We’re so pleased to welcome author Quinn Anderson today on the tour for her latest release, The Academy. Be sure to check out the details of her giveaway at the end of this touching and personal insight into the book.

Welcome, Quinn!

Writing About Loss

My father died in November of 2016. I was twenty-six years old and, in my opinion, far too young to have a dead parent. But none of us get to choose when our loved ones leave, so I try to focus on all the time I did get to have with Dad. It wasn’t enough, but it was ours.

It took me until now to finally write about losing a parent. The plot of THE ACADEMY is tied closely with the death of the main character’s father, despite the fact that it happens off-screen and in the past. Nick takes some time off from college to grieve and then starts over at a new university. It’s then that we meet him, when he’s still grieving, healing, and desperately trying to move forward. That was me for the first year after Dad died. In some ways, it’s still me now.

Nick’s grief takes a different form in the book from my own, but the way it affects his life and hits him at unexpected moments is drawn directly from my experience. It wasn’t easy to open up those wounds again so I could write about them, but I knew it was important, not just for my personal growth, but for those who’ve experienced the same thing.

The graduation scene toward the end was by far the hardest to write. No spoilers, but I basically had to imagine my own graduation from college, only this time, my dad’s smiling face wasn’t in the audience. I cried a lot both writing and editing that scene. To anyone out there experiencing grief: I hope it comforts you the same way it comforted me.

About the Book

True love stabs you in the front.

Nick Steele just wants a normal life, cliché or not. He had one once, back in Chicago. Before his father died and he took a year off from college to grieve. Now, he’s starting fresh at a prestigious—but tiny—Catholic university. Adjusting to small-town life will be a challenge, along with making friends and keeping his scholarship. All he wants to do is blend in, get his diploma, and go back home.

But Sebastian Prinsen—campus heartthrob and a notorious player—has other plans. He notices Nick right away and makes a bet with his two best friends: Who can kiss the new kid first? Nick seems immune to Sebastian’s charms, and yet genuine chemistry sparks between them. Even worse, real feelings do too. Sebastian falls more and more every time Nick blows him off, but if he comes clean about the bet, Nick will hate him forever.

The last thing Nick wants is to fall in love while he’s still grieving, but Sebastian feels like home to him. Nick wants that so badly he may ignore the warning signs and risk his fragile heart once more.

Buy The Academy: Amazon & Other Online Booksellers

About the Author

Quinn Anderson is an alumna of the University of Dublin in Ireland and has a master’s degree in psychology. She wrote her dissertation on sexuality in popular literature and continues to explore evolving themes in erotica in her professional life.

A nerd extraordinaire, she was raised on an unhealthy diet of video games, anime, pop culture, and comics from infancy. Her girlfriend swears her sense of humor is just one big Joss Whedon reference. She stays true to her nerd roots in writing and in life, and frequently draws inspiration from her many fandoms, which include Yuri on Ice, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Buffy, and more. Growing up, while most of her friends were fighting evil by moonlight, Anderson was kamehameha-ing her way through all the shounen anime she could get her hands on. You will often find her interacting with fellow fans online and offline via conventions and Tumblr, and she is happy to talk about anything from nerd life to writing tips. She has attended conventions on three separate continents and now considers herself a career geek. She advises anyone who attends pop culture events in the UK to watch out for Weeping Angels, as they are everywhere. If you’re at an event, and you see a 6’2” redhead wandering around with a vague look on her face, that’s probably her.

Her favorite authors include J.K. Rowling, Gail Carson Levine, Libba Bray, and Tamora Pierce. When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, cooking, spending too much time on the internet, playing fetch with her cat, screwing the rules, watching Markiplier play games she’s too scared to play herself, and catching ’em all.

Connect with Quinn: Facebook || Tumblr

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of The Academy, Quinn is giving away a $10 Riptide gift card! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on September 22, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!