Character Interview Brooke Moss, The What If Guy, Autumn Cole
Thanks for having me here today! I’ve invited Autumn Cole, the protagonist in my new novel, The What if Guy, to talk to your readers today. She is very excited about talking to her fans. So without further ado…let’s meet Autumn!
So Autumn, tell me a little about you:
My name is Autumn Cole, I live in Seattle, Washington…er, I guess that’s not true anymore. I recently moved back to my puny hometown of
What are your hobbies? How did these come about?
I love to paint. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of murals. I like anything that has to do with the fine arts. Galleries, art shows, listening to my son practice his cello…
What is your job and how did you come to do that?
My job at the Pharmacy was thrust upon me by my father, who scored a discount on cigarettes by committing me to the job. I guess I shouldn’t complain too much. I’m lucky to have a job in this tiny town, where there are so few to go around. I mostly dust and clean, and occasionally ring up a purchase for a customer. I think my main duty is entertaining Doris and Helen, my coworkers.
Do you have an enemy or nemesis?
Layla Deberaux and I have been at each other’s throats since we were teenagers. She used to make fun of me for being flat chested and for having a drunk for a father. The latter was more hurtful than anything.
What is the biggest challenge you face in the story?
My father is very, very ill, and I’ve let years pass without seeing him. I have to make up some serious time with him before I lose him. Oh, and there’s the fact that everywhere I turn, the one man I never stopped loving seems to appear. And I can’t forget the fact that my twelve year old son is less than pleased to be here in
What is the one event that you feel has helped to shape your personality?
When I found myself a single mom with a newborn little boy, I was forced to become a responsible and self-sufficient woman, whether I liked it or not. I didn’t want to skulk back to
What is your earliest memory from your childhood?
After my mom left us, I was a pretty sad little kid. My dad wasn’t always a very functional man, but he tried his very best. I remember him juggling gallons of milk to make me laugh. One time he dropped one, and it exploded all over the kitchen. I laughed and laughed.
Are you involved in a romance?
I…well…er…I….honestly, I don’t know. I mean, when I found out that Henry was living in
Favorite Sports Franchise?
In our house we have no choice but to support the Seattle Mariners baseball team. If we didn’t, my father would kick us out for sure.
What is the one thing you want the most in the whole world?
More time. Time with my father, time with Elliott, time with Henry.
If you could say one thing to your readers, what would it be?
I hope my story inspires you go after the one who holds your heart, and to make amends with your loved ones that you might not be on good terms with, because you never know when it might be too late.
If you could say one thing to your author, what would it be?
Why did you have to make me so clumsy?
It sure was cool to revisit my character today. I am thrilled to be sharing my debut novel, The What If Guy with the world! It tells the tale of single mother, Autumn Cole, who is returning to the miniscule town of her youth, to reluctantly reclaim her role as daughter of the town drunk. Her life becomes even more complicated when she realizes that her son’s history teacher, is the college sweetheart she dumped but never forgot. I look forward to hearing from all of my readers, to find out what they think of The What If Guy.
The What If Guy is available at Amazon, B&N, Books On Board, and at your local bookseller. A special thanks goes to Entangled Publishing for their amazing prizes and giveaways. Thanks guys!
Find me on the web at Website, Blog, Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook.
Excerpt
xcerpt #1: The What If Guy, by Brooke Moss
E
Seattle, Washington
“Why are you doing this?”
The desperate, sad look in Henry’s eyes made my heart ache. His brown hair fell across his forehead in rain-soaked waves, and his eyelashes gathered in dampened clumps. Henry’s eyes, the same shade of gray as the weeping clouds above us, searched my face for answers I was too ashamed to give.
“What we have is real, Autumn.” He pulled me against his chest. I felt his heart pounding through the wet fabric of his soft, flannel shirt, and we trembled in unison, standing on the front steps of Henry’s apartment building. “Why do you want to break up? Don’t you love me?”
“Don’t do this,” I said weakly. My eyes filled with hot tears that threatened to undermine my brave façade. When he grazed his fingers across my cheekbone, swiping away a tear, I instinctively turned my face into his hand, breathing in the warm, outdoorsy aroma of Henry.
My Henry.
He kissed my cheeks, my temples, my shivering lips. My resolve started to crumble. Strength. I needed to show strength. I needed to walk away before I ruined his life, before I hurt him any more than I already had.
“Tell me that you don’t love me,” he whispered into my drenched hair, tangling his fingers in my curls. “Tell me, and I’ll let you go.”
I choked on a sob. I did love Henry. The past two months had been the best months of my life. Not once had I dreamt of meeting someone who made me feel safe, peaceful, beautiful, and deliriously happy, the way Henry Tobler made me feel. I wanted to be with him—and no one else—forever.
“Of course I love you,” I said.
“Then why are you doing this?” His voice cracked.
I shivered in Henry’s arms, not only from the cold, but also from the burden I
bore. Pulling back, I raised my eyes to meet his. “I….I’m pregnant.” My words were barely audible over the sound of the pounding rain and passing traffic.
His face morphed from shock to anger, then settled on absolute sadness. We hadn’t slept together yet.
“It was from before,” I explained lamely, feeling dirty as the words came out my mouth. Henry’s shoulders drooped. He released me and a shadow fell across his eyes. That said it all. His girlfriend was pregnant with someone else’s child.
Henry deserved better than me.
I had to get out of here. I backed away, down the cement steps and onto the sidewalk. I rubbed my chest, my heart breaking just beneath the surface.
“I’m sorry,” I said, words quavering. “I’m so sorry.” I turned and ran. Away from love.
What would you do if your “what if” guy showed up at the lowest point of
your life?
(Autumn Cole clocked hers with an encyclopedia.)
After losing her job at a swanky Seattle art gallery and finding out her father
has been hospitalized, single mother Autumn Cole reluctantly returns to her
tiny hometown of Fairfield, Washington to put the pieces of her life back
together.
Her disgruntled twelve‐year old son isn’t thrilled about going from hip to
hick, but Autumn’s got it worse. She resumes her role as the daughter of
the town drunk, promptly facing a crisis with her father that’s been decades
in the making.
Running into Henry Tobler, and nearly breaking his nose, is almost more
than she can handle, but can rediscovering love–and herself–with her “what
if” guy teach Autumn to forgive before it’s too late?
August 3rd, 2011 at 12:42 pm
I love reading these interviews. Now i really want to read the book.