‘Debut Author Spotlight’ is a new feature here on Book Chick City. We will be showcasing a debut author each fortnight from the genres of horror, urban fantasy and paranormal romance. We will give you all the relevant book information as well as an insight into the ‘author behind the book’.
This month’s spotlight is on debut author…
Sara Grant
Sara Grant is an American living in the UK. Born and raised in Washington, Indiana, Sara graduated from Indiana University with degrees in journalism and psychology, and later earned a master’s degree in creative and life writing from Goldsmiths College, University of London. She now works as a freelance writer and editor for Working Partners, creating series fiction for children. She lives in London with her husband. ”Dark Parties” is her first novel.
10 WEIRD & RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME
First, thanks, Carolyn, for featuring me and my debut novel Dark Parties on Book Chick City’s Debut Author Spotlight!
As a newly published writer, I find talking about myself a little awkward. I happily write fiction, but I find nonfiction, especially the autobiographical kind, more difficult. So, let’s see…
1. Should I start at the beginning and work chronologically? I was born and raised in Washington, Indiana, a small town in the Midwestern United States – one of the flyover states as some Brits like to say. My mom taught kindergarten and my dad was a banker. Both of my grandmothers lived in Washington, too, as did many of my aunts, uncles and cousins. Growing up everyone knew everything about me. It was like living in a fish bowl. I think that’s where some of the claustrophobia in Dark Parties comes from.
2. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I remember writing my first story at eight years old. It was written on notebook paper and tied together with three pieces of string. It was dedicated to Farrah Fawcett Majors. (Um, yeah, I was writing under the influence of an extreme obsession with the TV show Charlie’s Angels at the time.)
3. I love to take my laptop and write anywhere. My favourite spots are trains and planes. I’ve been known to buy a train ticket to an English city I’ve never visited and spend the morning writing and riding. Once I arrive at my destination, I’ll have lunch, look around and then write all the way back to London. I’ve also written poolside in Spain, while cruising the Norwegian fjords and even in graveyards – I find them inspiring. It’s like being surrounded by millions of stories. Okay, even I know that sounds strange.
4. Maybe I should mention that I can say my alphabet as quickly backwards as forwards. It’s a trick my cousin Steve taught me one summer when our families were on vacation.
5. Or I could tell you that I think the most perfect food in the universe is mashed potatoes and I will eat them for any meal. Does that make me sound too bland? It’s true but is it interesting?
6. Then there’s the fact that I love goals and to-do lists. I type up a list of personal and professional goals each year. (And, yes, last year’s did include finding a UK publisher for Dark Parties!) I have a to-do list app on my iPhone and often also have hand-written lists cluttering my London flat. I once even had a list of my lists. Yeah, I know that’s not normal.
7. I could share one of the things I’m most proud of – Undiscovered Voices. My friend and children’s book editor Sara O’Connor and I created this anthology to help unagented and unpublished children’s writers ‘get discovered’. From the first two Undiscovered Voices anthologies, 13 of the 24 selected authors have had novels contracted for publication and most have signed with agents. It’s how I got my agent and ultimately my first book deal. The third Undiscovered Voices anthology will be launched in February 2012.
8. What if I share that I quit my job as director of communications for one of the biggest foundation in the US and moved to the UK to marry a British man I met while standing in line for a ride at Universal Studios in Florida? Love makes you do crazy things, doesn’t it? We’ve been married for seven years and I couldn’t be happier.
9. Oh, maybe that’s too personal. I could say that my favourite musician is James Taylor. I used to run half-marathons. I love going to the theatre in the West End. (I’ve seen Wicked the musical like five times.) I prefer winter to summer. Maybe I should just keep it simple and tell you that my favourite colour is orange.
10. I think that’s at least ten – and probably TMI. I’ll close by saying that my debut novel Dark Parties – a dystopian tale for young adults – will be published in January as part of Orion’s Indigo list. Seeing my name on the cover of a book has been a life-long dream. Maybe that’s the best fact of all.
DARK PARTIES
Released Aug, 2011 from Little Brown, US
Jan 2012, Indigo, UK
Jan 2012, Indigo, UK
Sixteen-year-old Neva plots to escape her world, where everyone looks the same and no one is allowed to leave, in this compelling thriller about identity, trust and freedom.
Neva keeps a list of The Missing – the people like her grandmother who were part of her life but who have now vanished. The people that everyone else pretends never existed. In a nation isolated beneath the dome of the Protectosphere – which is supposed to protect, but also imprisons – Neva and her friends dream of freedom.
But life is becoming complicated for Neva. She’s falling for her best friend’s boyfriend – and she’s learning more than she ever wanted to know about what might be happening to The Missing…
GIVEAWAY!
Thanks to Indigo, I have THREE (3) signed copies of Dark Parties to give away!
This giveaway in UK ONLY and ends 2nd March 2012
To enter please follow instructions below
GOOD LUCK!
/*{literal}{/literal}*/ a Rafflecopter giveawayPLEASE VISIT WWW.BOOKCHICKCITY.COM TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY. THANK YOU! 
1 Comment
Like the sound of this one
ilona
felinewyvern at googlemail dot com
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