Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Collaboration by Michelle Lynn & Nevaeh Lee Review & Interview

Synopsis:

This is not your typical rock star romance. For one, the “rock star” is a rapper. And not just any rapper. Trace is the hottest ticket in the music industry right now, regardless of which definition of ‘hot’ you choose.

Taryn Starr is not the girl-next-door who unknowingly meets a celebrity. Known as “America’s Sweetheart,” the reigning country music princess and world-renowned superstar knows exactly who Trace is…or does she?

Their worlds collide when the musicians whose paths were never destined to cross are forced by their joint record label to collaborate on a song. The sparks fly and ignite a fire that blazes hotter with every minute they spend together—for better or worse. One thing’s for certain, the two media magnets can’t deny their explosive chemistry, but will life in the spotlight ultimately bring Trace and Taryn together or force them apart?

***This contemporary romance new adult novel is for mature audiences. The language alone would make a sailor blush (the guy’s a rapper, remember?) so 18+ only, please.

Goodreads:

My Review

5 of 5 Trace & Taryn

Okay where to start with this review..... I have no idea because my emotions are all over the place. I loved loved this book and I need more of Trace and Taryn. I love rap music and I love country music so when I started reading about Taryn and Trace I was so excited.

Taryn is country's music sweetheart. She sings her heart out night after night but she is not happy. She is almost like a robot because her mother tells her what to do and when to do it and she has her record label breathing down her neck as well. So when she finds out she is going to be doing a collaboration with rap stars superstar Trace she tells her mother no way no how because she is not going to be doing no song with him. But her mother tells her she will do the song or the label is done with her.

Trace is number one in the rap world and he is loving it. Well not really because there are so many demands on him and he can't do anything because the paparazzi is on him like white on rice and he has to be very careful what he does and what he says. He is known as the bad boy male ho of the rap world. Then he is thrown a curve ball to get his image back under control. He is told he will do a collaboration with country music's sweetheart and he is like hell no! 

As the two start the collaboration they also begin a friendship. They talk all the time and text in between shows because they are both on tour. So when they get together to do the video for their song the two of them realize they have feelings for one another but can the feelings ever go anywhere? Can Trace and Taryn find a common ground and become a couple? This is a MUST READ!!!!!!!

Interview With Nevaeh:

Today on Kaidans Seduction we have a special guest Nevaeh Lee author of Collaboration. Nevaeh thank you so much for stopping by. First I have to say that after reading Collaboration I was an emotional mess. I have never read a book where I had to put it down because I was crying like crazy. I mean you read about stars getting together and breaking up but this one was so crazy because you never really stop to think about what the artist is going through and how they are trying to maintain a relationship out of the public eye. I love Trace & Taryn. They both come from different worlds Trace being a rap artist and Taryn being the Country music sweetheart.

How did you and Michelle Lynn come up with the idea for Collaboration?

Ironically enough, it was watching a music video (a collaboration, of course;) between BoB and Hayley Williams (of Paramore) called “Airplanes”. I liked the idea of two different artists from different genres coming together and imagined what would happen if they really came together. Looks-wise, neither of those artists were the inspiration, just the video really, especially the part where BoB raps about just wanting to get back to making music, a time before the “rap game.”

What made you decide to combine rap and country music together? 

After I broached Michelle with the idea, we decided we wanted the girl to be a country artist, since the contrast would be even greater. I mean, are there really any two musical genres more opposite? I’m from Texas so it made it easy for Taryn to be from there (even though I didn’t end up writing her), and Michelle lives near Chicago, which is where quite a few rappers are originally from.

Is Trace created after someone you know?

Don’t I wish! ;) No, his looks are based on the actor, Michael Ealy, and his beautiful blue-eyed self.

Is Taryn created after someone you know?

Nope, not really. A lot of comparisons have been made between her and Taylor Swift, and I can see that, but she’s really her own artist and the collaboration with Trace was her first venture outside of country music.

Trace is this hard core rapper on stage but off stage he is so different what made Trace think twice about Taryn?

Ooh, good question. I think he was drawn in by what how pure she was (not necessarily in the sexual sense;), but just genuine, you know? She loved making music and her fans (especially the younger ones) and she wasn’t caught up in the fame and fortune of it all, which deep-down, was a lot like Trace. She was also beautiful, which I’m sure didn’t hurt any LOL.

When did Trace know he wanted Taryn? What triggered that hardness in his heart to let her in?

I think what had him hook, line, and sinker was when he first heard her sing in the recording studio…somehow that got to him in a way that looks didn’t. That and seeing how serious she was about her craft, just like he was. Seeing that she was more than just a star being puppeted around by the record label. Letting her in was more of a process though; I’m not sure that happened all at once, not unlike real life, right?

Taryn is America’s sweetheart but what is she really like inside? What did she really want to do in the music industry?

