I've had so much fun participating in the 2014 Debut Authors Bash, hosted by YAReads.com, and getting to know Stefanie Gaither along the way! Stephanie is the author of Falls the Shadow, a YA sci-fi novel that comes out TODAY on September 16th. Don't forget to run over to Twitter and wish her a happy book birthday @stefaniegaither! I've gotten the chance to interview Stefanie and to snag a copy of the book to giveaway to you guys, so if you're interested in cloning, sibling relationships or murder... you should probably keep reading!Title: Falls the Shadow
Author: Stefanie Gaither
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Page Count: 352 Pages
Release Date: September 16, 2014
"When Cate Benson was a kid, her sister, Violet, died. Two hours after the funeral, Cate’s family picked up Violet’s replacement. Like nothing had happened. Because Cate’s parents are among those who decided to give their children a sort of immortality—by cloning them at birth—which means this new Violet has the same smile. The same perfect face. Thanks to advancements in mind-uploading technology, she even has all of the same memories as the girl she replaced.
She also might have murdered the most popular girl in school.
At least, that’s what the paparazzi and the anti-cloning protestors want everyone to think: that clones are violent, unpredictable monsters. Cate is used to hearing all that. She’s used to defending her sister, too. But Violet has vanished, and when Cate sets out to find her, she ends up in the line of fire instead. Because Cate is getting dangerously close to secrets that will rock the foundation of everything she thought was true.
In a thrilling debut, Stefanie Gaither takes readers on a nail-biting ride through a future that looks frighteningly similar to our own time and asks: how far are you willing to go to keep your family together?"
INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR:
I was beyond excited when I was paired with Stefanie Gaither for this event. Someone who ends their Goodreads bio with "When I'm not writing books, I mostly wander aimlessly around my house and sing songs to my dog." is my kind of author. A few weeks ago, I had the honor of interviewing her for you guys to read! I want to quickly thank her now for being so genuine and easy to work and communicate with. I can't begin to imagine how stressful and chaotic life must be when you're releasing your first novel. It was a pleasure working with you! :)
1. What are the most exciting things about releasing your first novel?
At the moment I'm most excited about my upcoming launch party; I've been fortunate enough to have lots of friends and family supporting me throughout my crazy journey to publication, and now they're all coming to celebrate the fact that my book is finally an actual, you know,book. And there's going to be cupcakes and wine and much rejoicing and it's going to be AWESOME.
2. What's your favorite recent read?
CHARM AND STRANGE by Stephanie Kuehn. It was heartbreakingly good; such a fantastic mix of suspense, wonderful characterization, and great writing. I'm reading her latest, COMPLICIT, right now and loving it just as much.
3. When you're not writing, what do you like to do?
Anything that gets me out of the house, from sports (tennis and soccer) to hiking to just driving to random places I've never been before. If I'm stuck inside, I'm usually baking or playing video games or trying and failing horribly at crafts I saw on Pinterest.
4. What are some of the things that inspired you to write Falls the Shadow?
A lot of the family dynamics in FALLS where inspired by my own crazily shifting home life growing up; like Cate, I experienced the loss of close family at a young age, and then they were eventually "replaced" by step family members, so I think some of my buried feelings about that inadvertently leaked through and definitely had an effect on the story and where it went. As for the sci-fi stuff, I've just always been fascinated by cloning and the ethics and potential complications surrounding it.
5. What were some of the biggest obstacles to overcome while writing Falls the Shadow?
Well, there's always that ugly voice hanging out in the back of my mind, telling me I have no business writing...But for FALLS in particular, it was probably getting the science part right--or at least keeping it balanced with the "fiction" part. Keeping it believable and interesting, in other words, while avoiding turning chapter after chapter into a science textbook of cool facts and ideas that weren't really relevant to the plot. I have pages upon pages of notes and research that never made it into the final draft.
6. On the flip side, what about writing Falls the Shadow came most naturally to you?
The characters--particularly the heroine, Cate. She's probably the most like me of any protagonist I've ever written.
7. When it comes to being an author, has sci-fi always been the genre your saw yourself writing?
Not really; I've always enjoyed sci-fi, but my first love was fantasy--the more dragons and sword wielding princesses, the better. And the first short stories and stuff I wrote were more realistic, contemporary stuff. So I'm all over the place, in other words :)
8. How would you describe Falls the Shadow in one, quick sentence?
In a near-future world, a sixteen-year-old girl must decide what she believes and who to trust when her sister's clone is accused of murder.
Don't forget to check out Stefanie Gaither on social media!
GIVEAWAY:
One winner will receive a finished copy of FALLS THE SHADOW!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
