Author Interview & Giveaway: Michelle Zink

We're excited to welcome the author of Lies I Told, Michelle Zink, to Reading Lark today. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: How is this novel different than your previous ones? 

Michelle: LIES I TOLD is my first contemporary YA. But the era and setting are really the biggest difference from my other novels. In my Gothic and contemporary fantasies (Prophecy of the Sisters, A Temptation of Angels, and This Wicked Game), there were underlying themes relating to forgiveness and acceptance. In LIES I TOLD, the grift, or con, is really a framework for exploring the issues of identity and self-worth. Namely, how much of it come from the things other people tell us about ourselves - or the things we believe to be true. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: If this novel was a milkshake, what kind would it be? 

Michelle: Chocolate Peanut Butter. Because you don’t know what you’ve got until you taste it. ;) 

 Andrea @ Reading Lark: What is your writing process like? 

Michelle: Kind of fast and loose. Lol. I start with a premise or concept and then begin building character studies and plot points. Once I have some things to work with, I use a screenwriting “beat sheet” to plot the narrative and character arcs, as well as the pacing. Once that’s done, I create a 4-5 page summary that lays out in narrative form everything that happens - kind of like the detailed synopsis you send an agent if they request one. After that I start writing, and from there I stick to a very strict writing schedule of doing promo for my other book in the morning and then writing new words from 3-5pm and again from 7-9pm, five days a week. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: Do you share any traits with Grace? 

Michelle: Oh, definitely! For a long, long time I didn’t believe I deserved anything good. I think I’ve spent my whole life trying to feel okay about myself, trying to live down things that were said to me when I was young. It’s taken me a long time to believe that I AM good, and that maybe, just maybe, I even deserve the good things in my life. 

Andrea @ Reading Lark: It's a tradition to ask - What's your favorite bird? 

Michelle: I think I’d have to say a seagull. It’s simple and a little plain, but to me its flight over water represents the ultimate freedom (and Grace spends a lot of time watching them in the beach town of Playa Hermosa).

What if, after spending a lifetime deceiving everyone around you, you discovered the biggest lies were the ones you've told yourself?

Grace Fontaine has everything: beauty, money, confidence, and the perfect family. 

But it’s all a lie.

Grace has been adopted into a family of thieves who con affluent people out of money, jewelry, art, and anything else of value. Grace has never had any difficulty pulling off a job, but when things start to go wrong on the Fontaines' biggest heist yet, Grace finds herself breaking more and more of the rules designed to keep her from getting caught...including the most important one of all: never fall for your mark.

Perfect for fans of Ally Carter, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Gail Carriger, this thrilling, high-stakes novel deftly explores the roles of identity and loyalty while offering a window into the world of the rich and fabulous.

Goodreads

Author's Website

Amazon

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IndieBound

Find Michelle Zink at:

Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/michelle.zink.10

Twitter; https://twitter.com/MichelleZink

IG; https://instagram.com/michellezink/

Tumblr; https://www.tumblr.com/blog/michellezink

We have an awesome prize pack for one lucky reader! The prize pack includes a signed finished copy of  the book, a peacock pocket mirror, and a bookmark. 

This giveaway is open to US residents who are 14+ years of age. If you are under 18, you must have parental permission to enter. Reading Lark is not responsible for prize delivery.

The giveaway runs from March 25 - April 1. Winner will be notified via email on April 2.

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