Blog Tour- THE FORGETTING by Sharon Cameron & Interview & Giveaway!

I am thrilled to be kicking off the blog tour for THE FORGETTING by Sharon Cameron! I freaking adore this book! It will easily make my top 10 of 2016 list! I have an interview with Sharon to share with you today! And make sure to enter the awesome giveaway for a finished copy of the book!!

Haven't heard of THE FORGETTING? Check it out!

Title: THE FORGETTING

Author: Sharon Cameron

Pub. Date: September 13, 2016

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Pages: 416

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Goodreads

What isn't written, isn't remembered. Even your crimes.

Nadia lives in the city of Canaan, where life is safe and structured, hemmed in by white stone walls and no memory of what came before. But every twelve years the city descends into the bloody chaos of the Forgetting, a day of no remorse, when each person's memories – of parents, children, love, life, and self – are lost. Unless they have been written.

In Canaan, your book is your truth and your identity, and Nadia knows exactly who hasn't written the truth. Because Nadia is the only person in Canaan who has never forgotten.

But when Nadia begins to use her memories to solve the mysteries of Canaan, she discovers truths about herself and Gray, the handsome glassblower, that will change her world forever. As the anarchy of the Forgetting approaches, Nadia and Gray must stop an unseen enemy that threatens both their city and their own existence – before the people can forget the truth. And before Gray can forget her.

Now on to the interview!

Hi Sharon! First I want to say welcome back to Two Chicks on Books! THE FORGETTING was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! And am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about THE FORGETTING and the characters?

        Hi Jaime! Thanks for having me. THE FORGETTING is the story of the walled city of Canaan, and the people inside it, who lose their identities every twelve years. To keep some record of their lives, everyone is required to wear a book tied to their body, where they can (supposedly!) write all the truths about themselves, to know themselves again after the Forgetting. Nadia, however, is the only person to have never forgotten. She knows what happens the night before the Forgetting, when fear drives the entire population to either despair or unspeakable violence. She knows it’s coming again. And this time, Nadia plans to do something about it.

Is this a standalone? I would love to see more of this world and more of Nadia and Gray :D

It is and it isn’t! There is a companion book on the way (title forthcoming), same world, different time, different characters, opposite questions. :) But you won’t need one to read the other, so no cliffhangers. Yay!

What is your favorite passage/scene in THE FORGETTING?

It’s cruel to make me choose just one, Jaime, but I’ll give you this. THE FORGETTING is full of excerpts from Nadia’s personal book, and this is one of them. It’s an unusual passage, in that it just popped out this way when I wrote it, and had little or no revision (that never happens!). I think I like it because it says so much about Nadia’s character.

I went over the wall.

          When we were young, and in the learning room, Eshan once asked why Canaan had a wall around it. Our teacher said that we’d forgotten what was outside Canaan, but that was exactly why we needed the wall in the first place. To keep us safe from what we did not know. What if there were insects that could sting or bite? What if you fell off a cliff or into a deep hole? What if there was no food, and you starved? What if, the teacher said, you were outside the walls and you forgot? You’d wander alone, forever, never able to find a way home again. We stay inside the walls because that is what we know, and where we are safe.

          It made me wonder, does the wall protect us, or keep us in?

          Today I found I’m not afraid of the unknown. Today I discovered that the unknown loved me, and that I loved it back.

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

As always, I did a ton of research on varied and completely weird subjects, which always makes me think my internet searches are going to trigger some sort of FBI probe and the Feds are going to come knocking at my door. But I did look in depth at amnesia, specifically films showing someone’s psychological reaction to it. It really is a nature vs. nurture question, your natural self vs. who you have made yourself to be. Some people reacted to sudden and complete memory loss by literally hiding for days, others became aggressive and violent. So much of our identity seems to be wrapped up in our remembered experience, and yet, the “essence” of a person very often stays the same. Fascinating!

Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?

Such an easy question. Eugenides, from Megan Whalen Turner’s THE THIEF series. Though if you’d asked me when I was ten, I would have said Johnny Tremain. Interestingly, both these characters are maimed. This makes my husband nervous.

Lightning Round Questions

What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

THE WINNER’S KISS, Marie Rutkoski.

What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?

As if I haven’t been sorted! Ravenclaw, and Pukwudgie for Ilvermorny.

Twitter or Facebook?

Twitter.

Favorite Superhero?

The husband. He qualifies.

Favorite TV show?

I’d forgotten I owned one until the Olympics came on.

Sweet or Salty?

Salty.

Any Phobias?

Underwater caves. There is not a snowball’s chance I will encounter this phobia.

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

Chela, by a Georgian Men’s Folk Choir called Basiani. Yep, I know that’s weird. You should listen to them sing Tsintskaro. Magic! And they sing while wearing daggers. Win.

Fall Movie you’re most looking forward to?

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Thanks so much Sharon for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read THE FORGETTING!

About Sharon:

Sharon Cameron was awarded the 2009 Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for her debut novel, The Dark Unwinding. When not writing Sharon can be found thumbing dusty tomes, shooting her longbow, or indulging in her lifelong search for secret passages. She lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | YouTube

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE FORGETTING courtesy of Scholastic. US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

 Week One:

9/5/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

9/6/2016- IceyBooks- Review

9/7/2016- Such a Novel Idea- Guest Post

9/8/2016- Jessabella Reads- Review

9/9/2016- Take Me Away To A Great Read- Interview

Week Two:

9/12/2016- Stories & Sweeties- Review

9/13/2016- Novel Novice- Guest Post

9/14/2016- The Book Shire- Review

9/15/2016- Tales of the Ravenous Reader- Interview

9/16/2016- The Best Books Ever - Review