I am excited to welcome author debut author SC Arscott, who is celebrating the release of her young adult science fiction novel, End of Normal.
16-year-old Olivia Richards’ last day of normal is simply that, normal. She spends her entire pre-school morning dressing to impress gorgeous guy Sawyer Rising, the hottest guy in high school. She argues with her mother about her skinny jeans being too tight, which Olivia considers ridiculous because isn’t that the point of skinny jeans? Sometimes her mother makes no sense. Olivia’s normal world also includes her gentle astrophysicist father and her twin brother Charlie, who is deaf. Despite proclaiming that his deafness is no big deal, deep inside Olivia feels it is a big deal and that it’s her duty to protect him.
Olivia’s normal ends that night when strange lights shoot out of the sky and turn into stinging drones, killing their parents, or at least they think their parents die, but do they? Forced to flee, the twins join forces with friends Axel, Clara, and Sawyer, to search for answers to the strange invasion. Discovering a conspiracy to hide the location of a second earth, they search for a way to stop the destruction of their world.
Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away a $20 giftcard to the winner’s eretailer of choice.
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Meet the Supporting Cast of End of Normal!
How fictional characters evolve from what I originally planned to what they finally become is always a surprise, because they really do have minds of their own. I can’t help how weird that sounds, it’s the truth. None of then manages to remain the same as my original vision of them; they all change for good or for bad and in the end it’s clear they change how they want. I once asked my writing mentor if having characters do their own thing was normal and she smiled, nodded, and said, “All the time.” Her words were a great relief as you can imagine.
By the time I’m finishing the novel, I’m pretty fed up with my main character, bored by their complaints and their worries. I much prefer hanging out with one of the side characters. I’m not sure why that happens, it just does. That is certainly the case with End of Normal. In the early stages of writing the novel, my focus and sympathies were with Olivia, an average girl that loves her family, her friends, and soccer, but as the revisions piled on and the characters fleshed out into believable people, her twin brother Charlie won my heart, there’s just something about him I find irresistible.
Olivia describes Charlie as younger than her by ten minutes and taller than her by ten inches. He was also born deaf, something she tells us she “didn’t ever think about it. He simply talked with his hands instead of his mouth. No big deal, at least not to my parents, or friends, or me. We signed as we talked with him, and he read lips and signed back. Like I said, no big deal.” Except it is a big deal, a very big deal, not because it’s as hard a physical burden as Olivia thinks. No Charlie’s deafness is a big deal because it allows him to consider things in his own silent world untainted by all the noises and sounds hearing people are bombarded with continuously. Through his forever-silent world, he learns to become self-reliant and independent, two characteristics I admire. I also like his confidence and independence.
Clara Patel, Olivia’s best friend, is an only child of a widow, and because of this is spoiled, self-absorbed, and slightly neurotic. She’s also fiercely loyal and can often see things more clearly because she looks at the world a little differently than anyone else. To say she’s quirky is an understatement.
Axel Cortez is a classic gentle giant, and even though I hate the use of clichés, this one fits him. He’s a football player, a little clumsy, and very vulnerable, who can resist that personality combo? He’s the kind of boy that can melt any girl’s heart. He and Olivia have been friends for several years, but it isn’t until their world gets out of control, that Olivia realizes how much she needs his gentle support. I like him for his sweet, open nature.
Sawyer Rising is the ultimate hottie, the best looking boy in school, a super soccer star, and the son of a Noble Prize winning physicist. Of the side characters, he changes the most throughout the book, swinging from okay cool guy, to selfish jerk, to an okay nice guy. He’s fun to spend time with, and it doesn’t hurt one bit that he’s handsome and very easy on the eyes.
There are other characters, parents, and a scientist, but I’ve spent the most of my time with these five teenagers and think you’ll enjoy getting to know them. The sad news is that not everyone survives.
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Meet SC Arscott!
Susan worked as a high school teacher until she thought her head would explode from all the ideas and questions her students asked. Thinking it would be easier; she foolishly switched from teaching to the ridiculous job of professional fundraiser. After spending more years than she wants to admit begging strangers for money, she gathered what pride she had left and enrolled in Spalding University’s MFA program where she became blissfully happy working with other writers and improving her writing. She currently lives and writes in Seabrook, Texas with her husband Mike, Vlad the cat, and their deaf dog Chester.
My first YA novel, End of Normal, will be available October 6, 2014 by Champagne Books and can be purchased through any online bookstore. I am in the process of developing a new, and much better website, but until it’s ready, you can check out my current, rather pitiful site. It has my bi-weekly blog and books I’m working on. My new site will be much better, so bookmark my web address and check back in a few weeks.
Contact Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | GoodReads | Amazon | Pinterest
Want to purchase Susan’s novels?
End of Normal
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Contest Time!
Thank you Susan for taking the time to stop by Literary Escapism!
Susan is giving away a $20 giftcard to Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winners choice). For multiple chances to enter, follow the tour by stopping by one of these fabulous sites:
- Oct 6th ~ Corazones Literarios
- Oct 7th ~ Coffee Books & Art
- Oct 8th ~ Run with Jackabee
- Oct 9th ~ Romance Junkies
- Oct 10th ~ StoreyBook Reviews
- Oct 13th ~ Indie Authors Books and More
- Oct 14th ~ Literary Escapism
- Oct 15th ~ Lulo Fangirl
- Oct 16th ~ Living in a Bookworld
- Oct 17th ~ Archaeolibrarian – I dig good books!
- Oct 18th ~ Metro Detroit Mommy
- Oct 24th ~ The Cover Contessa http://www.thecovercontessa.com
THANKS FOR THE POST AND GIVEAWAY!