Authors Are Rockstars Tour: Inara Scott Interview + Giveaway

Today is HUGE, because today the EPIC AUTHORS ARE ROCKSTARS Tour, which is hosted by the fabulous Fiktshun and Two Chicks On Books, stops on my blog! Yes, you heard that right - my little blog!

I am so very ecstatic to welcome the incredible INARA SCOTT, author of the series THE TALENTS for an interview on my blog! When you hear about all the things she has accomplished already, you will wholeheartedly agree with me that Inara Scott is a ROCKSTAR!!!

She has a degree in History and Women's Studies and a Master's degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies. Before fully committing herself to writing, she spent her time being a lawyer! If all this wasn't amazing enough already, she also taught rope courses and rock climbing. Yes, ROCK CLIMBING - how wicked is that?! That definitely qualifies as a Rockstar attribute in my eyes!

Of course, she is also a very busy bee writing and writing and writing. She doesn't just concentrate all her talent and creativity on the YA genre, but also writes non-YA novels as well as children's books.  She writes for EVERYONE!

I was already reading three books at a time, but still had to pick up The Talents, and even though I'm only a few chapters into it, I'm loving it already. I cannot wait to dive deeper into Dancia's world and get to know her, Cam, and Jack more.

Now, ONE lucky reader will have the opportunity to win a copy of said book. Inara Scott as generously offered a copy of her book THE TALENTS up for giveawayand she is even willing to ship it internationally!!!

I know I don't have to say it again, but I WANT to say it again:

INARA SCOTT is a freaking ROCKSTAR!!!

About the author:

Inara was born in the winter wonderland of Buffalo, NY. She promptly commenced complaining about being cold, and didn’t stop until she moved to Durham, NC, to attend college at Duke University. After graduating with a degree in History and Women’s Studies, Inara wandered around the country teaching outdoor education and writing bad poetry. She eventually obtained a Master’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies from the State University of New York at Cortland, where she wrote her thesis on the effects of wilderness programs on the body image of female participants. 

Given Inara’s love of argument, it was really only a matter of time before she ended up in law school. The mossy forests and volcanic beauty of Oregon led her to Lewis and Clark Law School and Portland, where she finally decided to settle down. Inara rediscovered her love of writing fiction while trapped in a hotel for a hearing in Anchorage, Alaska. Today, Inara writes anything and everything, including children’s books, young adult fiction, and adult romance. Her debut novel, DELCROIX ACADEMY: THE CANDIDATES, published in 2010 by Disney-Hyperion Books for Children, was a 2010 Oregon Spirit Book Award Honor Book. THE CANDIDATES will be released in March of 2011 in paperback under the title THE TALENTS. A follow-up, THE MARKED, will be released in April of 2011. Inara’s first adult romance, RADIANT DESIRE, released in October 2011 from Entangled Publishing. 

Where to find her:

WEBSITE, BLOG, TWITTER, FACEBOOK, GOODREADS

The Interview

1. How would you summarize/describe your Delcroix Academy series to people who haven't read it yet?

The Talents (the series formerly known as Delcroix Academy!) is about a girl named Dancia, who can make things happen with her mind. The problem is, she can't control her talent, and when she uses it, bad things happen. Cars crash. People get hurt. So Dancia hides her talent and tries desperately to keep from using it. 

In Book 1, Dancia is recruited to attend Delcroix Academy, an exclusive boarding school for gifted and talented kids. Along the way, she falls for a hot recruiter (Cam) and becomes friends with a bad-boy loner (Jack). Jack becomes convinced Delcroix is hiding a dangerous secret. In the end, Dancia will have to decide who she can trust--even if the answer is no one at all.

[smiling_ina: I cannot wait to get to know Dancia better and see what all she can do. Of course, I am also very, very curious to learn more about Jack. I love the bad-boy loner kind of guy...]

2. What inspired you to write the Delcroix Academy books? Why did you decide to change the title from “The Candidates” to “The Talents”?

I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy growing up, and in those books the good guys and bad guys were always very clear. I wanted to write a story that was a little more like real life--the good and the bad are mixed together, and it's never entirely clear who is on which side. 

I'm an absolute disaster when it comes to thinking up great titles! I originally called my book "Taking Sides," but my agent and editor wanted something that would be better for a series, so we came up with Delcroix Academy: The Candidates (and book two, Delcroix Academy: The Watchers). But after the first book was released, my publisher started hearing from bookstores that people weren't sure what the book was about, and the title wasn't helping. So they decided they wanted something that hinted at the paranormal aspect of the book. Thus, The Talents! As the author, I have some control over these things, but not a lot. The decision to put a new cover and title on The Talents was really a publisher decision. 

[smiling_ina: I can completely understand that. I imagine nothing could be worse for an author than potential readers passing up on your book because the title doesn't represent the book content well enough. For me personally, the title and cover have to grab me right away in order for me to pick up a book. I actually love both the old and the new cover of your book!]

