FREEBIE FRIDAY with Megan Kelley Hall

Happy Friday!

Today I'm happy to GCC sister Kelley Hall to the blog. Megan is the acclaimed author of SISTERS OF MISERY, here to talk up the sequel, THE LOST SISTER. Megan has generously offered a signed copy of THE LOST SISTER for today's freebie.

Here's the official back cover blurb:

THE LOST SISTER takes a chilling look at what happens when hazing pushes someone too far. Sisters are born, not chosen…
Maddie Crane is grappling with the disappearance of Cordelia LeClaire, and trying to escape the grasp of The Sisters of Misery—an insidious clique of the school’s most powerful girls, whose pranks have set off a chain of horrific events, and who have Maddie in their sights… Beware the sister betrayed…Now in a prestigious boarding school far away from her mysterious hometown of Hawthorne, Massachusetts , Maddie feels free from danger. But when an unmarked envelope arrives at her dorm containing a single ominous tarot card, Maddie realizes with terror that some secrets won’t stay buried. Knowing she must return to Hawthorne—a town still scarred by the evil of the Salem witch trials—Maddie prepares to face the fears of her past...and the wrath of the sister she wronged.

Here's what people are saying about THE LOST SISTER:

Hall maintains suspense until the very end. This story's dark, sinister edge, coupled with the clever use of runes to frame each chapter, will satisfy those fascinated by witchcraft and premonitions.
--Publishers Weekly Review

There’s no doubt Hall knows how to write one heck of a creepy Gothic novel. She pushes the limits with disturbing plot points in this scary, fast-paced story. --Romantic Times Book Reviews

Shivery... Hall hits one over the fence with her debut novel -- a true Gothic. - NY Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard

"Original,insightful, and scary. Hall writes with an intense, frightening gracethat will have you turning pages long into the night."
--NY Times bestselling author Michael Palmer

And now, for the interview:

What inspired you to write THE LOST SISTER?
The Lost Sister picks up where Sisters of Misery left off. It shows what happens when someone is pushed too far and when hazing pranks go wrong. It’s a continuation of Sisters of Misery, in that it’s a modern-day retelling of the Salem Witch hunts. It has a sort of fairytale-esque Gothic appeal and it will keep you up at night due the spooky, supernatural events that take place.

Are any of your characters based on real people that you know?
It’s funny because every guy I’ve ever known seems to think that they are the love interest in my books, whereas no girls ever see themselves as the mean girls. I’ll simply say that the boys are purely fictional. The girls? Well, Kate Endicott and her crew are a mixture of every mean girl I’ve had the pleasure of coming across in my life. I’ll leave it at that.

What excites you?
Bookstores, my daughter, free samples of skin care products, bargain shopping (I don’t think I’ve ever paid full price for anything), television shows and movies that scare me (many nights my husband will wake up in the middle of the night to find me watching shows about true crime and serial killers. How he can fall back asleep so easily, I’ll never know), spa trips, really nice hotel soaps and lotions, a really delicious chocolate dessert.

What turns you off?
People who are full of themselves and think they are better than others. Guess what? You’re not.

What's the biggest lie you ever told, and what happened as a result of the telling?
I never lie. That’s the biggest one right there. J

What's the most suspenseful thing that's happened to you in real life?
I had a really weird experience with a Ouija board. I kept it under my bed in college and I’d wake up with the feeling of something sitting on my chest. I removed it from my dorm room and the next night the same thing happened. Turns out my roommate put it back under my bed as a joke. Not funny. I ended up bringing it home from school, but I purposely left it in a box in my car—I was going to give it to a friend who wanted it. The first night home from school, I felt that same feeling of having something sitting on my chest. I woke up my parents and asked if someone had brought the box into the house. They had!! After that night, I threw away the Ouija board and will NEVER allow one into my house again.

Another weird thing that happened to me was I went to this old building in Salem, MA that used to be a real estate agency and now is a printing company. Anyway, it’s supposed to be haunted, but everything in Salem is supposedly haunted, so I never really believed it. My boyfriend at the time was in a band, and he and his friends were practicing in the basement of the building and he told me to come meet him during his break. So, it was around 11 pm, luckily I had my sister with me. We noticed that the doors were open in the back so we went inside, but the lights were off. We heard voices in the distance and we kept calling my boyfriend’s name, as well as the other guys in the band. Well, turns out they did take their break—at a bar across the street! They left the door open so they could get back in. NO ONE was in the building. Yet, we definitely heard voices. SOOOOOO creepy!

If you could invite anyone you wanted - living or dead - to hang out with you at a weekend retreat, who would you invite and why?
Okay, obviously Johnny Depp – that’s a given – Oscar Wilde and Kathy Griffin to make me laugh, Joan Didion and Alice Hoffman for writing inspiration, Brangelina just to figure out what it’s like to be in their world (and what all the hoopla is about) and Julia Roberts and George Clooney, because after watching that Oprah special, they seemed pretty fun to hang out with. Oh, yeah, Oprah too. My sister got to meet her via Skype on a book club webcast and I’m super jealous. Here’s the picture as proof. She made Oprah laugh! So jealous.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?
I’m not really a people person. I hate public speaking. Absolutely detest being the center of attention (which makes book signings and writer’s panels interesting). Plus, I do not like chick flicks. If there’s a movie or TV show about serial killers or ghosts, I’m watching. I’d rather watch America’s Most Wanted than America’s Got Talent.

