A Book Addict's Bookshelves (Old): Blog Tour + Interview + Giveaway

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Title: Where the Staircase Ends

Publication date: April 14, 2015

Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.

Author: Stacy Stokes

After her best friend orchestrates the lie that destroys her reputation, Taylor wants more than anything to disappear from her life. But when an accident turns this unspoken wish into reality, instead of an angel-filled afterlife, Taylor must climb a seemingly endless staircase into the sky.

Instead of going up, the journey plunges her into the past. As she unravels the mystery behind her friend’s betrayal, she must face the truth about life and find the strength to forgive the unforgivable — unless the staircase breaks her first.

Goodreads

Purchase links:

Chapters Indigo | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | TBD

Hi there! Thank you so much for having me over!

When did you start writing?

I started writing when I was in high school. My school had both a creative writing club and a creative writing class, so I had a lot of outlets. Once I got to college I got a little sidetracked and ended up getting a degree in business, but writing a novel has always been a personal dream of mine and I’m so excited to finally see it come to fruition.

What makes you want to write?

Usually there’s a very loud and noisy story poking around in my head, demanding to be heard. (Ideas can be quite bossy sometimes!) But also books and movies are a big driver for me—there is something about reading or watching a beautifully told story that makes me want to sit down and tell a story of my own.

Do you ever get writer's block and what do you do to get over it?

Oh yes. I’ve definitely had those days where I stare at my computer screen wishing the page would write itself. (Seriously, can someone please invent that?) The best thing for me is to walk away and take a break—sometimes for an hour, sometimes for a few months. When I come back at it with fresh eyes, I usually find out I was stuck because I was heading down the wrong path.

Do you have a special way of going about writing?

I think I write the way people build a house. I start with the frame, then put up the walls and install the floors, then I go back and decorate it all. As a result my first drafts are usually pretty short – it’s not until I get to the revising phase that I really start to see what the final story is going to look like.

Do you have any works in progress?

Yes! I’m really excited about my latest project. It’s YA supernatural thriller thingy that I like to think of as Louis Duncan’s classic I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Michelle Hodkin’s The Unbecoming of Myra Dyer. In short, it’s about Whitney, a seventeen-year-old dancer who can see and stop death before it happens. Until one day she saves the wrong person and someone sets out to get revenge. *insert dramatic music and/or evil laugh here*

What are your hobbies?

I recently got a puppy named Elvis Presley, so I’ve been having loads of fun playing with him and taking him on urban hikes around the city. But in general I love spending time with friends and enjoying the beautiful city of San Francisco, where I live.

Elvis Presley in all his adorable glory.

How did you choose the character names for Where the Staircase Ends?

For Taylor, the main character, I went onto baby name websites and searched for names that were popular the year she would have been born.

The rest of the character’s names just sort of came to me as I was writing. For example, I knew that Taylor’s best friend would be named Sunny before I even started writing. I have no idea where the name came from, it just felt right.

Who is your favourite character in Where the Staircase Ends?

I think I’d have to say Sunny, Taylor’s best friend, which may surprise some people since she’s the bad guy in the story (although it’s a little more complicated than that.) But there are two sides to Sunny—the one she shares with people, and the one she keeps to herself. Even though the external Sunny isn’t very nice, it’s the one she hides that makes her interesting, and in the end I couldn’t help but love her. I hope readers give love her too :)

How did you get the idea for Where the Staircase Ends?

The whole story came from a dream—I woke up with an image of a girl standing on a staircase that climbed up into the sky, and I knew I had to tell her story. I started writing that same day, and three months later I had a rough draft.

What was your favourite part of writing Where the Staircase Ends?

I will never forget the day I finished the first draft. I wanted to open the window and shout down to the street “I did it! I wrote a book!”

Thankfully the final story looks nothing like that extremely rough first attempt, but it was still a feeling of accomplishment that will always stick with me. I hope every completed first draft feels that fantastic.

What are you currently reading?

I just started Lauren Oliver’s latest, VANISING GIRL’S. I’m already in love, but then again she can do no wrong in my eyes. I also just started listening to READY PLAYER ONE on Audible. I’ve only listened to a few chapters, but can’t wait to see where it goes.

What is your favourite book?

This is SUCH a hard question because there are so many amazing books out there that I love! I think I wrote and deleted five different titles just now (Speak, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Ender’s Game, How I Live Now, Water for Elephants, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Scorpio Races…just to name a few.)

All of that said, I pull out To Kill a Mockingbird every few years and fall in love with it every time, so if I could only read one book forever it might be that one. (But please don’t make me read just one book forever. That’s mean.)

Who is your favourite author?

Maggie Stiefvater, Laini Taylor and Lauren Oliver are my heroes.

What is your favourite film?

It’s a four way tie between The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Amalie, Team America (don’t judge) and Pan’s Labyrinth. The Never Ending Story will also always hold a special place in my heart.

What is your favourite TV show?

Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead are hands down my favorites. But I also love So You Think You Can Dance and haven’t missed a single season. (I may or may not have also seen it live a few times when it went on tour.)

Quick-fire questions:

Chocolate or ice cream? Chocolate Ice cream
Paperback or ebook? Ebook…I can’t believe I’ve been converted!
Dogs or cats? Dogs (especially dogs named Elvis Presley)
Go out or stay in? Go out!
Summer or winter? Summer, although SF summers usually happen in the fall so September and October are my favorite months of the year.

Thanks again for having me!