3xA MA:Katie McGarry

 

I've always felt so grateful to the authors that take the time to connect with me through social media. In my mind, I'd always thought they were on an unattainable level. In this event, I want to get to know the authors; to see them for the people they are and not just as creators of your favorite book.

Note: For each post, links are left to the author's social media. If you know an author whose book has affected you [in my event or just in general,] please use one of those links and leave a nice message to them! Something as simple as "I'm such a huge fan of your work" can go a long way - you'd be surprised.
For a full definition, the author schedule [and a fabulous opening giveaway,] click here.

In July of 2013, I was able to go to a signing with five amazing authors. One of those authors donated an amazing giveaway in the opening post and another is here with me today. Katie McGarry is the author of multiple amazing books [this is without novellas]: Pushing The Limits, Dare You To, Crash Into You, Take Me On, Breaking the Rules and Nowhere but Here [no lie, I wrote this off by memory.]
It goes without saying, I love this author [like I love all the other ones!] And I feel so lucky to have her on my blog today. Please welcome the awesome, Katie McGarry!

I'm often asked what inspires my writing and will generally answer that I'm inspired by my past experiences and emotions. What I'm not saying--there are some parts of my books that are very personal to me.

For instance, the strip mall that Beth talks about in Dare You To:

I walk the two blocks to the strip mall, which boasts all the conveniences white trash can desire: a Laundromat, Dollar Store, liquor store, piss-ass market that accepts WIC and food stamps and sells stale bread and week-old meat, cigarette store, pawn shop, and biker bar. Oh, and a dilapidated lawyer’s office in case you get caught shoplifting or holding up any of the above.
The other stores closed hours ago, placing the bars over their windows.

That was Beth's description of the entrance to the neighborhood I grew up in.

Some of my best and worst memories happened in that neighborhood.

My best friends and I used to walk the streets of that neighborhood over and over again. Sometimes I often wondered if we could have walked the world in the amount of steps we took on those roads. We walked up to the strip mall and bought candy bars and cokes. More than once, did laundry or helped a friend do laundry. We did cartwheels in the streets on dares, we sat on the curb under the freeway over pass because we loved how the walls rumbled as the semi-trucks barreled overhead.

A couple of times, I was afraid not only for my life, but for the lives of my friends. Friends of mine were jumped only for the sin they were smaller and were walking home from school. When I was 14, two guys in their twenties in a rusting 1970's four door that was low to the ground tried repeatedly to get me and a friend into their car. Their last attempt wasn't them asking and my friend and I ran. We ran like I've never ran before. My heart pounding, my hand grasping hers. Unbelievable terror like you wouldn't believe.

But then those bad days would give way to great days...

The endless days we found a place to sit and the laughter and tears and serious and not so serious conversations that were shared. The neighborhood was my home. The people within it molded me into the person I am now. It's a part of me and it's a part I continue to use as inspiration in the Thunder Road series and I'll talk about that more as the first book in the series, Nowhere But Here, approaches. 

I think that personal experiences are a big deal when it comes to writing, especially for contemporaries. If an author uses a personal experience, it's just so much easier for a reader to feel the story. And I definitely get this sense when I read Katie's books.

Enter the giveaway below! 
Thanks for checking out my blog and remember:  Be kind to one another. - Ellen 
Want more fun? Check out the other authors featured here.

Katie's Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and 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.

Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on Facebook and Goodreads.

This is an amazing giveaway that you don't want to miss. I have no idea what book the winner is going to choose because they're all so good! Oh the struggle! Good luck <3

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