ere they are...
About the Book:Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, the mysterious new boy at school who turned out to have a very mysterious gift--pyschometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry, and experiencing her own strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow rubbed off on her. Can the power of psychometry be transferred?
Even once Ben returns to school, Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Despite the romantic tension between them, Ben remains aloof, avoiding contact. Then when an unexpected kiss leads to a frightening argument, Camelia makes the painful decision to let Ben go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at work, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. Adam is easygoing, and seems to really care about her.
But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events upturns secrets from Ben's past--and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it's up to Camelia to figure out who-before it's too late.
Read our exclusive interview with Laurie Faria Stolarz!
1) What a great concept for a series! How’d you come up with the idea?
I wanted to write a story where the main character has to struggle with the idea of falling in love with someone who could potentially be dangerous. I tinkered with this concept in the first three books of my Blue is for Nightmares Series [(Blue is for Nightmares (Llewellyn 2003), White is for Magic (Llewellyn 2004), and Silver is for Secrets (Llewellyn 2005), as well as in Bleed (Hyperion 2006)]. In Bleed, in particular, there’s a young male character who was convicted for the murder of his girlfriend. His next relationship consists of pen pal letters he exchanges with a young girl while he’s in prison. Without giving too much away, the relationship is briefly pursued once he is released, but I wanted to bring this concept to another level.
Additionally, I wanted to continue experimenting with the supernatural (which I also use in my Blue is for Nightmares Series as well as in Project 17), showing how we all have our own inner senses and intuition, and how with work we can tap into those senses and make them stronger.
I started researching different types of supernatural powers and discovered the power of psychometry (the ability to sense things through touch). The concept fascinated me, and so I wanted to bring it out in a character, showing how sometimes even the most extraordinary powers can also be a curse.
Lastly, I wanted to apply these concepts to be part of a series. I love the idea of growing a main character over the course of several books.
2) Psychometry is the ability to sense the future through touch. If you could have this ability, would you want it? Why or why not?
Good question, but I’m not sure I’d want it. I’m not sure I’d want to know the fate of other people, especially those close to me. Of course, it would certainly come in handy if I was able to help prevent an accident or warn someone about an impending danger or wrong turn. Of course, part of life is making those wrong turns and learning from them, so…. Hmmm…maybe I’d like to test it out for a week or so and see how it goes. I think that with a power like this comes a great deal of responsibility. It might be interesting to try that power on for a bit.
3) You have another bestselling series, the Blue is for Nightmares series. Is it hard to switch back and forth between two different worlds?
One of the big advantages I have is time. I’ve been working with Stacey Brown from the Blue is for Nightmares series for over ten years now, so I think I have a really firm grasp of her character. I see her as very distinct from Camelia from the Touch series. Stacey is a bit more serious than Camelia, and a bit more fearless as well. Plus, I see the supernatural powers that they both have as very distinct. Stacey’s had far more practice and experience with her folk magic, whereas Camelia’s powers are just beginning to develop and she doesn’t quite know how to use them yet.
4) You seem to be very prolific! Any quirky writing habits to keep you going? Lucky sweat pants? Music soundtrack? Special food?
I’m just very good with time management. I set myself very specific deadlines and I follow them to the tee. My life is very busy and I need to multi-task. Having strict deadlines makes all the difference. When I’m on deadline, I write at least 10 pages per week. This doesn’t include all the marketing I do per week, nor does it include any of the other promotional or developmental work. The end of the week is Sunday for me, so if Sunday hits and I don’t have my 10 pages, I’ll spend all day and night getting them done.
5) What are you working on right now?
I’m currently editing Deadly Little Game, the third book in the Touch series.
About the Author:
Laurie Faria Stolarz (Massachusetts) has a great interest in teen culture, and admires young adults for their passion, energy, and creativity. She has an MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in Young Adult Literature from Emerson College in Boston. She currently teaches writing and is a member of the SCBWI as well as several professional writing groups. Visit her online at: www.lauriestolarz.com
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Read our exclusive interview with Tonya Hurley!
1) This is a fabulous series, where'd you come up with the idea for the concept?
I was working on a TV show in Los Angeles, away from home in New York, and I observed the whole fame thing first hand. How you could be the biggest celebrity in the world and still feel invisible, feel like the loneliest person on earth even though you have millions of fans. It's all a big popularity contest, just like high school. It got me to thinking about my own high school experience and so I wrote the book I would have wanted in high school. ghostgirl is a story about ghosts, but it's not a ghost story in the typical sense. It's a story about self-acceptance, love and longing.
2) I read you're also a screenwriter and filmmaker! Will you be bringing Ghostgirl to life on screen anytime soon?
I sure hope so. It's something we're working on.
3) Ghostgirl explores the theme of invisibility. When, in your life, have you felt the most "invisible"?
High school is the backdrop for ghostgirl, but I think that the theme of invisibility is universal. I have a wide variety of readers who can relate because invisibility may start in high school -- it's a time when people really want to know who you aren't and not really who you are -- but it carries on through life.
4) You have some creative ideas about the afterlife, where did these come from? Are they based on anything you've seen before or completely made up?
I use death as a metaphor for invisibility and I thought it would be interesting to take that to the extreme --which resulted in the tragic death of Charlotte Usher. I wanted to explore how her desires – her love and longing, transcended death itself. We do transition when we die and we also transition when we love, and I wanted to write about that in this story. With this in mind, I felt I needed to take a whole new approach to the afterlife. It really intrigues me because it’s partly based in reality - none of us are getting out of here alive, so we're all going to face the truth at some point, but then again, no one comes back to tell us what actually happens. We all have a strong belief of what happens, but none of us really know for sure. It's the perfect topic for a writer because there’s so much to explore. I chose to approach the after life as a "life sucks and then you die and then it sucks again" sort of thing -- more like daily life where you can still be ostracized, still be hurt, but also still find happiness and ultimately fulfill your dreams. I remember when I was young, a teenager passed away and I was at his funeral. People around me were saying, "Oh, he was so young. He never got to go to the prom. He never got to fall in love. He never got to do this and that." I remember thinking to myself, "How do you know?" How do you know what he's doing and not doing? Maybe he's at the prom right now."
5) Will there be a third book in the Ghostgirls series? If yes, when can we expect that and what's in store for Charlotte next?
Yes. The third book is called ghostgirl: Lovesick and it's about the invisibility theme as well -- how we often lose our identities when we are in love. Romance is Dead is the tag, so either Charlotte gives up on love, or finds it after she passes. Maybe both.
About the Author:
**Please enter to win using the form on the left side bar of our website. Comments left on the post, while appreciated, are not used as entry. Thanks!
Alyson Noel answer the top 10 fan questions from all over the world. Listen to our exclusive interview with Alyson Noel here here!Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives-and fought off the world-s darkest enemies-so they could be together forever.- But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen-one that could destroy everything.- Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death-plunging Damen into the Shadowland.-- Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick-and gets help from an unexpected source-a surfer named Jude.
Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar.- Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past.- She-s always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love-and she still believes it to be true.- But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever-s connection with Jude grows stronger-and tests her love for Damen like never before
Sarah Hernandez
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Free Book Friday was created by Jessica Brody, author of two adult novels and her brand new young adult novel, THE KARMA CLUB, about three girls who decide to take Karma into their own hands by getting revenge on the ex-boyfriends who broke their hearts. To view the award-winning book trailers and read excerpts, visit her website at:
www.JessicaBrody.com
