The Keeper Blog Tour: Author Interview & Giveaway

*Note: This post is also part of my Friday Feature post*

Welcome to the last stop on The Keeper blog tour! Today, January 6th, offically sees the release of The Keeper by Natalie Star! *cheers* Natalie has kindly given me an awesome interview & an even more awesome giveaway but first of I want to thank the bloggers who have particapted in the blog tour this week.

 We Fancy Books
http://burningximpossiblyxbright.blogspot.com/
http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/

http://readinglittlebitofeverything.blogspot.com/

Make sure you head over and check out their posts from The Keeper Tour and also enter the awesome giveaways!

Natalie's Interview:

Hello, Megan! First let me thank you for everything you’ve done. Thank you so much for this interview and for organizing my blog tour this past week. You’re amazing! If there’s a YA debut author reading this, you need to contact Megan! She will hook you up.

A little about Natalie:

I’m the mother of two children - a teenage daughter and a preteen son. That’s a whole lot of hormones going on right there. Never a dull moment in our house. My loving husband and I have been married for over twenty years. Writing was not something I planned on doing. It just sort of happened. I did it to see if I could - A personal challenge. After writing the first few chapters I thought they sounded pretty good. I sent them to my friend’s son who’s in high school and asked him what he thought. He told me it was really good, and that I had to keep writing so he could find out what happens. I continued to send him more of the story, and he told me I should try to get published somehow. I laughed it off, but he said that someone would be crazy not to offer me a contract. I think I submitted the manuscript for the both of us. If it wasn’t for him, The Keeper wouldn’t be a reality today.

Can you tell us a little about you debut novel, The Keeper?

The Keeper is told from the POV of a sixteen year old girl named Billie. She’s a no nonsense kind of girl who will tell it like it is. Billie isn’t popular in the sense that she has a lot of friends. In fact, she only has a few really close friends, and she’s content with that

The Keeper book blurb:

The morning of her sixteenth birthday, Billie feels blessed despite the reoccurring nightmare that wakes her. Loving parents, a caring boyfriend, and great friends surround her until an heirloom necklace throws her into a world she never imagined.

“Gifted” with supernatural powers and an unexpected destiny as the Keeper, Billie and a mysterious boy from her past must work together to find answers. But, as they begin to discover feelings for one another, he disappears leaving her to fight evil alone. Her life spirals out of control. She breaks up with her boyfriend, Tony, and alienates her best friends Arianna and Jocelyn to protect them from the truth.

As dark forces pursue her, Billie longs to run away from it all, yet a need to do what's right compels her to face the future as the keeper of more than her own forture.

How does it feel to be releasing your first novel?

Wow. How does it feel? Surreal. Exciting. Scary. I’m honestly a bundle of nerves right now. I have butterflies in my tummy.

The cover for The Keeper is beautiful. Who designed it and did you have much say in the designing process?

One of the many cool things about signing with Decadent Publishing is that they have graphic artists on hand. I’m thankful I didn’t have to design my own. I received a questionnaire asking me for my input on the cover, and Fiona Jayde did a fabulous job with the info I provided. I’ve received many compliments.   

The Keeper is YA urban fantasy/paranormal romance is this a genre you like to read yourself?

Young adult, urban fantasy/paranormal romances are my absolute favorite to read. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, and Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine I can read over and over. I have a soft spot for the vampires, but Maggie Stiefvater’s reads top my list too.

Is The Keeper a stand alone novel or the first in a series?

Originally it was going to be a stand alone, but then the characters spoke to me and told me I wasn’t done. They actually nagged me about it until I outlined the next story. I’m about two-thirds of the way done with that novel. My goal is to submit it in March. So we will see.  

What do you hope to acheive this year with regards to your writing?

 If the above mentioned novel goes well, I have a third and final story in me for that world of characters. I would also love to complete the novel I started for National Novel Writing Month. I never got to finish it due to personal deadlines for The Keeper.   I look forward to 2012 and I hope everyone has a happy new year!

Why should we read The Keeper?

Why shouldn’t you?  Come escape everyday life, and explore a new world. It’ll be fun! J

The Keeper is released today and can be purchased on Decandant Publishing.com, Amazon.com & Smashwords.com.

Follow Natalie:

Twitter: @iamjustnatalie

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/iamjustnatalie

Website: http://www.authornataliestar.com/

Blog: http://authornataliestar.blogspot..com

Giveaway:

Natalie has kindly offered an awesome giveaway to one of my readers! One lucky reader can win an Ebook of The Keeper, some signed swag & a $10 Amazon Giftcard! And yes, its INTERNATIONAL as long as you can use the Amazon Giftcard!

To Enter:

*You must be a GFC of my blog (Please leave GFC name)

*Please leave email address so I can contact you if you win

Extra Entries:

+1 Follow Natalie on twitter: @iamjustnatalie (Please leave twitter follower name)

+2 Spread the word about The Keeper on Twitter or Facebook (Leave link below)

-Giveaway is open to anyone 13+

-Giveaway is International

-Giveaway is sponsered by Natalie Star

-Giveaway ends 23rd January 2012