Please help me in welcoming today's guest, Lara Zielin! Enjoy my interview with Lara - and see if you love her answers as much as I do. And if you're left not only wanting to read her books (there's a giveaway of The Waiting Sky at the end of the post and I'll have a review closer to the release date) but also kind of wanting her to plan a trip for you - or write some sort of road trip book ;-)
Interview:
Ideal spring break destination: ski chalet or tropical beach villa? Beach villa all the way! I honestly don't know why I've lived in the Midwest so long, I was clearly born with saltwater in my veins. Also? I look like a chicken on crack when I wear skis.
In high school/college which was more likely spotting you on MTV’s Spring Break or just you and your friends savoring the week off? *falls over laughing at the idea of self on MTV* <--I was SO not cool enough for that. My friends and I were more apt to go to Roswell. Nerds rule! What was your favorite Spring Break ever (where and/or why)? Or if you didn't go on Spring Break trips, where did you always want to go? See also: New Mexico, Roswell. I loved that spring break trip, which I took with girlfriends our junior year of college. We drove from Minnesota to Tucson, and then all around in between. We saw the Grand Canyon, a Flintstone's museum, that crazy place where four states meet in one spot, and we also reenacted most of Titanic. It was the greatest trip ever.
Fly and have the fun be at the destination or road trip and have the journey be at least half the fun? Road trip! Every time. My husband and I recently road-tripped from Michigan to the Florida Keys. It was awesome.
Do any of your characters take Spring Break trips? Not really. Most of my characters are working class, and money is usually tight. So they have to get creative at spring break time, versus being handed a trip to Cancun.
Where would their ideal Spring Break destination be? (Together or on their own.) Jane is the main character in my latest book, The Waiting Sky, and I think her ideal spring break would be somewhere really peaceful and serene. Her life is pretty chaotic, so anything she can do to get a
moment's peace would be great for her.
Which of your characters (in The Waiting Sky or anything you’re working on) would you most have liked to have met on a Spring Break trip?
I would like to hang out with Emma, the protagonist in my first book, Donut Days. She's an up-for-anything kind of girl, and I love her sense of humor. In Donut Days' she wasn't afraid to climb on the back of a Harley with a giant of a man she'd just met. Girlfriend is fearless!
Best book to read on Spring Break or a road trip? I love historical fiction, and finding that perfect blend of story and history makes for an AMAZING read. I loved The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees, as well as Keeping the House by Ellen Baker. I heart anything by Philippa Gregory too. Losing yourself in the past is a great way to spend spring break, if you ask me!
Thank you!
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About The Waiting Sky:
One summer chasing tornadoes could finally change Jane's life for the betteron Goodreads, Book Depository, Amazon
Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister can't quite admit her mother's alcoholism is spiraling dangerously out of control until she drives drunk, nearly killing them and Jane's best friend.
Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left the problems at home years ago for college. A summer with him and his tornado-chasing buddies may just provide the time and space Jane needs to figure out her life and whether it still includes her mother. But she struggles with her anger at Ethan for leaving home and feels guilty--is she also abandoning her mom just when she needs Jane most? The carefree trip turned journey of self-discovery quickly becomes more than Jane bargained for, especially when the devilishly handsome Max steps into the picture.
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find more about Lara Zielin: on her website, @larazielin, or her site's blog
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Giveaway:
Thanks to to Putnam, there is a giveaway of The Waiting Sky! Open internationally (as long as UPS ships to you). . . .and thanks to Lara Zielin, there is a giveaway of a set of tornado print note cards that are not only gorgeous but fit perfectly with The Waiting Sky - this one's open to the US only.
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| image of the note cards myfavoriteflower.com |
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Since I live in tornado alley I know all about tornados. I just had one hit the town I live in this last weekend. It's absolutely terrifying when it's happening to you, but definitely exciting if it isn't. Still sad to think about all the damage though.
ReplyDeleteWell.. chasing tornadoes would be both, terrifying and an absolute rush.
ReplyDeleteCompletely terrifying!
ReplyDeleteIf I could have a guarantee that I wouldn't die or be sucked into one, it would be a total rush and I would do it in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds terrifying.
ReplyDeleteI live in an area where tornadoes are fairly frequent in the springtime, and they usually don't bother me. (I don't get in the bathtub every time it thunders like some people I know.) I have a few family members who goes after them, but they're pretty much idiotic. Professional storm chasers have helped the field a lot, but you won't catch me out there. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's sounds really scary, and I would probably panic and cry.
ReplyDeleteHere tornadoes are almost unknown and I'll be scared to death!
ReplyDeleteFor me it would be a bit of both.
ReplyDeleteChasing Tornadoes actually sounds exciting and scary at the same time! Tornadoes itself are really cool but terrifying!
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has lived through tornadoes, I would say absolutely terrifying!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to do it. It would just freak me out way to much!
ReplyDeleteUmm in the nicest way possible hell no!
ReplyDeleteCompletely terrifying!
ReplyDelete