Tell us about Collide. What is it about?
Collide is about which roads life ultimately presents us with. Choices in its finest form. I for one, throughout my life, have had several times that I knew I was sitting at a crossroad filled with decisions that would either bring me one way or the other. I believe now that I made the right choices. It is also about the slight change so many of us see happen with people we think love and care for us. The change, although clear to some, may not be so clear to the ones involved. Love can make us blind to the good and bad that surrounds us. It’s also about feeling that we owe people who’ve helped us through our toughest times.

That’s interesting. What’s the story?
Emily Cooper (our heroine) has recently lost her mother to breast cancer. Just having graduated college, she moves to New York with her seemingly perfect, boyfriend, Dillon Parker. After settling into her new life, she crosses paths with Gavin Blake. I’ll just leave it that from this point on, our heroine Emily is faced with her crossroad. Gavin doesn’t make her choice easy, and changes happening around her only fuel her indecisions.

What genre is it?
Romance

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
I think it will appeal to readers who enjoy reading angst filled love triangles and a touch of fate. I also think it will appeal to readers who understand that we’re all human. We all make mistakes. Hopefully we can take those mistakes and learn from them.

Complete this sentence for us: If you like_______________, then you’ll love Collide.
a rollercoaster ride that will have you feeling every emotion from angst, love, lust, indecisions, anger and heartbreak.

Tell us a little more about Gavin Blake. Does it surprise you that readers seem anxious to compare him (favorably) to Christian Grey?
I love me some Christian Grey, so at first it did. However, the more I thought about the two men and the two stories no less, I didn’t understand the comparison. The only, and I mean the only, thing in common these two characters share is that they are both worth millions. Although Gavin is a bit domineering in his approach with Emily, Christian Grey definitely surpasses his with Ana.

Collide does not deal with BDSM nor is Gavin as deeply wounded of a character as Christian was. When writing Collide, I wanted to stay away from our typical alpha-male rich playboy. Now, there’s no doubt that Gavin is rich, nor is it a secret that he’s lived the life of a wealthy playboy, but he’s also the type of playboy that will make a quick run to Wal-Mart on a Monday morning, and by Monday evening, purchase a $300,000 car. I wanted to build a new type of millionaire who from the start, wears his heart on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to do so. I wanted readers to forget how truly powerful he is. Though flattered that many readers have compared him to what I think is one of the most unique characters ever written, I’d hate for someone who’s heard about the comparisons to go into Collide believing they are going to get 50 Shades of Grey. If so, they will be severely displeased. 

When is the sequel coming out?  What can you tell us about it and what happens to Emily Cooper in it?
Pulse, the sequel, is due out this summer (2013).

Anyone who reads Collide will see that it has left for Pulse to begin on a rollercoaster ride again. However, most readers can assume by the way Collide ends; Emily Cooper has, and will continue to grow stronger. It has been a wonderful experience developing her character into what I believe she’s supposed to be without certain people in her life. She’s blossoming.

Tell us a little about you.
I’m a stay at home mom of 3 kick-ass kids. I’ve been married to my husband, whom I’ve known since the 7th grade, for 16 years. They’re my rock in more ways than they will ever know. I’m the middle child, having an older brother and younger sister who I equally adore. The 3 of us could write a book on the life we’ve lived. Hmm… I have an idea. 

I have a (what I consider) a healthy obsession with David Gandy, the internet and sushi. Though I started reading in my early 20’s, I’ve always written. Whether it was in a diary filled with my personal thoughts or a journal crammed with short stories, it’s been a love of mine as far back as I can remember. I’m also an ovarian cancer survivor!  This year marks 17 years in remission for me. To say I’ve be blessed would be an understatement.

Do you have a website where readers can keep up with your work? How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
Though not fully up and running, readers can visit me at www.gailmchugh.net

They can also reach me through twitter @Gail_McHugh
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6860574.Gail_McHugh
And, I have my Facebook author page where I connect with most of my readers at: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGailMcHugh?ref=hl.