Friday, September 20, 2013

Interview and Giveaway: Katie McGarry + Crash Into You


It's an interview kind of week on the blog, and today I'm honored to have one of my very favorite authors stopping by to chat about her newest release. I've adored Katie McGarry since the first moment I met Noah and Echo in Pushing the Limits, and my love for her and her stories has only grown with each book she's written. I've been waiting patiently (sort of) for Isaiah's story since the first book, and Crash Into You is the best yet in my opinion, tugging away on my heartstrings with every page until it reduced me to a puddle of emotional goo. Awesome.

Given how much I loved this book, it's with no small amount of excitement that I welcome Katie McGarry back to the blog!

Your books are always written from the dual first-person perspectives of both the male and female protagonists, giving us a much-appreciated peek inside both of their heads. What's one book you've read that you wish had dual points of view so you could more closely examine another character's train of thought or their motivations?

I definitely would have loved to have been inside Edward’s head in the Twilight series. I’m definitely not the person to pull it off, but I think it would be great if someone did a retelling of Anne of Green Gables from Gilbert’s point of view.

Rachel is (understandably) a big fan of Isaiah's many and varied tattoos. If she were to get one for herself to represent the events of Crash Into You, what would it look like and how sexy would Isaiah find it?

I think Rachel would get a single flame. It’s something special to both her and Isaiah and I definitely believe that Isaiah would find it unbelievably sexy!

You clearly did a great deal of research on cars and racing for this book, what is one fun tidbit or piece of trivia you learned over the course of writing Rachel and Isaiah's story?

One day while I was researching Crash Into You, my car wouldn’t start. The good news: I was with guys who knew everything about cars. This one guy had me pop open the hood and he was trying a variety of things to figure out what was the problem. After a few minutes, he decided it was the battery.

He maneuvered his car around to jump the battery, but before he jumped it, he asked for a Coke. It was a hot day and I thought he was thirsty. When he was handed one, he opened it then poured it over my battery.

I was all freaking out and like, “What are you doing?”

“It’s acid,” he said. “Takes the grime off the battery which is keeping it from taking the spark.”

Me, “Oh.”

Guess what—it worked!

Let's say you are invited to conduct an exclusive interview with one character from any piece of young adult fiction. Who would sit atop your list and what's the first question you would ask them?

Definitely Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders. He’s one of my favorites!

Are you still close with your brothers and the guys you grew up with?

Just for fun: What are Isaiah and Rachel's thoughts on The Fast and the Furious films?

They absolutely love the first Fast and the Furious movie! In fact, they can watch the scene where Dom says, “Smoke him,” over and over again.

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KATIE MCGARRY


Katie 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, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie is the author of the full-length Young Adult novels PUSHING THE LIMITS and DARE YOU TO, and the e-novella CROSSING THE LINE. Her debut novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS, is a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and an RT Book Reviews 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel.

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. The most memorable moments for Katie are when she speaks to groups of teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach. Katie would love to hear from her readers.


• • • • • • • • • • 

CRASH INTO YOU


The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other


Releases November 26th from HarlequinTEEN

• • • • • • • • • • 

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the amazing Katie McGarry, I have one ARC of Crash Into You to give away on the blog today. To enter, please just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

70 comments:

  1. There are no words for my insane love for Katie McGarry! And ... now I love her even more because the first book she mentioned needing Dual POV would be Twilight!
    There you go Mrs Meyer - Midnight Sun was all we ever wanted!

    I love this car story Katie:))

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    1. Don't I know it. She is fabulous and I adore her!

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  2. Isaiah's past is so mysteriously. It sounds like he is on the opposite side of Rachel's social status. I want to know who is Isaiah.

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  3. Ahhh Katie, I wish she would adopt me :D I enjoyed all previous books from this series and I cannot wait to read Crash Into You. I'm so glad you did an interview with her as I was able to discover some really interesting things about the book. Now I just need the book. Great interview Jenny :)

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    1. I want to live in her head for a while, there are so many interesting people there:) I hope you love Crash Into You Tanja!

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  4. I love McGarry's novels and can't wait for Isaiah's story! I love this interview, Jenny - yay for Ponyboy! - so thanks for sharing!(:

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    1. You're welcome! I'm on an interview roll this week:)

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  5. Coke poured over a battery to dissolve the gunk. Huh. And eew. Well, if that doesn't stop people from drinking Coke, nothing will! Interesting bit of trivia, though!

    Great interview, as always. I swear, you were Barbara Walters in another life, Jenny. At least you don't make them cry (often)!

