A Q&A With Katie McGarry and a Giveaway

Today we have aQ&A with author Katie McGarry thanks to the peeps at Harlequin Teen andMedia Masters Publicity! There’s also a giveaway so fill out the rafflecopterafter the interview!

Pushingthe Limits 
Harlequin Teen
Pages: 416 pages
ISBN: 0373210493
In stores now!
Amazon/ Barnes & Noble/ Indie Bound

"My father is a control freak, I hate my stepmother, my brother is dead and my mother has...welll...issues. How do you think I am doing?" - opening line of Pushing the Limits No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. Echo and Noah couldn’t be more different, but they find themselves united by a common goal: to sneak into their court- ordered social worker’s case files in order to learn the truth about themselves and their families. What they didn’t count on is falling in love -- and now Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

About author KatieMcGarry:

            Katie McGarry was a teenager duringthe age of grunge and boy bands and she remembers those years as the best andworst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings and realitytelevision, and is a                  secretUniversity of Kentucky basketball fan.

            Writing has given Katie an excuse topursue her passions. Research for her books has provided her with the amazingopportunity to train with baseball players, ride along in a drag car atninety-six miles per hour         andexperience boxing and mixed martial arts. Katie loves to visit schools and talkto teenagers about her research, writing and the truth that no dream is out ofreach.

Q: What was yourinspiration for writing Pushing the Limits?

A: I had two maininspirations: One, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to write a story inwhich my characters felt strong enough to leave their pasts behind and createnew futures for themselves. The first scene I ever saw in my mind was Echo andNoah leaving town after graduation. Two, I wanted to write two characters whowere facing over- whelming issues and who, through battling these issues, foundhope at the end of their journey.

Q: How did youcome up with Echo’s name?

A: Echo wentthrough several name changes as I wrote the man- uscript. For a while, she hada very normal name, but it alwaysfelt off. It wasn’t until I looked at Echofrom her mother’s point of view that I found her name. Echo’s mother lovedGreek my- thology so it made perfect sense that she would name her chil- drenafter the myths. I read several Greek myths and the mo- ment I found Echo’s, Ifell in love. Echo, to me, was the girl who lost her voice. Thankfully, shefinds it by the end.

Q: Which characteris the most “like” you?

A: All of them. Igave each character a piece of me (though some have larger slices of me thanothers). Overall, I’d say I’m a strange combination of Echo, Lila and Beth.Echo has my need to please, Lila has my unfailing loyalty to my friends andBeth encompasses my insecurities.

Q: Did youexperience friendships with Grace types when you were in high school?

A: Yes. And themore people have read this story, the more this question comes up. Grace hasstruck a stronger nerve in people than I ever would have imagined. It seemsmost of us have un- fortunately experienced a relationship where a person wantsto “like” you and wants “be your friend,” but only if it serves their needs. Incase anyone is wondering, that isn’t friendship.

Q: Are there anyparts of the story you feel particularly close to?

A: Yes. Therelationship between Noah, Isaiah and Beth. Beyond my parents and sister, mynearest family members were over fourteen hours away. My friends became myfamily. The peopleI grew up with were more than people I watched movies with ortalked to occasionally on the phone. These were people with whom I sharedlife’s most devastating moments, but also my hardest laughs. These were peoplewho I would have willing- ly died for and I know they would have done the samefor me. They shared my triumphs with smiles on their faces and con- gratulatoryhugs. They held me when I cried and offered to beat up whoever hurt myfeelings. These were also the same people who were more than happy to get in myface if they thought I was making a wrong decision.

Q: Did anythingthat happens to Echo happen to you?

A: Sort of. I wasbitten by a dog when I was in second grade and repressed the memory. It feltvery strange to have no memory of an incident that other people knew about. Itwas even strang- er to have injuries and not have an inkling where they camefrom. In college, I finally remembered the incident when a dog lunged at me. Irelived the horrible event and sort of “woke up” a few minutes later to findmyself surrounded by people I loved. Even though I “remember” the incident, Istill don’t remember the whole thing. I only see still frames in my mind andthere is no blood in any of the memories.

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