Tour Stop: Interview with Tessa of IMPOSTOR by Susanne Winnacker - Plus Giveaway

Thrillers are pretty amazing. YA Thrillers? Even better. Today, I've got Susanne Winnacker and the main character of her upcoming release, IMPOSTOR, who just so happens to be a "Variant" by the name of Tessa - who sounds pretty awesome, based on the interview I had with her. Read on for an exclusive interview with the FEA agent and enter the giveaway below! Thanks to Mod Podge Tours for organizing the fun tour!

 

Can Tessa pose as Madison . . . and stop a killer before it’s too late?

Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again.

Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

Hi Tessa, nice to have you here! Please describe yourself for our lovely readers who have never met you.

Tessa: I’m sixteen. I have turquoise eyes. People always notice them first because they aren’t quite normal. (Pauses and glances at Major who’s observing the interview. He gives a small nod.) Many Variants have strange eyes. My hair is curly and auburn, and I’m not very tall. At least I think that’s my own appearance. With my Variation, you never know. Maybe when I was a toddler I lay beside another baby in the baby unit and decided to steal their appearance. I guess, we’ll never know.

So you’re a Variant. What exactly is that and what can you do?

Tessa: We are humans who have a Variation, or mutation, that gives us certain talents. You wouldn’t believe what kind of Variations exist! (Major clears his throat.) I can’t really say much about my fellow agents’ Variations. That’s classified information, but my Variation is that I can absorb the DNA of other people and transform into them.

You’re an agent. What was your most exciting mission so far?

Tessa: Oh, I’m one of the youngest agents, so I didn’t have any exciting missions yet. So far all I’ve done were training missions with my best friend Holly, but soon I’ll be doing my first real mission. I’ll take the place of… (Major interrupts. “The mission isn’t part of this interview.”)

How would your perfect day look?

Tessa: No training. A late breakfast with Holly. Martha – she’s the best cook in the world – would make her perfect French toast for us and I would drink a big cup of Chai tea. After that Holly and I would spend the day on the sofa in the common room, eating pizza and watching her favorite romance movies. In the evening Alec and I would do a horror movie marathon.

Why don’t you tell us a bit about your family?

Tessa: FEA is my family.

Then maybe tell us a bit about your childhood? Your fondest childhood memory?

Tessa: There’s… not much to tell. My best memories are from my time in FEA headquarters.

What scares you the most? Maybe spiders? That’s what many girls would say, right?

Tessa: Why would I be scared of spiders? There are far worse things in this world. I’m afraid of losing Holly and FEA, and...myself.

Yourself?

Tessa: Sometimes my talent can be confusing.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Tessa: I’ll still be working for FEA. I hope Holly and I will be doing missions together. And maybe I’ll be with someone.

Someone? We want details! Maybe that someone is Alec?

Tessa: (Blushes and glances at Major) Alec is one of my best friends. He’s always there for me. (Major gets up. Tessa follows and smiles tightly.) Thanks for interviewing me.

Susanne Winnacker studied law before she became a full-time writer. She lives with her husband, a dog and three bunnies in Germany. She loves coffee (in every shape and form), traveling and animals. When she isn't writing, you can usually find her in the kitchen, experimenting with new vegan dishes. Her YA thriller IMPOSTOR will be published on May 28, 2013. It has been optioned for TV by Warner Brothers!

Find Susanne on her Website | Twitter | Facebook
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Weekly Roundup (IMM #132) -- BEAUTIFUL IMPOSTOR LILIES

Welcome back! Here's what happened this week - in books and posts:

THE GOLDEN LILY by Richelle Mead
IMPOSTOR by Susanne Winnacker
THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE CURSED by Page Morgan

Thank you Random House, Penguin and Karin A (for the wonderful RAK)!

Here's what you missed last week:

Monday:
Asma reviewed TOWERING by Alex Flinn a Rapunzel retelling that didn't live up to her expectations

Tuesday:
Asma posted the releases of May 14th
Tour Stop: GAME. SET. MATCH. by Jennifer Iocapelli - Excerpt and Giveaway

Wednesday:
Waiting on Wednesday - THE KINGDOM OF LITTLE WOUNDS

Thursday:
What's Next? - THE RULES won
Tour Stop: TRUTH OR DARE by Jacqueline Green - Character Interview and Giveaway

Friday:
Tour Stop: OF TRITON by Anna Banks - Character Post and Giveaway

Saturday:
Asma posts her story and reveals the unknown intruder from last week

Story Saturday -- Meet the Unknown

Hey guys! Me again! Follow the previous posts (and/or read the story from the beginning) using this label if you're interested :) Loved the cliff hanger? Mwahahahah. *ahem* Onto the story.

