Blog Tour: Interview, Giveaway & Review The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman

Today on WinterHaven Books we have the amazing Jessica Warman with us again!  I absolutely adore her and I am so excited to participate and kick off the blog tour for her newest book The Last Good Dy of the Year. 

Welcome back Jessica! It's so good to have you with us again!
Thank you for having me! It’s wonderful to be back!

1. The Last Good Day of the Year was amazing! I loved the quiet suspense that was woven throughout the book. Was it hard to keep that kind of momentum throughout the entire book?

Thank you so much! It means everything to me that you enjoyed it, because it actually was so, so tough to stay focused on this book. There was a ton of upheaval in my day-to-day life. I was in the middle of moving from Pennsylvania to Texas with my family for my husband’s work, and we didn’t know a soul. I’m ordinarily quite disciplined when it comes to my writing routine, but once it’s been sufficiently disrupted, I tend to fall apart. And even under the best circumstances, thrillers and crime novels are about bad people doing bad things to good people, which can be an exhausting bummer for an author to spend day after day with. I’m thrilled with how the book has turned out, but I’m also glad I’m finished with it.

2. I have to say that ending was one of the tensest I have ever read. I could actually see it playing out on a big screen! Did you know from the beginning how things would end for your characters?

I did, actually! Plotting can be a weakness of mine, and this book jumps around chronologically so much, as well as switching from the actual book to the nonfiction book-within-the-book… there was a lot to keep track of, so I wrote a detailed outline when I started the first draft. I don’t usually do that. I should do it; it makes the process much easier when I have at least a broad sense of how everything will end. And while I deviated somewhat from the plan and tinkered with the ending over and over again, it was essentially the same in each draft. I knew exactly what I wanted for these characters.

3. Why did Gretchen hide Michael from her family?

It made sense to me that Gretchen would want to keep Michael entirely separate from what was going in in Shelocta. If Shelocta embodies all of Gretchen’s worst mistakes and biggest regrets, Michael represents her new beginning. I also think she wanted to protect him from potentially being accused of knowing why she returned to Shelocta in the first place, and not doing anything to stop her.

4. Did you do any research into kidnappings?

I did so. Much. Research. It was exhausting and sad and generally not at all enjoyable to spend hour after hour on Wikipedia, reading about one kidnapping after another. Ugh, what a world. It was depressing, and I don’t mean that flippantly; I became genuinely depressed and anxious and overprotective of my kids. Now I know everything there is to know about famous kidnappings – JonBenet Ramsey, the Oakland Child Murders – and it’s not the most pleasant information to have bouncing around my brain. I keep telling my husband that I’m only watching and reading comedy for the next year to sort of cleanse my palate, yet as I’m typing this I have Silence of The Lambs playing on Netflix. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

5. Out of all your books which one was your toughest to write and which one was your favorite to write?

Without question, this one was the toughest, for all the reasons I mentioned above. Between was probably my favorite book to write. That story poured out of me – it was such a pleasure. I was also incredibly regimented throughout the whole writing process for Between. I would go running every morning and think about the book as I ran, and then I’d come home and write for hours each afternoon. Routine makes such a difference for me.

6. This story will stay with me a long time I can promise you that. What story have you read lately that has stayed with you?

I’m in the middle of reading The Little Friend by Donna Tartt right now, and I already know it’s a book I won’t soon forget. The writing is beautiful – I love all of her books – and the story is exactly the kind of creepy that I’m always looking for in a thriller.

7. Do you have any plans to visit Austin? I would love to meet you!! 

It’s funny you should ask – I’m actually going to Austin for the weekend later today! We’ll be staying way out in the hill country, though, about an hour from the city itself. But I love Austin, so I’m sure I’ll be back soon!

Thanks so much for stopping by Jessica!  I loved your answers and hopefully one day we will meet in Austin!

The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: May 19th, 2015
Purchase: Amazon

A new powerful thriller from the globally-embraced author of Between.

