Title: OF THE TREES
Author: E.M. Fitch
Pub. Date: Feb 28, 2017
Publisher: Month9Books
Format: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 345
Cassie and Laney fancy themselves amateur ghost hunters. When a carnival comes to town, Cassie embraces the chance to try something new.
Carnival workers watch the girls with a collective gaze that ignites in Laney a dark and dangerous fascination, leaving Cassie unnerved.
It's not just their age or the unsettling way they stare. There is something in the shifting of their skin and the way their features seem to change in the shadows.
Cassie can's shake this sickening feeling that there's more to the carnival than meets the eye.
When townspeople suddenly start dying and bloody warnings appear around town, Cassie is lured into a nightmare where trees whisper and strange, shape-shifting men haunt the backwoods she once hunted for ghosts with her best friend.
Then Laney goes missing, and only Cassie can get her back. But the creatures of the trees aren't simply going to hand Laney over to Cassie without getting something in return.
E.M. Fitch is an author who loves scary stories, chocolate, and tall trees. When not dreaming up new ways to torture characters, she is usually corralling her four children or thinking of ways to tire them out so she can get an hour of peace at night. She lives in Connecticut, surrounded by chaos, which she manages (somewhat successfully) with her husband, Marc.
Lisa's Loves (Books of Course) Q&A
QUICK FIRE INTERVIEW:
• Twitter or Facebook?
Facebook.
• Favorite Superhero?
Superman.
• Favorite TV show?
The
Walking Dead. Love me some zombies.
• Sweet or Salty?
Both
together! Raisinets in popcorn is the ultimate combination. Trust me.
• Coke or Pepsi?
Coke.
• Any Phobias?
Not
really, I super hate bugs and spiders though.
• Song you can’t get enough of right now?
Lost
Boy by Ruth B.
• Who is your ultimate Book Boyfriend?
Jamie
Fraser. Oh, I’m sorry, James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser.
• What are you reading right now or what’s on your TBR?
I’m currently reading Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness by Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner. (Yes, I
realize how dry that sounds; but it’s fascinating! One of my short stories
coming out in 2017 was inspired by the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment.)
• 2017 Movie you’re most looking forward to?
A
Monster Calls
Was there anything you wanted to add or had to eliminate from
the story? What was it and why?
There
really weren’t any cuts that I found problematic. The major elements of the
story were left untouched. Most of the edits to Of The Trees were grammatical
and some developmental, but they all made the story better and more focused.
Now, that being said, the sequel has some juicy bits and horror elements that
made me wonder if perhaps I was pushing the envelope a bit. I let my characters
and the storyline take over, though, and pushed through. I hope all those bits will
all stay intact, but I guess time will tell.
What is the heartbeat of your new novel?
This
novel centers around friendship, trust, and fear. There’s a feeling of
helplessness, and an uncertainty of how to overcome it. But, beyond the horror,
fairy lore, and whispering trees, Of The Trees is a story of two friends who love
each other, and lose each other.
If you found a genie, what would be your three wishes?
Hmmm…
Okay, first, money. I’ll admit it, I’m that person. And while money doesn’t buy
happiness, it’s sure easier to put a meal on the table and pay off a mortgage
if you have some. So, I’d want a magical little safe (not a big one! See! I’m
not greedy!) that is stacked with cash whenever I open it. Second wish: a
recipe for calorie-free chocolate chip cookies. Third wish: the ability to fly!
I’ve always wanted to be able to do that.
What do you hope readers will take away from reading this
book?
I want readers to see that bravery
is a choice; that it looks different for different people, but that it’s always
worth choosing.
Tell us Seven things we may not know about your writing
life...
1)
I have found some of my best friends online in
the writing community, it has been one of the most welcoming and encouraging
experiences of my life.
2)
I have been rejected more times than I am
willing to count, and I keep them all in a separate folder to track where I’ve
submitted, and where I’m submitting next.
3)
I’ve been writing seriously since 2013, with
plenty of “I’m just doing this for fun, I swear!” writing before that.
4)
Of The Trees is my fourth published novel –
before this was a YA zombie trilogy entitled The Break Free Series. Overall,
I’ve currently written eight complete novels (some which will never see the
light of day), a smattering of novellas, and a dozen or so short stories.
5)
Typing ‘The End’ on a novel or series is one of
the most thrilling, giggle-inducing, adrenaline-pumping moments for me, I get
giddy just thinking about it.
6)
I have no routine, music, or formula that gets
me writing – when it’s time to write, I just sit down and do it.
7)
I do an absolute ton of research regarding all
sorts of topics for every book or short story I write, this includes movies and
television shows that inspire ideas, to non-fiction works, actual research
papers and articles, and internet searches that could probably land me in some
trouble with the NSA.
Was there any particular research that you did for the new
book?
Yes, tons!
I started with Irish fairy-tales and folklore, which led me to W.B. Yeats and a
collection of his stories and poems. One in particular stuck out to me, The
Stolen Child, and that helped to influence and shape Of The Trees. And while
old tales of the Fae are the dark undercurrents that run throughout this novel,
the story begins with a ghost story. So there was a lot of research put into
one of the old, local legends that skulks around a cemetery quite close to me.
It was a ghost story I remembered from my own time in high school, and I went
searching through archives for the details. I also looked into everything from
tree varieties, to high school floor-plans, to… oh! This was a big one: The Appalachian
Trail. So much research went into the conditions on the trail, what you’d have
to pack for a thru-hike, how long something like that would take, what the
particular sections of the trail looked like. On and on! I just adore
researching, which comes in handy because every novel I write requires often
very bizarre research.
Giveaway Details:
1 winner will receive a $25 Fandango Gift Card, US Only.