“I won’t hesitate to hurt you.” I say, stepping closer.

“Really?” A voice floats from the darkness of the trees ahead. I smile, I’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Darius?” I put my sword away and he steps out. His eyes are a stormy grey and he’s not happy. My smile fades.

“Did you forget your promise?” His voice is low, his gaze burning angry enough to sear a hole though me. I wince, I’d rather have him shouting at me. I don’t say anything, just wait for him to finish.

“What do you think this is? A child’s play area? There are monsters out here.” He vents. He sighs and runs his hand through his hair, before walking over to me. I'm afraid of the words he has building up in the silence.

“If she matters so much you should have told me. And I would have gone,” he finally says tiredly. That's what I love about him, he knows me inside out. But I don't want to get him involved, so I don’t say anything, just look down at my boots.

He drops down against a tree and closes his eyes. My heart hammers against my ribs and I’m worried he’s going to take me back. I could probably make a run for it, but I know from experience that Darius is faster.

He cracks open his right eye and takes in my muddy frame, all the while my mind is in a war with itself - flee or stay. So when he smiles and shakes his head, I blink to make sure I'm not imagining it. “You can’t possibly expect to get very far.” I glare at him and sit down next to him, careful not to bend my leg.

“You’re not going to take me back are you?” He shakes his head.

“The Keeper will kill us both. Probably you first, but me too.” He chuckles and I punch him lightly on the shoulder.

“We have to go. You can rest later.” I say the last part playfully. And also because I don’t want to walk around at night.

“Me? Rest? Lets see who’s begging me for a break in a bit.” He stands and begins making his way through the forest. Not in the direction I was going in. I open my mouth to say something but he beats me to it.

“You weren’t even going in the right direction.” He calls and I run to catch up to him, my cheeks heating up till I know they are colored with shame.

Copyright Asma Faizal

Tour Stop: OF TRITON by Anna Banks - Character Post and Giveaway

I am a HUGE fan of Anna Banks's debut, OF POSEIDON, which hit shelves last summer. I've already read OF TRITON, the sequel to her dazzling debut, and I love that just as much. So of course, I am excited to be on the tour prepping for the release of Anna's second YA novel, OF TRITON. I've got a little bit about the book, a little look into the lives of our favorite characters when they're not playing big in the books, and of course, a giveaway. Read on!

 

In this sequel to OF POSEIDON, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half- Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?

Galen enters the kitchen to find Rayna shuffling through drawer after drawer. Toraf is watching her, his back turned to his friend.

“What’s going on?” Galen says, walking to the refrigerator.

“I can’t find the sticky white stuff,” Rayna says without looking up. She slams a drawer and massages her temples.

“Sticky white stuff?” Galen says, pulling out a bottle of water. “You mean glue?”

“Glue! Yes. I need to glue Toraf’s hair back on.”

Galen nearly spits his water on the floor. “Toraf. What happ—“

Toraf raises his hand, a scowl on his face. “Don’t. Ask.”

Rayna rolls her eyes, leaning against the kitchen counter. “Oh, it’s not that bad, Toraf. Stop being such a fingerling about it.”

“It’s just that you burned my hair off, princess,” Toraf says. “I had gotten used to having hair.”

Galen’s eyes shift to the counter beside Rayna. A good sized chunk of Toraf’s hair—the exact amount of hair that used to fall on his forehead—is now trapped in a round metal tube. It looks like a dead animal from where Galen stands. “Is that…Rachel’s curling iron?”

Rayna nods excitedly, all the tension in her shoulders seeming to flood away from her. “I wanted to practice on Toraf’s hair before I did my own. Toraf, turn around so Galen can see the pretty rings I made in the back. When I get better at it, I’m going to do that to my hair. What do you think, Galen?”

Galen wipes the excess water from his chin. “I think you should probably unplug the curling iron before that dead carcass catches on fire.”

“But what do you think about his hair? Don’t you like it?”

Galen shakes his head at Toraf. “I think Toraf needs a different obsession.”

Grew up in a town called Niceville. No, seriously. I graduated from Niceville High School. So did J Lo's second husband. And the guy that plays Aqua Man on Smallville dated my best friend. Now I indulge my tendency to lie by writing the lies down and selling them to publishers. Well actually my agent does that. One of my lies is called OF POSEIDON. The sequel is called OF TRITON. And um. I also write adult fiction under pen name Anna Scarlett. One of the adult lies is DEGREES OF WRONG.

