Showing posts with label author interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label author interview. Show all posts

Nov 5, 2016

Blog Tour: The Rift Uprising

FAST 5 WITH AMY FOSTER

Last book you read:

The last book I read was My Lady Jane. I thought it was fantastic. I loved how three authors got together (there is power in numbers!) and combined their strength and fan base which was smart and effective on about a thousand levels. I love it when women work together. I particularly enjoyed how they changed the conflict from Catholic Vs. Protestant to Verity Vs. Edian (people who can change into animals and people who can’t.) Also it was really funny! 

Last thing that made you cry:

Honestly the last thing that made me cry was yesterday when I was watching my favorite all time episode of Star Trek The Next Generation. The episode is called Inner Light. I make no excuses for my nerdiness…It’s actually a near perfect piece of science fiction.

Last trip you took:

The last trip I took was to Massachusetts. I went to Cape Cod for my In Laws 50th wedding anniversary. It was fun. But, what was REALLY FUN was the little romantic getaway my husband and I took to Salem.  All I’m gonna say about that is Hauswitch- look em up online and get your Witch on.

       My favorite quote(s) are:

This is the beginning of a new day. you have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have to leave behind. Let it be something good. 

I also like “You can’t do epic shit with basic people” but I have no idea who said that one! 

Best moment as an author:

My best moment as an author was the 2009 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Author’s Feast. My debut novel, When Autumn Leaves was about to come out and I finally got to hold the Advanced Reader Copy for the first time.  Seeing my name on an actual book was such a thrill! And the dinner itself was really special because it was with all the independent bookstore owners. They treated us authors like rock stars. It was amazing.



MORE ABOUT THE RIFT UPRISING
Normal seventeen-year-old girls go to high school, binge watch TV shows all weekend, and flirt with everyone on the face of the Earth. But Ryn Whitaker is trying to save it.

Ryn is a Citadel. A soldier. A liar. Ryn and her fellow Citadels were specially chosen and trained to guard a Rift—one of fourteen unpredictable tears in the fabric of the universe that serve as doorways to alternate Earths. Unbeknownst to her family, Ryn leaves for school each day and then reports for duty as an elite, cybernetically-altered soldier who can run faster, jump farther, and fight better than a Navy SEAL—which comes in handy when she’s not sure if axe-wielding Vikings or any number of other terrified and often dangerous beings come through the Rift. A fine-tuned weapon, Ryn is a picture-perfect Citadel. But that’s all about to change.

When a young man named Ezra is pulled through the Rift, Ryn finds herself immediately drawn to him, despite her training. What starts as a physical attraction quickly grows deeper, and Ezra’s curiosity throws Ryn off balance when he starts questioning the Rifts, the mysterious organization that oversees them, and the Citadels themselves—questions that lead Ryn to wonder if the lies she’s been telling her family are just the surface of a much bigger lie told to her. As Ryn and Ezra desperately try to get to that truth, they discover that each revelation blurs the line between the villains and the heroes even more. 

Buy: Amazon | B&N

ABOUT AMY S. FOSTER
Amy S. Foster is a celebrated songwriter, best known as Michael BublĂ©’s writing partner. You might recognize her work in his four hit singles, including "Home" and "Haven't Met You Yet.”  She has also collaborated with Destiny’s Child, Diana Krall, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and a host of other artists. She is also the author of the novel When Autumn Leaves. When she's not in a studio in Nashville, Amy lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. Amy is the daughter of singer B.J. Cook and the legendary music producer, David Foster. Fun fact about Amy: Her extended family tree includes Bella and Gigi Hadid, Sara and Erin Foster and Brody and Brandon Jenner, and Clay Aiken! The Rift Uprising, her YA debut, will be released on October 4, 2016.   

LINKS: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Tour Schedule:

Giveaway:
3 Finished copies of THE RIFT UPRISING (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oct 14, 2016

Blog Tour: Illusion by Martina Boone




I can't believe it's the end of the series! But I'm so happy to welcome Martina Boone back onto the blog to talk one last time about the Heirs of Watson Island series.

1.  What have you learned in the last 3 years of publishing that you wish you could go back and tell debut author Martina Boone?

Wow. So much. I think I’d have to tell her to relax, let go of the book, and focus on writing. It’s so easy to get caught up in promotion and marketing and social media, in the novelty of having the honor of interacting with readers. Publishing a YA series has been such a mindblowingly wonderful experience, and I’m aware every single day how fortunate I am. But that in itself can be paralyzing, and my brain too easily tells me that I don’t deserve it. I would tell that naive, new me to have the courage to keep writing every day.


