3xA MA: Bethany Neal

I feel like authors deserve so much from the readers. I believe that authors are people who really connect with us. It was actually an author who I "sorta" owe my life to. Authors and their words make us feel and they can help us.
In this event, I want to get to know the authors. I’d like to get interviews or blog posts about THEM in connection to their book. Who is the mind behind each author?

For each post, I leave links to connect with the author. Please take the time to use one of those links and leave a message for each author, if you can. It can be towards the book or it can be something as easy as “I love the post you wrote on Out of Time! <33”

Bethany Neal has written a story with another droolworthy cover. I just hope the inside is as good as the outside! I'm so excited to have her with me because I'm a huge fan of her book, even though I haven't read it. *sighs* Mac hates me :P But if you haven't read it either, you can win one! Woot woot!

About Me - Bethany Neal

Some people know what they want to do and who they want to be from a very young age. As a little girl, I wanted to be a veterinarian so I could work with animals. Until I found out how many math classes I would have to take to get the job. Now, whenever I read author bios that say things like ‘I’ve been writing since the day someone taught me how to hold a pencil’ a gnarly little green monster climbs up onto my shoulder and scolds me for not realizing my potential as a writer when I was in high school, or even in college, so I could have taken the tidy author route. You know, the one that starts with AP English classes and merges on to a bachelor’s degree in English literature then progresses to an MFA in creative writing or the likes and culminates in landing an agent. Thus, conquering the world by being able to work in your pajamas.

In my head the tidy route makes sense and it works. I know this is true because it’s led half of the authors that grace my bookshelves to success. But I’m part of the other half.

I’m the girl who got straight As in English her entire school career and assumed it was because those were the “easy” subjects. What I didn’t know back then is writing is hard and when it comes easily, it’s a sign. One that I missed. I loved movies and wanted to be famous, but I knew I couldn’t act to save my middle school drug awareness skit. So what was I going to be when I grew up? I had no idea.

I’d successfully helped my mom redecorate several rooms in our house, so I decided to major in interior design in college. Big mistake. Turns out there’s more to designing a house or building than rearranging my bedroom furniture at midnight. Who knew?

A talk with an old friend inspired me to pursuit a second career in photography. I started shooting weddings and loved the creative outlet and the romantic atmosphere, but it was draining. Like most writers, I’m a bit of an introvert. So interacting with hundreds of essentially strangers every weekend took a toll on me. But my business was growing and I did enjoy the work, so I kept at it even as a new hobby began to consume my life.

I wasn’t much of a reader growing up. (My second messy detour off the “tidy author route.”) I’d read Romeo and Juliet enough times to merit buying a second copy and a few R.L. Stine Point Horror novels, but that was honestly it. I was more interested in my figure and synchronized skating practices and going to the latest DiCaprio movie for the fifteenth time with my friends than reading a book. Maybe it was me maturing or the abundance of free time on my hands, since weddings usually take place on weekends, but I finally started to realize why so many movies were based on books. I quickly became a regular in the YA aisle at my local bookstore and started to think: These characters’ lives are so much more interesting and passionate than mine. I want that! How do I get that? How can I make the story keep going?

The answer: write it myself.

I wrote an entire paranormal trilogy before I even told a single soul I was writing. Once it was finished and I realized it didn’t suck, I went in search of a critique group. I’m lucky enough to live in a creative community that had many options. I started attending a weekly group that met at Borders and they helped me realize that querying agents and getting a publishing deal was not only doable, but my writing (after they gave me some much needed tips and advice) was worthy. That trilogy didn’t land me an agent, but my next book did. And the book after that landed me my first publishing deal.

So began my third career as a young-adult author, and I’m here to tell you, this one is going to stick. I guess the saying is true, the third time really is a charm!

What a nice story! I'm so excited for My Last Kiss and Bethany has certainly done a lot!
Enter the giveaway below! Thanks for checking out my blog and remember:  
Be kind to one another. - Ellen

Author Info

Bethany's Facebook | Goodreads | Goodreads for her Book | Twitter | Website |

Bethany Neal writes young-adult novels with a little dark side and a lot of kissing! She is obsessed with (but not limited to): nail polish, ginormous rings, pigs, pickles, and dessert.

You can find her locked in her Writertorium for insane amounts of time. But, hey, insanity is fun! My Last Kiss is her first novel.

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