I am so excited that today, I have an interview with Katie McGarry to share with you all! Katie is the author of Pushing the Limits, a YA Contemporary that was a fantastic read! So please give a very warm welcome to Katie!
What was your inspiration
for writing Pushing the Limits?
I had two main inspirations: One, I knew from the beginning
that I wanted to write a story in which my characters felt strong enough to
leave their pasts behind and create new futures for themselves. The first scene
I ever saw in my mind was Echo and Noah leaving town after graduation. Two, I
wanted to write two characters who were facing over- whelming issues and who, through battling these issues,
found hope at the end of
their journey.
How did you come up with
Echo’s name?
Echo went through several name changes as I wrote the man- uscript. For a while, she had a very normal name, but it
alwaysfelt off. It wasn’t until I looked at Echo from her mother’s point of
view that I found her name. Echo’s mother loved Greek my- thology so it made
perfect sense that she would name her chil- dren after the myths. I read
several Greek myths and the mo- ment I found Echo’s, I fell in love. Echo, to me, was the girl
who lost her voice. Thankfully, she
finds it by the end.
Which character is the most
“like” you?
All of them. I gave each character a piece of me (though some have larger slices of me than others). Overall, I’d
say I’m a strange combination
of Echo, Lila and Beth. Echo has my need to please, Lila has my unfailing
loyalty to my friends and Beth encompasses my insecurities.
Did you experience
friendships with Grace types when you were in high school?
Yes. And the more people have read this story, the more this question comes up. Grace has struck a stronger nerve in
people than I ever would
have imagined. It seems most of us have un- fortunately experienced a relationship where a person wants to “like” you and wants “be your friend,” but only if it
serves their needs. In case anyone is wondering, that isn’t friendship.
Are there any parts of the
story you feel particularly close to?
Yes. The relationship between Noah, Isaiah and Beth. Beyond my parents and sister, my nearest family members were over
fourteen hours away. My friends
became my family. The peopleI grew up
with were more than people I watched movies with or talked to occasionally on the phone. These were people with whom I shared life’s most devastating moments, but also my
hardest laughs. These were people who I would have willing- ly died for and I
know they would have done the same for me. They shared my triumphs with smiles
on their faces and con- gratulatory
hugs. They held me when I cried and offered to beat up whoever hurt my feelings. These were also the same
people who were more than happy to get in my face if they thought I was making
a wrong decision.
Did anything that happens to
Echo happen to you?
Sort of. I was
bitten by a dog when I was in second grade and repressed the memory. It felt
very strange to have no memory of an incident that other people knew about. It was even strang- er
to have injuries and not have an inkling where they came from. In college, I
finally remembered the incident when a dog lunged at me. I relived the horrible
event and sort of “woke up” a few minutes
later to find myself surrounded by people I loved. Even though I “remember” the incident, I still don’t
remember the whole thing. I only see still frames in my mind and there is no
blood in any of the memories.
Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and she remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.
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. Katie loves to visit schools and talk to teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach.
About the author
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. Katie loves to visit schools and talk to teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out of reach.
Pushing the Limits
By Katie McGarry
Release Date: July 31, 2012
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again. ***Check out my review here***
Giveaway
One lucky winner will win a copy of this AMAZING book! Giveaway ends 8/3, so enter now! ***US ONLY***
And that's all I have for you! I want to thank Katie McGarry so much for the interview and the publishers for the giveaway!! If you're interested in learning more about this amazing book, then check out these sites below!
I have pre-ordered this and I can't wait for it to arrive! Great interview, I love finding out where authors get their ispiration from.
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