Author Interview & Giveaway: Jamie Ayres
We are excited to welcome author, Jamie Ayres, to the nest today. She's here to discuss her novel, 18 Things. Be sure to check out the giveaway details at the end of this post.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Why did you choose to write YA?
Jamie: I didn't choose to write YA . . . it all stemmed from the Prince and the Possum! My snoring prince charming (AKA--hubby of 15 yrs) and a possum on our porch kept me up during the summer of 2009, and I just kind of ended up writing a novel that featured teenagers as the main characters. I've never looked back.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Can you describe your novel in five words?
Jamie: Adventurous tale of self-discovery
Andrea @ Reading Lark: What was the last book you read?
Jamie: The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. Out of 5 stars, I'd give it 10! I love to laugh and cry through a good book!
Andrea @ Reading Lark: I love The Sky is Everywhere too! Were you a reader as a child?
Jamie: Yesss! Surprisingly, my tastes were more grown up than they are know! I read lots of Stephen King, biographies on U.S. presidents, and historical novels. I remember reading The Bridges of Madison County when I was thirteen . . .my first love story *sigh*
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Who is your current book boyfriend?
Jamie: At the risk of sounding like a dork, my book boyfriend will forever be Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Who are three of your favorite authors?
Jamie: Sooo hard to narrow it down to three, so I picked the 3 authors who take up the most space on my physical bookshelf: J.K. Rowling (didn't see that one coming, did ya;-) . . . John Green (totally my celebrity author crush) . . . and Sarah Dessen.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: What is your favorite bird?
Jamie: Owls. They're all over the city of Cape Coral where I live! This is an owl cam I found on-line last week. The couple just had babies, and it is the cutest to watch.
Pick One:
- Catwoman or Wonder Woman? Wonder Woman! I still wear aluminum foil around my wrists sometimes! Matches the foil hat while I wait for the aliens to come;-)
- Ring or Earrings? Ring--my hair covers my earrings so I don't see the point.
- Ice Cream or Cupcakes? I take life one cupcake a la mode at a time :)
- Summer or Winter? Summer--it's the top 3 reasons for becoming a teacher, hahaha!
- Fantasy or Reality? Prefer a mixture of both in my stories, but I really appreciate the creativity needed for fantasy stories.
About the Author
Jamie Ayres writes young adult paranormal love stories by night and teaches very young adults as a public school teacher by day. When not at home on her laptop or at school, she can often be found at a local book store grabbing random children and reading to them. So far, she has not been arrested for this. She lives in southwest Florida with her prince charming, two children (sometimes three based on how Mr. Ayres is acting), and a basset hound. She spent her youthful summers in Grand Haven, Michigan and this setting provided the inspiration for her debut novel, 18 Things. She really does have grandmothers named Olga and Gay but unlike her heroine, she's thankfully not named after either one of them. She loves lazy pajama days, the first page of a good book, stupid funny movies, and sharing stories with fantastic people like you.
About The Novel
Can eighteen things save a life?
Olga Gay Worontzoff thinks her biggest problems are an awful name (after her grandmothers of course) and not attending prom with Conner, her best friend and secret crush since kindergarten.
Then Conner is killed in a freak boating accident and Olga feels responsible. When she downs an entire bottle of pills to deal with the emotional pain, her parents force her into counseling. There, her therapist writes a prescription in the form of a life list titled 18 Things. Eighteen quests to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday.
All she has to do is fire-walk, try out for the cheerleading squad, break a world record, and err . . . go on her first date. Good thing Nate, a new hottie in town, enters her life with perfect timing. He brings the fun factor to her list and helps her discover the beauty and strength inside herself, then complicates things by falling in love with her.
But there's more to Olga’s quests than meets the eye and when her therapist reveals a terrifying secret, her world is shaken.
There’s only one thing she knows for certain: her choices won’t just affect her future, but all eternity.
Olga Gay Worontzoff thinks her biggest problems are an awful name (after her grandmothers of course) and not attending prom with Conner, her best friend and secret crush since kindergarten.
Then Conner is killed in a freak boating accident and Olga feels responsible. When she downs an entire bottle of pills to deal with the emotional pain, her parents force her into counseling. There, her therapist writes a prescription in the form of a life list titled 18 Things. Eighteen quests to complete the year of her eighteenth birthday.
All she has to do is fire-walk, try out for the cheerleading squad, break a world record, and err . . . go on her first date. Good thing Nate, a new hottie in town, enters her life with perfect timing. He brings the fun factor to her list and helps her discover the beauty and strength inside herself, then complicates things by falling in love with her.
But there's more to Olga’s quests than meets the eye and when her therapist reveals a terrifying secret, her world is shaken.
There’s only one thing she knows for certain: her choices won’t just affect her future, but all eternity.
We have ONE copy of 18 Things up for grabs. Thank you, Jamie Ayres, for providing the book for the giveaway. The giveaway is open internationally. US residents may choose a paperback copy; international winners will receive an eBook. In order to win you must:
* Be 13+ years old
* Fill out the Rafflecopter below
The giveaway runs from May 18-25. The winners will be contacted via email on May 26. Reading Lark is not responsible for prize delivery.
This looks like a great coming of age novel!
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see how the list of 18 things plays out.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for featuring 18 Things, Andrea!!!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a very interesting book. To be honest, you had me at "self-discovery". I love books that are like that... where a character finds out who they really are.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds wonderful, I want to win because it my kind of book!
ReplyDelete