Monday, July 14, 2014

Guest Post by Katrina Leno, Author of THE HALF LIFE OF MOLLY PIERCE + Giveaway


Hi everyone! We're very excited to have Katrina Leno on the blog today to discuss her literary journey to becoming a YA author. Her debut, The Half Life of Molly Pierce, came out on July 8th and it's our pleasure to host this amazing guest post and share it with all of you. Read on to learn more about Katrina Leno and join in for a chance to win a copy of The Half Life of Molly Pierce from the author herself!



I hope this doesn't sound too presumptuous, but I was always going to be a writer. I knew this like I knew other basic things about me. I had blue eyes. I spent almost every afternoon in the library. I liked being alone. I was going to be a writer. 

My kindergarten teacher knew it, too. I was DISMAL at tying my shoes. I made my mom buy me Velcro sneakers because I COULD NOT DO IT. But I could write. I wrote short stories in class and presented them to my teacher with gusto, always ready for a bit of validation. (Always ready for a little compromise: OK, we both know I can’t tie my shoes worth a damn, but look at these sentences I put together!) And it worked! I graduated kindergarten with my feet firmly in Velcro. And my teacher told my mother, I think she’s going to be a writer one day.

It was just something I always did, something I always had. I wrote for fun, at first. I wrote because I wanted to.

When I was twelve, things got darker. I went to the doctor for headaches and he referred my parents to a psychologist. I was diagnosed with depression and put on pills that clouded my mind. Medication is a good, positive thing for some people, but it never worked for me. I reacted poorly and my mother flushed my pills down the toilet.

It was then that I turned to writing as a form of therapy. I wrote poetry, kept a journal, dashed off short stories when I should have been paying attention in class. My mental state improved because I was getting all the bad thoughts out. I had an outlet for my sadness. I didn’t feel quite so alone, because I was writing characters and situations I could relate to.

Things got better, and I kept writing. I entered contests and sometimes won, although I didn’t care so much about sharing my work. It wasn’t yet about that. I wasn’t ready.

When I was a young adult I wrote YA because it was all I knew. But then I got a little older and my writing stayed firmly YA. My protagonists weren’t getting older, and I was fine with that. My teenage years were so very difficult; it made sense that I was still exploring them in my work.

There have been bumps in the road. My own insecurities kept me from growing and evolving. I kept putting off the inevitable submission process. I should have been doing so much more. I was amassing stockpiles of stories and novel ideas and plays and scripts and I was too scared of rejection to risk showing them to anyone. But you know, if you’re not risking rejection, you’re definitely not risking success. Nope, success will be firmly out of your reach.

So I got over it. I decided to take a massive leap and finish the road trip I’d been on for the past couple decades. I quit my job. I wrote a book. I got an agent. I got a publishing deal.

I can’t help but wonder where I’d be if I’d done all this sooner, but there’s really no use wondering. It took me a long time to get here, but I think I needed that time. I needed to be ready. And I’m ready now.

Also, I can tie my shoes.




The Half Life of Molly Pierce
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: July 8th 2014
Blurb:
You take it for granted. Waking up. Going to school, talking to your friends. Watching a show on television or reading a book or going out to lunch.

You take for granted going to sleep at night, getting up the next day, and remembering everything that happened to you before you closed your eyes.

You live and you remember.

Me, I live and I forget.

But now—now I am remembering. 


For all of her seventeen years, Molly feels like she’s missed bits and pieces of her life. Now, she’s figuring out why. Now, she’s remembering her own secrets. And in doing so, Molly uncovers the separate life she seems to have led…and the love that she can’t let go.

The Half Life of Molly Pierce is a suspenseful, evocative psychological mystery about uncovering the secrets of our pasts, facing the unknowns of our futures, and accepting our whole selves.

You can purchase The Half Life of Molly Pierce at the following Retailers:
    

  



About the Author 
I am a writer from the East Coast, currently living in Los Angeles and finishing up an MA in Creative Writing.



Follow her on these sites
  
WEBSITE//BLOG



A hardcover copy of The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno
US Only

12 comments:

  1. It's really cool how Katrina always knew that she was going to be a writer. Congrats on taking the risk to quit your job and write a book. Your work has paid off!! The Half Life of Molly Pierce looks like a fantastic novel. I'm especially intrigued by the psychological aspect :)

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  2. Sounds like she has a lot of passion! Can't wait to read & hope I enjoy. If the book is awesome I'll be practically throwing my money out there for anything she writes. Can't wait to read & become a fan. The cover sets a good vibe for the book, too. Nice.

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  3. Christina R. in the rafflecopter

    LOVE that being a writer was a part of her from the beginning, as undeniable as her blue eyes! Love how she kept writing YA despite her growing up!

    Heard awesome things about this book!!

    Thank you :)

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  4. Great excerpt and giveaway. <3

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  5. Great guest post! Thanks for sharing it, the excerpt, and the giveaway with us. :)

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  6. I can't even imagine not being able to remember what happened to me. That would be scary, and would make for an interesting story :)

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  7. I've seen the Half Life all over and I've heard good things such good things so far, and I want to see what the hype is about, for myself.

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  8. Have this on my kindle but would love to out a pretty copy on my shelf. :) Plus, I'm all for mystery those have been a fave of mine lately you get to go along for the ride while trying to figure things out with the characters.

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  9. It's awesome that Katrina had her heart set on being a writer and fulfilled her dream. THE BOOK HAS SUCH A PRETTY COVER!

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  10. (This is Darith L.)

    Wow, this book sounds so interesting! I can't imagine losing my memories and then get them back and have to deal with the truth. Can't wait to read it!

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  11. This was so interesting to read about. I use writing as a means of therapy too. I really can't wait to read this book now, thanks for posting and for offering the giveaway!

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  12. I honestly think this is going to be an amazing book. And the path it took was wonderful. But I love the psychology part the most. Psychology is amazing to me and I love any books that have a part of the subject.

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