Books for YA!: Author's Slambook: Em Garner + Giveaway

Author Bio
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She began writing at a very young age, always preferring the stories about what goes bump in the night. An avid reader of horror, science-fiction and fantasy, she first turned her hand to short stories about the sorts of things that hide under the bed…and she kept right on going.

Now Em spends most of her time in front of her computer, writing away at all the ideas she has swirling around in her head and hoping she can get them into a story before she forgets them.

She loves zombies, unicorns, and rainbows, the color purple and the smell of roses. She hates the smell of lilies, the feeling of corduroy and biting sandpaper. (Well. Who doesn’t?)

She lives at the beach with her family, where she spends a lot of time reading and sticking her feet in the sand. She is afraid of sharks, but that doesn’t stop her from going in the water.

Favorites

1. What is your favorite color? Purple

2. Favorite food? Steak

3. Favorite movie of all time? The Matrix

4. Favorite song? Oh No by the Commodores

5. Favorite book of all time? Swan Song, Robert McCammon

All about Writing

1. How did your interest in writing originated?

I've been writing since elementary school! When I learned that people actually wrote books as a job, I knew that's what I wanted to do.

2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

Brutal. Seriously! Okay, I spend a fair amount of time doodling around on the internet, but when I'm under deadline, I spend a lot of time in front of the computer. During the school year I work from about 9 am to 3 pm, when my kids get home. Then sometimes work later in the night. During the summer I work when I can find time (though I prefer to take as much time off as I can.)

3. Do you work with outline or just write?

I do very little outlining. Possibly sometimes I might briefly sketch upcoming chapters, but I don't stick to the outlines.

4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?

In any book, the hardest part is simply getting the words down. The easiest is discovering the characters, who they are. How they think. What they feel.

5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Read. Watch movies. Sleep!

Finish the sentence

1. The difference between fiction and reality is fiction is easier to explain.

2. Research is what I'm doing when I'm looking at Twitter.

3. I can write better when I'm not tired.

4. Sleep is an excellent way to dream!

5. A room without a book is a grave.

Book

Title: Contaminated
Genre/s: Young Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction
Publisher: Egmont USA
Date Published: July 23, 2013
Buy: Amazon | Barnes&Nobles | Book Depo

Synopsis:

After the Contamination—an epidemic caused by the super-trendy diet drink ThinPro that turned ordinary citizens into violent, uncontrollable creatures—the government rounded up the "Connies" to protect the remaining population. Now, two years later, the rehabilitated are being allowed home, complete with shock collars that will either control, or kill, them.

Velvet Ellis has struggled to care for her ten-year-old sister since her parents were taken in the round up. When she finds her mother in one of the "Kennels," Velvet resolves to do whatever it takes to put her family back together. But the danger isn’t over. It’s beginning all over again…

Gritty and grabbing, Velvet is a harrowing, emotionally charged novel for fans of Carrie Ryan and The Walking Dead.