Blog Tour - Author Interview with Miranda Kenneally of Racing Savannah + A GIVEAWAY!!!

Title: Racing Savannah (Hundred Oaks #4)
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire, 304 Pages (December 3rd 2013)
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: They’re from two different worlds.

He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.

With her dream of becoming a horse jockey, Savannah isn’t exactly one to follow the rules either. She’s not going to let someone tell her a girl isn’t tough enough to race. Sure, it’s dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack…

Interview:

Hi Miranda, congrats on your forth Hundred Oaks title – Racing Savannah!! I’m SO EXCITED to have you visiting with me today. Thanks for taking the time out to answer a few questions. How about we get started?

- Thanks for having me!

Can you walk us through a day in the life of an author?

- My life is pretty different from that of full-time authors in that I also work full-time for the State Department, so I try to write whenever I have free time on nights and weekends. I do sometimes brainstorm my books at work and ask colleagues for help with plots. Government people are quite good at problem-solving! I won’t lie and say that having two jobs is easy – I’m pretty tired, honestly. When I write on weekends, I usually drink lots of coffee, try to sneak in a trip to the gym, and then write for 8-10 hours.

Has your writing, how you start writing a book, plot, plan, etc changed at all from writing your first book to now your fourth?

- Every book is different. Catching Jordan and Things I Can’t Forget flowed from page one, but writing Racing Savannah was like pulling teeth until I figured out the plot. I will say that I spend a lot more time on showing-not telling than I used to. I work hard on my metaphors and pulling out the emotion in my book. I think a lot more about plot structure than I used to – which is a good and bad thing. I can’t watch a movie or read a book without fully analyzing the plot and character arcs, and that is ANNOYING.

Also, what’s always been or become the most important part of the writing process for you?

- Having great readers to give me feedback on my drafts. I would be nowhere without them.

What was the hardest AND the easiest part in writing Racing Savannah?

Easiest: Savannah’s sassy attitude.
Hardest: Making Jack sympathetic.

Can you ask Savannah and Jack to describe the other in three words?

Savannah would describe Jack as: Hard-working, smart, and loyal.
Jack would describe Savannah as: Feisty, beautiful, and determined.

What do you hope readers take away from Savannah and Jack’s story?

I hope that readers learn that they should never settle for anything or anybody. They should work hard to get what they want and never give others the opportunity to treat them poorly.

And lastly, can you tell us, without giving too much away what you’re currently working on or what we should be keeping a watch out for from you in the future?

Yes! My July 2014 book, most likely titled BREATHE, ANNIE, BREATHE, is about a girl training to run a marathon in honor of her boyfriend who died. Before he passed away, he had been training for a marathon, and now Annie is going to attempt to finish on his behalf. But it will be hard because she can barely run two laps around the high school track.

Thanks for the visit Miranda! It’s been great! Love the Hundred Oaks series and I’m looking forward to more exciting titles from you in the future!

Thank you for having me!

About the Author: 

Growing up in Tennessee, Miranda Kenneally dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes, and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband.

Find Miranda Online:

Website | Twitter| Facebook | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!!!

Grand prize giveaway

Prize (open to US and Canada only):
--A pair of Ralph Lauren riding boots. Or another pair of boots at equal or lesser value.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway