Interviews of the Stars

The Cell Phone Swap by @DoNotMicrowave

So, this is my new interview with the amazing and epic @DoNotMicrowave. If you haven't read this book, or even seen it on Wattpad, then I think you should stop what you are doing and go read it! It is such a good book with the right amount if humour, romance and mystery!

Here is the blurb:

Keeley accidentally swaps cell phones with a rivaling high school's star quarterback. Unable to switch back until a week later, she must interact with the arrogant boy, passing along texts and voicemails. As she gets to know him better, she realizes there's more to him than sexual innuendos and egotistical comments. But when identities are revealed and secrets are exposed, will Keeley's feelings remain?

INTERVIEW

Q. What made you write TCPS? Have you vet lost your phone, or know someone else that has? It is a pretty unique plot.

A. The story came to me one day when I was walking my dog. There was a cute guy ahead of me and his phone had slipped out of his pocket. I hurried to give it back to him and we ended up flirting for a couple minutes. Nothing came out of it, but the situation made me wonder what would have happened if we had kept on talking. That's when the idea of swapping cell phones came to me.

Q. Did you ever expect TCPS to ever become this popular? Did you write this wanting to publish it one day, or did you just write it for pleasure and for people to enjoy?

A. I had no idea that The Cell Phone Swap would be so popular on Wattpad. Initially, I wrote the first couple of chapters for my eyes only. The story had been on my mind and the only way to get rid of it was to put it down on paper. I debated for a long time whether or not post it on Wattpad. When I did, I was so freaked out that I took it down a couple days later. It took a week for me to gather up the courage and re-post the chapters. I'm so glad I did!

Q. Do you relate to Keeley and do you know someone who acts similar to JT?

A. There are certain aspects of Keeley that I can relate too. We're both bookworms and tend to romanticize things. We also are a little too idealist in our thinking, not yet tainted by the cruel and cynical world ;) JT/Talon is loosely based off an ex-boyfriend I had in high school. He was outlandish and charming, and I was absolutely captivated by him. We didn't date for too long, but we're still friends.

Q. What else is unique is that it's written in third person perspective. Was there a specific reason for you to write it like this?

A. In general, I prefer reading stories that are in 3rd person. It stems from the fact that growing up, most of the stories out there were in 3rd person. Back then, 1st person wasn't as widely accepted from publishers as it is now. For example, take the Nancy Drew series. The original books were all told in 3rd person. It wasn't until 2003 when they started to write the new stories in 1st person. So because of my reading background, I'm more comfortable writing in 3rd person than 1st. That's why I write the way I do :)

Q. We have also seen a sneak peak of iAmTalon. What can we expect in that book? What other books have you got planned? Would you ever write a TCPS sequel?

A. iAmTalon will be Talon's POV of the events of The Cell Phone Swap. It will consist of how he picked up Keeley's phone by accident, what happened during football camp and whole bunch of other things you don't get to see in TCPS. As of right now, I have no plans for writing a sequel. I want to branch out and write about other characters I have in my head. For instance, I want to write a spin-off novel based on Van and his heroine Taylor. I also have started another book called Skye's of Tomorrow. It's about a girl named Skylar and a boy named Reeve who meet under unique circumstances.

RANDOM QUESTIONS

Q. If you could marry a singer, who would it be?

A. Jason Mraz. The man can serenade me anytime he wants ;)

Q. Which fictional character do you wish was a real human being?

A. Hands down, Jack Sparrow. He would such a cool person to hang out with. Join his motley crew of pirates and sail the high seas, searching for treasure.

Q. Brains or beauty?

A. Brains. Beauty can only get you so far in life.

Q. What interesting facts do we not know about you?

A. I am half-Chinese and half-German. I was born in Hawaii and moved to Southern California when I was eleven. I love hiking. Once, I attempted a 222-mile backpacking trip. (Of course, I ended up tripping, spraining my ankle and getting helicoptered out but that's a whole other story) I absolutely hate bicycles. It took me over a year to learn to ride one without training wheels and the last time I was on one, I ended up crashing straight into a telephone pole. (Don't ask me how, I don't know. And yes, there were plenty of witnesses.) I'm sort of accident-prone (if you couldn't already tell) which is why my dad takes out a large insurance policy whenever I go on an adventure :)

Q. Have you ever had a dream that you wouldn't liked to happen in reality?

A. All the time! I've had some really weird dreams in the past. For example, one is where I'm sitting fully clothed in a huge bathtub. For some reason, the bathtub is in the living room and these little men dressed in all black, come and kidnap me in the tub. They literally lift the tub and start walking with it out the back door. I scream for someone to help me, but no one answers. Very odd, isn't it?