Interview with K.C. Tansley + Giveaway

I was fortunate enough to meet Kourtney (pen name K.C.) at Baltimore Book Festival in 2014. We started chatting in line to meet Marissa Meyer, and hung out the rest of the day. We got talking about the fact that she was a writer, and she told me about the book The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts. We chatted again this summer during her promotional tour.

About:

K.C. Tansley lives with her warrior lapdog, Emerson, on a hill somewhere in Connecticut. She tends to believe in the unbelievables—spells, ghosts, time travel—and writes about them.

Never one to say no to a road trip, she’s climbed the Great Wall twice, hopped on the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, and danced the night away in the dunes of Cape Hatteras. She loves the ocean and hates the sun, which makes for interesting beach days. The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts is the first book in her YA time-travel murder mystery series.

As Kourtney Heintz, she also writes award winning cross-genre fiction for adults.

Website: http://kctansley.com
Blog: http://kourtneyheintz.wordpress.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/kourtneyheintzwriter
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KourHei
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13530245.K_C_Tansley

The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts can be purchased here.

1. What inspired you to write The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts?

It was a concept my best friend, Anthony, and I dreamed up when we were in 7th grade. The 11-year old me loved the idea of ghosts, curses, spells, castles, time travel, and a murder mystery. I was a huge fan of soap operas like Dark Shadows and Santa Barbara and that’s where the romantic thread came in.

Back then, I only thought about the story I wanted to tell and this was it. Anthony and I never got beyond the character sketches and general concept because the original idea had way too many characters. He still has a notebook somewhere filled with dozens of character sketches.

Decades later, when I was working on Wall Street and mourning the end of the Harry Potter series, I thought if I could write my own novel, the characters would always be with me. That was when the 28-year-old me remembered the story the 11-year-old me was dying to tell. I emailed Anthony and he gave me the go ahead to work on it. And then the work truly began.

2. Would Kat most likely be addicted to Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr?

I don’t think she’d be into any of them, actually. She’s definitely the kind of person who wants to live off the grid. She’s guarding too many secrets to put herself out there. Also, she’s someone who doesn’t want to get noticed or stand out. She hungers for anonymity.

3. If you had to pick a character from another book to be Kat’s best friend, who would it be and why?

I’d pick someone like Morgan (her best friend in TGWIG). If I had to pick someone from another book, it would be Rose from the Richelle Mead Vampire Academy series. Rose is fearless and passionate. She loves deeply and truly and goes to the ends of the earth for the people she cares about. She’s a bit wild at times, but she’d be the perfect balance to Kat’s careful self.

4. Favorite book you’ve read so far this year?

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. It’s such a haunting and beautiful story. I love when a story makes me sob and laugh and then lingers with me.

5. What are you currently working on?

I just wrapped up the first draft of the sequel to TGWIG. Now, I’m working on revising the sequel to The Six Train to Wisconsin, which is part of my cross-genre series for adults. I’m processing comments from beta readers and I need to tear into the manuscript this fall. Then I’ll send it off to my editor in the winter.

The sequel picks up in the aftermath of Book 1. I really enjoy returning to my characters and continuing this journey with them. But it’s been a hard journey to take.

Thank you for joining me on my blog, Kourtney!

giveaway:

I will be giving away an ARC of The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts, along with some swag for the book. This giveaway is US only. It will run from September 16 to October 1st. A winner will be chosen randomly through Rafflecopter. This giveaway is NOT sponsored. The ARC copy was provided to me by the author. You must be 18 years old to enter or have permission from a legal guardian.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!