Welcome to our weekly special feature post, Author Of The Week!!

Each week we will be interviewing a different YA author and highlighting their upcoming release!

We will also be hosting a giveaway of the book we are highlighting!!

Introducing Claire LeGrand , YABC's Author of the Week!!

Claire Legrand is the New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn, the first book in the Empirium Trilogy. She is also the author of several other titles for children and teens, most notably The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, Winterspell, and the Edgar Award-nominated Some Kind of Happiness. Sawkill Girls is her seventh novel. Claire lives in central New Jersey, where she works as a librarian.

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Meet Sawkill Girls!

Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires. Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight…until now.

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~ Author Chat ~

YABC:  What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

I'd always wanted to write a book set on an island, as the idea of living on an island--being so isolated, and being totally surrounded by water--both fascinates and terrifies me. Similar, I was fascinated and horrified by the tragic story of the Slender Man stabbing. I started thinking about how monsters gain power, how they can become real if enough people believe in them, and how and why a monster might prey upon girls, who are often kept vulnerable and unprotected by the influence of a patriarchal society. Also intriguing to me is the connection between girls and nature throughout various mythologies. I put all those sparks of ideas into a blender, and out came Sawkill Girls.

YABC:   Who is your favorite character in the book?

I love all three narrators of Sawkill Girls--Marion, Zoey, and Val--but I think Zoey is my favorite. She's funny and smart and creative; she's nerdy and has a passion for writing. She's unstoppably determined and fiercely loyal and loving. Plus, she injects a lot of humor into very tense scenes, which I think readers will appreciate! 

YABC:   Which came first, the title or the novel?

The idea for the book came first, and then, a couple of years ago, I was on a writing retreat in the Catskills and saw a sign for Sawkill Road. Those two words painted such a vivid picture in my mind, and lingered there long after I had traveled home. I think that word, "Sawkill," was the final puzzle piece I needed to finish crafting the atmosphere and setting of this book.

YABC:   What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

I really, really love the last chapter. It's weird and beautiful, and touches on a universe and mythology much more expansive than what I was able to explore in the book. It was also very emotional for me to write, for reasons I can't get into right now, because spoilers!

YABC:   Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?

I'm constantly learning new things about how to be a better writer, but the one I keep coming back to, and using to re-center myself, is that it's ok to take your time. It's even, I would argue, crucial to take your time. At least, it is for me. Obviously that's not always possible when deadlines and, you know, life come into play, but I've learned that my brain needs lots of recovery time, and lots of space in which ideas can simmer unhurried. I draft and revise pretty quickly, but between those frantic rounds of work, I need lots of slow time to think and dream and recharge my creativity, and I've learned that that's ok. It's ok to work at your own pace.

YABC:  What do you like most about the cover of the book?

Oh goodness. I love absolutely everything about this cover. I think what struck me most when I first saw it was the stark simplicity of it. It's clean and fresh and modern, sophisticated in a way that I think appeals to both teen and adult readers. (Also, the moths! I adore them!)

YABC:   What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2019?

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan! It's the first in a Gothic fantasy series inspired by Slavic folklore. I have an ARC at home and am itching to read it. I love following Emily on social media; she loves her book so much, and her joy and delight in it is contagious.

YABC:  What was your favorite book in 2018?

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold! I read an ARC earlier this year and was completely blown away. Gorgeous writing, moments of stark, startling beauty, and an ending that literally made my mouth fall open. The ferocious feminist fairy tale of my dreams.

YABC:   What’s up next for you?

Kingsbane, the sequel to Furyborn, releases May 21, 2019!

Sawkill Girls

By: Claire LeGrand

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: October 2nd, 2018

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS* 

One winner will receive a signed copy of Sawkill Girls (Claire LeGrand) ~ (US Only)

*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*

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