2. Which character has grown the most over the course of the Heirs of Watson Island?

Barrie. She has the biggest ARC because, when she first came to Watson Island with Mark’s instructions to live life to the fullest, she also had no preparation for how to do that. Thanks to the fact that her mother was a shut-in, Barrie had barely been out of the house in all her life and she’d had no real loving relationship other than Mark, her caregiver who was a mixture of Ru Paul and Whoopie Goldberg. Her minimal exposure to the outside world and her sensitivity to the hardships that Mark had experienced in his own life, she was so ready to champion any underdog and so certain that she was unbiased. In some ways, she was. In other ways, she was subject to the same biases that we all harbor without knowing it. I wanted Barrie to come to see the things she couldn’t see when she first arrived, not only the magic of Watson Island and first love and family, but also the inner journey to finding and understanding herself and her place in the world around her.


3. Which character surprised you throughout writing the series?

Honestly, they all surprised me. I wanted to ground Barrie constantly. I wanted to slap Cassie. Then I wanted to slap Seven Beaufort. I wanted to hug Eight and tell him he’d be all right. I wanted to ground Kate Beaufort and applaud her. I wanted to shove Obadiah and Mary and Daphne together and make them hug and make up already. And always, I wanted to finally give Pru Watson the respect and love and appreciation that she had never gotten in all her life.

Who surprised me the most? Eliza Watson Beaufort. In the guise of her counterpart, Eliza Lucas Pinckney who at the age of 17 ran three plantations for her father and founded the American indigo industry which became the third largest export in the colonies prior to the revolutionary war, Eliza was always the core of the series. She triggered my awareness of how many people were left out of the history I learned in school. But I never knew how to bring her into the books overtly, and I wasn’t sure she was going to end up in ILLUSION until I wrote her in one day without having planned it. Certainly until one of my critique partners nudged me into exploring her more in depth, I didn’t know she was going to become a character I truly loved.


4. Is there anything from COMPULSION or PERSUASION  you wish you could go back and change?

Oh, yes. But hindsight is always twenty-twenty. We grow as we write, and hopefully our characters grow as well. Barrie has an enormous ARC in this series, but I love her warts and all. It’s easy to see the flaws from where I’m standing now. All I can do is apply that knowledge to the next book.

5. What is your best author memory to date?

My daughter had trouble being an enthusiastic reader. Reading was difficult for her, so once I stopped reading aloud, fiction sort of fell of the grid. When she finished the first book that made her want to read late into the night, we went off to the bookstore the next day and bought an armload of books together. These included Becca Fitzpatrick’s HUSH, HUSH; Scott Westerfeld’s UGLIES, and Melissa Marr’s WICKED LOVELY. The first author event I did was a luncheon that my publisher hosted at BEA for me, Becca Fitzpatrick, Scott Westerfeld, Kresley Cole, and Christina Lauren. Melissa Marr was kind enough to do two of my launch events with me. At all the events, I kept singing the Sesame Street song in my head: “One of these things is not like the others.” But when my daughter heard about the schedule, she pulled the books we had bought from her bookshelf and told me how proud she was of me. She told me that I had proven to her that if you tried hard enough, you could accomplish anything. THAT is my favorite author memory. It’s followed closely by the first time someone told me COMPULSION was her favorite book of all time and thanked me for writing it. When I realized that COMPULSION could be the same kind of book for someone that turned my daughter into a reader.

6. Now that the series has ended, what do you have planned next?

I’ve got several books going simultaneously. The one closest to my heart is the one that’s killing me because it’s so hard to write. But essentially, it’s a fantasy with sci fi elements retelling of THE ODYSSEY.

7. Any last words for fans of the series?

Find the courage to be yourselves, my lovelies. It’s so easy for voices to be silenced, for girls or anyone who is vulnerable or not in the majority in power, to feel as though they don’t matter. As if they should put themselves second. Others feel that they have mattered so little in the past that they need to demand that they be heard. But strength comes in many forms. Beauty comes in every form and color. We all need to look for the magic and the bridges of understanding that exist around us and within us to become the best version of ourselves.

ABOUT ILLUSION:
Barrie must rescue her beloved and her family from evil spirits in the masterful conclusion to the Heirs of Watson Island trilogy.

