2015 Spooktacular Day 1 - Suzanne Young + Giveaway

First off I'm super sorry that it took me this long to get this feature up and running, I've had some of these interviews for a few weeks now but I kept putting them off because I was hoping to get solid responses from a few other authors along with being swamped by school work.  I'm currently taking a calculus class that is eating up a large chunk of my time so I've not been able to do as much reading and blogging.  To make up for that though I've got some crazy amazing (I hope) interviews and giveaways lined up for you guys.

This year's spooktacular is going to be a WHOLE lot shorter than last years (again, sorry about that), but I have a fantastic line-up of authors.  I'm not going to share them with you until they are revealed the day the interview goes up, but I'll just say that I including today's author I have 7 and there are one or two special editions that might be added, you'll just have to wait and see!  

I'm so honored to announce that the very first author is the wonderful New York Times bestseller

Suzanne Young

here to talk about her upcoming release 

HOTEL RUBY

The Interview;

Once Upon A Teen Reader: How would you describe HOTEL RUBY in 10 words or less?

Suzanne Young: The Shining meets The Great Gatsby

OUATR: All of your books/series are so different from one another (although now that I think about it many of them have an underlying theme of dealing with grief), where did the idea for HOTEL RUBY come from?

SY: Originally it started with the idea of “Hotel California for teens”. But on tour, I stayed at a creepy hotel in San Francisco--I was sure my entire floor was haunted (it’s a long story), and that helped feed the book descriptions. I ended up writing an entire pitch and synopsis on that trip.

OUATR: This book fell more into the psychological horror aspect as opposed to an in-your-face scare fest.  How did you go about creating an atmosphere like that?

SY: To be honest, I wanted to go with more slash and terror at first, but as the book progressed, I realized it was more complicated than that. For my character, losing her family was the most terrifying thing at all. It made sense that the heaviness of loss stuck to her bones and it almost made the scary stuff around her more manageable. With that said, I still wanted that feeling of dread, of something just behind your shoulder, breathing down your neck.

OUATR: There are no shortage of possibly haunted hotels in this country, is The Ruby based on any one in particular?  What kind of research went into working on the book?

SY: I honestly can’t remember the name of the hotel, but the hotel in San Francisco helped with the descriptions of the 13^th floor. Otherwise, I’ve always been fascinated by hotels and I ended up looking up hotels from the 20s and 30s for inspiration. I also went on a few ghost tours to see how a business would sell the idea.

OUATR: What's next for you?

SY: I have THE EPIDEMIC, sequel to The Remedy, coming out in April. It will finish the duology which leads directly into The Program series. I also have some surprises, and another book in fall.

Fast Five;

1. On a scale of 1 to 10 how scary would you say your book is?   It depends. For me? 5. For my kids? 8

2. Would you survive in your own book?  Uh…no.

3. What is your favorite scary movie?  I'm not sure I have one. I watched so many as a kid that I think I ruined the part of me that can watch them now. Haha I’m a total “peek through my fingers” movie-watcher.

4. Favorite Halloween candy?  Candycorn J

5. What YA horror/thriller would you recommend?  Oh, gosh. That’s tough! I used to love Stephen King growing up. I think a current great read is THE WALLS AROUND US by Nova Ren Suma, and loved TEN by Gretchen McNeil.

The Book;

Title: Hotel Ruby
Author: Suzanne Young
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Series: n/a
Published November 3, 2015
Add it on Goodreads

Stay Tonight. Stay Forever.
When Audrey Casella arrives for an unplanned stay at the grand Hotel Ruby, she’s grateful for the detour. Just months after their mother’s death, Audrey and her brother, Daniel, are on their way to live with their grandmother, dumped on the doorstep of a DNA-matched stranger because their father is drowning in his grief.
Audrey and her family only plan to stay the night, but life in the Ruby can be intoxicating, extending their stay as it provides endless distractions—including handsome guest Elias Lange, who sends Audrey’s pulse racing. However, the hotel proves to be as strange as it is beautiful. Nightly fancy affairs in the ballroom are invitation only, and Audrey seems to be the one guest who doesn't have an invite. Instead, she joins the hotel staff on the rooftop, catching whispers about the hotel’s dark past.
The more Audrey learns about the new people she's met, the more her curiosity grows. She’s torn in different directions—the pull of her past with its overwhelming loss, the promise of a future that holds little joy, and an in-between life in a place that is so much more than it seems…
Welcome to the Ruby.

Per-order the book from Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | The Book Depository

The Author;

Suzanne Young is the New York Times bestselling author of The Program series. Originally from Utica, NY, Suzanne moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She is a novelist and an English teacher, but not always in that order.

Find Suzanne on Her Website | Twitter | Facebook

The Giveaway;

Suzanne's publisher, Simon Pulse, has generously donated an ARC of Hotel Ruby, which means that one of you will end up winning it!  Because this is an ARC from a US publishing house the giveaway is US only, but I do promise that there will be at least one giveaway that is open internationally!

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