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    1. Right? Who would've thought? I look at Coke differently now, but I'm not sure what it says about me that I'll still drink it:)

      *snort* I'm glad my interviews don't make anyone cry ;-)

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  6. What a great interview. I'm going to have to share the coke info with my hubby. I am super excited to read Isiah's story! After al the glimpses into his past we have seen I can't wait to get the full details on this bad boy!

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    1. I'm going to have to share that with my husband as well. I'm car challenged but he's not, so he probably already knows and will be all "you didn't know that?" Super:)

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  7. I keep meaning to start this series and shamefully haven't yet. I want to meet Isaiah, heck, I want to meet all her characters. I really am going to get to the first book soon, I promise!

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    1. ALI! YOU NEED TO READ THESE BOOKS! The romances are so well done and I love each and every one of her characters:)

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  8. I can't wait for Isaiah's story! He made my heart hurt so much in "Dare You To" and I really want him to be happy. I'm really excited to meet Rachel too.

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    1. ME TOO RUMMANAH! I so felt for him with the Beth situation, and I so desperately wanted him to be happy, so I devoured this book in a day:)

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  9. Jenny, loved this interview. I'm super excited to read this book!

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    1. Thanks Savy, I have no doubt you'll love it!

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  10. No surprise! I yet again adored every single second of reading this fun and entertaining interview:) LOL at that Coke and battery thing!!! :D

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  11. I want to get to know the heroine who will bring Isaiah the love he so deserves. I also want to get to know what is in his head!

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  12. I had a friend do the coke on the battery trick as well! Kinda scary to think about that in our stomach (she says as she sips her Coke Zero, lol).

    Isaiah sounds like the quintessential bad boy - I can't wait to read his story!

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  13. I love Katie McGarry's writing - I have since I read a preview copy of Pushing the Limits sent to the bookstore I was working at the time. I read it in one sitting!

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  14. I wasn't his biggest fan in the other books but I wasn't a fan of beth either and I loved her the second book. So i'm just excited in general

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  15. I wasn't his biggest fan in the other books but I wasn't a fan of beth either and I loved her the second book. So i'm just excited in general

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  16. I wasn't his biggest fan in the other books but I wasn't a fan of beth either and I loved her the second book. So i'm just excited in general

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  17. I wasn't his biggest fan in the other books but I wasn't a fan of beth either and I loved her the second book. So i'm just excited in general

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  18. I wasn't his biggest fan in the other books but I wasn't a fan of beth either and I loved her the second book. So i'm just excited in general

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  19. Agh, I haven't even read Dare You To yet. I need to catch up! I loved Pushing the Limits and Crossing the Line!

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  20. Fantastic interview, Jenny. I am so excited for Isaiah's story and get his perspective on everything. I knew that little fun fact about Coke. My dad told me it when I was little and it grossed me out so much that I stopped drinking soda all together. I am not a fan! It cleans toilets too, BTW. Anyway, her idea of writing an Anne of Green Gables spin off with Gilbert's point of view needs to happen. That would seriously make my life-I was obsessed with Gilbert as a kid. Thanks for sharing this interview, Jenny!

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  21. Great interview. Isaiah was such an important part of Pushing the Limits, that makes me want to know more about him, especially after he gets his heart broken in Dare You To. I need him to have a HEA.

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  22. i'm really excited about the street racing stuff in the book. it's not something i know a lot about. and in general, seeing isaiah no longer sad. :(

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  23. Love the interview! I'm dying to get inside Isaiah's mind. While everybody else is always more interested in the main characters the secondary characters always seem to grab my attention more. That was what happened with Isaiah in Pushing the Limits. He always lingered in the background, mysterious and his love of cars just did me in. I'm a sucker for all things car related. Can we talk about how hot this cover is though?! Ugh, I can't wait to finally read Crash Into You. Honestly, Katie can do no wrong! ;)

    Andy @ Owl Always Be Reading

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  24. That we're actually going to learn more about him :).

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  25. I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK!!!
    EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!

    I love Katie McGarry's other books and absolutely cannot wait for this one :)

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  26. I just love Katie's writing. I'll read anything she writes regardless of which character it is. It's going to be great. Pushing the Limits was one of my top favorites last year.

    Damaris dsr002(at)gmail(dot)com

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  27. Isaiah thorouhgly broke my poor little heart in the last book so I'm desperate to read his story and get his HEA. He is such a broken character, but there's hope for him too. I can't wait to see him shine.
    And besides, tattoos and fast cars? Sign me up asap!

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  28. Great interview!!! I'm ashamed to admit I haven't started this series yet, but I have Pushing the Limits and Dare You To sitting on my dresser, looking lonely and sad, waiting for Crash Into You to join them. And then I'm going to book binge them!!!! I can't wait!!