Caged by secrets all around her and haunted by mistakes that have estranged her from Eight Beaufort, Barrie Watson is desperate to break the curse that puts her family in danger—without breaking the beautiful magic that protects Watson’s Landing. To do that, she must heal the rifts that have split the families of the island apart for three hundred years, unravel the mystery of the Fire Carrier and the spirits he guards, and take control of forces so deadly and awe-inspiring they threaten to overwhelm her.

With the spirits that cursed Watson Island centuries ago awake and more dangerous than ever, she finds an unlikely ally in the haunting and enigmatic Obadiah, whose motivations and power she still can’t read—or trust. His help comes at a price, however, plunging Barrie into a deadly maze of magic and wonder, mystery and intrigue that leads through history to places she never imagined she could go.

LINKS: Amazon | B&N


ABOUT MARTINA BOONE:

Martina Boone was born in Prague and spoke several languages before learning English. Her first teacher in the U.S. made fun of her for not pronouncing the "wh" sound right, so she set out to master "all the words”—she's still working on that! In the meantime she’s writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she'd love to visit. 

If you like romance steeped in mystery, mayhem, Spanish moss, and a bit of magic, she hopes you'll look forward to meeting Barrie, Eight, Cassie, Pru, Seven and the other characters of Watson Island.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | Pinterest


Tour Schedule:
Week 1:

Week 2:

Giveaway:
2 Complete Sets of the Heirs of Watson Island series (US Only)


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sep 26, 2016

Blog Tour: Frazzled by Booki Vivat



If there's one tour I had to do for 2016, it was this one. Booki Vivat is known to a lot of us in the blogger world for being a kick ass publicist, but now she's adding kick ass author to her resume. FRAZZLED took me by storm - this is the book I needed before I walked through those middle school doors. I still maintain that I want to be Abbie Wu when I grow up.


Booki recently sat down to answer some questions about her new book and how being a publicist and an author are very different things.


1. CONGRATS on your first book, Booki! Now I know it happened, but can you tell everyone how FRAZZLED came to be a book?

Frazzled has a pretty unconventional origin story. It didn’t start with a traditional pitch or a query or a manuscript. It started with a doodle—or rather, a whole bunch of them. I began keeping a planner a few years ago to try and get my life in order, but it ended up becoming more of a creative outlet to channel all my feelings. Doodles literally took over the pages of my life!

Through an unexpected combination of supportive friends, word-of-mouth, and pure luck, this set of planners landed in the hands of my future editor. As she flipped through the pages, one specific image stood out to her. It was a particularly dramatic drawing of me in a moment of crisis, a doodle that read: I live my life in a constant state of impending doom. That’s when it clicked. She pointed to it and told me, "There's a story here. That's our girl.”

2. Why do you think young readers will connect with Abbie Wu?

Even though Abbie reacts to and deals with her circumstances in a very specific way, the actual problems she faces in the book are universal. Everyone has felt the uncertainty of entering a new school or new season of life and not feeling quite ready for it. In the same way, I think every kid will be able to see something familiar in Abbie—whether it’s feeling like the family misfit or navigating lunchroom politics or thinking all the teachers at school are just plain weird. At its core, Frazzled is about trying to figure out who you are, where you belong, and realizing that sometimes it’s okay not to know. I think that idea is appealing to all of us!

3. Do you think your career as a publicist helped prepare you for being a published author?

Honestly, I don’t know if anything can really prepare you for being a published author! In some ways, working in publishing threw some complications into the process of writing Frazzled. The thing about marketing and publicity is that it happens after the book is already done! When I would see these amazing finished books come across my desk, it was hard to then go back to my unfinished manuscript (and all those blank pages…) without feeling a little discouraged. It felt like Frazzled would never get to that point! I really had to force myself to push all those thoughts aside and just try to make the best book I could.

At the same time, I think that working as a publicist taught me about the importance of perspective. As an author, so much of the publishing process is out of your control—and that’s terrifying! There are so many things that need to happen to get a book published and so many factors that influence the life of that book. Working in the industry kind of kept me in check and reminded me that I could only control was what was on the page. At some point, I knew I just had to focus on that and trust that it would find the right readers.

4. What has been your favorite moment since finding out your book would become a real thing that would sit on bookshelves in bookstores?

One of the first thoughts that went through my head when I saw my finished book was, “Did I really make this?” It’s so surreal to think of people reading this thing that I made, this thing that is so much a part of me. Above all, the best part about Frazzled becoming a real book has been all the support and positive affirmation I’ve received about it—not only from my close friends and family, but from colleagues and peers, acquaintances from my past, even strangers who haven’t actually met me. I think, as an author, you always hope your story will resonate with people, but the response I’ve gotten so far has been beyond anything I could’ve imagined. I’m so lucky!

