PSF – Interview & Giveaway: Lee Nichols “Deception”

**Visit Tynga’s Reviews today for her PSF Guest blog with Jennifer Lynn Barnes author of RAISED BY WOLVES**

My guest today is author Lee Nichols here to talk about DECEPTION, the first book in her paranormal YA Haunting Emma trilogy which I loved!  I described it as a combination between Fallen by Lauren Kate and Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers series.  I’m so glad that Lee’s fabulous publisher, Bloomsbury, is giving 5 of you a chance to win this excellent book. Details below.

Lee Nichols was born in Marblehead, Mass., raised in Santa Barbara, and now lives in Yarmouth, Maine. Which is probably why the four years she attended Hampshire College in Amherst, where she studied history and psychology, made her antsy. It was much too far from the ocean. She is the author of five novels for adults and the HAUNTING EMMA series for young adults. She is married to novelist Joel Naftali, who sometimes writes as Joel N. Ross, and they have one son.

---

Interview

ATUF: Your husband Joel N. Ross is also a novelist, writing historical thrillers. Did he offer any good tips and insight while writing DECEPTION?

LN: Yes, we’re heavily involved in each other’s projects. I can’t imagine writing anything without him. Whenever I started working on an action scene, I’d ask him, “How do you do it again? Tell me your secrets.” And he did.

ATUF: Can you describe the inspiration for the setting Emma's old-fashioned private school Thatcher? Did you attend a similar school?

LN: No, I went to a huge 2,400 person public high school, the complete opposite of Thatcher. I wanted a setting that would be totally foreign to my character, Emma Vaile, who comes from a public school much like my own, yet be somehow connected to her—she discovers the school used to be an estate that belonged to her ancestor.

ATUF: Where did the idea of a ghostkeeper come from?

LN: I wanted to write a contemporary gothic novel with a kick-butt heroine, and Emma Vaile was born.

ATUF: The book description taunts readers with the promise of a "shocking ending will leave readers desperate for book two." Is it a true cliffhanger? How long will we have to wait for Haunting Emma, book 2?

LN: Well, someone who read the novel recently tweeted me: “Just finished Deception and how am I supposed to sleep with a cliffhanger like THAT?!?” So, I guess it’s pretty good. But at the same time, there’s a satisfying ending. The second book, BETRAYAL, comes out in the winter of 2011.

ATUF: If DECEPTION were ever made into a movie, who would your dream or, to keep things interesting, nightmare cast be?

LN: I am twisted enough to love the idea of a nightmare cast. Miley Cyrus as Emma and Justin Beiber as Bennett, the guy she falls for. Actually, that sounds like a sure-fire hit, with lots of catchy songs.

ATUF: What other projects can we look forwarding to reading from you soon?

LN: After BETRAYAL, comes POSSESSION, the third Haunting Emma book. I’m writing it now.

ATUF: What are some of your favorite titles/authors in the paranormal genres?

LN: I have to say TWILIGHT, just because the first book is so romantic. And recently I’ve really enjoyed THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH and SHIVER.

ATUF: I'm a cover art junkie. What can you tell us about the cover art for DECEPTION. Do you know who the artist is?

LN: I’ve been using the cover as my avatar on Facebook and wallpaper on Twitter and I’m completely attached to it. I love the girl they chose, the spooky smoke, the school, the colors, all of it. It was designed by Nicole Gastonguay.

ATUF: I did a post recently talking where different authors talked about the books their characters would read. What would Emma read?

LN: I think she’d be into Latin American fiction with its magical realism. Something like THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS by Isabel Allende, or Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE.

ATUF: Can you tell us about your favorite scene in DECEPTION?

LN: It might be when Bennett ties her school tie for her. Just because it’s unexpected and swoony.

ATUF: If DECEPTION was a Frankenstein book compiled from elements of other books, what would some of those other books be?

LN: Wow, that’s tough. My publisher thinks it’s a cross between Kate Brian’s PRIVATE series and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with ghosts. And I can't really argue with that.

 

ATUF: In honor of Paranormal Summer Fest, can you describe your perfect Paranormal Summer read? And where would you love to be vacationing while reading it?

LN: I want Charlaine Harris to write a YA paranormal. So in a magical world I’m in Italy reading that book.

ATUF: Thanks so much for stopping by Lee.  Come back anytime!

Visit Lee online:

• Website
• Blog
• Facebook
• Twitter

---

Want to read more from Lee Nichols?

Haunting Emma
1. Deception (read my Review)

Novels
Tales of a Drama Queen
Hand-Me-Down
True Lies of a Drama Queen
Wednesday Night Witches
Reconstructing Brigid

Giveaway

Giveaway courtesy of Bloomsbury

Five (5) copies of DECEPTION by Lee Nichols

The intrigue of prep school meets the paranormal as this gripping and romantic series begins

When Emma Vaile's parents go missing while away on a mysterious business trip, she's left all alone in her creepy old house. But her brother's very cute best friend, Bennett Stern - Emma's knight in J. Crew armor - arrives unexpectedly to whisk her away to New England. There, Emma settles into his family's museum-like mansion and enrolls at an old-fashioned private school. She quickly finds friends in the popular legacy crowd at Thatcher and spends her free time crushing on Bennett. But the eerie visions she's been hiding from everyone have gotten worse. Emma has memories of Thatcher that she can't explain - it's as if she's returning home to a place she's never been. Finally, Emma confides in Bennett and learns she is a ghostkeeper, a person who can communicate with ghosts. Bennett brought Emma to Thatcher to protect her, but now he needs her help tracking an other-worldly murderer.

A rich New England setting filled with mystery, tradition, and prep-school intrigue make Deception the perfect choice for fans of series like Kate Brian's Private, as well as all those paranormal fans. The shocking ending will leave readers desperate for book two.

GIVEAWAY GUIDLINES

1. Open to US only
2. Fill out the form below
3. Entries for all Paranormal Summer Fest giveaways must be received by Midnight MST on July 4th.  All the giveaways winners will be announced on July 6th.

I would greatly appreciate if you shared this giveaway on your blog or favorite social networks.  And please say hi to Lee. Thanks!

---

Interested in being interviewed on All Things Urban Fantasy?  CONTACT ME