    From friends who have read Crash Into You, I know Kate writes some really awesome, hot, swoon-worthy guys. So I'm excited to read all of them! And I've heard Isaiah, in particular, is an awesome character with a mysterious past - That, right there, makes me VERY eager to read about him!

    Thanks for doing such an awesome giveaway!!

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  29. My students (and me too) can't wait for this book. My school library has two copies of each of Mrs. McGarry's print books and 5 copies of her electronic book and they are continually checked out.

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  30. Okay, everyone STOP entering! It's mine! *growls* Oh I have been loving this series and I so wanted an Isaiah book! MINE! :D

    Btw, a Gilbert book would have ROCKED in Anne of Green Gables. I would have loved to see if he felt as bad as it seemed when he called her carrots for the first time. :D

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  31. I have been DYING for Isaiah to get his HEA! I need Crash Into You sooooo badly!!!!!

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  32. I can't wait to read Crash Into You and find out the significance of the single flame. :-) And I'll have to remember that coke/battery trick (though I'm sure I won't when the time comes). And Ponyboy!! Wow that takes me back :D Love this interview!

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  33. The fact that it's another book by Katie!! Eep. You have NO idea how excited I am to read this one. I just adored the first 2 books. EEp!!!

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  34. I adore this series and I can't wait to see what happens in this series. I love how all the characters all grow up :)

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  35. I hear he's hotter than Ryan Stone and I really liked Ryan Stone so I'm intrigued!

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  36. I want Isaiah to find his happy, and love the dual pov's in these stories, and wonderfully fleshed out raw characters!

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  37. I can't wait to read about Isaiah's past. I am so curious to find out how he met up with Noah and Beth.

    Love these books so much. The interview was great! I recently learned all about the Coke on battery trick. Makes me kind of glad I don't drink it very much.

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  38. I love Isaiah so much and I'm so excited that he is getting his own story! After everything he's gone through he definitely deserves some happiness and love!

    I love Katie's books so much!! She's such an amazing person and writer and I love her! Awesome interview!! <3

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  39. Oh yeah, I've had to do the coke trick a time or two!
    I'm excited for Isaiah to get his own story, he deserves a HEA!

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  40. Aw, I love Ponyboy!

    I can't wait for her new book to make me cry ONCE AGAIN. :-)

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  41. He has his own story and races cars with a "good girl". I can't wait to see how this plays out.

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  42. this sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing and congrats to Katie on the new release ;)

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  43. Katie is a new author to me. Can hardly wait to get started.

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  44. I can't wait to read this book. It sounds really good.

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  45. Haven't started the "series" yet but have the first two books. cannot wait to get started though.

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  46. Great interview, Jenny! I would love to read Gilbert's perspective on events in Anne of Green Gables since it's one of my favourite classics.

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  47. Awesome interview! I LOVE Katie. She makes me feel so many emotions! Can't wait for Crash Into You

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  48. Love the interview can't wait to read it!

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  49. I love this interview. I can't wait to read this.

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  50. I am so excited about this book! I love the rest in the series!

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  51. What about Isaiah's story has you most excited to read it?
    For me its finding out more about his secrets he has. And to find out how much they really do love each other. I love that young love. Thank you so much for having this awesome giveaway!!!

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  52. I LOVED Isaiah in Pushing the Limits and even more so in Dare You To. I remember the night after the house party in book 1 thinking ‘Yep, they’re (Beth/Isaiah) going to make a great book…can’t wait’. But then I got that book 2 teaser chapter at the end and thought ‘oh no she (yes you Katie) didn’t!’! After reading Dare You To, all was forgiven. Beth's story was heart wrenching and amazing. I absolutely fell in love with Ryan but my heart broke for Isaiah. I'm definitely looking forward to Isaiah getting his HEA. He more than deserves it!

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  53. I just want to see how Katie McGarry develops his story. I was surprised at how much I loved Pushing the Limits, and it was because she is a great story teller.

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  54. I'm most excited to read another of McGarry's books! They are all very good and engaging!

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  55. What don't I love about Isaiah? I felt so bad for him after Dare You To, that I'm happy he's finally getting his own love story!

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  56. I am excited for Isaiah's story. I have entered 5 ARC contests.

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  57. Katie mentioned that she would have liked to get inside Edwards head in Twilight. Stephenie Meyer did start to write Edwards version called Midnight Sun. Then someone leaked it online so she was upset and stopped writing it. She did post what she had written on her site.

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  58. Everything, how he thinks, his past. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  59. He has such a mysterious air about him, and his past is a big question mark, so I'm excited to learn more about him! :)

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