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

Becky's View: The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington
♦publisher: Scholastic Point
♦release date: January 1st, 2013
♦hardcover, 304 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

Review: I love Kim Harrington's writing style.  Her books are always quick-paced page-turners, unfolding these great stories that draw you right in and keep you glued there until the last page.  The Dead and Buried was certainly no exception and has all the elements of a good old classic ghost story.  Rooms getting mysteriously upended, ghostly nightmares and possessions,  there's even a good creepy oujia board scene---and nothing creeps me out more than when there are little kids mixed up in the haunting. 

Jade has just moved into her dream house with her father, stepmother, and 5-year-old brother, whom she adores.  So when creepy things start happening and her brother seems to be the ghost's target, Jade is determined to do anything to make it stop.  Her father is away and she asks her stepmother for help, only to be accused of trying to start trouble.  So she's on her own.  The story also gives us little glimpses into the head of Kayla Sloane, the girl who is haunting the house. In life she was mean, shallow, spoiled, ...just not a very nice person. Maybe a few cracks in her cruel soul, but not many.   And in death she is pure evil.  Kayla wants to know who murdered her and unless Jade solves the mystery, she's threatening Jade's little brother's life.  See what I mean...EVIL.   So Jade is racing to get to the bottom of the mystery, getting in with Kayla's old friends so she can weed out the murderer---but what happens when nearly all of them have a motive?

There are characters to love and characters to hate in this one.  I really enjoyed reading Kayla, she has so much love for her brother, so much pain over losing her mother.  She has some faults and confidence issues, but there is a real kindness to her.  From her mother, she has a love for collecting natural stones and it was an interesting part of her character, the way she used them as sort of talismans although she herself wasn't quite convinced that she believed in their power. The rest of the mixed cast of characters were great, a few of your typical cliché teen personas, but also a few really unexpected surprises.   The romance was sweet, but of course, clouded by secrets and suspicion since the sweet, artsy Donovan had one major motive as well!  

The Dead and Buried is perfect for fans of creepy, ghostly murder mysteries---it's a quick entertaining read that keeps you guessing until the very end!

 Find Kim Harrington online:  Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase The Dead and Buried:  Amazon  •  BN.com  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Thanksgiving-Away #8 - Win an ARC of The Dead and Buried!

 

Happy Thanksgiving Day, Everyone!! 

Today's giveaway is a bit of a surprise last minute prize---I just received a double copy of this in the mail yesterday, so I just had to pass it on to one of you!!

Who wants it?

1 ARC of The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington! 

(see event kick-off post for more details!) 

•US mailing addresses only

• Must be 13 or older

• Last day to enter: November 29, 2012

Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Dead and Buried
by Kim Harrington

hitting shelves January 1st, 2012 from Scholastic Point

description:
A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.
Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . .
But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things.
Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.
Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house . . . is haunted.
Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school -- until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets.
But is one of them a murderer?

My thoughts: I love Kim Harrington's Clarity series and this looks like something I will enjoy as well!! A haunted house, a mysterious murder...and I love the creepy cover! It's too bad this one isn't coming out a few months earlier---seems like it would be a perfect Halloween read!