Q & A with Pushing the Limits author Katie McGarry + Giveaway

Hey, guys!  Today, I have the pleasure of bringing you an interview with Katie McGarry, author of the highly anticipated YA contemporary Pushing the Limits -- due out on July 31st -- thanks to the folks at Harlequin Teen.  And they've also provided me with the opportunity to give away a finished copy to one of my lucky readers, so be sure to enter the contest at the end of this post for your chance to win the book that everyone has been talking about!





About the author:   Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and she remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings and reality television, and is a   secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

 Writing has given Katie an excuse to pursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazing opportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car at ninety-six miles per hour  and experience boxing and mixed martial arts. Katie loves to visit schools and talk to teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach.

Find out more about Katie McGarry and her books:
website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Interview

What was your inspiration for writing Pushing the Limits?

I had two main inspirations: One, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to write a story in which my characters felt strong enough to leave their pasts behind and create new futures for themselves. The first scene I ever saw in my mind was Echo and Noah leaving town after graduation. Two, I wanted to write two characters who were facing over- whelming issues and who, through battling these issues, found hope at the end of their journey.

How did you come up with Echo’s name?

Echo went through several name changes as I wrote the man- uscript. For a while, she had a very normal name, but it alwaysfelt off. It wasn’t until I looked at Echo from her mother’s point of view that I found her name. Echo’s mother loved Greek my- thology so it made perfect sense that she would name her chil- dren after the myths. I read several Greek myths and the mo- ment I found Echo’s, I fell in love. Echo, to me, was the girl who lost her voice. Thankfully, she finds it by the end.

Which character is the most “like” you?

All of them. I gave each character a piece of me (though some have larger slices of me than others). Overall, I’d say I’m a strange combination of Echo, Lila and Beth. Echo has my need to please, Lila has my unfailing loyalty to my friends and Beth encompasses my insecurities.

Did you experience friendships with Grace types when you were in high school?

Yes. And the more people have read this story, the more this question comes up. Grace has struck a stronger nerve in people than I ever would have imagined. It seems most of us have un- fortunately experienced a relationship where a person wants to “like” you and wants “be your friend,” but only if it serves their needs. In case anyone is wondering, that isn’t friendship.

Are there any parts of the story you feel particularly close to?

Yes. The relationship between Noah, Isaiah and Beth. Beyond my parents and sister, my nearest family members were over fourteen hours away. My friends became my family. The peopleI grew up with were more than people I watched movies with or talked to occasionally on the phone. These were people with whom I shared life’s most devastating moments, but also my hardest laughs. These were people who I would have willing- ly died for and I know they would have done the same for me. They shared my triumphs with smiles on their faces and con- gratulatory hugs. They held me when I cried and offered to beat up whoever hurt my feelings. These were also the same people who were more than happy to get in my face if they thought I was making a wrong decision.

Did anything that happens to Echo happen to you?

Sort of. I was bitten by a dog when I was in second grade and repressed the memory. It felt very strange to have no memory of an incident that other people knew about. It was even strang- er to have injuries and not have an inkling where they came from. In college, I finally remembered the incident when a dog lunged at me. I relived the horrible event and sort of “woke up” a few minutes later to find myself surrounded by people I loved. Even though I “remember” the incident, I still don’t remember the whole thing. I only see still frames in my mind and there is no blood in any of the memories.

Book

This summer, Harlequin TEEN is thrilled to introduce first-time author Katie McGarry, a powerful new force on the contemporary YA scene.  Her publishing debut entitled Pushing the Limits is the compulsively readable story of a girl with scars on her arms, a boy with scars inside and the secrets each of them keep. Early buzz surrounding this book has already begun, including an enthusiastic review from PW -- "its suspenseful plot, dramatic conflicts, and tragic characters will keep readers engrossed" -- and Kirkus goes on to call it  "A probing, captivating story." Pushing the Limits is edgy, contemporary YA fiction at its very best.

Title:  Pushing the Limits

Author:  Katie McGarry

Series:  stand-alone

Publisher:  Harlequin Teen

Publication Date:  July 31, 2012

Purchase:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible. Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

You can find my review of Pushing the Limits here.  And below, you'll find the trailer for this awesome book:

Giveaway

Rules:

• US/Canadian residents only, sorry.
• One entry per household.
• Winner will be notified via email.  Winner will then have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected.
• Prize will be shipped by promotional department directly to the winner.  I am not responsible for lost packages.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck & happy reading!