Hi guys! Man, last week was pretty brutal. It should have been some straightforward copy-edits for Vicarious [See pretty cover in sidebar! Click pretty cover for chance to win an ARC!] but somehow I got sucked into this writer vortex of complex revisions and re-verifying technical stuff and second-guessing everything and biting my nails down to the nubs. And then there were doctor appointments and vet appointments and I don't even know what. And all that stuff made me anxious, which made everything worse. So my apologies because this giveaway is going up late. But hey, it's still officially summer and I'm going to leave this contest going until the first day of fall.
I love Gretchen McNeil :-) I "met" her as part of the Apocalypsies group when I was writing as Fiona Paul. I met her in real life at BEA 2012 and she is every bit as cool as her books. What I like best about Gretchen's books is their compulsive readability--for me her stories are full of high-stakes tension and her prose is thoughtful and descriptive without slowing down the narrative or leading me into a dense metaphor jungle and leaving me there to die. (Have I mentioned I'm not much for flowery prose? ;D)
Next year Gretchen is going to be branching out into other genres, but she'll always be one of my favorite YA mystery writers. For this giveaway you can choose the featured book, GET DIRTY, or any of her other mystery books.
“If you’re a Pretty Little Liars fan, it’s safe to say you’ll love Get Even.” –Bustle.com
Here's the official GET DIRTY flap copy. [NOTE: It's a bit spoilery for GET EVEN.]
The members of Don’t Get Mad aren’t just mad anymore . . . they’re afraid. And with Margot in a coma and Bree stuck in juvie, it’s up to Olivia and Kitty to try to catch their deadly tormentor. But just as the girls are about to go on the offensive, Ed the Head reveals a shocking secret that turns all their theories upside down. The killer could be anyone, and this time he—or she—is out for more than just revenge.
The girls desperately try to discover the killer’s identity as their personal lives are falling apart: Donté is pulling away from Kitty and seems to be hiding a secret of his own, Bree is under house arrest, and Olivia’s mother is on an emotional downward spiral. The killer is closing in, the threats are becoming more personal, and when the police refuse to listen, the girls have no choice but to confront their anonymous friend . . . or die trying.
Gretchen is a former coloratura soprano, the voice of Mary on G4's Code Monkeys and she sings with the LA-based circus troupe Cirque Berzerk. She is repped by Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Here's Gretchen sharing more info about GET DIRTY:
1. Describe your book in ten words or less.
"The Breakfast Club with a body count."
2. What is/are your favorite thing/s about the story?
I love the idea of four very different girls who support each other instead of tearing each other down, and who come together to accomplish something bigger than themselves. (That sounds so cheesy...)
3. What was the most difficult part of the writing or publication process?
GET DIRTY was my fifth book but my first ever sequel and I found the process of writing it incredibly difficult! Apparently, I'm a stand alone novel writer at heart.
4. If this book became a movie, what song would play during the credits?
Going along with my answer to #1, "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds
(I'll just leave this here in case anyone doesn't already have
that song stuck in their heads. You're welcome.)
5. Free play: ask and answer any question you wish people would ask you but they never do.
I actually rarely get asked who my favorite character is! Favorite book, yes. Favorite character, no. And that's an easy one to answer because, hands down, it is Ed the Head from this series. He is...amazing.
Ed the Head is definitely...memorable ;-) And now for the GIVEAWAY!
Ed the Head is definitely...memorable ;-) And now for the GIVEAWAY!
Thanks for participating in my #SizzlingSummerMysteries incentive. Have a great autumn (or spring!)