What's your favorite quote?
Life is what happens while you’re making other plans.

Milk Chocolate or Dark?
Dark – no question

You can read more about THE LOST SISTER on Megan's website, on her blog, follow her on twitterand check out the SISTERS OF MISERY myspace page..

To be entered to win a copy of THE LOST SISTER, leave a comment below, telling about the freakiest thing that's ever happened to you. This drawing will remain open until Tuesday, August 18th.

FREEBIE FRIDAY - The Countdown Continues

Happy Friday, everyone!!! Welcome to this week's DEATH BY LATTE GIVEAWAY!

Wow... Lots of stuff happening this week.

I hope that you get a chance to peek below this post at the interview with Megan Kelly Hall, author of SISTERS OF MISERY. Megan's is the first of several author interviews I'll be bringing you in the coming months.

School is about to start!!! Has school begun where you are? Some of the kids in our area go back Monday, my kids are back in school the 25th. I am counting down the days...

The OLYMPICS! Yah! Have you been watching? How about that Michael Phelps?!? Phenomenal!

Not so phenomenal: the disgraceful switcheroo at the opening ceremonies. Yang Peiyi's voice was heard singing 'Ode to the Motherland,' but China's Olympic organizers didn't think she was perfect enough to be seen on stage, so another little girl got to stand in the spotlight, lip synching to Yang Peiyi's voice, taking the accolades and the bows. I hope they will allow Yang Peiyi to sing at the closing ceremonies. As herself. You can sign a petition on her behalf here.

Reactions to Stephenie Meyer's BREAKING DAWN are all over the charts. Looks like readers either accept out of loyalty, love, or really hate this last installment to the TWILIGHT series. Anyone here read it yet? What did you think?

Oh, and Aphra has begun to twitter... And watch for Kelly Parra's upcoming SECRET FATES Extravaganza wherein Aphra will be revealing secrets, leading up to...

The release of DEATH BY LATTE - just over a month away!!!

Which brings us to this week's FREEBIE FRIDAY GIVEAWAY. To be entered to win an advanced copy of DEATH BY LATTE and a really cool book thong, leave me a reply telling me what's new with your week.

Entries open until TUESDAY. Have a great weekend!

Game on!

Interview with Megan Kelly Hall

I have a special treat for you today. Megan Kelly Hall, whose fabulous new book SISTERS OF MISERY just hit the shelves last month is in the house! I had a chance to ask her a little about her book and I'm excited to bring you the first of several author interviews I'll be posting in the coming months:


LG: Peer pressure can be a terrifyingly strong force - strong enough to bring about the Salem Witch Trials and strong enough to test the loyalty of family. Have you ever been pressured by your peers into doing something you wouldn't have otherwise chosen to do?
MKH: I’ve never been pressured into doing something I felt strongly opposed to. I’m sure that there were one too many drinks or shots that I was coerced into taking during my early twenties (or even in college. Yikes!). But, overall, I was pretty strong in my own convictions and wasn’t the type of person to let others push me into something I felt bad or comfortable about. And I’d never do anything to hurt another person—especially within my own family!


LG: What was your inspiration for writing this book and how did the idea for this book evolve?
MKH: I live right next to Salem, Massachusetts and I’ve always wanted to write something that captured the essence of the gothic undertones of growing up in a place that had such a dark history. Plus, I wanted to show how people really haven’t changed all that much—that persecution and ostracism are still alive and well in today’s society. The book actually grew out of a recent local legend. There’s a stone wall in a neighboring town that supposedly was the site of a car crash not too long ago. Three kids were killed in the car crash and some say that if you shine your headlights on the wall at a certain time of night, you can see their faces in the wall. I’ve never actually seen it, but I decided to build my book around that haunting image.


LG: SISTERS OF MISERY has been called "a true Gothic." What are some of your other favorite Gothic novels?
MKH: I’ve always loved suspense novels, especially as a teen. So many YA suspense novelists like Lois Duncan, Christopher Pike and Stephen King inspired my writing. In college, I devoured any short stories with a gothic element; stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson, Joyce Carol Oates, William Faulkner. Other favorites include Wuthering Heights, The Turn of the Screw, The Haunting of Hill House and my all-time favorite, The Secret History by Donna Tartt.


LG: Which of the characters in your book are the most like you and how?
MKH: I’m not as cool as Cordelia, not as wishy-washy as Maddie and definitely not as mean as the girls in the Sisters of Misery. I’m probably somewhere between Cordelia and Maddie. Like Cordelia, I was never a follower and I’ve always stood up for myself and others, but I was similar to Maddie in terms of being a bit shy and quiet at times.


LG: What are you working on now?
MKH: I’m working on the second book in the SISTERS OF MISERY series. It’s called THE LOST SISTER and will come out in August 2009. I’m also playing around with a nonfiction memoir describing how I overcame major health setbacks (open heart surgery two years ago) to fulfill my dream of being a published author. Additionally, I am a partner in Kelley & Hall Book Publicity, an independent literary publicity company (http://www.kelleyandhall.com/) that I started with my mother and sister. It’s a challenge to keep authors (especially fiction authors) in the news, but we’ve worked with some great authors – NY Times bestselling authors to self-published debut authors – and it never gets boring.