Stay With Me Trilogy by Nicole Fiorina 💕 Q and A, Series Tour & Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (New Adult Romance)

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In a desperate final attempt to save nineteen-year-old Mia from herself, she gets transferred to Dolor University, a reformatory college in the UK that housed deranged and dangerous young adults who viewed the private institution as their own personal playground. Mia didn’t care. She needed feelings to care. She’d keep her head down, ignore everyone, and make it through the next two years effortlessly.

Though Mia never anticipated Ollie Masters.

With green eyes, tattoos, and the voice of a poet, she is quickly drawn to him. But because of her sociopath tendencies, she knows it could only end in one of two ways. Either he will be the one to free her from her past, or she will be the one to destroy him.

**WARNING: Mature content, adult language, graphic sexual content, and disturbing matters may trigger an emotional response. Read at your own risk.**

The second book in a heart-consuming series.

Ollie.
Forget everything you thought you knew. Hell, I don't even know myself anymore. For seven months I've been gone only to come back to be tested in every way possible. They say keep your enemies close, and my demons welcomed me back with open arms. My downfall is a necessary evil. But Mia is my endgame.

Mia.
Seven months ago, Ollie surrendered to the darkness, abandoning me in the process. He stripped me of my walls only to leave me defenseless. Now he's back, along with fresh new faces and obstacles standing in our way. He says trust no one. Not even him. How am I supposed to be strong for us both when I'm losing my grip?

"Just stay with me, Mia."
"Even when you're gone?"
"Especially when I'm gone."

MIA.
It was so close, I'd tasted it–the freedom.
But the only thing I could taste now was the end.
Over the last two years, I’d let all outside forces dictate my life, my feelings, my head.
I’d allowed everyone to control what my punishment should be for all my wrong-doings.
I’d been tested and learned my lesson.
I’d paid my dues and suffered long enough.
Because in the end,
even the once-upon-a-damned deserved to be happy too.

OLLIE.
How far are you willing to go?
I’d asked myself this very question countless times.
But never in my wildest dreams thought I’d go back in time,
chasing ghosts from my past for a chance to save our future.
So, there was no limit.
No boundaries.
I’d cross time, the world, my morals.
Yes, I’d even double-cross myself.
So, how far would I go?
The answer had always been simple.
I’d go an eternity plus a day past crestfallen.

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What book do you think everyone should read?

This is hard considering not every book is for everyone. I do think everyone should read something they’ve never considered, to step out of there comfort zone.

How long have you been writing?

For as long as I can remember.

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?

It depends. With this one, they came as I wrote. I do have characters but no story yet, so I’ll have to wait until their story comes. Sometimes as I write a new story, my homeless characters will say, “Hey, I belong here,” so I’ll plant them in. It just depends on the story and where they belong.

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?

I research a lot before I dive in and I’m constantly researching as I write. Research is so important. I research everything between the location to where my characters are, situations and how others have reacted in the same cases, medication, hobbies. I even pick up the hobbies and try them myself. I learned to play the piano for Mia’s character in SWM series, and even played during writing it with a keyboard set up next to my computer. I’ve learned the electric guitar for another unpublished book, and watercolor for yet another. My favorite part of writing is learning and experiencing new things. I’ve always wanted to do, try, be everything, and go everywhere, and with writing I can.

Do you see writing as a career?

No. Whether I made money doing it or not, I’d still be writing.

What do you think about the current publishing market?

That’s a loaded question. Over the last ten years, we’ve seen a trend. The Twilight series hit, then a trend of vampire books followed behind. Fifty Shades hit, then again, the trend followed behind. In the end, it’s the authors who are struggling, fighting for their books to be noticed in a sea of the same crowded genre. With the rise of social media and influencers, we’ve become a generation of followers rather than leaders. I believe in order to be seen and heard, you have to do something that’s never been done. “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” –George S. Patton

Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?

Yes, I (try) to read every night before I go to bed and every morning. Any sub-genre revolving around romance is my favorite, especially psychological thrillers.

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?

It depends on what I’m writing, normally silence but at times I do play music with my headphones on to turn off my brain. It’s constantly going and sometimes hinders my writing process. Music helps entertain my brain so I can write freely without overthinking.

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?

