Today we're spotlighting The Things They've Taken! 

Read on for more about Katie, her book, plus an guest post and giveaway!

Meet Katie McElhenney!

Katie McElhenney was born in Philadelphia into a big family of curious kids and patient adults. A voracious reader and unapologetic daydreamer, she knew she wanted to become a writer someday. With the support of an amazing family, great friends, and some truly spectacular teachers she has written short stories, poems, and novels. A solar-powered human, she now lives in Los Angeles and uses the great weather for year-round trips to the beach and long runs (where the best inspiration happens).

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Meet The Things They've Taken!

All Lo Campbell wants is to be a normal teenager—to go to one high school, live in one place, and have one real friend. Instead, she travels the country with her mother, chasing the unknown, the what else that’s out there...

Until one day, the what else chases back.

Determined to rescue her mom from whatever supernatural being took her, Lo will need more help than a badly dressed demon obsessed with country music. She’s going to need a Tracker—and lucky for her, she finds one. Shaw is strong, good-looking, possibly available, and utterly infuriating. Sure, he may have secrets, and his help costs more than a brand-new car, but she’ll have to deal with him if she wants to find her mother—and get her home alive.

Amazon * B & N * Indiebound

~ Guest Post ~

The Not-So-Young Adult Writer

Much to my excitement, the YA genre is booming. Before Clary, Katniss, and Harry it seemed that YA wasn’t getting much attention. There were a few notable exceptions, of course, but on the whole, it wasn’t a market that got the consideration it deserved. Just a few years ago it felt odd for me to be in my local library, exploring the YA section as an adult. I even questioned myself—Should I only read books for my target age? Are these books actually too “juvenile” for me? What would my high school AP English teacher say?

It wasn’t until I joined a critique group with writers spanning all genres, ages, and genders that I realized YA truly is universal. During one meeting a male architecture professor from the Netherlands and a female director of tech operations from California reminisced about similar experiences they had in their teens triggered by a part in my book. The fact that they had different background didn’t matter. There’s still a unifying current that runs through those years.

To that end, this is why I feel I’m still qualified to write Young Adult Fiction even though I left “young” in the dust years ago:   

It’s what I like to read

As I stated above, YA is my preferred genre. This doesn’t mean I don’t read adult fiction from time to time, but I still feel more drawn to and connected with YA. There are so many phenomenal writers these days producing complex, hilarious, terrifying, and inventive works (sometimes in the same novel). It’s impossible to feel there isn’t something for every reader to enjoy.

You can right (write) your wrongs

Regrets are a tough thing to carry around. The “I should have said this” and the “I shouldn’t have done that” moments tend to stick around in your head if you don’t give them an escape hatch. Writing helps with that. I can’t change my past (and frankly, I wouldn’t want to) but I can create characters who know the right things to say and do, even in those situations when I most certainly did not.

You can pass on a little advice

Like a lot of people, my teen years were emotionally tough. I had friends but never felt like I fit in. I was athletic but didn’t make it onto any special teams. I could talk to new people but not without a good amount of anxiety. Writing YA gives me a chance to sort through some of those things and put them in a new light. Creating characters that face real challenges allows me to give some practical advice to staying true to yourself while tackling what life throws at you.

While I may be done with my teen years, the teen years will never be done with me. When I was younger that might have scared me. Now that I’m an adult, I’m glad they’ve decided to stick around. 

The Things They've Taken

By: Katie McElhenney

Release Date: May 15th, 2017 

Publisher: Entangled Teen 

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS* 

 One winner will receive a $20 iTunes Gift Card ~ (US Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway