Bridie Blake
My Dream Cast
Cassandra Gorman
"I haven't even begun to strike."
Joy Harrington
"I am strong. I am loyal. I am in control."
Jesse Jenner
"If I could give you the world, I would."
Erin O'Sullivan
"You used to laugh and smile like it was the most natural thing. You lit up up the world."
Lindsey Garrity
"He's the only person that made me want to stay on the ground and not fly away."
Annabelle Henderson
"My name’s Annabelle. Not chlamydia. Or slut. Or whatever other clever name you guys can come up with."
Toby Kim
"You can pretend all you want but I know that girl is still a part of you."
Henry Gorman
"Your words cut deep, oh sister of mine. So very, very deep. "
Exclusive Sneak Peek
Chapter One
CASSANDRA
Camp Fallen Hills belonged to Cassandra Gorman. And she ruled it like a queen.
Cassandra snuck down the dirt trail, followed by her three best friends. The four of them were nothing more than dark shadows traipsing through the night, their voices hushed and their giggles smothered by pale hands yet to be kissed by the sun. The air, thick with early summer humidity enveloped them like an unwelcome guest, leaving their skin so sticky and wet that their camp T-shirts clung to their backs. On their wrists they wore a bracelet of purple, blue, pink and green leather braided together. One color for each girl.
Cassandra rolled the sleeves of her T-shirt up and sighed as the breeze caressed her bare shoulders. Her long, slender legs strode gracefully, her chestnut hair cascading down her back in glossy waves. She tilted her head back, a smile touching her lips, before she glanced over her shoulder to where her friends followed. Lindsey, Joy and Annabelle, forever the loyal subjects.
Fun Facts
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The idea for Our Last Summer started because this pesky girl called Lindsey popped into my head one day. Lindsey was a free spirit, the type of girl who would run through a field barefoot without a care in the world. She was so clear in my mind and the whole book was going to be from her perspective. And then Joy came along. Annabelle was quick to follow, and it became their story too.
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It originally was going to be a story about blackmail and a 'who dunnit' theme, however when I sat down to plot it out it became a story about friendship and forgiveness and healing.
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It's told from four points of view, each character taking it in turn to have a chapter. This meant a VERY thorough outline with each chapter really broken down to specifics so there weren't any discrepancies.
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The friendships in Pretty Little Liars and The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants were huge inspirations for Our Last Summer.
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Our Last Summer tackles some heavy issues and there were some scenes that were really confronting to write. One in particular reduced me to tears and I had to take a few days away from the story after writing it. That scene ended up going a different way from how I'd originally planned it, but I just let my fingers type and it became what it is now and while it was difficult to write, it had to be written.
The Soundtrack
The soundtrack to Our Last Summer is an eclectic playlist with each character and story line needing representation. This soundtrack was my saviour during the writing process. When I got stuck, or needed a little inspiration, it was there to help me on the way.
Bad Blood by Taylor Swift - Cassandra claims this song as her own. In her words "I got bad blood with everyone."
Grace by Rag'n'Bone Man - reckless, free-spirited Lindsey. This is all yours.
How Can It Be by Lauren Daigle - Joy's faith is so important to her and this song really helped me while I wrote her chapters.
I'm In Here by Sia - the lyrics to this song really resonated with the character of Annabelle and everything she has gone through.
My Immortal by Evanescence - just because. That's all I can say without giving too much away:)