Usually one at a time, however I am an emotion based writer. Sometimes an idea comes, and I cannot get it out of my head until I get it out through writing. This happened to me while I wrote my most recent book. I had to stop and bang out a few chapters for the new idea before I could continue writing the current manuscript.

Pen or type writer or computer?

Poetry: pen. Manuscripts: computer.

Tell us about a favorite character from a book.

There is a detective named Eggs I LOVE in Caroline Kepnes book, Providence. The entire story I adore, but the detective was probably my favorite character I’ve ever read. He’s funny, determined, has a heart, and so real.

What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?

Being able to write full-time and help others, makes me feel at home and more myself than I’ve ever been. I’ve always felt lost and never knew my purpose in this world. With finally taking the plunge into publishing, I’ve found my place, and I’m staying.

A day in the life of the author?

Wake up (sometimes as early as 5am) and write. I take a break to get my kids ready and off to school then go back to writing and researching until I pick them up, most times with my dog constantly harassing me. By two, I pick them up, help with homework, cook dinner, and spend time with them until they go to sleep. Then at night I answer emails, social media, and do all the dirty work. I also run a side business to help other indie authors so my days are all over the place. I’m either writing all day or coming up with design concepts, talking with clients, untangling plot holes, editing, formatting, helping with covers, ideas … You name it, I’m doing it. Either way, I’m constantly on my laptop with a thousand things on my to-do list and a ton of books to write and get to. I live on chaos and caffeine.

Advice you would give new authors?

Write for you, publish for them. I live by this.

Describe your writing style.

Dark, broken, and beautiful.

What makes a good story?

One that can make a reader emotionally react, whether it makes them laugh out loud, cry, get mad, or too afraid to go to sleep at night. If you can do that, it’s a good story.

What are you currently reading?

Verity by Colleen Hoover.

What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?

I’m a panster writer, so I just write. I don’t have a brilliant plan or process. Only write until I can’t write anymore. If I’m ever stuck, I’ll do my bullet point plot to guide me the rest of the way, but don’t always follow it. I prefer to let the story develop naturally.

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Lack of confidence and fear of rejection, which is what all authors (already published or not) face throughout their writing journey, sometimes with every book they write. You can and will get through it. I always say, a rejection is far better than a regret. You can learn to overcome with rejection, but regret will haunt you for the rest of your life.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Knowing when to stop. Sometimes I’ll be up until four or five in the morning writing, and forget about the world around me and my household responsibilities. With writing, my kryptonite is that I always add too much. Too much detail, too much emotion. I have to remind myself to tone it down a bit to not lose focus on the story.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Original. Always stay original.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Quit your job, Nicole, you hate it anyway, and start publishing. Don’t wait until your thirties. Start NOW.

What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?

The opposite sex isn’t hard for me. I think the biggest misconception is that a male has to be an asshole, which is completely false. If you can write a strong female character, you can write a male. If you can write a sensitive male character, you can write a female. See what I did there? Every character is different, has their strengths and weaknesses, personality, and beliefs. Continue to challenge yourself. Writers are artists. Make art.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

It depends on the book. My shortest time was 6 weeks and my longest was 4 months, and that is just the first draft. I go through my book three times at the very least before it is sent to beta readers. I don’t stop revising until I’m completely happy and can close my laptop with a smile on my face.

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Yes and no. In my personal experience, a block comes when there is a block or hole within my story. My first instinct is to find solutions, so I’ll go back and re-read a few chapters, keep writing to see if it untangles, or I’ll pick up other writing methods to free my mind from the current manuscript, allow it to breathe a bit (journal, poetry, short story, etc). This goes back to my pet peeve of making excuses or grieving over problems, and instead, I find solutions.

Nicole Fiorina is an independent author, debuting with the Stay With Me series. She lives in Florida with her loving husband, Michael, two children, Christian and Grace, and Great Dane, Winston.

Her writing style is unapologetic and emotional, striving to push buttons, hearts, and limits. Nicole's books fall under New Adult Romance, with a suspenseful, poetic, and gothic twist.

A lover of music, especially classic rock, she can rap most Eminem songs, dance, dabbles on the piano, and likes to use power tools and a paintbrush. She's addicted to coconut berry Red bull, coffee, and root beer, and makes sure to force down water to appease her mother. When she's not writing, she's probably chauffeuring her kids around, at family gatherings, or sleeping.