Taryn truly is a sweetheart. Fortunately, she had her dad someone who kept her grounded because there’s no telling what she would have been like if it had just been her mom in the picture (a certain Lindsay Lohan comes to mind though). She really was all about the music, writing songs, performing them, making people feel because of the music she made. The stardom (and her mother) was something she just tolerated.

Why didn’t Taryn get together with Ryder? Ryder loved her something fierce and it killed him every time she turned him down.

Yeah, I’m not so certain Ryder actually loved her though. She was convenient for him, they spent a lot of time together and had a lot in common, but I don’t think he truly loved her, and maybe she sensed that. Ryder still has some growing up to do (and I’m sure that will happen quickly in the spotlight, where he is now) and someday soon you might see him get him own happily-ever-after ;)

When did Taryn realize she had fallen for Trace? What made her realize she wanted him and would sacrifice everything to be with him?

Hmm…Michelle might be a better one to ask but I’ll give that one a try. Taryn was attracted to Trace from the very beginning, there’s no doubt about that, but I’m not sure there was a single moment she “fell” for him. Recording with him, the talking and texts, and then of course, the infamous “video scene” all played their parts, but I think they were a build up to that point when she knew they should be together.

Why did Taryn’s mother treat her the way she did?

Because she was a bitch? LOL No really, Taryn’s mom was living vicariously through her daughter and she didn’t want anything to jeopardize what she had worked towards, even if it wasn’t what Taryn wanted. Basically, she cared more about the success and money and all that than she did her daughter.

When writing Collaboration how much of a role did music play? What did you listen to on loop?

Music was a huge part of Collaboration, both from a story standpoint and in the way that we were inspired to write. Because I wrote Trace, I spent a lot of time listening to any and all rap, while my co-author, Michelle, said she spent a lot of time listening to country. I also spent quite a bit of time on the rapgenius website while “researching.”

What song describes Trace?

I think different songs describe him at different points in the story. At the beginning, “If you could see me now” by the The Script fits him perfectly. His relationship with the music business in general is reflected in “Airplane” by BoB feat. Hayley Williams. After he meets Taryn, “Everything has Changed” by Taylor Swift feat. Ed Sheeran.

What song describes Taryn?

“The Lucky One” by Taylor Swift 

What is your favorite rap song?

Hmm…that’s a tough one. Right now it’s “Same Love” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. I love when artists make a statement with their music, rather than just putting people down.

What is your favorite country song?

I don’t listen to hardly any country, but I did hear a song the other day I liked called “Give me back my hometown” by Eric Church. “Cruise” by Florida-Georgia Line feat. Nelly is pretty good too (and not just because it’s a collaboration ;)

Nevaeh thank you for stopping by and sharing Trace and Taryn with us. Can you tell us if we will get more from them? I would really like to know how the new artist is doing and how their collaboration they made is doing.

You’re more than welcome. Michelle and I are talking about writing Regina’s story next, and possibly Ryder after that. Some readers have suggested that Storm-E needs his own book as well, so we’ll definitely have to consider that. Any book though would definitely have Trace and Taryn in the background though, so you can catch glimpses of how they’re doing. 

About The Authors:

Nevaeh’s first exposure to writing began in a middle school creative writing class. She was reprimanded for composing a politically incorrect story and forced to re-write about a “safer” topic. Being the writing rebel that she is, Nevaeh always likes to push the envelope a bit and never re-writes, unless her editor insists on it.

When she’s not writing, Nevaeh is a freelance book editor ;). And when she’s not reading, writing, or editing, she can be found spending time with her family and taking road trips, exploring the area around wherever she happens to be living at the time. Even though “home” will always be Texas, she has lived in several different states and countries, but currently resides in the DC metro area.

She also adores her really big dog who frequently takes her for walks while enduring her many story ideas and rambling dialogue, which sometimes occurs in multiple languages. After many years of this, she finally decided to start writing out some of these stories and her first book, a joint effort calledCollaboration, will be self-published on January 26, 2014.

Michelle Lynn has always been a reader, but her passion has become a full-blown addiction since her husband bought her a Kindle for Mother's Day. She's pretty sure that he regrets this on a regular basis. Especially when she has it propped up next to the stove while she cooks, which often results in a burnt dinner. Or when he loses sleep because the glow from the screen wakes him up when he rolls over at three in the morning. He does agree, however, that she uses this gift more than any other he has ever gotten her. She joking counters that, because of some of the steamy novels she reads, he also benefits more from this gift than any other he has gotten her.  ;)

Michelle moved around the Midwest most of her life, transferring from school to school before settling down in the outskirts of Chicago ten years ago, where she now resides with her husband and two kids. She developed a love of reading at a young age, which helped lay the foundation for her passion to write. With the encouragement of her family, she finally sat down and wrote one of the many stories that have been floating around in her head. When she isn’t reading or writing, she can be found playing with her kids, talking to her mom on the phone, or hanging out with her family and friends. But after chasing around twin preschoolers all day, she always cherishes her relaxation time after putting the kids to bed.

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