Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Interview with TBF Author: Stacey Kade

Hello everyone,

I had the pleasure of chatting with Stacey Kade, author of The Ghost and the GothHere is the book review to refresh your memory.

Miranda Reads: In The Ghost and the Goth, there’s some sizzling chemistry between Alona (the ghost) and Will (the Goth). Did you have an inspiration for their love-hate relationship?
Stacey Kade: I've always loved couples who fight and squabble even though you know they care about each other. :) Han Solo and Princess Leia in Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and Marion in Raiders of the Lost Ark, David and Maddy on the old show Moonlighting. :) (For classics lovers, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing.)
I think you learn more from someone who's willing to push you outside your comfort zone, just a little. :D Someone who makes you challenge your assumptions. And I definitely feel that's the case with Will and Alona.

MR: Alona “haunts” Will throughout the book. Do you think someone is haunting you?
SK: I hope not! *shudders* Though I do, every once in a while, say hi to my Grandpa, just in case he's hanging around. I miss him still. I have zero sensitivity to ghosts, and I'm grateful for it! (I know this because I have a friend who IS sensitive and will talk to me about it/them. I never have a clue that anything supernatural is going on, thankfully!)

MR: One of your five fun facts says that you’re afraid of ghosts and haunted houses. Is there any fictional ghost you’re slightly fond of?
SK: In one of those absurd twists, I LOVE ghost and haunted house stories. I gobble them up. I think it's only the real life aspects that freak me out a little. :D Off the top of my head, I'd say I've always had a soft spot for Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter books.

MR: So I take it that you don’t like Halloween (because you have more than ghosts to worry about)?
SK: Halloween is actually okay! It combines two of my favorite things--clever costumes and candy. So, no worries there. Now, if you asked me to do anything remotely creepy on Halloween (walk through a graveyard, play with a Ouija board, etc.), my response would be the cloud of dust left in my wake as I ran away like a big scaredy cat.

MR: Your new book, The Rules, is coming out in April. Can you tell us what it’s about?
SK: Absolutely! :) Ariane Tucker was raised in a secret lab for the first six years of her life. She's a science experiment, essentially: an extraterrestrial/human hybrid. She escaped and now lives among the humans with her adoptive father, hiding in plain sight. She goes to high school and pretends to be normal. But she has to follow this very specific set of rules to keep from being discovered by the company that created her and still searches for her.
1. Never trust anyone.
2. Remember they are always searching.
3. Don’t get involved.
4. Keep your head down.
5. Don’t fall in love

But when a cruel prank against her one and only friend goes awry, Ariane is suddenly at the center of a lot of attention, including that of the police chief's son, Zane Bradshaw. Zane is fascinated by this strange, quiet girl. And Ariane, who has worked for years to not be noticed, finds his attention to be frightening and also really enticing. Suddenly, everything is way more complicated because Ariane has to choose between the Rules she's followed all of her life and what she feels. 

I should note, this is not a dystopian or post-apocalyptic story. It's set in the present day. It just happens to include government conspiracies, aliens, and genetic experimentation. :)

MR: What author are you most looking forward to meeting at the 8th annual Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival?
SK: I've been fortunate enough to meet several of the authors at other events, and I'm very excited about seeing them again! :) In terms of someone new, I'm looking forward to meeting Laurie Fara Stolarz and Lisa McMann. I'm a huge fan of both of them and their books!

Thank you Stacey for chatting with me! We're looking forward to meeting you!

For more information about Stacey, you can go to her website.

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