Ten years ago, in the early hours of New Year’s Day, seven-year-old Samantha and her next door neighbor, Remy, watched as a man broke into Sam’s home and took her younger sister, Turtle, from her sleeping bag. Remy and Sam, too afraid to intervene at the time, later identified the man as Sam’s sister Gretchen’s much older ex-boyfriend, Steven, who was sent to prison for Turtle’s murder.

Now, Sam’s shattered family is returning to her childhood home in an effort to heal. As long-buried memories begin to surface, Sam wonders if she and Remy accurately registered everything they saw. The more they re-examine the events of that fateful night, the more questions they discover about what really happened to Turtle.

Master storyteller Jessica Warman keeps readers guessing in this arresting page-turner.

My thoughts:
I have never read a book that gave me chills throughout.  Some have given me chills in the beginning, some at the end but never throughout the entire book until now.

The Last Good Day of the Year was amazing.  Jessica Warman has written a story that from the first page gave me chills.  This story has a quiet suspense that creeps up on you from the beginning and doesn't let go.  I could feel the suspense, but it wasn't consuming it was just there kinda looking at me waiting.  I knew there was something lurking that would only reveal itself when it was ready and man when it did my mind was officially blown. 

The story is about Samantha a 17 year old girl who has just moved back to her hometown.  This move puts her family right back where they have been running from the past 10 years.  See Samantha's sister Tabitha was stolen 10 years ago and with nowhere else to turn after her dad loses his job they return to the same house that she was stolen from.  That's crazy enough, but when Samantha starts questioning what she saw that night things get even more crazy and the story explodes.

I am a huge fan of creepy and this story is in my top 5 favorites of all time.  What made it truly amazing though was that it was quiet.  I loved that I got so wrapped up in the story and backstory of the characters that I didn't pick up on the subtle clues that were woven throughout. I just fell into this knowing that whatever needed to be revealed would be revealed, I didn't need to figure it out on my own.  I just enjoyed the chills.

Each character plays a crucial part in this story and I was sometimes a little confused at times, but it just didn't matter.  Everything came together at the end and made sense in time.  I trusted the author to take me where she wanted and that's sometimes hard for me, but in this case it was super easy.

Loved this story!  The only thing I want is one more chapter a year down the road.  I need to know where these characters are!!

5 snowflakes

About Jessica Warman

JESSICA WARMAN is the author of Breathless, Where the Truth Lies, Between, and Beautiful Lies, which have received seven starred reviews among them. Between was published in a total of twelve countries around the world. Jessica has an MA in creative writing and recently moved to Houston, Texas. Find her online at www.jessicawarman.com and on twitter @jkwarman.

Giveaway!  This giveaway is sponsored by the amazing Bloomsbury and is open to US residents over 13. Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also be sure to stop by the rest of the amazing blogs participating in the blog tour.

May 18^th à Winterhaven Books

May 19^th à Gone with the Words

May 20^th à Itching For Books

May 21^st à Andi’s ABCs

May 22^nd à Dana Square

May 25^th à Lili’s Reflections

May 26^th à Mary Had A Little Book Blog

May 27^th àThe Hardcover Lover

May 28^th à Happy Book Lovers

May 29^th à Novel Novice

 

 

Author Spotlight: Jessica Warman of Beautiful Lies

We are so SO excited to have Jessica Warman on the blog today.  I had so many questions after reading Beautiful Lies and she was awesome enough to take the time to answer them and I have to say her answers rock!!  Take a look!

1.I will admit I was scared senseless while reading Beautiful Lies, how did you come up with this terrifying tale?

First of all, thank you!  I’m so happy that I was able to scare you – that was definitely my goal!  As to how I came up with it, that depends on what aspect of the book you’re talking about.  I knew I wanted to write something scary, so I figured it was best to choose something that scares me.  I really love the idea of setting a story in a somewhat idyllic neighborhood, and then sort of turning it on its ear to reveal the seamy elements that are hidden in plain sight.  I’m not scared of monsters like vampires or zombies – to me, those aren’t nearly as interesting, because they’re not real.  What really frightens me are the monsters all around us in everyday life.  I’m afraid I’ll give too much away if I say more, so I’ll just say that was my jumping-off point, and leave it at that.  J

2.I never knew what to believe throughout this story, was it hard keeping everything straight while writing it?
Not really.  That is, it wasn’t any harder than it is to keep everything straight than it is during any other writing process.  The twists and turns were actually easier to remember, because they’re unusual.  It’s always the mundane stuff that gets lost over the course of writing an entire novel.  I can easily keep track of the interesting and unusual story elements – but I’ll have a much more difficult time remembering, say, what color I made the living room carpet.

