Interview and Giveaway with Laura Lascarso

Laura Lascarso

Books:

Counting Backwards (2012) ◆ My Review ❘ Goodreads ❘ Amazon ❘ The Book Depository

COUNTING BACKWARDS is Laura Lascarso’s debut novel to be released by Atheneum (Simon & Schuster) in August 2012. She lives in in North Florida with her darling husband, two children, three chickens and a dog named Lucy.

Follow Her:

Website ❘ Goodreads ❘ Twitter

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Hi! Thank you so much for stopping by Confessions of a Readaholic to answer some questions for the COUNTING BACKWARDS Blog Tour :)

Can you please describe your book for us in three 3-word sentences?

Taylor wants escape. From her life. And herself too.

As this is your debut novel, what was the road to publishing like?

There were a few round-abouts, and I may have taken a left when I should have gone right, but once I remembered where I was coming from, I was able to find my way there.

Name the three closes things nearest to you...Go!

Rambo, my mom's jack-rat, who is a great foot-warmer, the remote control, and this laptop.

If COUNTING BACKWARDS was to become a movie, who would be apart of your dream cast?

I would pick unknowns who have a lot of talent and raw emotion to bring to the screen. It would be a low-budget indie film that grows into a cult classic.

How did you come up with Taylor's character, as well as the rest of the cast of your novel? Do you see yourself in any of them?

Taylor I wrestled with for a while, trying to find the right balance of determination, vulnerability and realistic baggage. Margo was actually the easiest to write, and the most fun. Dr. Deb played different roles as I got deeper into Taylor's character, as did her father. AJ's character grew in importance over the course of several drafts. He got better and better.

I see myself in Taylor for sure– we share some of the same flaws, but there are pieces of me in all my characters, as well as bits of those who are close to me. I try to stick with what I know.

What music do you like listening to?

I have such varied taste in music but lately it's a lot of Black Keys and Feist.

When you're not writing, what can you be found doing?

Hanging out with family and friends, reading, drinking coffee, watching movies and catching up on my shows.

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PICK THIS OR THAT:

Frozen Yogurt or Ice Cream? Ice Cream

Sunshine or Rain? Sunshine

Dogs or Cats? Dogs (me too!)

The Beach or the Mountains? The Beach

Indoors or Outdoors? Outdoors

Vampires or Werewolves? Superheroes (lately, I feel the same :D)

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What do you want readers to take away from your novel?

Hope in the ability to change.

What are you currently reading? What are your top 5 favorite books?

I just finished INSURGENT by Veronica Roth. I have a rule with trilogies that I employed ever since THE HUNGER GAMES, which is, I won't read the first book of a trilogy until the last has come out, because I read HG its first year of publication and had to wait for both CATCHING FIRE and MOCKINGJAY and the wait nearly killed me. But I broke the rule twice this year, first with LEGEND by Marie Lu and now with the DIVERGENT trilogy. And yes, it's been torture!

(I really need to read DIVERGENT! But as you say it's torture waiting on the next one, I might as well wait for the last book before starting it :P)

My top 5 YA books are: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green, STORY OF A GIRL by Sara Zarr, SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson, THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins and FEED by MT Anderson.

(LOVE John Green and Laurie Halse Anderson. Both make me laugh and close to tears!)

For aspiring writers out there, what advice do you have for them?

Believe in yourself and your ability to reach others with your words. Revise even when you don't want to. Listen to what your trusted readers have to say. And no matter what obstacles you have to climb, just keep writing!

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Thank you so much to Laura Lascarso for answering my questions and allowing me to be apart of the blog tour for COUNTING BACKWARDS. Seriously, I loved this book– you will not be disappointed!!

Three weeks ago I tried to run away from home. Now all I want is to go back.

When troubled Taylor Truwell is caught with a stolen car and lands in court for resisting arrest, her father convinces the judge of an alternative to punishment: treatment in a juvenile psychiatric correctional facility. Sunny Meadows is anything but the easy way out, and Taylor has to fight hard just to hold on to her sanity as she battles her parents, her therapist, and vicious fellow patients. But even as Taylor struggles to hold on to her stubborn former self, she finds herself relenting as she lets in two unlikely friends-Margo, a former child star and arsonist, and AJ, a mysterious boy who doesn’t speak. In this striking debut, Laura Lascarso weaves together a powerful story of anger and self-destruction, hope and love.

and now... for the GIVEAWAY!!

Thanks to Atheneum, one of you lovelies will be able to win a copy of this fabulous novel!!

DA RULZ:

• US ONLY. I'm sorry, if it were up to me... BAM: INTERNATIONAL LOVE. But this is sent from them, so I don't call the shots here :(
• You must be over the age of 13.
• There are no mandatory entries, you are entitled to do as many or as as little as you want.
• This giveaway will run until August 31 (11:59 pm).
• As this is sent through the publishers, I am not responsible for any lost or damaged packages.

Enter in the rafflecopter below!

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