Monday, July 16, 2012

Giveaway and Interview: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Pivot Point
Pivot Point by Kasie West

Reminiscent of the movie Sliding Doors, Pivot Point is about a girl who has the power to Search alternate futures. When faced with a life changing decision, she lives out six weeks of two different lives (in alternating chapters), both holding the potential for love and loss, and must ultimately choose which path she is willing to live through.
interview with Blkosiner's Book Blog
--The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

Pivot Point is about a girl who can Search alternate futures. When faced w/a life changing decision she lives out 6 wks of 2 different lives.

--How did you get the idea for the story?

Well, it’s actually an autobiography. Ha. I wish I could see two futures! No, the real answer is that I love the movie Sliding Doors and think the idea of alternate realities is awesome. I love seeing how small choices can change outcomes in big ways.

--Which character would you most/least like to have dinner with?

My MC’s best friend, Laila. She’s sassy and tells it like it is. I love people with strong, fun personalities.

--Do you have any other works in progress? Any teasers or release dates?

I’m always writing something. But as for news, I actually recently sold a contemporary to Harper Teen called THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US. This book will come out in between Pivot Point and the sequel to Pivot Point. It’s about a girl who has her lifelong distain of the rich challenged by the son of a hotel mogul. Very Pretty In Pink-esque. I LOVE contemporary so it was a blast to write.

--What book(s) is your book’s “cousin”? (Similar set-up or style)

Hmm. That’s a really hard question. I haven’t read many alternate reality books. But as far as voice and style go, I think I’m a little like Rachel Hawkins (Hex Hall). I tend to lean to the snarky/sarcastic side.

--What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

I have so many favorite books. But recent favorites are: THE SCORPIO RACES, VARIANT, SURRENDER, BITTERBLUE…..I had to force myself to stop. I make time to read because I know how important it is to my creative process. Plus, I really, really love to read.

--If a fairy godmother told you could be put into the world of your favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?

There are so many worlds I wouldn’t pick, that’s for sure. YA writers create some dangerous worlds. This is a funny question because I’m tempted to say a book with hot guys, but then I remember all the boys are teenagers and it would make me feel really weird to be zapped into their world. It’s one thing to read about them, a totally different thing to actually be in their world. So maybe to avoid the creep-factor, I should stick with AUSTENLAND because I think it would be fun to play dress up for a day in period style clothes and be surrounded by hot adult men. J



--Do you need anything to write (music, coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on your playlist- songs that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

Unlike many writers I actually can’t have music on when I write. I start singing along or listening to the lyrics too much. But songs definitely inspire me before writing or when I’m driving. Recent favorites: Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute, Two is Better than One by Boys Like Girls, Everybody Talks by Neon Trees. Now I want to go listen to all of those songs. Right now.



--If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

Ha. This is actually a question my MC asks one of the boys in my book. I think I’d like to fly or maybe teleport. I just want to get places faster.



--Besides writing, what do you like to do in your free time?

I’m a mom of 4 so I keep busy. But when I’m not doing mom stuff, I read, wake board, or  watch movies.

--What is one thing you would tell your 15 year old self?

One thing? I was such a silly teenager. I guess if I can only pick one I’d tell myself: Your self worth doesn’t depend on whether a guy likes you or not. Discover who you are and then worry about boys.



--Is there anything else you want to add or say to your readers?

I’m just blown away by how much support I’ve received for my book and just wanted to tell everyone thank you for being so excited about Pivot Point. I’m excited too and can’t wait to share it with everyone. Our community of readers and writers is one of the best in the world. I’m so happy to be part of it.

Lightning round:

this or that? This
Vanilla or chocolate? Chocolate
Edward or Jacob? (Book or movie version??) Book: Edward, Movie: Jacob
Hockey or soccer? Soccer
Ebook or paper? Paper
Salty or sweet? Sweet
Beach or mountains? Both
Phone call or email? Email
Early bird or night owl? Night Owl
Dog or cat? Cat
Messy or neat? Messy
Ninjas or pirates? Pirates

Thanks for the questions, Brandi! That was so much fun.


Blkosiner's Book Blog Giveaway
-US only please (unless you're willing to pay for shipping)
-Fill out rafflecopter to enter
-Ends 8/13
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway provided by author, who sent arc to me for review, and I will ship to winner

My question to you, my lovely readers:
If you could, would you change anything about your past? How do you think it would affect you today?
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31 comments:

  1. Great interview and giveaway!
    I'm really looking forward to reading Pivot Point!:)

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  2. Definitely more than the standard questions. Great interview. I'm so excited for Pivot Point. Also... totally agree on The Scorpio Races (my favorite book) and Everybody Talks by Neon Trees. <3

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  3. I'm really looking forward to this novel! Such an awesome interview. I love the question about having dinner with someone from the novel. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. Such a fun interview! It's really interesting that the author can't listen to music, most authors need music while writing! ;) I would also love to fly/teleport. How fun would that be?! You could go anywhere you wanted to in a matter of seconds.

