Thursday, November 19, 2009

What's Fresh with Laurie Faria Stolarz's Deadly Little Lies!

Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, the mysterious new boy at school who turned out to have a very mysterious gift—pyschometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry, and experiencing her own strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow rubbed off on her. Can the power of psychometry be transferred?

Even once Ben returns to school, Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Despite the romantic tension between them, Ben remains aloof, avoiding contact. Then when an unexpected kiss leads to a frightening argument, Camelia makes the painful decision to let Ben go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at work, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. Adam is easygoing, and seems to really care about her.

But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events upturns secrets from Ben's past—and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it's up to Camelia to figure out who-before it's too late.

Hello Laurie, it is always a pleasure to have you visit us on YA Fresh! Readers and writers often like to get a behind the scenes peek of an author's writing routine. It would be great if you could please share your typical writing day schedule.

Laurie: It really depends on the day. I have two kids, 6 and 2, so I find myself often working at night. On the couple days when they’re both in school (the two-year-old goes to preschool a couple mornings a week; the six-year-old is in 1st Grade), I grab a cup of really strong, black coffee and get to work.

What was the most difficult part of writing this novel?

Laurie: I think the most difficult part of any suspense thriller is making sure you’re giving enough clues so the reader can potentially guess the guilty player, but not giving too many so that it’s obvious who it is. It’s a balancing act of sorts. I try to steer the reader into thinking it’s a number of different people, but that part is fun for me.

Could you please tell us your favorite lines from the book?

Laurie: “Your dad has man-boobs, cankles, and mama-hips…who’s he to talk about style?” – Kimmie (talking to her friend Wes, whose Dad wants him to dress more “manly”), Deadly Little Lies

“I mean, seriously, have you seen the way he fills out a pair of jeans? He puts the Chiquita in my banana.” – Kimmie (about her crush Todd McCaffrey), Deadly Little Lies

haha! What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us about it.

Laurie: I’m working on the edits of DEADLY LITTLE GAME, the third book in the TOUCH series.

Thanks again, Laurie! Best of luck with this awesome series! Would you like to close with a writing tip?

Laurie: Sure, whenever I get stuck in a scene or don’t know what happens next, I get away from the computer, grab a notebook, and start taking notes on the “issue.” I’ll write down what I know works, and then work toward the tricky part, jotting down questions I have. I find working the problem out this way helps get me through the kink.

Laurie Faria Stolarz grew up in Salem, MA, attended Merrimack College, and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston. She is currently working on a new series, also for young adults. Visit her on-line at www.lauriestolarz.com.

6 fresh comments:

TinaFerraro said...

Welcome back to YA Fresh, Laurie, and I must tell you that line you quoted was enough right there to make me want to read this book!

Donna Gambale said...

Deadly Little Lies was so much fun, and Laurie was right --- you have your suspicions, but you never really know who the bad guy is til she tells you!

Amanda said...

very very excited to run across this blog. im sure ill find some good reads :)

Cate Kariaxi said...

Echoes others here. I've written this book down on my Christmas list. :)

Yes, it is geeky I still write Christmas lists, but it makes things simple for friends and family, so yay....

Natalie said...

I really want to read this series! And thanks for the great interview.

P.S. I just stumbled across this blog and became a new follower! Love it!

Natalie @ Mindful Musings

TinaFerraro said...

Thanks for all these comments--and welcome to Amanda and Natalierenae who are just joining us!

And P.S. to Catherine: I make Christmas lists, too... ;)