Sarah Fine Interview & SANCTUM ARC GIVEAWAY!

Hi everyone! I want to welcome a good friend and an über-talented writer to my blog, Sarah Fine! You guys may know her awesome psychology-based posts on her blog, The Strangest Situation. Her debut book, SANCTUM, will be released on October 16th. 

How will you bide your time? I have no idea. You will suffer, for sure. But this might help: somehow, I managed to virtually get her in a triangle-choke and do this interview (actually, I think she's quite tall so I'd totally lose that fight!)

1) When was the first time you decided to write a YA novel? How did that happen?

The first novel I ever wrote had a 21-year-old protagonist, and I had an agent at a conference tell me I should revise it to make it YA. I didn't think it would fit that story, but my critique partner agreed that my "voice was young." [sigh--I wish I looked as young as my writing voice sounds] So, the next book I wrote--Sanctum--had a teenage protagonist. I've written one adult book since then, but everything else has been YA.

2) You give great advice about things like Writer' Block on your blog. So what is your personal, biggest barrier to writing?

I am often very easily distracted, but when I'm deep into a project, I write quickly and am very focused. Apart from that, my biggest barrier to writing, I suppose, is that I have to enjoy what I'm doing. When I'm not utterly passionate about something, I have trouble getting going.

3) A pound of chocolate, or a pound of fried bacon. Choose wisely.

No contest. Bacon. Bacon bacon bacon. [on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog]

4) Aliens are coming to earth and are about to torch your house. After getting your family safe and rescuing your laptop (ha! took that one away, didn't I?) and writing a short memoir on impending alien annihilation, what is the first thing you run back to the house to save?

Honestly? I might thank the aliens for sparing me the trouble of a garage sale. Seriously, I'm not a big fan of ... stuff. Except my laptop, of course. I joke constantly with my husband about wanting to rent one of those giant dumpsters and toss nearly all of my possessions into it.

5) Fill in the blank. "If you met me in person, you'd be surprised because____________."

I'm a dog who loves bacon? Er ... okay, joking aside, you might be surprised to find that I am horrendously disorganized. I fool most people into thinking I'm a thoroughly organized individual--until they see my office. Or my closet. Or my car. [this is why I need one of those giant dumpsters]

Thanks Sarah!

Now, I've read this book so I know how fantastic it is. Instead of believing me, here's a quote from an objective book blogger, Bookittyblog: 

"Sarah Fine is a genius. I say this because the book takes place in a very dark place where not many authors can entertain the reader until the last page... The only thing I have to say is that Sanctum was PERFECT!"

Oh, and then there's this juicy tidbit:

"And Malachi oh, Malachi how much I love you. Malachi was probably my top 5 reasons why I loved Sanctum so much. ;)"

Malachi. 

*sigh* 

Oh. Where was I? 

Here is it, SANCTUM!  Releases on October 16, 2012! 

A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos's best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance – hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn't just anyone – she's determined to save her best friend's soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife. 

As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she's captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city's endless streets. Their all-too human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn't – the dark city isn't the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.

 
 Available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes and Noble!

And, you can win an ARC here! Woot! a Rafflecopter giveaway