Giveaway Interview VIRAL NATION by SHAUNTA GRIMES @shauntagrimes

About Viral Nation:

Synopsis:

After a virus claimed nearly the entire global population, the world changed. The United States splintered into fifty walled cities where the surviving citizens clustered to start over. The Company, which ended the plague by bringing a life-saving vaccine back from the future, controls everything. They ration the scant food and supplies through a lottery system, mandate daily doses of virus suppressant, and even monitor future timelines to stop crimes before they can be committed.

Brilliant but autistic, sixteen-year-old Clover Donovan has always dreamed of studying at the Waverly-Stead Academy. Her brother and caretaker, West, has done everything in his power to make her dream a reality. But Clover’s refusal to part with her beloved service dog denies her entry into the school. Instead, she is drafted into the Time Mariners, a team of Company operatives who travel through time to gather news about the future.

When one of Clover’s missions reveals that West’s life is in danger, the Donovans are shattered. To change West’s fate, they’ll have to take on the mysterious Company. But as its secrets are revealed, they realize that the Company’s rule may not be as benevolent as it seems. In saving her brother, Clover will face a more powerful force than she ever imagined and will team up with a band of fellow misfits and outsiders to incite a revolution that will change their destinies forever.

Book Details:

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Berkley Trade

Release Date: July 2, 2013

Language: English

ISBN-13: 978-0425265130

First in a series.

Two chapter excerpt available on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15985355-viral-nation

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

About the Author:

Shaunta Grimes has worked as a substitute teacher, a newspaper reporter, a drug court counselor, and a vintage clothing seller. No matter which direction she strays, however, she always comes back to storytelling. She lives in Reno with her family, where she writes, teaches, and perpetually studies at the University of Nevada. Viral Nation is her debut traditionally-published novel.

How to Connect with Shaunta:

Email: shauntagrimes@gmail.com

Twitter: @shauntagrimes

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/pages/Shaunta-Grimes/616126965080762

Blog: www.shauntagrimes.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/yEc11

I had the pleasure of meeting with Shaunta at BEA this year!  

Please welcome her to BookHounds YA

What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

I learned to read with these little yellow paper books about a lion named Sam. Sam I am, I am Sam. So, I guess those are the first I remember. I also remember reading Dr. Seuss's One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by myself. I was four and I can still remember how proud I was of myself. I have a really strong memory of being about eight and realizing that I could read anything I wanted to read. That is my first real memory of having a sense of personal power.

What are you reading right now?

I'm reading The Book Thief. I have book blog called Story Carnivores with my friend Brian Rowe, and it's our June book of the month. I'm also working on The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. She came and spoke to my writing workshop class at UNR last semester and I'm in love with her short stories. Look up “Basement Magic.” You can thank me later.

How does your garden grow?

Sadly, it grows neglected and slightly pathetic. Someday I will have the time to have a sweet little garden where I grow flowers and herbs and vegetables and have a little pen for goats and a chicken coop. That day has not yet come. But it will! I harbor serious Secret Garden fantasies.

What is the last thing you Googled?

Eminem. For some reason my eight-year-old daughter Ruby and her friend Samantha worked themselves up yesterday because Samantha, who is a fifth grader, had heard that he was nearly stabbed to death. For the record, that's a hoax. Eminem is alive and well and, according to Wikipedia, working on an eighth album.

What makes you cringe?

Mayonnaise. The super gore-filled scenes in The Walking Dead. Movies and books that don't have satisfying endings. Flies inside my house. Insta-love. Other people's eating noises. Hearing that one of my favorite TV shows has been cancelled (R.I.P. Smash.)

Giveaway details:

5 finished copies of Viral Nation US/Canada only

a Rafflecopter giveaway