A Book Addict's Bookshelves (Old): Blog Tour + Interview + Giveaway

Find the tour schedule here.

The Colony by Kathleen Groger
(A Rasper Novel, #1)
Publication date: April 5th 2016
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Trust no one.

Never go out in the dark.

Always have a weapon.

Sixteen-year-old Val lives by these three rules etched on her arm. Her rules and her gun are the only things standing between her and assimilation by hordes of human-looking aliens she calls Raspers.

By day, Val gathers supplies. By night, she hides and wishes she could go back in time…before her family died…before the annihilation…before the Raspers began stalking her and demanding she join their collective.

But when the Raspers attack in broad daylight, the truth becomes startlingly clear.

They’re evolving.

A fellow survivor crashes into Val’s life. Adam’s full of charm and promises—like rumors of a safe haven—but there’s something wrong. He’s survived with no supplies, no weapons…no plans. Time is running out. With the formula for survival shifting around her, Val must decide how many rules she’s willing to break to escape the Colony.

Goodreads

Purchase:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

When did you start writing?

I have written stories since elementary school, but to write with the goal of publication, since 2009.

What makes you want to write?

I have to write. The stories clog my brain and if I don’t write them down, I get crazy, vivid dreams (lots of times, nightmares).

Do you ever get writer's block and what do you do to get over it?

Writer’s block? No. Usually if I get stuck somewhere, that signals that something isn’t working. Be it a plot twist, or even a character. I evaluate what’s wrong and go back and fix. Or move on until I can resolve the problem.

Do you have a special way of going about writing?

I come up with an idea and then do my research. Sometimes the research involves long hours searching the internet or reading books. Sometimes talking to people. And in fun cases, I get to visit the setting of the book. Before I start to write a story, I know my main characters, the setting, the conflict, and the ending. Everything else comes as I work through the story, which in some cases leads to lots of editing.

Do you have any works in progress?

I’m working on Book 2 of the Rasper series - I promise lots more Raspers and conspiracy theories. I hope to have Book 2 out in early 2017. The first two books in my Seam Stalkers series, The Shattered Seam and Silencing The Seam, both YA horror, paranormals will be coming out in September of this year.

What are your hobbies?

I love to read, cook, and spend time with my family and two dogs. Also, I have a passion for photographing abandoned buildings. I have a number of my favorite pictures on my website, but need to add a lot more. :)

Who is your favourite character in The Colony?

Val. She’s strong, independent, and a survivor. And I loved giving her that little bit of an attitude she carries on her shoulders.

How did you get the idea for the The Colony?

My older brother was into aliens when I was a kid. He always talked about them and how it would be cool if he got to go to their planet with them. The thought of aliens scared me and I spent a number of years worried that aliens would abduct me and turn me into an alien. I came up with the idea for The Colony by flipping my fear of abduction into how a teen could survive if the aliens took over Earth.

What was your favourite part of writing The Colony?

I loved making it worse for my characters. Once I got them out of one crisis, I thought, okay, what could happen next that’s worse than that?

What are you currently reading?

I’ve been reading lots of dark, psychological thrillers. I’m currently reading Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza. I recently finished You and Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes and All Good Deeds by Stacy Green.

What is your favourite book?

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling. Funny observation: this is my favorite book of the Harry Potter series and of all books everywhere, but the movie version is my least favorite of the movies.

Who is your favourite author?

I can’t narrow down to just one. My top favorites are: J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, Suzanne Collins, and Gillian Flynn

What is your favourite film?

Star Wars - the original trilogy, Episodes IV,V, & VI. I saw Star Wars: A New Hope in the theater when I was five and it started my love for sci-fi.

What is your favourite TV show?

Again I can’t narrow down to just one. My top favorites are:

Survivor - This show fascinates me because I could never make it. I can’t live without hair gel to tame my frizzes.

All the ghost-hunter reality shows - love, love, love my ghost shows.

Criminal Minds - The cases they work are dark and psychological and twisted. And spark lots of book ideas.

Quick-fire questions:

Chocolate or ice cream? Chocolate, specifically, Endangered Species dark chocolate with 88% cocoa.

Paperback or ebook? Depends on the book. Mostly ebook, but for books like George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, I need the paperback so I can keep flipping to the who’s who charts in the back.

Dogs or cats? Dogs!!!

Go out or stay in? Stay in while wearing pajamas

Summer or winter? Neither. Fall is my favorite season.

Thank you for letting me stop by and chat! Happy Reading!

AUTHOR BIO

Kathleen wrote her first story in elementary school about a pegasus named Sir Lancelot. It had no plot or conflict, but it sparked a dream. After serving a fifteen-year sentence in retail management, the bulk in big box bookstores, she turned her love of reading into a full-time career writing dark and haunting characters and stories.

She lives by the mantra that a day is not complete without tea. Lots of tea. Kathleen lives in Ohio with her husband, two boys, and two attention-demanding dogs. When not writing or editing or revising, you can find her reading, cooking, spending time with her family, or photographing abandoned buildings.