Tuesday, February 11, 2014

BLOG TOUR [Guest Post + Giveaway!] SCINTILLATE by Tracy Clark



SCINTILLATE
by Tracy Clark
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 304
Pub. Date: February 4, 2014
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

A mighty flame follows a tiny spark
Cora Sandoval’s mother disappeared when she was five and they were living in Ireland. Since then, her dad has been more than overprotective, and Cora is beginning to chafe under his confines. But even more troubling is the colorful light she suddenly sees around people. Everyone, that is, except herself—instead, she glows a brilliant, sparkling silver.
 As she realizes the danger associated with these strange auras, Cora is inexplicably drawn to Finn, a gorgeous Irish exchange student who makes her feel safe. Their attraction is instant, magnetic, and primal—but her father disapproves, and Finn’s mother orders him home to Ireland upon hearing he’s fallen in love. After a fight with her father, Cora flees to Ireland, both to follow Finn and to look for her missing mother.
                                                                                                                                                                                           There she meets another silver-haloed person and discovers the meaning of her newfound powers and their role in a conspiracy spanning centuries—one that could change mankind forever…and end her life.



5 Facts about My Book That Might Surprise You

Thank you for having me on the blog! A writer gets inspiration from many things: overheard conversations, people-watching, newspaper stories, etc. Here are five real-life facts about SCINTILLATE which might surprise you.

* There really IS an albino redwood at the Henry Cowell State Park in Santa Cruz. I was fascinated by it and thought it was a metaphor for how Cora feels about her own unique aura and the man with the pure white aura who is following her.

* I collect treasure boxes, just like Cora’s father does. They are all over my house. But not in the way that Janelle, Cora’s stepmom uses them!  Ha! 

* Clancy Mulcarr was inspired by and written from notes I took in a pub in Ireland while watching the pub owner sing traditional Irish music. I have a picture of him!

* The pub scene when the older woman invites Cora to dance, that really happened! My best friend, Mary Claire was approached by a woman who held her palm out in invitation. MC didn’t know how to do an actual Irish jig, but she jumped and skipped around that pub like a champ! It was a beautiful moment—older women asking a group of younger women to dance. It was like they had a lesson for us about never growing old.

* SCINTILLATE is an “origin story” of sorts. The Light Key Trilogy gets so much bigger and deeper into the conspiracy about these unique humans. I’ve drawn from real-life to present a really dynamic story that just might have you believing in the truth of it!

Bonus fact: I was chastised (in a friendly way) by a rather dashing bartender when I asked if he was speaking “Gaelic.” I informed me that “We don’t speak Gaelic. We speak Irish.” That line was used in the book and that guy definitely inspired the character of Finn Doyle.





Tracy Clark is a young-adult writer because she believes teens deserve to know how much they matter and that regardless of what they’re going through, they aren’t alone. In other words, she writes books for her teen self. 
She grew up a “Valley Girl” in Southern California but now lives in her home state of Nevada, in a small town at the base of the Sierra Foothills. Her two children teach her the art of distraction and are a continuous source of great dialogue. She’s an unapologetic dog person who is currently owned by a cat. 
Tracy was the recipient of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Work in Progress Grant. A two-time participant in the prestigious Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program where she was lucky enough to be mentored by bestselling author, Ellen Hopkins, who taught her so much about the art of writing and cured her of her ellipsis addiction.
Her debut novel was inspired by her enchantment with metaphysics as a teen, seeing it as the real magic in life. Tracy is a part-time college student, a private pilot, and an irredeemable dreamer.





1 Prize pack of a key necklace and a signed copy of Scintillate. US ONLY
3 paperbacks of Scintillate US Only.
3 eBooks of Scintillate International.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

3 comments:

Tracy Clark said...

Thank you so much for letting me share some secrets about SCINTILLATE on the blog! Much appreciated! :)

Alisha S. said...

Thanks for the giveaway! Scintillate looks like it would be a good book!

Laura S Reading said...

An enlightening interview with the author. A fascinating look at the book. This is definitely going on my TBR pile, near the top.