That is all.

NEWS for Anna Banks and OF TRITON:
Anna Banks will be on tour in June as part of the Fierce Reads Tour. Get all the info/dates.
OF TRITON is featured in the Spring 2013 Fierce Reads Book Trailer.
Pre-order OF TRITON and Anna Banks will send you bonus content! Get all the details!

Find Anna on her Website | Twitter | Facebook
Add OF TRITON to Goodreads
BUY THE BOOK

Tour Stop: TRUTH OR DARE by Jacqueline Green - Character Interview and Giveaway

I featured TRUTH OR DARE as my Waiting on Wednesday post a while back. So when Little Brown contacted me with the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for Jacqueline Green's debut, I had to say yes! Today, I've got an interview with one of the main characters in this pulse-pounding debut and a giveaway for FOUR copies! Read on.


IceyBooks: What traits do you believe make Caitlin unique?

Jacqueline Green: I think what makes Caitlin unique is how genuinely nice she is. There’s a lot of cattiness in her group of friends, but she never sinks to that level herself. It’s actually my favorite thing about her: she’s gone through a lot, but she’s never lost that kindness. She might have other weaknesses, but in that way, she’s incredibly strong!

IceyBooks: Where did Caitlin earn the nickname "Angel"?

Jacqueline Green: She was voted ‘Class Angel’ in her elementary school yearbook, and the nickname stuck. She earned the distinction because of how sweet she is, but as her best friend, Tenley, would say: her bright blonde hair and big green eyes didn’t exactly hurt.

IceyBooks: Could you say if an incident similar to Caitlin's ever happened to yourself or someone you know?

Jacqueline Green:I’ve never had any experience with a kidnapping, but I've certainly had times in my life that caused anxiety, and I really tried to pull from that when writing Caitlin's character.

IceyBooks: What's Caitlin's favorite food? Favorite movie?

Jacqueline Green: Caitlin’s favorite food is the Big Shebang Omelet at the Echo Bay Golf & Country Club. She loves any food that’s actually a mash-up of many foods. (This, I have to admit, is something we have in common!) However, she also has a fondness for anything from Pat-a-Pancake, an Echo Bay staple that makes all their food—sandwiches, deserts, even French fries!—out of pancakes. Caitlin’s favorite movie has always been The Little Mermaid. Don’t tell anyone, but she’s kind of a sucker for Disney: movies, TV shows, anything. She finds it really soothing. (That might possibly be another thing we have in common…)

IceyBooks: If she could die her hair any color, what would she choose?

Jacqueline Green: I think she’d choose a dark brown. And while she’s at it, she might add a pair of studious glasses. Caitlin has a bit of a love-hate relationship with her willowy, blond looks. She appreciates them of course, but sometimes she worries they keep people from seeing the rest of her, the things that really matter. So I think if she were going to die her hair, she’d give brunette a shot!

IceyBooks: Thanks for joining us! Here's an excerpt from Caitlin Thomas - one of the main characters in TRUTH OR DARE:

Caitlin gave Dr. Filstone a shaky wave before heading out of the office.

She couldn’t stop rehashing what she’d seen during hypnosis. Was it a memory? She thought of that painted steel train. She’d seen it before somewhere. She was positive. But where? It was what the kidnapping had done to her memory: filled it up with craters so deep she could never reach the bottom. Dr. Filstone called it repression. But to Caitlin it felt more like an invasion, as if somewhere deep inside her brain, a meteorite had crashed. She blew out a frustrated breath.

She wanted to believe what the cops had told her: that there were no loose ends in the case, that it had been tied up long ago. After she’d been safely returned home, the cops found the DNA of a man named Jack Hudson on her jacket, which had surfaced at the beach. It was just the proof they’d needed, and they’d immediately arrested Jack.

But something about it had felt wrong to her, off. When she’d told her parents that, they’d gently explained that she was just experiencing post-traumatic stress. So she’d dropped it. Then, right before the trial, Jack had killed himself—hanged himself from the rafters of his house. He’d left a note behind, with only five short words on it. I can’t be this man. An admission of guilt, according to the cops. As was his suicide, many said. Innocent men didn’t kill themselves. The case was closed.

But sometimes, when Caitlin had one of her nightmares, she got the strangest feeling that they were trying to show her something, tell her something. And more and more, she feared that it was about Jack Hudson.

Jacqueline Green received her BA from Cornell University and her MFA in writing for children from The New School. She grew up in Wynnewood, PA and now lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and their tiny dog (who sometimes moonlights as her writing companion). Truth or Dare, the first novel in a trilogy, is her young adult debut.

