Authors Are Rockstars Tour: KIM HARRINGTON Interview + Giveaway!

Today I am super excited to be participating in the second annual Authors Are Rockstars tour!  Not only that, but I get to feature one of my favorite authors, Kim Harrington!!

Kim is a ROCKSTAR

Kim Harrington, now on her fourth book for Young Adults, is one of those writers that I truly admire.  Her stories and characters draw you in, take them with you on an enthralling, sometimes creepy journey, and stick with you long after you turn the last page.  But what makes her books stand out to me is something that is surprisingly hard to come by in the YA world these days. Her books speak to all ages, the whole range of the young adult genre, and are even fun to read for adults like me!  Her stories are still sophisticated and are generous with the spine-tingling  moments, but you never have to worry as a parent or a teacher or a librarian about handing over one of her books to even the youngest YA readers of 11 or 12.  It’s a challenge these days, I’d say that more than half of the YA out there is only appropriate for 15 and up.  Kim Harrington is a master at giving us fun stories that everyone can enjoy. For me, that is definitely a big part of what makes her a rockstar.

Q & A with Kim Harrington:

Which of the characters that you've written is your favorite?

I tend to adore whichever main character I’m working with at the time. And I can’t wait for you guys to meet Morgan from FORGET ME (coming Summer 2014). But I have to admit that no matter how much time passes and how many other books I write, there will always be a special place in my heart reserved for Clarity Fern. I miss her.

What are you usually doing when a story idea strikes you?
Story ideas never hit when I’m trying to think of one. They usually spring up when I’m doing something automatic that doesn’t require too much focus—exercising, showering, cleaning. My mind wanders and then BAM! An idea is born.

Do you know how a story is going to end before you sit down to write it?
I have to know. I found this out the hard way with starts and stops and incomplete manuscripts years ago. Before I start writing, I have to know the beginning and the end. The middle can grow organically. And the end can change, of course, but I have to have some idea of it before I can begin.

What kind of books did you love to read as a teenager?
I was a teen in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s—horror’s heyday. It seemed like every publisher had a mass market paperback horror line, and I spent all my 

part-time job money on those books. I loved them.

 What is the best writing advice you’ve ever been given?

To write, first and foremost, for yourself. I write books I would want to read. I write to entertain 
myself.

Favorite snack while writing?

Sour Patch Kids, especially Sour Patch Fruit Salad

Favorite movie?
Poltergeist (weird, I know)

Favorite color?
Purple. I’m kind of obsessed with purple.

Favorite band and song right now?

Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Favorite teacher from your school years?
My eighth grade science teacher. That was a pretty miserable year for me, but he made science exciting and fun, and introduced me to astronomy, which I still find fascinating.

And everyone who visits Stories & Sweeties answers this one:  Do you like cupcakes? Frosting or cake better?
YES! I looooove cupcakes. Especially yellow cupcakes with a lot of sugary frosting. What I like to do is break off part of the bottom cake part, then put it on top and squish it down so the frosting is in the middle, like a sandwich. That way I get frosting in every bite.

Thanks for having me!

Find Kim Harrington online:

WEBSITE  •  TWITTER  •  FACEBOOK  •  GOODREADS

Stories & Sweeties reviews:

CLARITY  •  PERCEPTION  •  THE DEAD AND BURIED

GIVEAWAY!!

I'm giving away one winner's choice of any of Kim's books!
 Open internationally  •  Ends 8/16/13

a Rafflecopter giveaway