Joint YA Spotlight: Amber Lynn Natusch, Mischa Thrace, Lucia DiStefano

Sept. 7, 2018

Welcome to our September YA Joint Author Spotlight! Today we feature three awesome debut authors:

Amber Lynn Natusch, DARE YOU TO LIE (Tor Teen, Sept. 4, 2018)
Mischa Thrace, MY WHOLE TRUTH (Flux, Oct. 2, 2018)
Lucia DiStefano, BORROWED (Elephant Rock Productions, Nov. 1, 2018)

Enter the giveaway to win all three books!

AMBER LYNN NATUSCH

Author of DARE YOU TO LIE (Tor Teen, Sept. 4, 2018)

About your book & what inspired it: Kylene Danners is a hometown girl out for the justice she and her father were denied. She'll risk almost anything to get it--including her life. I was totally inspired by the show Veronica Mars. It’s my favorite of all time 😉

Who you'd cast in the movie: Oh boy…. Maybe a younger Amanda Seyfried or Rachel McAdams.

Recent YA pick: SKY IN THE DEEP by Adrienne Young. Loved it.

Best Advice to an Aspiring Author: Trust your gut and be careful who you take advice from (which now seems ironic given that I don’t know them and I’m giving them advice…)

One thing most people don't know about you:

I’m extremely sensitive under my thick armor.

Where to find you online:

IG: @allthingsnatusch

Twitter: @AmberLNatusch

website: www.amberlynnnatusch.com

AMBER LYNN NATUSCH is the Canadian author of the bestselling CAGED series for adults. She loves to dance and practice Muay Thai―but spends most of her time running a chiropractic practice with her husband, raising two young children, and attempting to write when she can lock herself in the bathroom for ten minutes of peace. DARE YOU TO LIE is her debut YA novel.

MISCHA THRACE

Author of MY WHOLE TRUTH (Flux, Oct. 2, 2018)

About your book and what inspired it: MY WHOLE TRUTH is about a girl who gets charged with murder after killing a former classmate in self-defense. There are certain real-life court cases that directly influenced later parts of the book, but I can’t be more specific without spoilers, sorry!

Cover design © Jake Norby

Who you'd cast in the movie: I’m awful at keeping track of actor names if they’re not part of my fandoms, so I have no idea, but I would love to know what others think! Maybe a cast of unknown actors??

Recent YA picks: There have been so many amazing books released this year that it’s hard to narrow it down to a few recommendations, but Amber Lynn Natusch’s DARE YOU TO LIE, Britta Lundun’s SHIP IT and Kate Marshall’s I AM STILL ALIVE are all excellent reads.

Best advice to aspiring authors: Read widely and share your work. Putting you writing out there can be terrifying, but learning to give and receive critiques is one of the best ways to grow as an author.

One thing most people don't know: I’m a huge fan of recreational violence! I’ve studied Muay Thai and longsword fighting and would love to give roller derby a go.

Where to find you online: I’m on Twitter and Instagram @mischa_thrace and my website is mischathrace.com.

Mischa Thrace has worked as an English teacher, a horse trainer, a baker, and a librarian and has amassed enough random skills to survive most apocalypses. She lives in Middle-of-Nowhere, Massachusetts with her husband, a one-eyed dog, and a cranky cat who rarely leaves the basement. She loves tea, all things geek, and not getting ax-murdered on long walks in the woods.

LUCIA DISTEFANO

Author of BORROWED (Elephant Rock Productions, Nov. 1, 2018)

About your book & what inspired it: I've always been fascinated by the topic of personal identity and how malleable it may or may not be. When I heard about the phenomenon of cellular memory in heart transplant patients (how aspects of the donor's personality might make it into the recipient's psyche), I knew I wanted to work it into a story somehow.

Who you'd cast in the movie: Maybe Bailee Madison as Maxine and Morgan Lily as Linnea.

Recent YA pick: HEART OF THORNS by Bree Barton

Best advice to aspiring authors: Approach writing with the mindset of 'play,' and you'll find the lasting kind of rewards.

One thing most people don't know: I play the piano (for my own amazement, not professionally).

Where to find you online:

www.LuciaDiStefano.com, and on Twitter @LuciaDiStef

Lucia DiStefano is an editor, ghostwriter, and writing coach who makes her home near Austin, Texas. First-generation Sicilian-American and daughter of an olive farmer, she admits to having recurring pasta dreams.