Blog Tour: The Inevitiable Collision of Birdie & Bash

Title: The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash

Author: Candace Ganger

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: July 25, 2017

Source: E-ARC Provided by Publisher

Birdie never meant to be at the party. Bash should have been long gone. But when they meet, a collision course is set off they may never recover from.

Sebastian Alvaréz is just trying to hold the pieces together: to not flunk out, to keep his sort-of-best friend Wild Kyle from doing something really bad, and to see his beloved Ma through chemo. But when he meets Birdie Paxton, a near-Valedictorian who doesn’t realize she’s smoking hot in her science pun T-shirt, at a party, an undeniable attraction sparks. And suddenly he’s not worried about anything. But before they are able to exchange numbers, they are pulled apart. A horrifying tragedy soon links Birdie and Bash together—but neither knows it. When they finally reconnect, and are starting to fall—hard—the events of the tragedy unfold, changing both their lives in ways they can never undo. Told in alternating perspectives, The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash by Candace Ganger is a beautiful, complex, and ultimately hopeful teen novel that will move you to the very last page.

Hey, everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash by Candace Ganger!

I don't know about you, but just getting to know a little bit more about a book or its author is always a comfort to me, especially if I get to find out that information before cracking the book open! When I first saw the synopsis and cover for The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash, I was intrigued, and I knew that I needed to know more. I'm so happy that I was able to ask debut author, Candace Ganger some questions, and I hope that her answers make you a little more curious about this awesome book!

Q&A with Candace Ganger

The Hardcover Lover: As an English teacher (and really just a lover of language, in general), I often wonder about how people use language to tell their stories. Did you plan on having alliteration in the title/names?

Candace Ganger: I did! I had Birdie already, and knew they had to complement one another somehow, but it took some research to see what felt right. When I stumbled onto Sebastian (aka Bash), it felt, as Sarge would say “kismet.”

THL: The Inevitable Collision of Birdie and Bash is your debut. Talk us through your feelings from the moment you found out it was being published? Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

CG: We’d had B&B on sub since the spring of 2015 with some interest around Thanksgiving. However, one wanted a rewrite of the first chapter, and while I did it, just in case it was my one shot, I wasn’t comfortable with the newer version. Then, right after New Year’s, 2016, I got a text from my agent asking if I could talk. Turns out, it was “the” call. I was thrilled to learn the offer came from someone I really wanted to work with (who loved my original opening = bonus). I’ve been writing professionally for over a decade, so my advice to aspiring authors is a cliché, but never give up. Seriously. Keep writing, no matter what. While a bit of luck and timing is involved (depending on your particular book), if you quit, you’ll never know what could’ve been.

THL: Did you always want to be a writer? What other career paths did you have in mind during your childhood and teenage years? Feel free to share the off-the-wall ones, too!

CG: I’ve wanted to be a writer in some capacity, forever. My “loner” teen years were spent carrying around journals in which I wrote some pretty dark haikus and stories in. I filled them with heartbreak and all the drama that comes with being 16. I even turned in a report in English class that my teacher said was “disturbing” and that I should “talk to someone.” I knew she meant I should be a writer, so I went with it.
After high school, I pursued the musical path, playing out on clubs and bars with my guitar. Alongside that (because music didn’t pay the bills), I’ve worked everywhere door-to-door vacuum sales to veterinary receptionist. I even tried to start a no-kill shelter because I had so many cats (long story).

THL: Finish the story in three sentences: Gabby and her best friend, Abby went to the local water tower to hang out on a beautiful summer day. Hours passed as the two bathed in the sun, but they could hear thunder in the distance...

CG: …Gabby had always been afraid of the thunder. The clanging reminded her of childhood when her father slammed the door, locking her outside for hours on end. Abby—knowing of this pain—took Gabby by the hand, and pulled her into the water tower’s shadow until the storm passed; until the memory passed for good.

Candace Ganger is a feisty author with a passion for Tweeting cat memes. Her YA debut is THE INEVITABLE COLLISION OF BIRDIE & BASH (St. Martin's Griffin, July 25th, 2017), about two teens who fall in love, not knowing of each other's connection to a horrific tragedy. 
Candace is also a ghost-writer for award-winning nonfiction and best-selling fiction authors and contributing writer for Teen Vogue, Romper, Hello Giggles, Bustle, TWLOHA, XO Jane, and more. She's worked previously as assistant editor for phys.org and her various creative endeavors (literally hundreds) are sprinkled all over the globe. 
When she's not writing for other people's fame or stress baking, you can find her training for marathons in cemeteries or taming her two weird kids (not to be confused with her two weird cats) while consuming way too many Milky Way lattes. You can follow her obsessive cat picture posting shenanigans via @candylandgang on Twitter!

 

I hope you enjoyed today's post! I don't know about you, but I can't wait for even more from Candace, and I hope that she'll have a book ready for shelves next summer!

So what do you think... Is The Inevitable Collision of Birdie & Bash on your TBR for this summer? Are you one of the lucky ones who have already read it? Let me know what you think in the comments below!