Interview: Linda Kage (giveaway info)

As part of The Color of Grace blog tour, please help me welcome the talented Linda Kage to the blog today! Linda's newest release hits bookstores TODAY!

What the story is about :
When it comes to fight or flight, Grace Indigo runs every time. Intimidated, She ran off when the dazzling handsome Ryder Yates merely asked her for her name. Angry, She stormed from the room when her mother told her she had to transfer to a new school. And scared, she climbed out her bedroom window, making a mad dash for it, when her new stepfather put the moves on her. But what happens when a sixteen-year-old girl used to running from her problems finds herself trapped with her back against the wall...and nowhere to flee?

On to the interview....

ELLZ:  Fans of The Stillborow Crush know you can write an amazing heroine. How would you describe Grace Indigo?

LK: First of all, thanks for the compliment. Wow! I'll see if I can answer now through all my blushing!

To me, Grace Indigo makes a good any-girl, meaning she's easy to relate to. She feels all the emotions a teenage girl usually feels, with flashes of awkwarness, lonliness, and finding herself on the outs with her mother. But she also goes through happy, accomplished moments, building bonds with the most unlikely friends, and learning meaningful life lessons.

To other people who've read her story: She is lovely, strong, kind, funny, down-to-earth, relatable, mature-yet-innocent, and someone they'd like to have as a friend. They also think she grows as a character and learns important things about herself and others. So me and everyone actually agree on most of her qualities!

ELLZ: The summary of The Color of Grace describes Grace as a girl who learns about life through some tough experiences. How do you stay current with todays teens and the issues they face?

LK: I have a couple neices and nephews going through their teen years, and occasionally hear what's happening in their lives. Plus, I love reading teen books and watching teen movies. I know I'm still a little hopelessly outdated, but that doesn't stop me from trying to keep up!

ELLZ: Is the Color of Grace a stand alone novel? If so, what do you have brewing for fans next?

 LK: Yes, I think this one will be a stand alone book. If there were more written for a series, which I don't have any in the works as of yet, they'd probably be about different characters from Grace's "nerd herd!"

Right now, I'm working on a new-adult (college-age) story I'm really excited about. It's not finished yet, but if anyone wants to read Chapter One, here's the link: http://lindakage.com/Cry.pdf

I'm not too sure what exactly I want to title it yet. Right now I'm waffling between "Watch Me Cry" and just plain "Cry?" What do you like best? Or should I keep trying to think up a new title?

ELLZ: If you were a cuckoo clock, what color would your feathers be and would you cuckoo louder at night or during the day?

LK: Ooh, good question! I'm going to have to think on this one. Okay, I thought about it. You can tell I've been hanging around my two-year-old a lot lately because I'm in a black, white, and hot pink mood. I'll choose those colors for tail feathers. And I'd definitely be louder during the day, cause a girl needs her beauty sleep, especially a mom of an overactive, crazy toddler.

ELLZ: Great answer Linda! Readers, be sure to comment on this and the other tour stops to be entered into the drawing for an Amazon GC!! Below are some other tour stops live right now!

-Good Choice Reading @ http://www.goodchoicereading.com/
-Diane Estrella @ http://dianeestrella.com/ and
-A Tasty Read @ http://atastyread.blogspot.com/

For more information about Linda and her books, including purchase links, visit her at her official website or on facebook!