The Game Can’t Love You Back (Swoon Reads)
by Karole Cozzo
Publication date: May 15th, 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance,
Young Adult
Eve is used to being the odd woman out. As the only girl on her school’s baseball team, she knows exactly how to put sweaty, macho baseball players in their place, and she’s focused on one thing and one thing only — being the best pitcher she can be.
But when a freak accident forces her high school to be absorbed by the neighboring town, Eve has to contend with a new group of guys who aren’t used to having a woman on their team. And the new team’s star pitcher, Jamie, has no interest in being ousted from his throne. He can’t afford to give up his starting slot to a new pitcher — even worse, to a girl.
As the competition between Jamie and Eve starts to heat up, so does their attraction to each other. Can they keep their heads in the game, or will they end up getting played?
~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Karole Cozzo~
1) What gave you the
inspiration for the storyline?
I live in the
Philadelphia area, and a few years ago there was a story about a local female
athlete who played baseball and pitched in the Little League World Series. She
was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and in the press a lot at the
time. I remember thinking, “what a bad-ass!” Not just holding your own with the
boys, but dominating. I was excited to write a character who had that kind of
confidence and spirit.
2) Are there any hidden
themes in the book that you hope readers will discover?
Well, I don’t know how
hidden they are, but I certainly touch on the theme that girls don’t need to
conform to some standard of beauty to feel good about themselves or impress
other people. Confidence, being true to yourself is more attractive than anything
else, right? There’s also the age-old reminder not to judge a book by its
cover. Usually, people have way more going on than it appears at first glance.
Everyone’s dealing with problems now and again that they’d just as soon hide or
cover up with a “front.” You shouldn’t write people off because of what you
assume at first glance.
3) Are any of the
characters based on real people you know?
Based on… no. Inspired
by… sort of. :) As I said above, especially my main character.
4) Who has influenced you
most as a writer?
My editors, Holly West
and Kat Brzozoswki. I’ve learned so much from working with them. They’ve never
made me feel like I need to try to write like someone else or change my style;
they’ve just taught me little tricks along the way to make my kind of writing stronger.
5) If you could have any
three literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you
invite, what would you play, what would you serve, and why?
Nicholas, Henry, and
Logan from Emma Chase’s ROYALLY series for afternoon tea and a backyard Polo
match. That sounds fun. :) She writes the best characters and those boys are
hilarious. For one thing.
6) Do you feel that you
can ever have too many books?
Of course not. Not to say
it’s not troubling to have a heaping pile of books. It makes you feel anxious
and guilty for not making time for all of them, but that doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t take them in!
Author Bio:Karole lives outside of Philadelphia, PA with her loving husband, exuberant little girl, and smiley little boy. She adores YA Romance, because it would be awesome if life in general had a requisite feel-good happy ending rule. Vices include obscene Haribo gummy consumption, addiction to Starbucks NF vanilla lattes, and tendency to hoard Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles.
Thanks for hosting today, Jen! :)
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