Author Interview: Katie McGarry

Today, I have the pleasure of bringing you an interview with my one of my favourite authors - Katie McGarrg! I’m sure you’ve all heard of Katie’s debut, Pushing The Limits – one of the hottest and most talked about YA debuts this year! I read Pushing the Limits a while ago, and absolutely LOVED it; You can read my review here.  I may not be the biggest fan of contemporary books, but Pushing the Limits has managed to become my favourite book of this year (so far, anyway.) Without further ado, here’s the interview:

Q. I’m sure most of us, who’ve read Pushing the Limits would agree that the book is far from your average girl-falls-for-bad-boy book. But for those who haven’t read it, can you tell us why everyone should read Pushing the Limits   this year?

Mostly I think someone should read Pushing the Limits because it is a story about attraction, love, friendships, family, death, grief, and most of all, it is a story of hope. 

Q. What was the most difficult part about writing Pushing the Limits? What was the easiest?

There’s a scene towards the end of the book where Echo and Noah are confronting each other after a whirlwind of awful events. There are so many emotions happening simultaneously between these two characters and it was difficult to wrap fear and frustration and love and hope all into one little scene.

I enjoyed writing the chemistry between Echo and Noah. Their attraction sparked off the page and I loved writing their witty banter. 

Q. Many confronting issues are dealt with in the book; how did you go about writing it? Did you have to do a lot of research? 

Yes, I did have to research issues within the book and I researched by reading articles and by talking to people who have had involvement with the subject matter whether professionally or personally.

Q. All the characters, Noah and Echo especially, are such complex and in-depth characters. Was it difficult writing about them? Are they based on anyone you know?

It could be difficult when writing them. When I write, I “become” my characters. Their highs are my highs. Their hurts become my hurts. I cried several times while writing Pushing the Limits, but I also laughed quite a bit too. 

No, my characters are not based on anyone I know. If anything, I gave each character a piece of myself. For instance, I gave Echo a memory loss (I repressed the memory of being bitten by a dog in second grade).

Q.  How does it feel to have your first book published (and receiving such fabulous reviews I might add!:D) 

Amazing! I recently celebrated my US release by signing at a local bookstore. It was truly a fantastic moment to stand up in front of my friends and family to talk about my book and to thank them for their support. 

Q. Beth was definitely one of my favourite characters and I can’t wait to read her story. Can you tell us anything about your upcoming book, Dare You To?

In DARE YOU TO you can expect romance, old wounds resurfacing, humor, action, and a lot of kissing. DARE YOU TO is scheduled to be released sometime in 2013. 

Quick Questions:

Good Boy or Bad Boy? A combination of both

Favourite movie? Casablanca

Favourite book? The Outsiders

Favourite YA couple? Bella and Edward

Ultimate YA crush? Isaiah from PTL (sorry, can’t help it)

Guilty Pleasure? Reality television

Pushing The Limits

Katie McGarry

August 2012

Harlequin Teen

Find Katie on: 

Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository 

Twitter | Website | Facebook 

A massive thank you to Katie for her time! And also to Morey Media for the chance to interview Katie!

So, what did you think of the interview? :) I, and I'm sure many others cried several times throughout the book. Seriously, I cannot recommend this enough - you must read this if you haven't already!