3.I won't say what happens at the end, but I am curious if you knew from the beginning where your characters would end up. 
I did, yes, but this hasn’t been true for every book I’ve written.  I will say that having a clear ending in mind makes the writing process much easier.  While it can be wonderful to be surprised by my characters, it’s far less stressful to feel like I’m the one in control of their destinies!

4.Which character do you connect with more Rachel or Alice?
Alice, for sure.  I’ve always had a wild streak.  Fortunately, it has mellowed quite a bit with age, but I was a lunatic in high school. 

5. Do you have any other projects in the works for the future?
Absolutely!  I have a couple of projects in mind right now, one of which I’m very, very excited about.  I think I’ve definitely found my writing niche in thrillers… whatever I do next will definitely be dark and (hopefully) unnerving!

Thank you so much for answering all my questions!  Jessica you are beyond awesome and you can definitely sign my up for your next book!!! 

Find Jessica:

Blog / Twitter / Goodreads

Believe me you need to check out Beautiful Lies!  Check it out below...

Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman
Publisher:Walker Children's
Release date: August 7, 2012
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Rachel and Alice are an extremely rare kind of identical twins-so identical that even their aunt and uncle, whom they've lived with since their parents passed away, can't tell them apart. But the sisters are connected in a way that goes well beyond their surfaces: when one experiences pain, the other exhibits the exact same signs of distress. So when one twin mysteriously disappears, the other immediately knows something is wrong-especially when she starts experiencing serious physical traumas, despite the fact that nobody has touched her. As the search commences to find her sister, the twin left behind must rely on their intense bond to uncover the truth. But is there anyone around her she can trust, when everyone could be a suspect? And ultimately, can she even trust herself? Master storyteller Jessica Warman will keep readers guessing when everything they see-and everything they are told-suddenly becomes unreliable in this page-turning literary thriller. 

My Thoughts:

First off excuse me for a minute *shudders*  okay nope not done *full body shudders*
I umm...well...just let me say....OMG I have no words for this book!!  I don't even know how to begin this review because I am still in shock and my heart is in pieces.  There are only a few books that have managed to take my breath away and this one is right at the top of that list.  I honestly couldn't breathe throughout this book and I am still struggling to even after finishing it several days ago.  Bare with me while I try to create some form of a review for you.

Alice and Rachel are identical twins and like all twins they share a special bond except their bond goes much deeper than most.  I won't spoil it and tell you how deep their bond is because I think that reveal is awesome.  I will say that what you think you know is not even the beginning.  The story is basically about one sister being kidnapped and the other trying to save her. That is all you get, yup that's it.  If I say anything more then it will spoil everything and I don't even know how to tell a piece of the story without ruining it and going on and on.  Believe me this story is so so much more and you won't want to miss it.

The author did an amazing job with both Alice and Rachel.  I was totally swept into their lives and I never knew what was real and what wasn't.  I am really becoming a fan of the creepy and Beautiful Lies had some very spooky moments.  I would have loved to have seen more back story or really a prequel would be fantastic starring Rachel and Alice's mom.  There is still so much that I want to know and I am just not ready to let these characters go.  I totally felt that the sister looking for redemption got it and I am so proud of her for doing what needed to be done. This isn't an easy story to get through by any means but it is so worth it.

This story has to have some of the best twists I have ever read and there are definitely plenty of them in there.  It sorta felt like a mind spin after awhile but in a good way.  I just cant seem to get over how everything played out!  Talk about your total shockers!!  This is my first book by Jessica Warman and I can definitely tell you it won't be my last!!  Amazing book!

5 snowflakes