A Quick Quirky Question for Holly Schindler author of PLAYING HURT

KIM: Welcome Holly Schindler. Thank you for visiting my blog to answer one quick quirky question . If you were to have a FREAKY FRIDAY switcharoo moment that lasted just for a day, would it be with your mother, your Pekingese, or with one of your characters (and if so, which character)?

HOLLY:  My knee-jerk reaction is to say my Peke, Jake. That dog should truly be crowned World’s Most Spoiled. He gets the steak while we eat the hamburger. And he’s truly the most loved little thing on the planet. I’m sure everybody thinks that of their animals, though...

If I could switch places with one of my characters, I’d switch with Brandon , Chelsea ’s brother in PLAYING HURT. 

In the first place, I really love the way that Brandon just is who he is…He’s probably the most open of any of my characters. There’s such a joy about him, as he dances onstage in Pike’s to his music. 

… Brandon also never sits on anything, lets anything fester inside. He speaks his mind. He lets Chelsea know exactly what he thinks—when he suspects she’s hurt during her last game, or when he suspects she’s having a love affair with Clint.  

           

He’s also really trustworthy—the kind of person Chelsea knows she can rely on. He’s the person she reaches out to, after Gabe’s learned the truth about Clint and has stormed out of their hotel room. And even though Brandon doesn’t like how Chelsea ’s handled Gabe, he does rush to The Carlyle to help her out...

In a lot of respects, Brandon ’s the kind of person everyone strives to be: honest, dependable, totally unashamed to put himself out there.

So, yeah— Brandon . If I could be anybody, I think I’d be him.

PLAYING HURT Jacket Copy:

Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college—and everyone’s admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game. Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family.

As a graduation present, Chelsea ’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past. As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain—or finally heal their heartbreak?

A BLUE SO DARK Jacket Copy:

Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.