We're pleased to welcome Casey Dembowski to CLC to talk about her latest novel, The Corey Effect. We hope you will enjoy getting to know Casey as much as we have. She even has a signed copy to give away!
Casey Dembowski loves to write stories that focus on the intricacies of relationships–whether romantic, familial, or platonic. Her novels focus on the inner workings of women and how everything in their lives leads them to exactly where they are, whether they like it or not.
The first story Casey remembers writing was in the second grade, though it wasn’t until she turned twelve that she started carrying a battered composition notebook everywhere she went. Since then, there hasn’t been a time when she isn’t writing. Casey lives in New Jersey with her family. She has an MFA in Fiction from Adelphi University, and currently works in corporate marketing communications. In her (limited) spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, and watching her favorite television shows on repeat.
A second chance ten years in the making...
When Andi Scott left her hometown ten years ago, she swore she’d never go back. But news of her estranged father’s death has her driving the all-too-familiar roads. Each turn brings another memory—of the girl she became there and the boy she loved and lost. The only saving grace is that there’s no way Corey Johnson, the former love of her life, is still around. They both got out, even though it cost them everything.
Andi’s barely in town for a day when she discovers that not only is Corey still in Fairford, but he’s the cofounder of a successful local business, one he built with her father. The news shatters the walls Andi built around her past and forces her to reexamine everything she thought she knew.
When Corey asks Andi to stay in town, she can’t refuse his boyish grin or the way he still looks at her as if she’s the only person in the room. And she doesn’t want to. Corey’s still the same person who made the worst day of her life better with one crooked smile, but there’s something he’s not telling her. Andi has to know what it is, even if it means opening her heart to the person who broke it in the first place. (Courtesy of Amazon.)
"A poignant story about family and friendship, first love and second chances... this is a book to sink into and savor!"
~ Alanna Martin, author of Love and Let Bark
~ Alanna Martin, author of Love and Let Bark
"Second chance romance fans will swoon over the chemistry between Corey and Andi."
~ Jennifer Bardsley, author of Sweet Bliss
What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
It always means a lot to me when readers compliment my characters, particularly that they felt like real people. I work really hard to create characters that are unique but also every-people. I give them flaws and quirks. I spend time with the secondary characters and build them out based on their relationships with the main characters. In my debut, When We're Thirty, a lot of readers connected with my trio of secondary characters so much that they wanted books about them. And in my new release, The Corey Effect, I've gotten a lot of feedback about how despite it being in a single first-person POV, the male protagonist is connecting with readers and not just as the love interest. All my books are character driven, so any time someone connects with my characters on a deep level, I feel like I've done my job well.
It always means a lot to me when readers compliment my characters, particularly that they felt like real people. I work really hard to create characters that are unique but also every-people. I give them flaws and quirks. I spend time with the secondary characters and build them out based on their relationships with the main characters. In my debut, When We're Thirty, a lot of readers connected with my trio of secondary characters so much that they wanted books about them. And in my new release, The Corey Effect, I've gotten a lot of feedback about how despite it being in a single first-person POV, the male protagonist is connecting with readers and not just as the love interest. All my books are character driven, so any time someone connects with my characters on a deep level, I feel like I've done my job well.
What did you learn from writing When We're Thirty that you applied to The Corey Effect?
This is a funny question for me because I actually wrote the initial drafts of The Corey Effect long before I ever started When We're Thirty. The Corey Effect actually started as my MFA thesis. That said, When We're Thirty was the first true romance I wrote, and I learned a lot about the genre while writing and revising it and eventually publishing it, so that when I went back to do a deep revision on The Corey Effect to make it a full on contemporary romance rather than more of a women's fiction novel, I took all that knowledge I'd learned to make sure I hit the right beats and pacing for romance.
This is a funny question for me because I actually wrote the initial drafts of The Corey Effect long before I ever started When We're Thirty. The Corey Effect actually started as my MFA thesis. That said, When We're Thirty was the first true romance I wrote, and I learned a lot about the genre while writing and revising it and eventually publishing it, so that when I went back to do a deep revision on The Corey Effect to make it a full on contemporary romance rather than more of a women's fiction novel, I took all that knowledge I'd learned to make sure I hit the right beats and pacing for romance.
If The Corey Effect were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
This is so hard! Many of the actors who I would have originally thought to cast are probably too old for the role now. But a few newer names that stick out are: Zendaya, Sabrina Carpenter or Shailene Woodley for Andi and Dominic Sherwood, Jonathan Bailey or Milo Manheim for Corey.
This is so hard! Many of the actors who I would have originally thought to cast are probably too old for the role now. But a few newer names that stick out are: Zendaya, Sabrina Carpenter or Shailene Woodley for Andi and Dominic Sherwood, Jonathan Bailey or Milo Manheim for Corey.
Which TV series are you currently binge watching?
Vampire Academy on Peacock. I'm a huge fan of the books, and though the show is pretty different, I am absolutely loving the series.
Vampire Academy on Peacock. I'm a huge fan of the books, and though the show is pretty different, I am absolutely loving the series.
If we were to visit you right now, what are some places you would take us to see?
I live near the Jersey Shore, so I'd probably take you to a few of my favorite beach towns--Spring Lake, Point Pleasant, and, if we wanted to make a longer adventure, Cape May.
I live near the Jersey Shore, so I'd probably take you to a few of my favorite beach towns--Spring Lake, Point Pleasant, and, if we wanted to make a longer adventure, Cape May.
Share a favorite Halloween memory.
My main memories from childhood Halloweens are the group costumes my family used to do. I have a lot of cousins--all younger than me--so we'd do a group costume--like the Seven Dwarfs--but then I'd be something else for school and going out with my friends. As an adult, some of my favorite memories are happening right now, as I get to share the experience with my five-year-old daughter. We love watching Hocus Pocus together all Halloween season.
My main memories from childhood Halloweens are the group costumes my family used to do. I have a lot of cousins--all younger than me--so we'd do a group costume--like the Seven Dwarfs--but then I'd be something else for school and going out with my friends. As an adult, some of my favorite memories are happening right now, as I get to share the experience with my five-year-old daughter. We love watching Hocus Pocus together all Halloween season.
Thanks to Casey for visiting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.
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Giveaway ends October 25th at midnight EST.
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Listen to this book on Speechify!
When I first started High School I really liked this one boy. He never noticed me. lol
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in grade 5 a boy in my class was smitten.
ReplyDeleteHe had spiky hair and wore parachute pants! I was certain that I was in love.
ReplyDeleteFirst crush. Oh man! I think I told all the boys on the bus I married them when I was 4
ReplyDeleteI do not remember my first crush.
ReplyDeleteMy first crush was my next-door neighbor when I was 4. He was probably 7 or 8. He kept the dog that lived on the other side of me away from me because I was afraid of dogs, and he pushed me on the swings.
ReplyDeleteIt was my 2nd grade school teacher all the girls had a crush on him LOL
ReplyDeleteThis sounds very good great review Thanks
Penney
My first crush began with a game of spin-the-bottle at age 12 which resulted in a 3 week long "relationship". LOL!
ReplyDeletecan't remember
ReplyDeleteA boy in my history class at school.
ReplyDeleteDon't remember
ReplyDeleteMy teacher in 8th grade
ReplyDeleteI cannot remember-too long ago
ReplyDelete