5. Will we be seeing more of Abbie Wu?

Of course! There are so many different situations and emotions to explore that happen in middle school. I have a lot of material to work with and am chipping away at book 2 right now. This is definitely not the last you’ll see of Abbie Wu. She still has a long way to go before she makes it out of middle school!

6. And lastly, because the people want to know – is your name really Booki?

Yes! It may be hard to believe, but I’ve had the name Booki since before I could even hold a book! I swear I am not making this up. When I was younger, people used to say that I was destined to be a librarian or work in publishing or write a novel. I figured that most of them were joking, but now I’m starting to wonder if it was true. I guess, considering everything that’s happened, it kind of fits!


ABOUT FRAZZLED:
Meet Abbie Wu! She’s about to start middle school and she’s totally in crisis.

Abbie Wu is in crisis—and not just because she’s stuck in a family that doesn’t quite get her or because the lunch ladies at school are totally corrupt or because everyone seems to have a “Thing” except her. Abbie Wu is in crisis always.

Heavily illustrated and embarrassingly honest, Frazzled dives right into the mind of this hilariously neurotic middle school girl as she tries to figure out who she is, where she belongs, and how to survive the everyday disasters of growing up. With Abbie’s flair for the dramatic and natural tendency to freak out, middle school has never seemed so nerve-racking!

Packed with hilarious black-and-white illustrations and doodles throughout, Frazzled takes readers through Abbie Wu’s hysterical middle school adventures.



LINKS: Amazon | B&N


ABOUT BOOKI VIVAT:
Booki Vivat has been doodling somewhat seriously since 2011 and not-so-seriously since childhood. She grew up in Southern California and graduated from the University of California, San Diego. She currently works in publishing and lives in Brooklyn, New York. This is her first novel. Follow her on Twitter @thebookiv and on Instagram @bookibookibooki.




Tour Schedule:
Week 1:

Week 2:



Giveaway:
3 Finished Copies of FRAZZLED (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sep 20, 2016

Blog Tour: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco



1. The details in the book are remarkable—from the specifics of dissection and Victorian-era medicine to the historically accurate descriptions of late 19th-century London. What research did you do to make the story so authentic?

Thank you! I pored over actual Ripper case files and studied the notes the forensic team/medical examiners had taken during their autopsies. I thought it was really important to capture the medical techniques of the day and spent a great deal of time investigating what was around, how it was used, and what the general thoughts of the public were. One of my favorite parts in Stalking Jack the Ripper is when [Audrey Rose’s] uncle, a brilliant forensic medical examiner, has his own theories that cannot be proven by medical professionals, but are practices and truths we know today. I also did a lot of research into how autopsies are conducted today, what bodies smell like after trauma, to fully flesh out my understanding of how our procedures might differ from Victorian practices. I’m also into history, and growing up outside of New York City meant that there were many historic sites to visit. Family vacations always included stops along the way—whether we’d attend a historic home tour or visit the Vanderbilt Mansion, history was incorporated into our activities. When it came time for my Victorian research, I really enjoyed getting lost in the details of the period.  Fun fact: the house I grew up in was built in the 1700s, with an addition in the 1800s. 

2. Writing for an audience of teenagers is no easy task. Why did you choose to write for young adults?

Young adults are complex and intelligent, and have so much passion for their beliefs. It’s a time in our lives where we’re struggling to either be who we are or find out who we are through trial and error. It’s this faltering step into the adult world, where ideals can be crushed or fostered. YA literature shows us—in a big way—that we can be the light in the darkness. We can all be the heroes/heroines of our own stories. Thanks to my grandma, I still believe the impossible is absolutely possible, no matter how many doors are slammed or how hopeless things may appear. That’s just an unexpected, crushing plot twist, which, as YA readers know, makes the resolution all the sweeter. All of the firsts and the unfettered belief that we can make a change in the world so we attempt to do just that—that’s the true magic of YA literature, and why I chose to write for teens.

3. What’s next for you? Will we see a sequel to Stalking Jack the Ripper?

The early response to Stalking Jack the Ripper has been absolutely incredible. Things I never dared to dream have been happening and I just sit back, pinching myself most days. I’ve always wanted to have a series of interconnected stand-alones, like novel-length penny dreadfuls, and am thrilled to say there will be two more gothic adventures for Audrey Rose. Right now I’m hard at work on book two, and I’ll just say that it’s got a new setting that’s as creepy as Victorian London. We get more forensics and autopsies, some scary folklore, and twists and turns that will hopefully keep readers guessing until the end. There may also be an infamous castle involved where a bloodthirsty legend is said to haunt the halls at night. I cannot wait for it to hit shelves in the fall of 2017.




