Blog Tour- Flawed by Kate Avelynn Interview and Giveaway

Hey y’all! Thanks for stopping by for my day of the Flawed Blog Tour! I have a Q&A with Kate where she answers burning questions that readers I’m sure want to know! Also make sure to read to the end because there’s a giveaway and it’s pretty sweet!

Haven’t heard about Flawed? Check it out!     
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Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago — James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely.

Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give.

Sam Donavon has been James’ best friend — and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on — for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realizes James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact . . .

Ok let’s hear what Kate has to say!

       

1) Kate, most who read Flawed are torn up afterwards, emotionally drained, was that your intention with the book?

This is something I’m asked a lot and it always makes me laugh. No, I didn’t sit down with the nefarious plan to write a book that would rip everyone’s hearts out. In fact, if you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen me awkwardly apologizing to readers who contact me about the crates of tissue they went through, how many hours they spent in a fetal ball, how their boyfriends now think they’re crazy after reacting this strongly to a book, etc. I feel bad, I really do! If I could bake super yummy cookies that shipped automatically with every book purchase, I totally would. But in all seriousness, this story popped into my head almost fully-formed. I knew it would gut me to write it, but I had no idea how it would affect readers or if anyone would ever see it.

2) Most devoured the book in one sitting. Was that your intention?

I don’t know that an author ever sets out to write an addictive book. We all hope readers will get sucked in and read straight through the night because they have to know what happens next, but again with me and my lack of nefarious plans. You’d think I’d be better at this kind of manipulation with the books I write…

3) While it's categorized as a YA, many think content wise it is closer to a NA. Would you agree or disagree?

I think it depends more on the reader’s interpretation of New Adult than mine. I would say it’s YA mostly because Sarah is still a high school student. Very mature YA for sure, but still YA. When I pick up a NA book, I expect the characters to be in college or at least college-aged. If there was a sequel to this book with Sarah off at UC Davis, picking up the pieces of her life after FLAWED, it’d definitely be NA! That being said, I’m most comfortable writing NA so the feel of the other books I’ve written no doubt bleeds through into everything else I write.

4) Many have associated the book with incest and won’t read because they think that’s what the novel is about. Can you clarify for possible readers that the book is, in fact, so much more? 

There have been a few really great reviews that said right up front classifying this book as an “incest book” is doing it a major disservice. Mostly because, other than what James thinks he wants from Sarah, there is no incest. Just misplaced love, misplaced loyalty, and the unhealthy bond that can develop between two children who’ve grown up together in a toxic environment. This is definitely not FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC or FORBIDDEN. The only sex in FLAWED occurs between Sarah and her boyfriend, Sam, and the story itself is about letting go, and how by experiencing real love, Sarah is able to break free of the life she’s been trapped in for so long.

5) Why is music so important to this storyline?

I’ve always felt like my life is playing out to one long soundtrack. Writing books is the same thing for me. Every scene, every character, every emotion in one of my books comes back to a melody or a lyric I’ve heard. My writing soundtracks are ridiculously long and I love hearing from readers who have compiled their own after reading the book!

6) Most wanted an alternate ending, without giving too much away, why did you end Flawed the way you did?

If you’ve read the acknowledgments at the back of the book, you already know my husband played a major part in the ending. I’m a total plotter—we’re talking every scene is listed on a note card before I begin a book, and I write them in order from there—but this book didn’t have a final chapter or an epilogue. I had hoped they would come to me when I got to that point. Except, they didn’t. Maybe I was too much of an emotional wreck to see the forest for the trees or something, I don’t know. But I talked to my husband about it and he helped me see there was only one logical, realistic ending for this story, and that all the characters’ actions (right or wrong) had led them to that particular point. I bawled writing that scene, and cried even harder writing the epilogue. The parts of the original epilogue that crushed my heart most were removed in edits (lucky readers!), but I can confirm a rumor I’ve seen all over Goodreads. Yes, there is an alternate ending (three of them, actually), and yes, I plan to release the one everyone wants most as soon as I have permission to do so. Maybe it’ll happen at the end of this blog tour…

About the Author:

Kate Avelynn lives in Central Oregon with her husband, whom she fell in love with at eighteen after realizing he shared her obsession with music, sports, and psychoanalysis. When not devouring books, holding down her editing gig, or attempting to coax life out of the weed patch she calls a “garden,” Kate writes dark, young adult romance that blends first love, betrayal, and danger. FLAWED is her debut novel.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

And now for the prizes! Kate is giving away one of the following: a large book charm on a silver necklace, or a smaller book charm on a silver charm bracelet—winner’s choice! These are the popular book charms made by Sophie’s Beads. All you have to do is leave a comment about whether you’ve ever skipped over a book that had the potential to make you cry, along with your email address. Today’s giveaway is only open to US residents, but keep an eye out for International giveaways scheduled throughout the tour.

Kate is also running an Ultimate FLAWED Fan Pack contest via the Rafflecopter listing below. Enter daily for a chance to win some really cool stuff!

a Rafflecopter giveaway