GIRL LAST SEEN
Author: Heather Anastasiu & Anne Greenwood Brown
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co (AW Teen)
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co (AW Teen)
SYNOPSIS:
Kadence Mulligan’s
star was rising. She and her best friend, Lauren DeSanto, watched their songs
go viral on YouTube, then launched a solo career when a nasty throat infection
paralyzed Lauren’s vocal chords. Everyone knows Lauren and Kadence had a major
falling-out over Kady’s boyfriend. But Lauren knows how deceptive Kadence could
be sometimes. And nobody believes Lauren when she claims she had nothing to do
with the disappearance. Or the blood evidence…
As the town and local media condemns Lauren, she realizes the only way to clear her name is to discover the truth herself. Lauren slowly unravels the twisted life of Kadence Mulligan and finds there was more to her than she ever knew. But will she realize she’s unknowingly playing a part in an elaborate game to cover up a crime before it's too late?
As the town and local media condemns Lauren, she realizes the only way to clear her name is to discover the truth herself. Lauren slowly unravels the twisted life of Kadence Mulligan and finds there was more to her than she ever knew. But will she realize she’s unknowingly playing a part in an elaborate game to cover up a crime before it's too late?
BOOK LINKS
Books-A-Million:
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Girl-Last-Seen/Heather-Anastasiu/9780807581414?id=6302326411677
PRAISE
"Endlessly twisty, this deliberate head
trip will keep readers guessing until the very end. The kind of dark, wild ride
that begs to read in a single sitting." Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2016
"A sexy, fascinating, fast-paced, and
darkly dynamic mystery for teens.” School Library Journal, January 2016
"Bold, intriguing, and full of surprises. It's the kind of book that haunts you long after you put it down. I've read nothing like this before; a mystery to the very last page, defined by intense and tragic relationships, and warmed by the connections formed in a shared mission. I thoroughly enjoyed this." Kristen Simmons, author of "Article 5" and "The Glass Arrow"
Today we welcome Anne and Heather for an interview. Take it away, ladies!
1. How long does it take you to write a book from start to finish?
Brown: It differs, of course, from book-to-book, but I’d say on average I can get a first draft down on paper in a couple months. I then spend another four months editing, so probably six months total. There are a lot of other factors that can either slow down or speed up the process. We co-wrote GIRL LAST SEEN, so that sped things up considerably--first, because we were each only responsible for half the word count; second, because sticky plotting issues could be resolved more quickly with two people wrangling them.
2. How are you able to balance other aspects of your life with your writing?
Anastasiu: The answer is, I don’t! Not always, anyway. Usually, when I’m in writing mode, I’m all in. I’ll write like crazy and everything else gets neglected—emails, social media, critique projects, friends. The only thing I manage to keep balance when I’m deep in the writing groove is time with my family (immediate family that is, husband and kiddo). Like Anne, it takes me a couple months to get a first draft done, but if I’m able to go deep enough into the writing cave without distraction, I can get it done in a month. That’s how I like to do it best. Then I emerge and am like, eek! Look at all those backed up emails! And all my friends I’ve neglected! Um, hi again world!
3. What was the hardest thing about writing a book?
Brown: Every writer has those things that come most naturally, and those aspects of writing with which they have to work harder for. For me, the hardest thing is always the internal dialogue. I can always hear what my characters are saying, so external dialogue comes easily. I know what they say and how they say it. I know what they want and the actions they need to take to get there. But that internal voice . . . it’s always the last thing I add in. My critique partners are always asking me, “What does he think about that?”
To get specific about GIRL LAST SEEN . . . It was definitely a joint effort, and the betterment of the story always came first. That meant that sometimes my ideas went forward; sometimes Heather’s. When you’re used to working alone (as writers most often do), it was hard at first to get used to the idea of giving up control.
4. Where do you write?
Anastasiu: My couch. I’ve got a nest thing going on. I nest on one end of the couch (blankets and pillows all around), prop my feet up on my coffee table, grab my laptop and try not to procrastinate on Facebook J
5. What kinds of things do you like to do outside of writing?
Brown: I work full-time as an attorney. I also have three high school and college-aged kids who regularly perform in musical productions, concerts, coffeehouse gigs, etc. I spend a lot of time supporting their musical endeavors.
6. What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing?
Anastasiu: Just start writing. Write, write, write! It’s so easy to put it off, to procrastinate, to listen to your inner critic, to write only a page and then spend all your time editing it for a million years instead of moving on and continuing to WRITE. The biggest part of being a writer is learning to do the actual writing. Learning the practice of regularly producing words. Turn off your inner critic and let it fly! Get used to writing dialogue, description, action (those are the basics) – then practice expressing your character’s personality (i.e., voice) through those basics. Eight years in, and I’m still just trying to get better and better at all of these things. To put it more succinctly:
HOW TO BE A WRITER IN THREE EASY STEPS
1) Produce words regularly
2) What are you producing? Scenes consisting of dialogue, description, and action
3) How should that dialogue, description, and action be expressed? Through the lens of your character’s personality (i.e. voice).
HOW TO BE A WRITER IN THREE EASY STEPS
1) Produce words regularly
2) What are you producing? Scenes consisting of dialogue, description, and action
3) How should that dialogue, description, and action be expressed? Through the lens of your character’s personality (i.e. voice).
7. Are you working on anything now?
Brown: Always. I have a new adult “NA” book coming out this summer from Entangled (under a pseudonym), so I’m working on what will hopefully be a companion book to that novel. I also have another YA novel that’s going on submission. I’m hopeful it will see the light of day, so I have the start of a companion book to that in the works, as well. I also have a draft of a historical YA novel based on Irish mythology.
Anastasiu: I’ve been writing some historical fiction for adults lately. I recently published a duology, TSURA and its sequel HOUSE OF STONE, which is a romantic World War II epic set in Romania. I’m currently working on another novel set during the fall of Communism and another YA novel that I’ve just started brainstorming!
8. If you could travel anywhere in the world to visit a place so you could use it as a background for a book, where would it be?
Anastasiu: Haha, this is probably not shocking, considering my last answer, but of course I’d travel to Romania. I’ve been there before, but the last time I visited was about 10 years ago. My husband is from Romania (it’s where I got the cool last name from!) and his family still lives there. He’s been back recently, but I wasn’t able to go. He brought back pictures from some of the amazing 17th century churches as well as visiting sites of the 1989 revolution. He lived in the capitol city during the revolution, but his parents just stayed holed up and safe in their apartment and watched things unfold on the news. Most of my research comes from books and some interviews, but I’d love to walk the streets of the places where history happened!
Thanks so much for stopping by today, ladies. It was great having you here!
Anne Greenwood Brown lives
in Minnesota with her patient husband and three hilarious children. She is the
author of the LIES BENEATH trilogy, and has her first New Adult book coming
under the name A.S. Green from Entangled/Embrace, summer 2016.
Anne Greenwood Brown:
Website: http://annegreenwoodbrown.com
Twitter: @annegbrown
Instagram:
@annegbrown
Heather Anastasiu is the author of
the young adult sci-fi GLITCH trilogy as well as the historical adult duet Tsura and House of Stone. She grew up in Texas but recently moved to
Minnesota with her family. She teaches creative writing at the Loft Literary
Center in Minneapolis.
Author Media Links
Heather Anastasiu:
Heather Anastasiu:
Twitter:
@h_anastasiu
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