Thursday, December 6, 2012

Celebrating Debutantes: Author Gina Rosati (Interview + Giveaway)


Her books wore a party hat on the launch party--so cool! :D


Author Gina Rosati

"Thank you so much to everyone who has been a part of Auracle – whether you’ve taken the time to read, review, connect with me on social media, mention it on your blog, I am so very grateful to you! If you haven’t heard of Auracle yet, it’s a paranormal romance about an out-of-body experience gone terribly wrong. 16 year old Anna has a secret that only her best friend, Rei, knows – she can astrally project at will. After witnessing a tragic accident, she returns to find her body has been taken over by a dead schoolmate, Taylor. Left with nothing but her spirit, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from framing an innocent friend for her murder."
- GINA ROSATI, debut author of 2012



How was the feeling of being a published author, at last?

It’s a fantastic feeling to accomplish a personal goal! There are a lot of little huzzahs along the way – signing with an agent, selling the story, seeing your cover, and countless other reasons to celebrate, but that moment when you walk into a bookstore or a library and see your book on the shelf is so very cool!

What is/are the best thing/s that happened after your book was published?

Now that I’ve been through the process of writing/publishing, I can share the experience with people at libraries and schools and let them know if I can do it, they can too.

(Sidenote: So awesome.)

What do you think you're up to now if you're not writing?

I’m a mom to two teenagers, I volunteer at a middle school library, and I’m a yarn and bead junkie. The story I’m working on now requires lots of research, so I’m surrounded by stacks of non-fiction at the moment.

Did you plan, all along, to write/publish a book with the genre of what you got right now?

Yes – I wanted to write a paranormal romance revolving around the concept of astral projection. There were some fantasy elements in the first several drafts that were eliminated, but that was for the best - they were cluttering up the story.

Are you interested in writing with different genre or audience?

Yes – my WIP is a YA historical/fantasy/speculative/sci-fi/romance

Do you read reviews about your book?

I do. I’m grateful to everyone who takes the time to read and review Auracle, and I respect the fact that people have different tastes, opinions and review styles. I try to look at negative comments objectively to see if I can learn something, but I’m realistic enough to know that I can’t please everyone.

(Sidenote: Very true. As a reviewer, I appreciate that you understand us. :)

What is your (best/fun/unforgettable) moment with a fan?

I have a “contact me” link on my website, and I got an email from a fan who was given an ARC of Auracle at a book club in Connecticut while she was visiting a relative. She noticed that I live in New Hampshire, and she told me that she said she lives in New Hampshire too. It turns out she lives in the next town over – I signed books at the opening of a Reiki center in our town and I was excited that her mom brought her!

(Sidenote: Wow!)

Who is the character on your book who has the most response from your readers?

Rei – he’s the best friend from next door. He’s sweet, smart, adorable, and strong. When I was writing the first draft, I decided I needed a visual for Rei because I couldn’t picture him as well as I could picture Anna, Taylor and Seth. Rei’s mom is Japanese and his dad is Welsh, so I Googled Hot Asian Guys. Don’t do this. Google Hot Asian GUY, but never plural … that just invites malware and other stuff your mother wouldn’t want you to see. And don’t Google any Hot Guy on your husband or boyfriends’s computer because there is this thing I was unaware of called Google History, which ratted me out - my husband came down later that night wondering why I was checking out Hot Asian Guys on his computer.
Fortunately, he has a very good sense of humor. You can link to the photo I like http://www.flickr.com/photos/joflc/3696909465/ (we’re not posting the actual photo because I don’t own rights to it) and you will probably agree that this guy looks pretty awesome wet. This is how Rei got his shower obsession – I had to keep him wet ;)

(Sidenote: I have to agree. Asians are hot. *coughs* LOL ;)

Which stresses you more: writing/finishing your book, looking for a publisher/getting your book published, or seeing negative feedback from the readers?

It wasn’t so much writing the book as knowing when to stop editing – I know I can always make it better, but there comes a time to stop, and figuring out when is my stresspoint.

Was there any book/s from other debut author of 2012 that you loved?

So many!!! I couldn’t choose. I mentioned that I volunteer in a middle school library, and my librarian has told me several times how impressed she is by all of the Apocalypsies’ books.

Author you dream to work with?

Not so much to work with, because I like to write solo, but I’m a huge fan of David Levithan.

Fave character from a book (not yours)?

Always, always, The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

Did you read your book (like, from first page to last)? If you did, what did you felt?

So many times! And I read it out loud, too – I think that’s an important step in the editing process.

What's your next project?

I’m working on a historical/fantasy/speculative/sci-fi/romance ;)

Share us one embarrassing moment you've had.

