Blog Tour: Sanctuary Bay {Giveaway is closed}


The General Rundown

Sanctuary Bay
By Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz

Blurb
In this genre-bending YA thriller, will Sarah Merson's shiny new prep school change her life forever or bring it to a dark and sinister end? When Sarah Merson receives the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the most elite prep school in the country-Sanctuary Bay Academy-it seems almost too good to be true. But, after years of bouncing from foster home to foster home, escaping to its tranquil setting, nestled deep in Swans Island, couldn't sound more appealing. Swiftly thrown into a world of privilege and secrets, Sarah quickly realizes finding herself noticed by class charmer, Nate, as well as her roommate's dangerously attentive boyfriend, Ethan, are the least of her worries. When her roommate suddenly goes missing, she finds herself in a race against time, not only to find her, but to save herself and discover the dark truth behind Sanctuary Bay's glossy reputation. In this genre-bending YA thriller, Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz, Sarah's new school may seem like an idyllic temple of learning, but as she unearths years of terrifying history and manipulation, she discovers this "school" is something much more sinister.

320 pages


The Author Q and A


Veronica: What is your writing process like? Do you write in large chunks or in smaller ones?

Laura and Melinda: Since there are two of us, we spend a lot of time outlining the book first. We live in different states, so that’s done mostly on the phone and through emailing back and forth. When we’re finished, the outline is very detailed—broken into chapters and sometimes into specific scenes. Then, just before we start writing, we talk about how exactly the characters should sound—what kind of “voice” each one has. We decide which actor or character or real-life person we know to use as an inspiration for their voice. And then we’re ready to go! We split the book in half, and one of us writes the first half while the other writes the second. When we’re done, we stick them together and take turns going through the whole book to edit it. While we’re writing, we both pretty much start at the beginning of our half, and write straight through to the end—we don’t usually do it in small chunks. Sometimes if a scene isn’t quite working, we’ll leave it semi-done and move on, because we know that when we’ve finished our half of the book, we’re going to switch, and maybe our wonderful partner will figure out how to make that scene work!

That process sounds like so much fun! I would love to work on a project like that with a friend. I'll have to find one who will put up with me and likes writing..


Veronica: What was your inspiration for Sanctuary Bay?

Laura and Melinda: We wanted to do a book with a lot of layers to it, something that touches on many different genres. So we’ve got some mystery, some thriller, some sci-fi, some romance, some boarding school….

Veronica: I can definitely see why you would want to do that. Many things going on in a book definitely keeps me entertained, and shows the writer's true talent.


Veronica: What are some of your favorite books?

Laura and Melinda: All time faves? For Laura it’s a tie between The Lord of the Rings and Pride and Prejudice. Melinda isn’t going to attempt all time faves, because she finds the decision process stressful! Some faves: The Stand, Cat’s Eye, Anne of Green Gables, and most recently A Little Life.

Veronica: I have no comment, except that I am very ashamed that I have never read any of those books. *hides from the internet in shame*


Veronica: What Hogwarts House are you?

Laura: An online quiz tells me it’s Gryffindor. I see no reason to complain about this. Melinda: A quiz I took gave me 16 points towards Hufflepuff and 13 toward Ravenclaw. So Huffleclaw? I should just say Hufflepuff, but I don’t quite feel all Huffley.

Veronica: I can definitely see where you are coming from Melinda, I have taken many many online quizzes, and I received Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Gryfindor the most, but I always saw myself as a Ravenclaw.


Veronica: Do you have any tips for motivation and the road to publishing for aspiring writers?

Laura and Melinda: Getting published is hard. Focus on the writing first, and be the best writer you can be. Don’t worry about the rest.

Veronica: Thank you so much for the advice and for participating in this Q and A.


The Giveaway


The Rules
  1. You must be 18 or older to enter, or have a parent or guardian's permission.
  2. You must live in the US to enter. (Sorry, maybe one day I will hold a giveaway that is international, sadly, that day is not yet upon us.
  3. You must be comfortable with sharing your address with both me and St. Martin's Griffin's publishing house.
How it Works
  1. You will fill out the form below, and I will leave it open for two weeks. You may enter the giveaway one time.
  2. If you win, I will send you an email, and you will have forty-eight hours to respond with your shipping info before I contact the next person in line.


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