https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPJSD5QT/
Crescendo looks like an exciting story. Can you tell us a little about it?
Sure! Crescendo is a story about a young woman named
Lauren Page. She’s been playing the violin since she was three years old and is
considered by many to be a child prodigy. After being accepted to Juilliard in
New York, she gets really nervous about leaving her loved ones behind. And this
fear causes her to lose the spark she felt for the violin in the first place.
She’s just afraid she’s not good enough. And then Conner Reed falls into her
summer and tries to show her she’s everything she fears she won’t be.
Any plans to turn it into a series?
Funny that you ask this question. Initially, the answer was
no. I’ve always written books in a series, so writing a single novel was
something really different for me. But after getting to know Lauren’s friends
in the book (Sam and Claire), I decided to eventually write their stories as
well. Because they both have such fun personalities that I don’t get to explore
too much in Crescendo. And they deserve to have their stories told as
well. So yes, I do think there will be more books in this universe.
What inspired the idea for your book?
Ha! I love this question, because it’s a funny story! I was
at a crossroads in my own life. Facing a huge choice that involved me leaving
my family. I didn’t want to, and the fear was consuming my every thought. The
series I was working on at the time wasn’t cooperating, and I was just feeling
so frustrated. I was working a front desk job at my college Writing Center in
April of 2016, trying to write this book that did not want to be written. And
this incredibly attractive guy fell on his skateboard right in front of my
building. He was all banged up and came in asking for a first aid kit. I didn’t
have one, so he left. But the idea for Crescendo fell into my head the
moment he walked out of the building. I wrote one chapter, thinking it would be
a writing exercise. Then two chapters, thinking I could make it a short story.
Then ten chapters, thinking I could make it a novella. And 41 chapters later, I
was done. I finished the first draft in November of 2016, and I’ve been working
on it ever since. So some random guy inspired this incredible story. He
unknowingly helped reignite my own spark for writing.
How did you come up with the title to your book?
The title actually came kind of easy. I knew Lauren was
going to play violin from the beginning. I was inspired by this anime I’d been
watching about a girl playing a violin, and I knew that’s what I wanted for
Lauren. So I did some research on musical terms, and the word crescendo came
up. It’s the high point of a song, and I thought it fit so perfectly. This is a
crucial moment in Lauren’s life. The crescendo of this chapter of this chapter
of her life. And it fit so well with the musical theme of the story. An instant
hit.
Can you tell us a little about Lauren and Conner?
Lauren is a shy girl with a passion for classical music and
the violin. She seems to really shine when she plays. But she thinks she’s kind
of a plain girl. Very little self-confidence, and she’s got a terrible fear of
failing. Which is making her scared to even try. And then Conner… well, he’s
been alone for a long time. There are reasons why, and they get brought up
later in the story. But even though he’s alone, he’s got a fear of being alone.
So even though he comes across as this confident cutie, he’s super desperate
for affection. And his connection with Lauren is pretty much immediate. I guess
you might be able to say it was love at first sight.
What part of the book was the most fun to write?
This is a hard question to answer without giving away any
spoilers. But just the moments between Lauren and Conner, I guess. I’m a
hopeless romantic, so writing all the playful, sweet romance scenes were really
fun for me. And I loved developing their relationship. It was fun for me to see
how it played out. I went into this story with no outline or anything. And
somehow, miraculously, it just worked.
Did anything stick out as particularly challenging when
writing Crescendo?
Because it started out as a writing exercise, getting that
first chapter right was incredibly difficult. I wrote most of the book in 2016,
edited it a few times over the course of the last seven years, but that first
chapter I wrote several different ways. It wasn’t until 2021, at about two in
the morning, that I finally got the first chapter exactly the way I wanted it.
That was the most challenging part of Crescendo for me.
What do you like to do when not writing?
I’m sure this is going to surprise everyone, but when I’m
not writing, I love to read. My book collection is outrageous, and it’s growing
all the time. I love mystery thrillers, YA romances, starting to get into
fantasy a little bit. I just love to read. I paint sometimes, and I enjoy
scrapbooking/junk journaling. I’m also a big Sims and Legend of Zelda fan, so
occasionally I’ll stop whatever I’m doing to play video games for about a week.
But reading is probably my favorite thing to do on any given day.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
They can check out alysunsanders.com, but I mostly post new
stuff to Wattpad under the username @alysunsanders13. You can also find me on
TikTok under the username @spinetinglers. I get on there and do LIVES from time
to time, and I love to talk about what I’m reading or writing at the moment. I
also post unbelievable stories on there about once a week, although I’m on a
temporary hiatus until January. I’m also on Instagram under the handle
@alysunnsanders, and I’m on Twitter as well under the handle @alysun_sanders.