Find Jacqueline on: Goodreads | Website | Twitter
Add TRUTH OR DARE to Goodreads
BUY THE BOOK

 

When a simple round of truth or dare spins out of control, three girls find it’s no longer a party game. It’s do or die.

It all started on a whim: the game was a way for Tenley Reed to reclaim her popularity, a chance for perfect Caitlin “Angel” Thomas to prove she’s more than her Harvard application. Loner Sydney Morgan wasn’t even there; she was hiding behind her camera like usual. But when all three start receiving mysterious dares long after the party has ended, they’re forced to play along—or risk exposing their darkest secrets.

How far will Tenley, Caitlin and Sydney go to keep the truth from surfacing? And who’s behind this twisted game?

Set against the backdrop of Echo Bay, an isolated beach town haunted by misfortune, Truth or Dare is a highly charged debut that will keep readers in suspense from beginning to end.

What's Next (51) -- Creatures, Societies, and Rules

<a href="http://www.iceybooks.com/2012/05/introducing-new-meme-whats-next.html"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eRpXay-imbc/T8Ufyfx1GiI/AAAAAAAADfw/dgJ4XLisUE0/s1600/whatsnext.jpg" /></a>

Hi everyone! Welcome to the another week of What's Next?! Click here to read more about the meme and be sure to link up your posts below.

Here are a few I have to (or want to!) read soon. Which first?

Unnatural Creatures is a collection of short stories about the fantastical things that exist only in our minds—collected and introduced by beloved New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman.

The sixteen stories gathered by Gaiman, winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, range from the whimsical to the terrifying. The magical creatures range from werewolves to sunbirds to beings never before classified. E. Nesbit, Diana Wynne Jones, Gahan Wilson, and other literary luminaries contribute to the anthology.

Venice, 1585.

When 16-year-old Laura della Scala learns that her older sister, Beatrice, has drowned, she is given no time to grieve. Instead, Laura's father removes her from the convent where he forcibly sent her years earlier and orders her to marry Beatrice's fiancé, a repulsive old merchant named Vincenzo. Panicked, Laura betrays a powerful man to earn her way into the Segreta, a shadowy society of women who deal in only one currency—secrets. The Segreta seems like the answer to Laura's prayers. The day after she joins their ranks, Vincenzo is publicly humiliated and conveniently exiled. Soon, however, Laura begins to suspect that her sister's death was not a tragic accident but a cold-blooded murder—one that might involve the Segreta and the women she has come to trust.

1. Never trust anyone.

2. Remember they are always searching.

3. Don’t get involved.

4. Keep your head down.

5. Don’t fall in love.

Five simple rules. Ariane Tucker has followed them since the night she escaped from the genetics lab where she was created, the result of combining human and extraterrestrial DNA. Ariane’s survival—and that of her adoptive father—depends on her ability to blend in among the full-blooded humans in a small Wisconsin town, to hide in plain sight at her high school from those who seek to recover their lost (and expensive) “project.”

But when a cruel prank at school goes awry, it puts her in the path of Zane Bradshaw, the police chief’s son and someone who sees too much. Someone who really sees her. After years of trying to be invisible, Ariane finds the attention frightening—and utterly intoxicating. Suddenly, nothing is simple anymore, especially not the rules…

What's Next??
Link up your What's Next posts below. Please use a direct link. And be sure to return next week!

THE KINGDOM OF LITTLE WOUNDS by Susann Cokal (WoW #138)

Waiting On Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that everyone's excited about!

A young seamstress and a royal nursemaid find themselves at the center of an epic power struggle in this stunning young-adult debut.

On the eve of Princess Sophia’s wedding, the Scandinavian city of Skyggehavn prepares to fete the occasion with a sumptuous display of riches: brocade and satin and jewels, feasts of sugar fruit and sweet spiced wine. Yet beneath the veneer of celebration, a shiver of darkness creeps through the palace halls. A mysterious illness plagues the royal family, threatening the lives of the throne’s heirs, and a courtier’s wolfish hunger for the king’s favors sets a devious plot in motion.

Here in the palace at Skyggehavn, things are seldom as they seem — and when a single errant prick of a needle sets off a series of events that will alter the course of history, the fates of seamstress Ava Bingen and mute nursemaid Midi Sorte become irrevocably intertwined with that of mad Queen Isabel. As they navigate a tangled web of palace intrigue, power-lust, and deception, Ava and Midi must carve out their own survival any way they can.

THE KINGDOM OF LITTLE WOUNDS will be released October 8th 2013 from Candlewick.

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?