Authorpreneur Dashboard – Natalie Bina
Never Trust a Happy Song
Teens
When Cassidy Diamond is admitted to a prestigious summer program at Stanford University, she looks forward to being surrounded by people just like herself: smart, studious, and antisocial. But when Cassidy is assigned to stay with the Harper family and meets their vivacious and uninhibited daughter Grace, the two girls clash at first sight. Cassidy is determined to not let Grace distract her from her studies, while Grace wants to show Cassidy that maybe her grades aren’t all she has going for her. and that life might be about more than building the perfect resume.
Book Bubbles from Never Trust a Happy Song
Finding the Harpers's House (RELEASE DAY!)
Four years ago, my family and I traveled to California for a relaxed vacation. We rented a car and drove through the winding neighborhoods of cities like Paolo Alto and San Francisco. It was during these drives that I decided I wanted to write a novel that took place in California, where a girl came to stay with a family who lived in one of these west coast homes. That novel is what became Never Trust a Happy Song, and this scene where Cassidy first lays eyes on their home reminds me so much of the hours we spend driving through residential streets. Today, Never Trust a Happy Song is officially released as an ebook. Funnily enough, I am currently back in California with my family on another vacation. As I sit in a cafe in Carmel, I find it so magical that the last time I was here NTAHS didn't even exist, and now you can purchase it on Amazon. Go buy the ebook now, for only $2.99, and then you too can enter the world of Cassidy and the Harpers.
Finding the Humor in Pick-Up Lines (PRE-ORDER!)
This excerpt is from the scene where Cassidy first meets Monroe, which is also the first time that Monroe ever appears in the book. I wanted Grace to have a really good friend, but I knew that he or she would have to be as equally eccentric as Grace. Monroe is just that. He is not by any means a one-dimensional character, but I knew he was going to be the kind of person who was very smooth when talking to people, who only displayed a part of himself. Only after a few attempts at writing him did I realize he was going to be obsessed with pick up lines. I never knew there were so many horribly funny ones out there, but writing Monroe showed me how truly humorous they can be. They may be corny, but never underestimate their ability to make someone laugh! (Psst, Never Trust a Happy Song is now available for pre-order! It is only $1.99, but the price will go up after it is released on MARCH 14TH! You can pre-order here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/513671)
Ridiculous Real-Life Inspiration
When I went to high school in Singapore, I met a girl whose parents had told her this. I couldn't believe it was true, and under any other circumstances I would have thought she was kidding me. But this girl was dead serious. This "no one wins" attitude extended all the way from candles to participating in Theater in high school (It takes up your time and the performances are probably painful for the audience and does nothing for your future - no one wins) to eating too much sugar. It was the lifestyle mantra that she had been taught.
Bowling and Physics
This is the first moment where Grace and Cassidy clash, where it becomes clear that there is a major difference between how they look at the world. To be honest, I picked bowling as the vehicle for this fight not because it had some greater meaning but because I remember learning about how physics could be applied to bowling in my high school physics class. But it seemed like the perfect situation for the two girls, a perfect representation of their intrinsic differences: Grace wanted to just wield the ball down the lane in the goofiest way possible, and rely on luck to guide it towards the pins. Cassidy wanted the swing with the maximum efficiency, because what is the point of playing if not to win?
Introducing Grace
I always knew how I wanted Cassidy to first meet Grace. She needed to be a shining star in Cassidy's vision, the eye of the storm in the perceived chaos of the Harpers' household.Cassidy is always observing things - that's the only way that the world can make sense to her - and I always had this idea of her eyes innocently wandering around the house when they then land on Grace. She couldn't know the significance of meeting Grace before actually meeting her, because that would ruin the innocence of the moment. Basically, in a book where a lot of moments were originally fuzzy in my mind's eye, this one was always crystal clear.
