GCC Tours Laurie Stolarz

I want to bring to everyone's attention the next amazing book by one of my favorite YA writers, Laurie Stolarz. If you haven't read her Blue is For Nightmares series, Bleed, or Project 17, then go right out and buy them---along with her latest book, Deadly Little Secret. Not only is Laurie super-cool (we recently discovered we live one town over from each other and got to hang out and grab a coffee together) but she's a GREAT writer and her stories are very spooky (which is probably why we get along so well!!)

Laurie Stolarz's newest novel, DEADLY LITTLE SECRET (A TOUCH NOVEL) will be in stores December 23!

Here's a sneak peak...

Some secrets shouldn't be kept...
Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help – but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.

Praise for Laurie's latest:

"A boy to admire from afar, a girl you want to befriend, a novel to keep you turning the pages because you won't know who to trust. Laurie Faria Stolarz's DEADLY LITTLE SECRET is a blend of mystery, chills, and forbidden touches--one captivating story you have to experience." - Kelly Parra, author of INVISIBLE TOUCH.

“The book was full of shocking surprises and revelations, earning the book five stars. This is a must-read for fans of romance, suspense, and mystery because it won't disappoint.” – Teens Read Too

"...lively first-person narrative.... CW-worthy dialogue, quirky secondary characters, romance and suspense: a winning combination" - Kirkus Reviews

"An engaging, eerie tale about the darker side of relationships - when it becomes a matter of life and death to know who your friends are." - KLIATT

Cool Stuff to Check Out!

To listen to a recording of Laurie reading the first chapter, click here:

CHECK OUT THE BOOK TRAILERS!

This one was made by the students at the University of Texas:

And this one was made by the fabulous and talented M2 Productions:

Here's some info about the contest from Ms. Stolarz herself:

"A DEADLY LITTLE CONTEST – In celebration of the release of DEADLY LITTLE SECRET, the first book in the TOUCH SERIES, I’m launching a very exciting contest, the winner of which will have a minor character in DEADLY LITTLE LIES, the second book in the TOUCH SERIES, named after him or her. There are other prizes, too. Please see the official rules in the NEWS section of my website: www.lauriestolarz.com/news.html"

About Laurie
Laurie Faria Stolarz is the bestselling author of the BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES series, which has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide. The series comprises Blue is for Nightmares, White is for Magic, Silver is for Secrets, Red is for Remembrance, and the forthcoming Black is for Beginnings. Stolarz's titles have been part of the Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers list, the Top Ten Teen Pick list, and YALSA's Popular Paperback list, all through the American Library Association. Also the author of Bleed and Project 17, her most current work, Deadly Little Secret, the first book in the TOUCH series, is due out in December 2008. Born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, Stolarz attended Merrimack College and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston. For more information, visit Laurie’s website at www.lauriestolarz.com.

I've been delayed in posting this interview due to the Christmas holidays, but now that my blog is back up and running, here is my long overdue interview with my friend Laurie, whose book I'm DYING to read:


Do you (or did you ever) have a writing group? Who are the first people to read your book once it’s completed?
I used to have a writers group, but we all moved away from one another (geographically), and some stopped writing along the way, and it got harder and harder to keep up with each other. The first person to read my work is my husband, then I’ll give it to some select writer-friends (for Deadly Little Lies it was Stacy DeKeyser). (MKH: Um, hello? Share the love, Laurie!) Then, it goes to my agent and editor.

What writers do you consider your “sisters”? Are there any published writers that you hang out or tour with a lot? Call? Email? IM?
I e-mail back and forth with Stacey DeKeyser – she’s so cool, down-to-earth, and supportive, not to mention a very talented author. I also keep in touch with many authors (too many to list here) via listservs and chat sites. I periodically keep in touch with some of the members from my original writers group: Tea Benduhn, Lara Zeises, Kim Ablon Whitney, and Steven Goldman.

Who do you find yourself being compared to or are often put together with in reading lists or book clubs?
I’ve been compared to Lois Duncan a few times. (MKH: A great comparison!)

What writers do you wish would be in your “clique”? (It doesn’t have to be in your genre….doesn’t even have to be living! For example, I’d pick Alice Hoffman, Jodi Picoult, Sarah Dessen, Oscar Wilde, Stephenie Meyer, Meg Cabot, Stephen King and Joan Didion).

I’d love to hang with Cecily Von Zeigesar, R.A. Nelson, Carolyn Mackler, Gail Giles, Aimee Friedman, Stephen King, Alice Sebold, Donna Tartt, Meg Cabot, Robert Cormier, Raymond Carver, Francesca Lia Block, Judy Blume, and Megan Kelley Hall. (Awww, so sweet! Anytime, Laurie!)

If someone was going to join your book club, what would be a “must read” in order to join?
Good question. I really love The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I also love The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

What was your “initiation” to writing?
I’ve been writing since I was a child. Before I could even put pen to paper, I was making up stories and telling them to whomever would listen.

When did you first feel that you’d officially joined the “published writers’ club”?
I don’t really think of it as a club. And, if this were high school, I’m not exactly sure where I’d fit in. I’d hope to be included.

What was your best/worst memory of high school?
I was a cheerleader in high school (don’t laugh, it was militant). Junior year, during a competition at Boston College, one of my co-cheerleaders peed on my head during a stunt. She said she couldn’t hold it. I still had to hold/support her in place and smile the whole time like nothing happened. The entire spectacle was caught on tape and the following few weeks were miserable at school.

In SISTERS OF MISERY, the last place new members want to go to is Misery Island. But if you had the choice, what island would you go to and what would you take with you?
Honestly, if I had my choice, I’d be a participant on the show On the Road Again with Mario Batali and Gwenyth Paltrow.

Finally, what can you tell me about your book? Give me a quick run-down about why I’d want to pick it for my own book club.
When else are you going to have the opportunity to read a suspense thriller about a girl on the fringe of developing her own supernatural powers, who falls in love with someone who’s trying to control his, all the while being stalked by a mysterious someone, whilst trying not to get herself killed by the one she loves (the one who’s already allegedly killed someone in the past)?