Title: AND THE TREES CREPT IN
Author: Dawn Kurtagich
Pub.
Date: September 6, 2016
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 352
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
A stunning, terrifying novel about a house the color of
blood and the two sisters who are trapped there, by The Dead House author Dawn
Kurtagich.
When Silla and Nori
arrive at their aunt's home, it's immediately clear that the "blood
manor" is cursed. The creaking of the house and the stillness of the woods
surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets too--the
questions that Silla can't ignore: Who is the beautiful boy that's appeared
from the woods? Who is the man that her little sister sees, but no one else?
And why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been
creeping closer?
Filled with just as
many twists and turns as The Dead House, and with achingly beautiful, chilling
language that delivers haunting scenes, AND THE TREES CREPT IN is the perfect
follow-up novel for master horror writer Dawn Kurtagich.
Author Interview:
1. What does your writing process look
like? Do you know the whole story when
you start? Or do you just start writing
and go with it (seat of the pants writing)?
If you plan it out, how do you do that?
Outline, note cards, post-it notes, etc.?
I use a combination of methods, but each book is written in
its own way. The usual steps are as follows:
- 1. Follow a morning routine.
I do this for
as long as I am in an early-bird phase. I’m not always there naturally, but I
try to keep myself for the majority of the year. In winter, I tend to go more
nocturnal. Even then, however, I’ll still follow a morning routine. I do this
as a sort of ritual to get me into a success mind-frame and by doing so I have
great writing days and truly love
what I’m doing.
- 2. Pants to Plan
While working
by the seat of your pants is SO much fun, and I did it for years, nowadays, I
need to be more organized. Often I’m writing on proposal, so I need to have
written the synopsis for the whole book before I even begin. These synopses
will usually change—quite dramatically sometimes—as I then get writing. But it
usually means that I know what is going to happen and how it is going to end.
- 3. Post-its and Index cards
I use post-its
and index cards somewhere in my
process. Always. It might be mid-draft if I reach an unforeseen roadblock, or
it might be later during revisions.
- 4. Road-maps
I have recently
started road-mapping on a large piece of paper like Holly Black and Marcus
Sedgwick. By doing this it’s much easier to see the overall picture,
particularly with complex plotlines.
- 5. Variety
I use a variety
of other methods to help me work: drawing, diary-keeping, painting, journaling,
keeping a writing journal, crafting and so much more. There are limitless ways
of exploring the story you’re trying to tell, and each one might reveal part of
the puzzle. Think outside the box!
2. How do you come up with your ideas for your stories?
This one is tough. Mostly because
I think readers expect my answer to be the
answer. Maybe there’s a doorway in the forest where I find them floating in the
air. (I wish!) The truth is, they just come. Ideas just are. My usual problem is not finding one, but choosing the right one.
3. How long have you been writing?
As a dyslexic person, I came to books
later in childhood. Because of this, I used to draw to tell my stories. I used
to draw comic strips with insanely melodramatic storylines. I started doing
that when I was very young. Three? Four? When the words did reach me (or when I reached them), I began writing my first
novel. I was twelve. I finished it at 17.
4. What tips do you have for aspiring writers?
Try to be patient. Youth is never patient, but try to be. Write
something for yourself. Let yourself love it. Go with the flow while you can.
Then: edit. Perfect your book. If you like, get others to read it. Edit,
rewrite, and rewrite again. Think. Pause. Meditate. When your book is the best
you can possibly make it, only then think about the next steps. And when you do think about the next steps, go as
carefully and as patiently as before (and repeat all the above steps). You’ll
get to the next step after that . . . repeat as above.
This is a cool industry, but
tough. Being patient, learning your craft, growing a thick skin, and staying
deathly in love with it will go a long way.
But also: Disregard any and all
advice that doesn’t work for you. You just might need to break the rules.
5. What is your favorite scary story/book/author?
Picking only one? Now you’re just being cruel!
6. Favorites: Movies/tv shows, social media site, music, food (writing snack)
Movies: The Fountain, A Tale of Two Sisters, Insidious, Heavenly
Creatures, Stigmata, Never Let Me Go, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. THERE
ARE SO MANY WE WILL BE HERE FOREVER.
Social Media: Instagram
Music: SOOOOOO Much. Current obsession: Die Antwoort (they make me
laugh)
Writing Snacks: Water and chocolate mint sticks or pocky!
Thank you for having me on your wonderful blog! Be sure to come say hi
and follow me on instagram,
because I might just be listing a giveaway soon….!
About Author:
Dawn Kurtagich is a writer of creepy, spooky and
psychologically sinister YA fiction, where girls may descend into madness, boys
may see monsters in men, and grown-ups may have something to hide. Her debut YA
novel, The Dead House, is forthcoming
from Orion/Indigo (UK) and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (US) in
2015.
By the time she was eighteen, she had been to fifteen schools
across two continents. The daughter of a British globe-trotter and single
mother, she grew up all over the place, but her formative years were spent in
Africa—on a mission, in the bush, in the city and in the desert.
She has been lucky enough to see an elephant stampede at
close range, a giraffe tongue at very close range, and she once witnessed the
stealing of her (and her friends’) underwear by very large, angry baboons.
(This will most definitely end up in a book . . . ) While she has quite a few
tales to tell about the jumping African baboon spider, she tends to save these
for Halloween!
When she was sixteen, she thought she'd be an astronomer and
writer at the same time, and did a month-long internship at Cambridge's
prestigious Cavendish Laboratories.
She writes over at the YA Scream Queens, a young adult blog for all
things horror and thriller, and she is a member of the YA League.
Her life reads like a YA novel.
Giveaway Details:
- 3 winners will receive a finished copy of AND THE TREES CREPT IN, US Only.
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Tour Schedule:
Week One:
8/29/2016- Lisa Loves
Literature- Interview
8/31/2016- Bookish Fangirl- Guest Post
9/1/2016- NovelKnight- Review
9/2/2016- Once Upon a
Twilight- Interview
Week Two:
9/5/2016- Pretty Deadly
Reviews- Review
9/6/2016- Ohana Reads- Guest Post
9/7/2016- Such a Novel Idea- Review
9/8/2016- Bookish Lifestyle- Interview
9/9/2016- A Dream Within A
Dream- Review