Oh, so many embarrassing moments … where to begin? I was helping to clean up a classroom after a school craft fair on a Saturday, the teacher’s fish looked sooooooo hungry, and I knew it wouldn’t get any food until Monday. I found a canister of food, but rather than reach in and get a pinch out, I tried to pour a tiny bit out. Big mistake – half the food tumbled out and the fish must have thought it won the lottery. I knew it would overeat and die if I didn’t clean the bowl, but there was no fish net and I’m a little squeamish about handling live fish :/ I’m such a wimp. I ended up asking if there were any brave moms who didn’t mind handling wriggly fish, and one stepped up – yay!! Then the following week, I ran into the teacher and confessed – fortunately, she thought it was funny.

What's the recent thing that made you cry? 

I found a baby deer leg in the woods – I think coyotes got the poor little thing.

When's your birthday?

The same calendar day (not year!) the Titanic hit an iceberg and Abraham Lincoln was shot, which is the day before the Titanic sunk and Lincoln died.

Do you read/believe in horoscopes? 

Not so much, but I believe in angels, fairies, and crystal energy.

Fave movie? 

Ella Enchanted

Fave artist/song? 

Pretty much anything from Dave Matthews Band

How did you celebrate the publishing of your book? :)

My local indie bookstore, Toadstool Bookshop in Milford, NH, hosted a launch event for me. There was cake! The books were celebrating too … they insisted on wearing party hats.

(Sidenote: Wow. Super nice! :)










*****

GINA ROSATI grew up in Boston suburbia and now lives with her husband, two teenagers and two chubby guinea pigs in Merrimack, NH. Gina is a long time volunteer at her local middle school library, and a member of SCBWI, the Apocalypsies and the Class of 2k12 debut author groups. Her debut YA paranormal romance, AURACLE, is available from Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan. 

You can find her on her website, Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.






Auracle
by Gina Rosati

Published: August 7th 2012 by Roaring Brook Press

16 year old Anna Rogan has a secret she's only shared with her best friend, Rei; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe.

When there's a fatal accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna's body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive home life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future trapped in another dimension, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of murder. Together Anna and Rei form a plan but it doesn't take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them.


Photobucket



Buy Auracle now!
buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery





GIVEAWAY!
(Please READ these important details before jumping to the Rafflecopter! :)
- win a SIGNED hardcover of Auracle 
- open INTERNATIONALLY!
- one winner will be picked via Rafflecopter entries.
- the winning entry will be CHECKED. So please be honest in entering each one of them--you never know, it might be the winning entry.
- if the winner has not responded within 48 hours, another winner will be picked.
- all personal details will be kept privately and deleted after.
- Gina and I are not responsible for any lost or damaged packages.
- ends December 22nd

* Thank you so much Gina! I hope I could get to read your awesome book one day. Thanks also for providing a signed hardcover of Auracle! :)



Previous author (Dec. 4th): Marissa Meyer
Next author (Dec. 8th): Emily White



26 comments:

  1. I've heard of the book before and I was really excited to read it. The cover is gorgeous andthe story is really interesting!

    -Riz Bulatao

    Thanks for the giveaway too! :)

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  2. I am super excited for this book and I would love to read it<3
    Thanks for the amazing giveaway<3

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  3. I really like the sound of this book and I have heard really good things about it!

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  4. This book really sounds great, and I heard good things about it too!

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  5. I've had this book on my TBR for a while. Really want to read it.

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  6. Great interview. Can't go wrong with cake. :)

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  7. That does sound like a good book. I would be interested in reading it. I like supernatural/psychic power books with strong female protagonists.

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  8. I love YA paranormal books and haven't read that many on astral projection - sounds really interesting!

    Thanks,
    Leanne

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  9. Hi I can't wait for this book:)) If I win I would like to give it to my friend debut and not for me :)

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  10. That cake is fabulous! Never seen anything quite like that! How fun (and tasty I hope) :)

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  11. I like the sound of Auracle...and the cake looks too yum to eat!

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  12. This book sounds so good and different from anything I have come across! Can't wait to read it!!

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  13. I like the part about hot asian guys, lol!

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  14. I've been wanting to read this book forever (okay, well since I first heard about it). It sounds so so so so good!!

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  15. The book sounds awesome and it has a unique cover :) Thank You for the giveaway ;)

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  16. Heard great things about this book, so would love to find out more about it by myself. Thanks for a giveaway! :)

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  17. The book sounds great, thanks for the giveaway :)

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  18. I want to read this book and I'm curious about it. Thanks for the giveaway :)

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  19. Nice interview!
    And the cake is cute :))
    Thanks for the chance to win a copy, Gina!

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  20. sound a good book, love the cover.
    Thanks for the giveaway

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  21. Thanks for the giveaway the book looks really nice.

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  22. This is fantastic! Thank you for the giveaway!!

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  23. I think the cover is awesome, the synopsis and your review of this book make me itch, because so want to read this book :)

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  24. I can't believe this is the first I'm hearing of this book. I love the cover and the blurb, it's an instant add to my to-read list. Thanks!

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  25. Cover is beautiful! I hope to win this book.

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