FALLING UNDER by DANIELLE YOUNG-ULLMAN

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This is the second of four books in a row this week. Make sure to check them all out!

Falling Under

By Danielle Younge-Ullman

Falling Under is a fiercely intense book; it takes hold of you and demands that you keep reading. Danielle Younge-Ullman's debut absolutely does not read as if it were a debut - Falling Under is a book that takes reading to another level. This sexually intense novel provokes thought, brings brilliant artistic visuals to the mind, and will have you ripping through the pages, fascinated all the way through to the amazing ending.

When Falling Under debuted in 2008, I interviewed Danielle for BettyConfidential.

Here is part of that interview:

Danielle, what's the elevator pitch you'd use to describe your book?

Falling Under is an emotional roller coaster of a book about a reclusive young artist whose past starts to catch up with her when she falls in love. It's gritty, sexy and raw, with complicated characters and a wry sense of humor. The story touches on a number of issues - everything from the difficulty of having faith when everything and everyone you count on is falling apart to the powerful draw of inappropriate men and the use of sex to punish oneself for crimes real or imagined. My heroine, Mara Foster, is equal parts courageous and neurotic, and the book contains two interwoven stories, one in first person and the other in the rarely used second person.

What was the first moment of inspiration for you to begin writing Falling Under?

I don't actually remember the first moment, but my first attempt at a book (the unpublished one sitting in my drawer) was a rather frothy, fun kind of book with some deeper, darker subplots. In the end, it was those subplots I found most interesting and felt were my best work, so I knew with my next book I wanted to go in a more serious direction, though I really felt it was important to keep some humor as well.

Also, I wanted to write about someone who has the fears and anxieties many of us have, but multiplied by a thousand. So as I was pondering these things, suddenly I had a vision of Mara (my protagonist), young and vibrant and talented, but stuck in her house, haunted by the past and afraid of the future. And then I thought, what happens when someone like this falls in love?

Falling Under is really sexy and sensual, but in a very intense, good way. Were those scenes very difficult to write? 

I had a lot of fun writing the sex scenes, but it did take some effort to get them right. The sex in Falling Under is intrinsic to the story and to Mara's emotional journey, but I didn't want it to be gratuitous ...It's interesting - I find readers are coming away with the impression that there is more detail in the sex scenes in Falling Under than there actually is because of the way I use language in those scenes. I use rhythm and repetition and suggestion in a way that, I think, provokes the imagination - but after the initial set-up of a sex scene, I leave the specifics to the imagination. That is a tough balance to strike, but I enjoyed the challenge.

Mara seems like such a sad person, yet the reader roots for her and wants her to be well. Was she a difficult character to create?

Honestly, I think there's a bit of Mara in so many of us. We live in anxious times, and so many of us, especially women, live with a ton of worry and anxiety. I am a constant worrier and someone who can easily go to the worst-case scenario in my mind, so to create Mara, I just imagined someone with the same tendency but with a much more traumatic personal history, bigger obstacles. It really wasn't difficult to create her - she kind of just arrived.

I absolutely LOVED something about each and every male character in your book, from art instructor Caleb to sexy, curly-haired Hugo. Seriously, if I could take a piece from each of them and make me a man-sandwich ... Was there one you preferred out of the bunch, and if so, why?

I have to admit I have a thing for the more complicated guys in Mara's life - Caleb and Erik in particular. It's not that I think either of them is the best influence in her life or should end up with her, but I just enjoy writing those characters. And Erik ... well ... he started out as just sexy and a bit dangerous but became so much more. He is the one I cried over as I wrote.

Thanks Danielle for taking the time to answer these questions!

Read the FIRST CHAPTER HERE.

Falling Under is now in e-book format and you can win it here. You don't even need to have an e-reader--you can download the Kindle Reader app that works on computers, iphones, ipads, etc, and the download is FREE.

I absolutely fell in love with this book AND it’s unique title when I first read it in 2008. Tell me what you think would be a cool title for a book that you might write and you’ll be entered to win an e-book of Falling Under.

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Check previous book features to see who the winner is -- that's how you'll find out if you've won or not, and you can still enter if there's not a winner's name posted on the top and highlighted! I usually choose a winner for each book anywhere from 3-7 days after I post a feature!


Thanks for checking out the Fall Fab Giveaway – we’ve got more books coming your way through October. I'll be featuring 2-3 each week. At the end of ALL the individual books featured and given away, one or two lucky winners will win the WHOLE batch of the books.


If you’ve got particular questions on how the Giveaway works, check the ORIGINAL POST HERE, or feel free to email me! Thanks!


Good luck everyone! And I really enjoy your comments too!


Thanks for reading and being a part of this promotion! To find out all the details on how to participate throughout the whole promotion click the previous link!


I also blog at Real Moms Guide if you'd like to read some of my other work.


If you're new here, check out the rules and all the books at in the promotion HERE.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll answer it in the thread, or email me at stephanieelliot@gmail.com. It is always at my discretion to change things up, and because of some regulations, I guess I must say that the books I review are given to me by either the authors or publishers or publicists, and I am never paid for my reviews, and they are my own personal reviews, and you know what, because I'm here telling you this anyway, I will also tell you that I never review a book I don't like, because you know what, why waste my time, life is too short to read a crappy book! There.