Snowbirds by Crissa Jean Chappell

And now for some Q&A fun with Crissa!

Last book you read:

The graphic novel adaptation of The Stranger by Albert Camus (illustrated by Jacques Ferrandez and translated by Sandra Smith).

Last thing that made you cry:

A box of old family Polaroids that my sister gave me for Christmas.

Last trip you took:

Train from New York City to Pennsylvania. I love to stare out the window at the “montage” of trees and graffiti-stained walls and the secrets hidden near the tracks.

Last thing that made you smile:

Waking up to rainsong.

Favorite quote:

I taped this quote above my desk: “If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery--isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you'll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you're going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is.”  Charles Bukowsi, Factotum

Favorite memory:

My earliest memory = walking to the boat docks at Biscayne Bay with my dad…scooping up seashells and hermit crabs (I’d hide in my pocket to take home).

Favorite bookish moment:

In my childhood favorite--My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George—the main character, Sam, carves his home out of a tree. I dreamed about running away to the woods with a pet hawk.

Best moment as an author:

When a mysterious cardboard box appears on your doorstep. And you rip it open and there’s a big stack of books. At last…author copies! The first thing I do = sniff the pages. Then it feels real.

Last thing you treated yourself to:

A pamplemousse cocktail of grapefruit and champagne (on my birthday trip to Pennsylvania). Also: I really love the word pamplemousse.

Last person you hugged:

My boyfriend. <3 span="">

Favorite place in the world:

Home in Brooklyn.

Last emoticon you used:

This Florida girl loves the alligator, of course!

ABOUT SNOWBIRDS:

Every year, Lucy waits eagerly for the arrival of the "snowbirds," the Old Order Amish who come trundling into Florida on buses from the north, bringing Lucy's best friend Alice, with whom she's spent every winter she can remember. This winter is different. At sixteen, Alice is in the middle of "Rumspringa," a season in which Amish teens try out forbidden temptations, in order to get them out of their system. Lucy is part of a different sect, in which teens aren't allowed such bold experimentation, and she's fighting to keep up as Alice races from one wild party to the next. Then, one night after just such a party, Alice vanishes. Wracked by guilt, Lucy knows that she should have been watching out for Alice, but instead, she was kissing Faron, an Older Order boy shunned by his society. Now, Lucy plunges into a search for her best friend--while also hiding her own secret, which could put her in even more danger.

LINKS: Amazon | B&N

ABOUT CRISSA JEAN CHAPPELL:

CRISSA-JEAN CHAPPELL (crissajeanchappell.com) was born in Miami and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her debut young adult novel,Total Constant Order, is a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age and a VOYA Perfect Ten. Chappell’s second novel, Narc, is currently optioned for film. More Than Good Enough is her most recent novel, which Kirkus calls “compelling and emotionally nuanced.” Chappell holds a PhD and MFA from the University of Miami. She has taught creative writing and cinema studies for more than ten years.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Instagram

Tour Schedule:

1/16: The Fake Steph - Looks from Books

1/17: Owl Always Be Reading - Review

1/18: Who RU Blog - Novel Secrets

1/19: Pretty Deadly Reviews - Review

1/20: The Irish Banana Review - Fast 5

1/21: Bookhounds YA - Review

Giveaway:

1 Finished Copies of SNOWBIRDS with Crissa's notes & Doodles (US Only)

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