Book Review: Dropped Third Strike (+ Interview with the author!)

So you may recall that recently, I've participated in some reveal activities for my blog friend Micah's book Dropped Third Strike:

Hey!  I Know a Real Author! (Cover reveal)
New Book Release (On the day the book released)

I got an Amazon gift card as an end of the year school gift from a student, so I put that baby right to work to order my copy of Dropped Third Strike.  I read through it pretty quickly, and really enjoyed it.  I gave it 4 Stars on Goodreads.com, and I left out a review there so I could include it here first.

I really enjoyed Dropped Third Strike!  Even though I really hate don't like baseball (Sorry, Micah!), I still really enjoyed the plot of the story and Micah's characters.  I really liked both her male and female main characters.  Reid and Kate were definitely intriguing characters, and I wanted to keep reading to find out how things worked out for each of them in the end.  Kate irritated me sometimes because I felt like she was often being highly irrational, but later in the book she reveals something that made me think maybe she wasn't so irrational after all!

While the book has a lot of baseball information in it, (it takes place in a baseball setting, after all), I didn't find it to be distracting, and I don't think it took away anything from the story line.  The story really revolves around baseball as well as romance and relationships.  If you're looking for an enjoyable summer read, I highly recommend this one!

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When I ordered my copy of the book, I emailed Micah to ask if she'd be interested in answering some interview questions for my blog post.  Here's our exchange:

Becky: What made you want to become a writer?

Micah: I don't know if there was a set moment when I decided to become a writer. I've always just enjoyed writing and telling stories. My mom tells me that even before I could write, I would tell her stories. In middle school and high school, I mostly wrote poems. I ventured into some fan fiction in late high school and throughout college. Eventually, I began writing romance fiction.

Becky: I have read two of your books.  How many books have you written so far?  Do you have a favorite?

Micah: I have written a total of five books. Four have been self-published -- You'll Never Know, A Promise Worth Breaking,Riffs of Regret, & Dropped Third Strike.  The fifth one, Behind in the Count, is part of the same series as Dropped Third Strike. It wouldn't be fair of me to pick a favorite, and I love each of them for different reasons. I have to say, however, that I'm very fond of Derek, my main character in Behind in the Count. It's very unfair to my other characters how much I adore him.
Becky: After reading, Dropped Third Strike, I can definitely say that I'm excited to learn more about Derek in Behind the Count.  I really liked what we got of his character in the first book!

Becky: How do you get your inspiration for writing?

Micah: Sometimes the stories have been swimming in my head -- Dropped third Strike is a good example of this. I thought about that story and what I wanted from it for a long time. Other times, they just evolve as I go -- Riffs of Regretcomes to mind here. I opened the document with only the idea of four people road tripping to a music festival. From there, it took on a life of its own.

Becky: Can you describe your writing process?

Micah: I'm a sequential writing. I start at the beginning and write straight through to the end. I don't diagram the story at all or plot it out ahead of time. I typically need music on in the background. Music-related shows and movies work as well. I've found word sprints really help me. I set a timer for 30 or 45 minutes at a time and just write write write until the time ends. I take a five to 10 minute break and then do it over again. The key to first drafts is just getting the words on the screen. I can go back and make it better during the re-write and editing process.

Becky: What do you enjoy most about writing?

Micah: I enjoy getting to know my characters. I try to make them as realistic as possible with strengths and flaws. Some of them are based on real people I know. And I think it's safe to say there's a little of me in every character.

Becky: I agree with that!  While I only "know" you via blogging, what I do know about you really comes across in your main characters.