The Blood Race Blog Tour Interview + Giveaway + Just General Screaming And Awesomeness

Hhhhhhiiiiiiiiiii. *smiles like I'm a crazy person because I probably am* So I'm excited right now. "Why?" you ask. Oh, you know. JUST THAT I AM PARTICIPATING IN A BOOK TOUR AND THERE MIGHT BE A GIVEAWAY AND MANY OTHER THINGS. It makes me excited ok. If you happen to be familiar with a certain part of the blogosphere you might have seen some of these posts floating around and decided you had to get the book immediately. If so then cool because you absolutely should. If not....... WELL, THEN I WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND. A very extremely cool person aka Kate just published her first ever book. Like what. And I can say this with confidence since I read it IT WAS VERY COOL. That's all I have to say. That is like the whole post *drops the mic and walks*. Haha yeah no I was joking. Now I'm just going to say that a million more times just using different words.

Born with unexplainable abilities he struggles to control, college student Ion tries desperately to integrate into his new school and finally put his dark past behind him. But after making a serious enemy, which leads to an accidental rendezvous with the mysterious old man next door— and his hauntingly beautiful but troubled young protégée Hawk, Ion realizes his life will never be normal again.

Late one evening, Hawk drags him by the hand into a closet-turned-rabbit-hole to an extra dimension, and Ion finds himself stumbling involuntarily into a secret society of training for “anomalies,” teenagers with a special set of abilities. Just like him.

As they train to become Protectors of future Earth, battling each other as well as their own demons, both Ion and Hawk begin to realize that they are far more alike than they realized. Unsettlingly so.

When the Dimension is shaken by an unthinkable betrayal, will an ancient prophecy bring Hawk and Ion together—or will a deadly threat hidden in plain sight cost them both their powers… and their lives?

Aka it is beautiful and kind of awesome and one of my new favorite reads of basically all time. LIKE HOW COOL DOES THAT SOUND?

When she’s not hermiting away in her colorfully-painted home office writing her next science fiction, passionate story-teller and adventurer Kate Emmons is probably on the road for a surf or hiking trip, listening to vinyls, or going for a power run. Emmons lives in the often-snowy hills of rugged Vermont with her husband and dog named Rocket. 

Follow her: 

Website: https://kaemmons.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaemmonsauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebloodrace/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emmonswrites

Because she is awesome and I basically want to know everything about everything I asked her a couple questions about her and her book.

1. First off can you just describe your book in a couple sentences?

Ion has always known he’s not an average college student. In fact, he’s spent most of his life running from it. Cars speed out of control when he drives them, radio speakers blow out if he doesn’t like the music, he’s fried a gaming console just from getting too close-- and he can heal wounds with a mere touch.

Hawk has spent the past one hundred years trying to escape a looming darkness in her past-- and she’s still just eighteen. She’s no ordinary student either, and when her teacher-- the wise old man next door --asks her to test Ion, Hawk begins to realize that they are far more alike than she realized. Unsettlingly so.

2. How did you first get interested in writing?

Looking back on my life, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing or telling stories. It seems almost like tenancy has been in my blood since birth. My mom read to my sister and I every night as kids, and honestly, from the time I could write, I was usually scribbling at some piece of poetry or some kind of a story or retelling.

I started blogging when I was a young teenager, and I finished my first novel when I was around twelve or thirteen. The itch for a good story has always been there.

3. What is your favorite thing about your book?

The characters, and how they grow over the course of the story. There’s a lot of big transformations in the novel, a lot of growing pains and personal struggles. As a young adult, I can identify with that, and I love to look back on the story and see that same journey through the eyes of my characters.

4. How do you get over writer’s block (if you ever have it)?

If I feel stuck on something, I try to step away from it, rather than continuing to pound my head into a wall. I trust my writing, and though it can be super frustrating at times, I try to remind myself that often I can’t write for a reason. I’m not meant to write that bit yet, and I need to step away so I can get the perspective I need to write it well.

I also tend to watch BBC television while I do this and drink large quantities of iced coffee. ;)

5. What is your favorite and least favorite thing about being a writer?

The euphoria that comes with each new story idea, each good scene, each insightful line that causes me to think a bit deeper, each character that seems to show me a bit more about myself, each lesson I’ve learned. Every afternoon I’ve spent completely lost in another world. Every time I’ve missed entire conversations at my family’s dinner table because I’m somewhere else up in my head, thinking about the story, the story, the story.

The story is the best part. The stuff of life.

I honestly can’t think of a least favorite thing.

6. What is your advice to all of the people who want to become writers out there but they are not sure how?

I tend to use the Shia LaBeouf GIF for questions like this. JUST DO IT. Stop making excuses, stop putting it off until tomorrow, stop saying you’re not good enough, or that she writes better than you - just do it. Write the story that only you can. Write you. Stop worrying about him, or her, or their stories. Write yours.

Writing is an art; there’s no right or wrong. There are no rules, regardless of what the critics may say. There’s you, and your heart, and what it needs to say: see it in your mind… got it? Good. Now let it out on the page.

7. What can readers expect when they read your book?

They can expect to follow two characters as they struggle to find identity and train to save the world. Also the occasional car chase, lots of well-described food, epic worlds that hide inside of closets, a wise old man with many wise words, black eyes, cute guys (I know, the rhyme was cheesy, but I had to) things lighting on fire, hanging out on top of skyscrapers, shape shifting, superpowers, intense battles, and last but not least -  some blood, some sweat, and a heck of a lot of tears.   

8. How did you come up with the idea of “The Blood Race”?

The idea for the story dropped into my head one afternoon and I thought I should write it. It’s a little anticlimactic, but that’s honestly how it happened.

I’ve also just always been very passionate about the idea that we as people, as teenagers, as young adults, are powerful. I love that quote by Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

I wanted to explore what it means to be who you really are in the book. And I believe who we are is powerful.

9. How do you feel about your book?

Super good! I love the story, I had so much fun writing it, and I’m looking forward to journeying more with this crazy band of anomalies. :)

10. If you could tell your younger writers self-something what would it be?

If I could go back and tell my younger-self a bit of advice it would be to stop being so hard on my own writing. To relax and enjoy it more.

Thanks so much for having me, Nabila! :)

I have seriously never done a giveaway so I am quite excited right now. This is for an e-book version of Kates new book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 If you would like to buy the book you can find the paperback version here and ebook here. 

I absolutely loved writing that. It was seriously so fun. Seriously though I loved the book and I think you guys will as well. Are you as excited about this as me? Have you somehow already read the book? If so tell everyone else in the comments it's awesome so we can scream about it together. What's your favorite book? Have you ever participated in a book tour? Are you a writer?