Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Q+A with Marta Acosta + Dark Companion Giveaway

Please welcome today's paranormal guest author Marta Acosta.  Marta is the author of the Casa Dracula series (Happy Hour at Casa Dracula, Midnight Brunch, The Bride of Casa Dracula, Haunted Honeymoon ), Wolfish in Sheep's Clothing, and Dark Companion.

Keep reading for a chance to win a copy of Dark Companion by Marta Acosta.

EJ:  When did you begin writing?

Marta: 
I've been writing every since I learned how to scrawl the alphabet. I was always writing stories, poems, essays, notes to friends, whatnot. I always wrote things during the school day to entertain myself and friends. Then I went on to college and studied creative writing, but I was still writing for my friends and for fun.

EJ:  What brought you to the paranormal genre?

Marta:
  Paranormal poses the question, "What if...?, and I especially like stories where a character's notion of reality is challenged. Right now, there's such an amazing range of paranormal fiction, including dystopians, horror, romances, action thrillers, mysteries, and comedies. One of the things I like best about paranormal is that I can place a character in a situation where she can't take the normal paths to safety, i.e., going to the police, but must use her own resources to save herself.

EJ:  If you could be any paranormal or have any one supernatural talent, what would it be? Why?

Marta:
  That's easy! I would like to transport myself from one place to another. Flying is expensive, time consuming, and annoying. I'd love to visit so many places!

EJ:  Tell us why readers will enjoy your new release.

Marta:
  There are so many things to love about Dark Companion -- the beautiful and creepy setting at Birch Grove Academy, the determined foster girl and her funny new friend, Mary Violet, the  quotes from classic gothics, and, of course, echoes of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and other classic gothics.

EJ:  If your book(s) were being made into a movie, who would you cast for the leading roles? Why?

Marta: 
Now that's a really hard question! I don't think of actors or actresses when I envision my characters.  I have ideas that are more about personalities or even the sound of their voices, than about appearances. But frequently I see girls at the mall or wherever and I think, "She looks like Jane!" I recently told the narrator for my audiobooks that Ksenia Solo, who plays Kenzi in "The Lost Girl" urban fantasy series, has the funny sexy snark of my character Milagro, but she doesn't look like her.  I love to hear readers' suggestions on good casting for my stories, especially who they'd like to see play hilarious Mary Violet.























Dark Companion by Marta Acosta.

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.


The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.


Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?



Thank you Marta for joining us here today at From the Shadows!

To learn more about Marta Acosta and her books, please visit her website.

**Dark Companion Giveaway**

We are giving away a copy of Dark Companion by Marta Acosta to one lucky winner.

To enter, please leave a comment on this post including your email address so we may contact you if you win.  This giveaway is open to US mailing addresses only.  Giveaway ends July 26, 2012 midnight EST.

24 comments:

  1. Great interview; as always, it's fun to learn about the various writers you have on the site! Say, I notice there is a book under Marta's name on GR called "The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove" - I wanted to confirm - this is the same book, originally published under a different name, right? OK, well, let me get my e-dress here so I can be signed up for this awesome giveaway! it's a gmail address (dot com, of course) and the personalized bit is katy (dot) sozaeva (I hope you can figure that out - just trying to thwart the spammers!)

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    1. I originally thought this was a different book, perhaps a prequel, but you may be right. The synopsis sounds very similar. Now I'm dying to know! :)

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  2. How cool that that the author doesn't have actors in mind for characters, but she knows exactly what their voices are like! very unique:)

    I've heard awesome things about this book!

    Thanks so much:)

    ccfioriole at gmail dot com

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  3. This book sounds really good! The cover is awesome! Thank you soooo much for the giveaway! :)

    gabs5831muilenburger@gmail.com

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  4. I love to learn a bit about the authors. The book sounds amazing and I love the cover. Thank you for the giveaway. foamfamily08@yahoo.com

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  5. Hm... The cover doesn't seem to fit the plot of the book. Maybe it will all make sense if I read it. OK, it's official, Dark Companion is on my to-read list.

    Thank you for this giveaway.

    ajiehuang1997 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  6. Thanks for the interview and giveaway!
    NewBorrowedUsed(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. This is just the kind of book I think I'd really enjoy, along with about 10 million other people, of course. Thanks for the interview and giveaway. Please enter my name for the chance to win. Thanks
    carlscott(at)prodigy(dot)net(dot)mx

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  8. This book sounds so good, definitely the type of thing that I would read. Thank you for the giveaway!

    ashley.mckinsey(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  9. WOW! Great Q/A! Love the cover and would love to win this book!! Sounds really good!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    BeckyLoves2Read at gmail dot com

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  10. Sounds great...

    vidishamun@gmail.com

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  11. EJ, thanks so much for having me here, and hi, everyone!

    -Katy, I offered a free read of my manuscript, then titled The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove. The story hadn't sold and I really wanted people to read it. When it became the number one YA read at Scribd, Tor bought it. I worked with a great editor, rewrote and developed it, and the final version is Dark Companion.
    -Christina, I always get flummoxed by that question because I can imagine characters in my mind, but they're not actors, just my imagination.
    -Gabrielle, Autumn, and Becky, the cover photo is by Yolande de Kort, whose gorgeous photos appear on many book covers. If you google her, you can visit her site and see her lovely work.
    -Angie, my character does live in a grove of trees and the setting is very important to the story! She even has a dress like this. However, I think it would have been great to have a cover of a girl in an old-fashioned looking science room, but authors don't get say on covers.
    -Carl and Ash, I've always loved Gothics and stories set in sort of spooky places! I get too freaked out by horror stories, but I enjoy a chilly tale.

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  12. I like the cover, have been wanting to read this since I first saw it. Thanks for the giveaway!

    fantasybookchick@gmail.com

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  13. I think Marta's new book sounds fantastic. I'd love to try it. I read her Casa Dracula series...loved it! Thanks so much for the giveaway =)
    Tanyaw1224(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  14. I've been hearing such fascinating things about this novel! Thanks :)

    Vivien
    deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

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  15. Thanks so much for the chance to win Dark Companion! I have been dying to read it!

    chelle2006@aolDOTcom

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  16. I really want to read this book. It sounds very good. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

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  17. Thank you for the giveaway.
    Kimberly.a.shook(at)gmail(dot)com

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  18. I've had this one on my wishlist since I first saw the cover and read the blurb. Thanks for the giveaway!
    GFC- Lisa Richards
    (\___/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_(")
    alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com

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  19. Are u serious? The cover to this book is amazing, it really does have a dark feel to it and the interview was really good as well.
    My email is: isamar2122@yahoo.com
    thanks for the chance to win!

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  20. Very nice review. The book sounds good.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  21. I've been seeing a lot about this novel on twitter, and I'm very intrigued.

    Sara M
    sara_UFblog [at] yahoo [dot] com

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  22. Thank you for the chance to win.

    cmucha319@yahoo.com

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  23. I hope I'm not too late Thanks for the giveaway :)

    drakenfyre75@msn.com

    ReplyDelete