I had fun.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: broccoli raab

Favorite Dessert: coffee frozen yogurt

Favorite TV Shows: True Detective and Almost Human

Last Movie You Saw: Nebraska—harsh but worth it

Dark or Milk Chocolate: milk, with almonds

Secret Celebrity Crush: Joachim Phoenix, Charlie Hunnam

Last Vacation Destination: The Dominican Republic for New Years—good beaches!

Pet Peeve: waiting for the repairman or a delivery *screams with frustration*

TRC: Thank you, Kitsy for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of MODEL POSITION. We wish you all the
best.

Kitsy Clare is offering an ebook copy of MODEL POSITION to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe

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5. Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY

6. Giveaway runs from March 19- 22, 2014