Laurisa White Reyes: BOOK BLAST: Win a $50 Gift Card! REUNITED by Hillary Graham

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REUNITED
Hillary Graham
Simon & Schuster
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Young Adult

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends. Back in middle school, the three girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3. But when the band broke up, so did their friendship. Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books. Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show. Even though the concert’s 2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse. And as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town. But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over?

Giveaway Details:
$50 Amazon.com Gift Card
Ends 6/12/12

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INTERVIEW

1. Tell us about Reunited in one sentence.

REUNITED is a contemporary YA novel which tells the story of Alice, Summer, and Tiernan—three ex-best friends who drive 2,000 miles cross-country to see the one-night-only reunion show of the band (Level3) they loved as little girls.

2. What inspired you to write this story? I had a friendship break-up of my own freshman year of high school, and even though my story is very different than Alice, Summer, and Tiernan’s, the feelings around that break-up always stuck with me. I think for most 14-year-old girls, their best friends are the most meaningful relationship they’ve had at that point in their lives, apart from their family, so I thought the idea of ex-best friends reuniting at the end of high school, when they were older and wiser, would make for an interesting story.

3. Have you always wanted to be a writer? Was there ever a time you wanted to be something else? I started off my career as a filmmaker and TV producer, but writing was always a big part of my job. Even in my free time, I’d find myself participating in poetry slams or composing humorous essays to share with my friends. But for many years, I considered myself a “filmmaker who writes,” as opposed to a writer.

Then, in the summer of 2007, I was selected to be a contestant on the Mark Burnett/Steven Spielberg-produced reality show On the Lot, which, if you never caught it, was like American Idol for filmmakers, and aired on Fox for only one season. It was during that summer that it suddenly became very clear to me that it was the writing part of filmmaking that I’d always most enjoyed, only I’d never realized it before. After that, I made it my goal to become a working screenwriter and novelist—and that dream has now come true!

4. What books did you read growing up and how did they influence you? I read a lot growing up! I’d have to say that my very favorite books as a teenager were probably CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger and THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton. And I loved everything by Judy Blume! I think for a teenager like me, books were the only place I felt truly understood.

5. Share a little about your road to publication.

REUNITED was born way back in the fall of 2008 when I started discussing the concept with my editor at Simon & Schuster. After submitting an outline and the first three chapters (which went back and forth a couple times with revisions), my agent (who I found through my manager) finally made the deal in June of 2009. So in the end, the entire process took over three and a half years. A very long wait for an impatient gal like me.

6. What can we expect from you in the future? More contemporary YA, more screenplays, and hopefully, a really cool enhanced e-book!