Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for WAVEHOUSE by Alice Kaltman!
I have an interview with Alice to share with you today! And make sure to enter the giveaway below!
Haven't heard of WAVEHOUSE? Check it out!
Title: WAVEHOUSE
Pub. Date: June 15,
2018
Publisher: Fitzroy Books
Formats: Hardcover,
Paperback, eBook
Pages: 289
Sixteen year-old Anna Dugan is a super surfer who feels most at home when taking off on a ten-foot wave. But surf culture bores Anna big time. While other surfers follow trends and speak the lingo, Anna harbors a secret desire to be an artist, drawing houses made of waves. It’s not the most practical dream for the daughter of a single mom living in Kendall’s Watch, a beach town where most kids are so surf-centric they think ‘Current Events’ have something to do with ocean tides.
Anna is not only the best surfer in Kendall’s, she’s also the shyest. When a surf scout comes to town to gage her talent, Anna freaks out and refuses to let him watch her. To protect herself from the pressure and the panic, Anna decides to only surf at her private break, Secretspot, for the rest of the summer. But Secretspot becomes treacherous in ways Anna never imagined, and the danger has nothing to do with waves. When a gorgeous stranger paddles out, smiling a bewitching smile and surfing like a god, their chemistry is impossible to ignore. A series of events are set in motion that will change Anna’s life forever; events that raise difficult questions about love, honesty, betrayal and family ties.
In the end, is it worth it? Dive in to Wavehouse, life-preserver recommended, and the decision is yours.
Now on to the interview!
Hey Alice!! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books I’m glad
you could stop by for a chat! WAVEHOUSE sounds AWESOME and I can’t wait for
everyone to read it!
What
are you working on now?
I go back and forth between writing for
young adults and ‘real’ adults. I just finished another novel that is
definitely not for kids, even though it involves lots of very loveable dogs.
Right now I’m working on a short story suite that is a take on The Seven Deadly
Sins. I’m putting the finishing touches on “Sloth”. It’s pretty weird.
Were
any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
Actually they all are, in a way. But no
character is truly anyone I know. The feel of the book, and the nature of the
characters all were inspired by the folks I know in Montauk, my beloved second
home. I’d say the two characters that share real traits with real people in my
life are Grandpa, who is very like my dear departed father, and Myra, who
reminds me of one of my oldest, dearest friends, Ann.
Who
was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
I loved writing about all the characters.
Even the slimy, sleazy ones like Rusty.
What
is your favorite passage/scene in WAVEHOUSE?
I love the scene where Sara surprises Anna
by appearing at Secretspot. I don’t want to say much more about the details in
that passage, but the close bond they share comes through, at least to me.
Sara’s care and protectiveness, Anna’s surliness and deep desire for her
mother’s approval. Lots of feels. I tear up every time I read it!
What
kind of research did you have to do for the story?
I did a bit of research about surf tours
and the inequity of pay between the professional women surfers and the better
paid men. Otherwise, Wavehouse is all based on my own experience as a surfer
and a small beach/tourist town resident.
Who
is your ultimate book boyfriend?
Whomever Channing Tatum would play in the
movie version of the book.
What
inspired you to write YA?
My daughter, who was and continues to be a
voracious reader. Originally I wrote for her when she was very young, never
really thinking about a career as a writer. Picture books, then Middle Grade
Fantasy, then YA. Now she’s a screenwriter and reads my stuff before I send it
out into the world. And she can be tough!
Lightening
Round Questions
What
are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to
read?
I’m reading a very disturbing novel called “The Perfect Nanny” by Leïla Slimani. Let’s
just say this nanny is far from perfect. She’s pathological!
What
Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
The fourth house that no one ever talks about.
Twitter
or Facebook?
Twitter!
Favorite
Superhero?
Wonder Woman…duh.
Favorite
TV show?
Right now I’d say “Killing Eve”
Sweet
or Salty?
Salty
Any
Phobias?
I can’t tolerate dead rodents and hair in shower drains makes me gag.
Song
you can’t get enough of right now?
“You’ll be Back” from Hamilton. Sung by King George. I just got to see
my dear friend Jon Patrick Walker, who is playing King George in the Phillip
tour of Hamilton sing it, and he was AMAZING! Now it is stuck in my head.
2018
Movie you’re most looking forward to?
The movie version of “Wavehouse” Ha. One
can dream, can’t one?
Thanks so much Alice for answering my
questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read WAVEHOUSE!
As a young girl I
longed to be a mermaid. My idol sat demurely on the Chicken of the Sea tuna
fish cans. I peeled labels off to save her image. Every night before bedtime I
squeezed both legs in to one side of my pajama bottoms and shuffled around the
house pretending I was as beautiful as the tuna fish mermaid.
Real mermaid-hood
proved elusive, so I became a modern dancer instead. For over twenty years I
worked with brilliant choreographers and performed in amazing places. And while
I’m still paid to do the occasional pirouette, I’m now mostly known as a Parenting Coach/Writer helping out
moms and dads, and talking to kids also, about their (often annoying) parents.
But honestly? I’m
most at home when upside down and underwater. I’ve been swimming my entire
life, and surfing for the better part of adulthood. It’s no surprise my two
novels are totally ocean-centric. Saving Grace is
about a mermaid, and Wavehouse is
about a surfer. And I guess they’re both about me, too.
My short fiction
(for adults) takes place on land, sea, and air. I’m thrilled that Staggerwing, a collection of my
favorites, is forthcoming from Tortoise Books in October,
2016.
These days I split
my time between Brooklyn and Montauk, New York where I wear my pajamas regular
style. But if too much time passes without a swim or a surf, I’m tempted to
revisit my childhood shenanigans. Wouldn’t it be fun to flip-flop about like a
fish out of water or a beached mermaid, restless and hungry for the incoming
tide?
If you want to
reach out about bookish stuff, send me an email via the cute little Contact
pop-up, or via my literary agent, Zoe Sandler of ICM Partners.
Giveaway Details:
2 winners will receive a hardcover of WAVEHOUSE, US Only.
2 winners will receive a paperback of
WAVEHOUSE, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
6/1/2018- Will Read Anything- Spotlight
Week Two:
6/4/2018- RhythmicBooktrovert- Review
6/5/2018- Sincerely Karen Jo- Excerpt
6/6/2018- Ziggy's
Reading Corner- Spotlight
6/7/2018- Mythical
Books- Interview
6/8/2018- Wonder Struck- Review
Week Three:
6/11/2018- The
Cozy Reading Corner- Guest Post
6/12/2018- Peaceful Oblivion- Review
6/13/2018- Vylithylia Reads- Spotlight
6/14/2018- BookHounds YA- Guest
Post
6/15/2018- Birdie
Bookworm- Review
Week Four:
6/18/2018- Parajunkee- Excerpt
6/19/2018- For the
Love of KidLit- Interview
6/20/2018- Two
Chicks on Books- Interview
6/21/2018- Caffeine And Composition- Guest Post
6/22/2018- Book Dragon Lair- Review
Week Five:
6/25/2018- Lilly's Book World- Review
6/26/2018- Jaime's
World- Excerpt
6/28/2018- Daily
Waffle- Excerpt
Sounds like an exciting surfing story. I like the character.
ReplyDelete