3. When naming your characters, do you give any thought to the actual meaning behind the names?

Oh, absolutely! Some names are inspired by sound, some have stories (Dancia was the name of a fishing boat my husband worked on in Alaska), and some are based on meanings. I can spend HOURS thinking about and considering names for characters. 

[smiling_ina: I love the fact you named your main character after a fishing boat. That's truly a very unique way to name a character.]

4. Have your personal experiences affected your writing in any way?

My books are definitely not about real life, but my personal beliefs, thoughts, and life experiences absolutely make their way into the book. For example, in The Talents, Dancia and her freshman team have to do a group challenge in the woods where they climb over a fourteen foot high wall. This came directly from my experience working at ropes courses and teaching rock climbing! :-)

[smiling_ina: That is so cool. I always wanted to learn rock climbing!]

5. What projects are you currently working on?

I've always got at least three or four books in various stages. Some are just ideas, some are a few lines or paragraphs. I also write adult books so right now, I'm actually finishing up a proposal for my next adult romance. I also have a synopsis for a new YA trilogy I need to edit, and I'm working on the third Talents book. There's never enough time for all the books I want to write!

[smiling_ina: Wow, you sure know how to keep yourself busy. ;)]

6. Are there any books that have influenced your life and/or your style of writing?

I am a huge fan of David Eddings and Anne McCaffrey, both of whom write fantasy/sci-fi books that used to be sold to adults, but now occasionally appear in the YA section. I love their characters and world building. 

[smiling_ina: I haven't heard of either of these authors, but I will have to check them out for sure.]

7. If you could work with any author who would it be, and why?

I have such a crush on Anne McCaffrey so I would say her, but she passed away this year so I guess that's impossible. :-( I adore Jeri Smith-Ready--both personally and her books (if you haven't read her Shade series you must!)--so I'd love to work with her. 

[smiling_ina: Oh, I know I really have to read Jeri Smith-Ready's books! I "talked" to her a little bit on Twitter and she seems like a wonderful person. I have to get a hold of her books asap!]

8. Are there any new authors and/or books you have discovered who you think readers should check out?

Definitely go read Brigid Kemmerer's Elemental series. They are loaded with action, great paranormal world building, and feature four hot brothers. Brigid has an real gift for writing authentic male voices, something I really admire! 

[smiling_ina: I have been meaning to check her books out for a while and now I want them even more.]

9. Do you have a preferred genre of books or do you like reading whatever you can get your hands on?

I read romance and fantasy/sci-fi, adult or YA. I absolutely can't handle horror, and am not a big mystery fan. I tend to get too invested in the characters I'm reading (or writing) about to be able to handle significant violence against them.  

[smiling_ina: I completely understand where you're coming from. I had a phase where I read pretty much nothing but mysteries and thrillers, and I would get so attached to characters only to see them get hurt. Now mind you, the same thing just happened to one of my favorite characters of YA Paranormal series and I am still devastated about it...]

10. If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

I answer this question differently every time! I always want to say some major religious figure because I would learn so much from them, but I'd also love to have the opportunity to meet someone like the President or Secretary of State. Then again, I think it would really benefit my romance writing to have dinner with Will Smith... ;-) 

[smiling_ina: Haha I would definitely go for the dinner with Will Smith as well! Who could ever say "no" to him?!]

Thank you so, so much, Inara for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer all of my questions. It was such a pleasure having you on my blog today! You truly are a ROCKSTAR!!!

About the book:

Goodreads description:

Previously published in hardcover as DELCROIX ACADEMY: THE CANDIDATES. Dancia Lewis doesn't seem all that special. And that's not just because of her average grades or less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia's mediocrity is a calculated cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just . . . "happen." Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. 

When recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up in her living room to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia suspects the recruiters know more about her "talent" than they're letting on. Once she arrives at the mysterious school, Dancia worries that her days of living under the radar are over. Even the hottest guy on campus treats her like she's one-of-a-kind. 

And then there's her elusive new friend, Jack, who thinks Delcroix is hiding a dangerous secret. Dancia doesn't know who to trust. A battle is brewing behind the gates of the Academy, and Dancia may have no choice but to pick sides ... even if it means finally stepping out of the shadows. 

BUY IT HERE:

Amazon               Barnes & Noble               The Book Depository


Book number two in the series, The Marked, was published on April 3rd, 2012, and is also available for purchase!!!

The Giveaway:

Inara Scott has generously offered a copy of her book The Talents to ONE LUCKY WINNER!

Rules:

1. Open Internationally - Prize will be sent directly from the author

2. Must be at least 13 years of age or older

3. Only ONE entry per HOUSEHOLD

4. Contest ends at 12:01am EST on Friday, August 24th, 2012 

5. Winner will be chosen by Random.org through Rafflecopter

6. Winner will be announced in this post on August 24th, and will also be notified by email and will have 48 hours to claim the prize, otherwise a new winner will be drawn.

There is no requirement to like or follow my blog, though there are two extra entry opportunities for following author Inara Scott on Twitter and liking her Facebook page.

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway