Giveaway: $25 Amazon Gift card and The Last Dance of Caitlyn Murphy and interview with Kristine Croto

The Last Dance of Caitlyn Murphy by Kristine Croto

In the years since the accident that shattered her family, darkness has occupied Caitlyn’s home. Bad decisions have followed one another, and one night, Cait finds herself alone, hunted, dying. But the morning brings life, and Cait is changing. She’s stronger; she’s quicker; she’s angrier.
As Cait clings to the remnants of her humanity, and grasps at the protection offered by people she has never met before, the kindness of strangers just isn’t enough. No one can protect Cait from herself as she struggles to decide if she is the hunter or the hunted.
A fresh take on dark fantasy, The Last Dance of Caitlyn Murphy follows a young woman struggling to feel anything as her life spirals out of her control.

http://www.kristinecroto.com

@kristinecroto

www.facebook.com/kristinecrotowriter

The book on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18193770-the-last-dance-of-caitlyn-murphy

--The Twitter version: tell us about your book in 140 characters or less.

Cait is in a dark place, dancing to escape. When the monster attacks, she changes, and she has just a few weeks to decide—better or worse?

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

Cait’s book had a roundabout genesis. A friend of mine was staging a reverse-gendered production of Dracula, and I was helping with the scripting; that sent me back to read Dracula for the first time as an adult, and I got the idea to write a modern-day Dracula, with vampires that don’t sparkle, don’t politely refuse you when you offer them your neck or your body, and most definitely drink blood. Cait’s story was originally that book, but over many revisions, I realized that the vampire as the monster wasn’t right for this story; Cait’s journey was about recognizing and containing the monster within, and there’s a very different name for that beastie.

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

Shannon, actually. She tries so hard to do right by Cait, even at the end.

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

I’m hoping to release another book in the same world in February or so. It’s not precisely a sequel, more a continuation in the Charles de Lint sense. At least two characters from Last Dance will make a reappearance; it’s tentatively titled The Grace Of You.

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

Fans of Harry Dresden or Rachel Morgan who are looking for books in a new-adult category should very much like The Last Dance of Caitlyn Murphy. In terms of world building, though, Charles de Lint is my hero; I love the way his characters cross-polinate through is stories and novels. I have a slew of ideas, all set in Meredith Falls, and some characters will reappear frequently.

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

I make time to read, because when I don’t, I get stuck in my own head, and the writing suffers. I read pretty widely, though I often prefer genre to literary fiction currently; I’ve got two little kids, and at the end of a very busy day, I want some action and adventure. As of this writing, I’m a third of the way through Tammara Webber’s Here Without You (love it) and halfway through Joe Hill’s NOS4A2 (scaring me to death, adoring it!) Some of my favorite books – Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine, Stephen King’s The Shining, Laurie Halse Anderson’s Twisted (I actually think it’s better than Speak, for all that Speak gets all the attention).

--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?

Lord and Ladies, by Terry Pratchett, because I’d love to sit with Granny Weatherwax for a while. I don’t imagine we’d talk much, but I’d like to just sit in her presence and enjoy her headology.

--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?

I have taught myself to write in all sorts of different situations—this is the benefit of two small children and a day job! When I can, I like to write with music (my current favorite artist is Florence And The Machine, but that changes as often as the wind’s direction does), but I’m often hitting my daily word count in the dark while my daughters fall asleep, so anything goes. I do like to write my first drafts out long hand, on good paper, with fountain pens. The ritual of filling a pen gets me into a good headspace, and the working long hand helps cut down on the self-editing; you can’t just delete swaths of text with a keystroke.

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

I love video games; I play Skyrim, The Sims, Civ…the trouble is that good games take up so much time, and I have so little of it, that it’s usually an either/or proposition. I try and take one night off a week from writing, but to meet my wordcount goals, I have to give up the games. If I ever manage to quit my day-job, I will totally have a Game Day, no question.

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

All the usual stuff. Control isn’t the same as love. What he did wasn’t your fault. Don’t give up on your dreams. Don’t ever be ashamed of the stuff you love. Books, music, movies, whatever. Love what you love, love it with your whole heart, and don’t apologize for it.

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

Thank you to all the readers, not just of my books, but of all the books; there’s something different about people who read and love books, and I am grateful for them. 

Lightning round: this or that?

Vanilla or chocolate?

Vanilla.

Edward or Jacob?

Spike, thank you kindly.

Hockey or soccer?

Baseball. GO REDSOX.

Ebook or paper?

Ebook, definitely.

Salty or sweet?

Sweet.

Beach or mountains?

Mountains. Or beach, actually, either one would be lovely.

Phone call or email?

Ugh, email or text, please.

Early bird or night owl?

Both! Insomnia ftw.

Dog or cat?

Cat.

Messy or neat?

Messy. Sadly.

Ninjas or pirates?

Arrrrr, matey!

-Signed copy of the paperback OR a copy of the ebook (in either .epub or .mobi format, at the request of the winner) and a $25 Amazon gift certificate.
-Fill out Rafflecopter to enter
-Ends on 11/10/2013 11:59 pm EST
-If you win a review on your blog and/or amazon is appreciated but not required.

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