    Fabulous interview! <3

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  5. I can't wait to read this book! As soon as I saw it pitched as a YA SLIDING DOORS I was sold. Thanks for the awesome interview.

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  6. Some interviews are simply and get the point across, but they're full of plain, straight-forward questions. This was not one of those interviews. This interview had the basic questions, as well as some fun and random ones, which I really liked.

    Thanks for a fun interview and the giveaway!

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  7. Wow the plot sounds amazing. She gets to live 2 different lives. I wonder which one she prefers.

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  8. Congrats to Kasie! I met her a few months ago, and her book sounds amazing. I love the idea of living two different lives...how would you choose? Reminds me of The Golden Compass, where there are millions and millions of worlds, and each world resulted from a choice. In one world someone made one choice, and in another world that same person made a different choice.

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  9. I would love to read this book. It sounds very good.

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  10. Kasie critiqued some of my novel for me and she is AMAZING as a person and a fellow writer. We have similar reading tastes too - just love hearing more about her :)

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  11. Reading reviews makes me less scared to write my own book!

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  12. I just love the idea of alternate futures.....I always wondering their where alternate realities what my life would be like. I loved your interview and really can't wait to read this book!

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  13. Very interesting interview :). I am looing forward to reading Pivot Point, it sounds like a very interesting read and the cover is gorgeous. I would also love to be able to teleport ;).

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  14. OMG! Pivot Point sounds so freaking good! I loved the "cousin book" question. That's a new one. This has made me even more excited for this book! Love the cover too!

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  15. Wow, this book looks/sounds awesome! The fact that Kasie West is a mother of four is super inspiring to me. I want to start writing a book really bad and hearing about published writers with kids make me feel like I could do it too with my wee ones running around! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  16. Sounds like a book with no down time! I feel like I will be surprised at every turn. Looks really great.

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  17. The blurb to this book had me at "Sliding Doors" and I love how the author was inspired by that movie! I've added it to my must-read list on Goodreads and CAN NOT wait to read it! Her other book that she just sold, The Distance Between Us, sounds really good too! Great interview, Brandi, and thanks so much for the giveaway!

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  18. Love the interview and giveaway!
    I want to read Pivot Point now and am adding it to my tbr list.

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  19. As another busy mom, I commend you for reaching your goals while raising your children. It isn't easy! I'm excited to read your book. Thanks for the interview!

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  20. I love alternate universes (and alternate timelines), so I'm pretty excited for this one. This was a great interview, and it just makes me all the more anxious to read it!

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  21. I absolutely love the idea of small choices making big changes in your life. I definitely think about things I want to change but wouldn't change them because of The Butterfly Effect I saw with Ashton Kutcher! LOL OMG! That was so scary. Small changes really can change your whole future I believe. I can't wait to read this and see what choice makes her two futures and how different they end up being. It is such an intriguing concept to think about. I really want to read The Scorpio Races and Variant. I also can't listen to music while writing or working. I get way too distracted. Thanks for the giveaway! Dying to get my hands on this.

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  22. Boys Like Girls and Neon Trees! Excellent writing music! I love listening to Panic! At The Disco when I write :)
    I can't wait to get my hands on this book :)

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  23. The WIP, The Distance between Us, sounds so good! I love Pretty in Pink. Thank you so much for sharing the interview and the giveaway! I am really looking forward to this one! :)

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  24. This book sounds really great! I really like books like that with a kinda Dystopianish genre!

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  25. I am impressed with how much Kasie accomplishes! A mother of 4 and you still have time to read so many books and write too! Where do you find the time? I love the original idea for this story and can't wait to read it! Thanks for this amazing giveaway - I would love to win!

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  26. Yes! Another cat lovin' author! The cover of Pivot Point is so beautiful. Thanks for the interview!

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  27. Kasie and I have so much in common! I would have answered all the questions the same in the lightning round except for the last three: I'm a dog person (mine's snoring on the floor at the moment, I'm very neat, and I definitely prefer ninjas to pirates. Thanks for the interview- it was fun to read and I enjoyed it!

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  28. I have to agree that teleporting would be pretty great. Love the superpowers questions@

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  29. Love real interviews like this. So many other interviews seem fake or forced. Kasie seems like a delightful person. I love that she answered "both" on the beach or mountains question. I like them both, too!

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  30. You know, I probably wouldn't change anything about my past, because I wouldn't be where I am today without it. Especially after I read a story with "the butterfly effect" in it. Totally changed my view on life.

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