Loving books: [Daph's BBE] Interview With Carrie Harris & Giveaway!

Welcome to day 5 of my Birthday Bash Extravaganza - on my actual birthday! Eep! Today I welcome Carrie Harris to the blog! She participated in the first edition of Daph's BBE as well (clickie!) and this year she's BACK! She allowed me to ask her some questions, some of which are a bit odd, but at least she didn't go out and get a restraining order, so I guess we're still good.. Anyhoo, let's welcome Carrie Harris, author of Bad Taste in Boys and Bad Hair Day (out in November)!

Senior year is positively hair-raising.

Kate Grable is geeked out to shadow the county medical examiner as part of her school’s pre-med program. Except when he’s arrested for murder, she’s left with the bodies. And when Kate’s brother Jonah stumbles upon a dead gamer girl, she realizes that the zombie epidemic she cured last fall was only the beginning of the weirdness taking over her town. Someone’s murdering kids—something really hairy. And strong. Possibly with claws.

Is it werewolf awesomeness like Jonah and his dorktastic friends think? Kate’s supposed to be a butt-kicking zombie killing genius...but if she can’t figure out who’s behind the freakish attacks, the victims—or what’s left of them—are going to keep piling up.

It’s scary. It’s twisted. It’s sick. It’s high school.

Bad Hair Day comes out in a couple of months (eep!). How excited are you?
On a scale of 1 to 10? The answer is EEEEEEEEEEE. I’m REALLY SUPER MEGA CRAZY excited! It’s still hard to believe that this is happening—I’m pretty astounded every time I see one of my books and realize that people other than me are reading them.

Pitch Bad Hair Day in 25 words or less.
Kate Grable learns that something hairy—possibly with claws—is terrorizing her town, and it’s up to her to stop it!

I heard a rumor about a shirtless cookie scene…
I think YA literature needs more shirtless geeks. And cookies. Except that I think the scene has now been edited and is now cookie-less. Would it count if we ate cookies while we ate it? Heck, can I just have some cookies? I’m hungry.

Is Kate different in this second book from how she was in the first book? If so, how?
She’s definitely been affected by what happened to her in book 1. You don’t go on CNN to discuss how you saved the world from the zombocalypse without being changed by the appearance. People treat her differently now. And she’s been in a relationship with Aaron for a few months, so he DEFINITELY treats her differently. That was fun to write; I got to bring on the smoochietime. J

Do you have a teaser sentence or something you can share with us? *bats eyelashes*
Random.org told me to give you something from page 84, so here it is:

I wormed my hands into a pair of gloves and started assembling the slides. I was just preparing a piece of wet mounted perfection when the hairs stood up on the back of my neck. Someone was watching me. I looked up, half expecting to see a huge, hairy serial crusher, but it was only my brother. It was nice to have a personal guard and all, but something told me his technique of staring at me gape-mouthed wasn’t really going to dissuade any potential intruders.

Some random questions - because I love to be random!

If I told you to use 'cookie', 'orchid', 'bribe' and 'owl' in a short text of a maximum of 5 sentences, what would you make of it?
More cookies? I’ll bribe you not to talk about cookies anymore; my waistline can’t handle it. I could give you an…owl? I tried to summon an orchid, but my magic wand has problems with objects that begin with the letter O. Sorry about that.

J

If you could open a store and sell anything you want, what would you sell?
I’d love to have a monster themed store. We could sell monster books and t-shirts and stuffed monsters and REAL LIVE MONSTERS. I WANT TO DO THIS.

Who's your favorite Harry Potter character and why?
I have a soft spot for Hagrid. He’s just a teddy bear. A cuddly, half giant teddy bear.

What object is nearest to you right now?
A bottle of Febreze that my daughter was chasing her siblings around with. It’s chaos here at Chez Harris. CHAOS, I TELL YOU.

What's on your computer wallpaper?
It’s a picture of the cast of Zombieland that says, “It’s time to nut up or shut up.” That sentence always cracks me up.

Best book you've read lately?
Over the weekend, I read and loved FOOD, GIRLS, AND OTHER THINGS I CAN’T HAVE by Allen Zadoff. It was heartbreakingly awesome in a PART TIME INDIAN kind of way.

Favorite kind of candy?
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Anything with peanut butter in it will do. And now I’m hungry for cookies AND candy. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME?!?!

Anything else you'd like to add?
Just that YOU are awesome! Happy birthday, and thanks for having me!

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Thanks so much, Carrie! <3 I laughed really hard during this interview and I think you're amazeballs!

Since Bad Hair Day won't come out until November, I'm giving away not one, but TWO paperback copies of Bad Taste in Boys! Just fill in the form to be entered in the giveaway.

»» This giveaway is now closed. Winners TBA ««

That's it for today! Make sure you check back tomorrow, because my BBE is far from over!

Birthday question: what's your favorite birthday part/scene in any book you've read?