I am delighted to have Laurisa White Reyes back on the
blog. Today I am featuring her newest release, CONTACT, and YA urban fantasy. I
also have a wonderful interview with Laurisa. Make sure to check out the GIVEAWAY at the bottom of this post for a chance to win some terrific prizes.
Interview with Laurisa White Reyes,
author of CONTACT
Tell
us a little about your new book, CONTACT.
Laurisa
White Reyes: CONTACT is a young adult thriller about a girl named Mira
who, for reasons unknown to her, uploads other people’s psyches at a single
touch. This ability is painful and overwhelming, driving her to isolation and
attempted suicide. When her mother ends up in a coma, however, Mira discovers
that the coma was no accident, but proving it might get her killed.
What
inspired you to write this story?
Laurisa
White Reyes: My first two published novels, THE ROCK OF IVANORE and THE
LAST ENCHANTER were fantasy novels for middle grade readers. But over the past
couple of years I’ve become an avid fan of young adult fiction and wanted to
try writing for that audience. The idea for CONTACT began when my daughter was
a teen. She went through a “don’t touch me” phase, so I asked myself the
question – what if a girl had a reason to not want to be touched?
Why
did you choose to make Mira Hispanic?
Laurisa
White Reyes: There is a lot of talk in the children’s book industry right
now about diversity and the lack of characters of color in books for kids.
Statistics show that about 50% of American kids are black, Asian, American
Indian or Hispanic, and yet out of the 3200 kids books published last year,
only 8% of them featured characters of color. My own children are half
Hispanic. Their father was born in Guatemala. So I want the characters in my
books to be a reflection of them.
Were
there any books you’ve read that influenced you as a writer?
Laurisa
White Reyes: Quite a few, actually. I mentioned that I read a lot of
young adult books. There were several titles that I particularly loved that
gave me the courage to not only write a YA book but also to try my hand at
writing suspense, including Megan Miranda’s Fracture,
Jill Hathaway’s Slide and Gretchen
McNeil’s Possess. But as far as my
writing style goes, I probably learned the most about hooking a reader and
keeping the pages turning from the master, Dan Brown. I love the way he wrote The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons and I’ve tried to
incorporate some of his techniques into my own writing.
What
are you writing now, and will you have any books come out in the near future?
Laurisa
White Reyes: I am currently writing book 3 in my fantasy series, THE SEER
OF THE GUILDE, which is tentatively scheduled to release in 2015 with Tanglewood
Press. But I also have three additional manuscripts that do not have publishers
quite yet. I’m working on that. Several people have asked if I will write a
sequel to MEMORABLE. Though I hadn’t planned to, I did leave the possibility
open if I change my mind down the road.
Blurb:
It takes only half a
second…
…Like those commercials where a crash test dummy rockets forward
at high speed and slams into a wall.
…In that instant, every thought in Emma Lynn Walsh’s head
collides with mine—every thought, memory, hope, disappointment and dream.
…I open my eyes to see Dr. Walsh peering at me, a puzzled
expression on her face.
“Let—go—of—me,” I order though clenched teeth.
Mira wants to die. She’s attempted suicide twice already, and
failed. Every time she comes in contact with another person, skin to skin, that
person’s psyche uploads into hers. While her psychologist considers this a
gift, for Mira, it’s a curse from which she cannot escape.
To make matters worse, Mira’s father is being investigated in
the deaths of several volunteer test subjects of a miracle drug. Shortly after
Mira’s mother starts asking questions, she ends up in a coma. Although her
father claims it was an accident, thanks to her “condition” Mira knows the
truth…but proving it just might get her killed!
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20707931-contact
Author Bio:
After earning her B.A. in English in 1995, Laurisa White Reyes spent many years
writing for newspapers and magazines before gathering enough courage to live
her dream of writing novels. Contact
is her third published book. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in
creative writing, is a book editor for Hamilton Springs/Xchyler Press, and is
the Editor-in-chief of Middle Shelf
Magazine. She lives in Southern California with her husband and five
children.
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