ABOUT STALKING JACK THE RIPPER:
Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.


LINKS: Amazon | B&N


ABOUT KERRI MANISCALCO:

Kerri Maniscalco grew up in a semi-haunted house outside NYC where her fascination with gothic settings began. In her spare time she reads everything she can get her hands on, cooks all kinds of food with her family and friends, and drinks entirely too much tea while discussing life’s finer points with her cats. Stalking Jack the Ripper is her debut novel. It incorporates her love of forensic science and unsolved history, and is the first in a new series of gothic thrillers.


Tour Schedule:
Week 1:

Week 2:


Giveaway:
3 Finished Copies of STALKING JACK THE RIPPER (US Only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sep 19, 2016

Blog Tour: The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

And now ... a Q&A with Mindy McGinnis.


1. THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES is one of the most intense books I’ve ever read. Several times I had to set it down to digest what had happened. How long did I take you to write this and where in the world did the idea come from?

I actually wrote the book fairly quickly, I’d say in about three months. Part of the reason for that is that the idea has been percolating for about 15 years… since I was in college. As a freshman I had a lot of adjusting to do and one of those things I needed to adjust to was cable TV (I didn’t have it at home). So I kind of glutted myself at first.

I was watching some sort of true crime show about a murder of a young girl that had happened in a small town. Everyone pretty much knew who did it, but there wasn’t enough evidence to convict, so he walked free. The show named the town, and the suspect. I thought to myself, Gee, an unhinged person could take that information andhuhthat’s a novel.

2. This book is graphic at time, and deeply unsettling. You pulled no punches in writing this book, which makes it all the more gripping. Did you ever wonder if you were pushing the envelope too far?

No, I didn’t. Yes, it’s deeply unsettling, but so is the news. And that’s nonfiction. People asked me with A MADNESS SO DISCREET why I would write about a father sexually abusing his daughter in a book for teens. My answer is because th at’s who it happens to. The same is true for SPECIES.

3. Which character POV was your favorite to write – Alex, Jack, or Peekay?

Honestly, Peekay. She deals with a lot of her emotions anger, sadness, pain, love by making jokes about them. Humor is her defense mechanism, and considering that Jack’s is sex and Alex’s is murder, Peekay was a nice, light escape when it was her turn.

4. What message do you want readers, especially teens, to walk away from this with?

A better understanding of how the other sex views the world around them, and how our actions affect others. Because of multiple POVs, both female and male, that stands true for readers of either sex.

5. How do you even begin to research a book like this? I mean, I felt like I was reading a Criminal Minds spinoff series. Criminal Minds: Young Adult Files.

Ha! Well, I had a lot of help from a friend of mine who teaches criminology at the university level. He was my junior high basketball coach. I shot him an email and was like, “Hey, remember me? I need to know about decomposition rates of bodies in the woods, and also how to burn a house down without making it look like arson. Email me back!”

6. Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES?

This was actually my first novel. I attempting writing it when I was in college, soon after the idea hatched. I’d never written a novel before but I thought this was an important story. Originally Jack and Alex were adults, and Peekay wasn’t in the story at all.

But I was NOT a good writer at that point in my life. Believe me. I revisited that original manuscript when I decided to turn it into a YA story. And wowit was unreadable. I didn’t even finish it. I DNF'd my own book.

I think it says a lot though about talent some of it is natural, but an immense part of the craft.


ABOUT THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES:
Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.
 

LINKS: Amazon | B&N


ABOUT MINDY MCGINNIS:

Mindy McGinnis is a YA author who has worked in a high school library for thirteen years. Her debut, NOT A DROP TO DRINK, a post-apocalyptic survival story set in a world with very little freshwater, has been optioned for film my Stephanie Meyer's Fickle Fish Films. The companion novel, IN A HANDFUL OF DUST was released in 2014. Look for her Gothic historical thriller, A MADNESS SO DISCREET in October of 2015 from Katherine Tegen Books. Mindy is represented by Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary.

LINKS: Website | Twitter | Facebook


Tour Schedule:
Week 1:

Week 2:


Giveaway:
3 Finished Copies of THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway