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🌟 Please join me in welcoming author Danielle K. Roux to Stories That Make You Smile! Danielle is here today sharing information about her fabulous young adult novel, August Prather Is Not Dead Yet, released this past summer. She’s brought along an extremely generous giveaway. Pull up a chair and join the discussion as Danielle discusses her book and her writing in a lovely and informative interview. 🌟

August Prather Is Not Dead Yet by Danielle K. Roux

Four queer kids. Two epic journeys, No filter.

Publisher: Parliament House
Art: Shane Leighton
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Length: 368 pages
Pairing / Genre(s) / Keyword(s): LGBTQ+, New Adult, Romance

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Blurb

Katherine Garnet is a writer who has never cared much about much, making it awfully difficult to create new content. Despite the fact she has the “edge” of being trans (according to her cis male editor) she is not looking to capitalize on her own personal story. Garnet tries to sneak a peek at her rival, August Prather’s, latest fantasy manuscript about a quest for the elixir of life. While reading, Garnet gets accidentally dragged into a bizarre cross-country road trip that may or may not have a purpose and begins to see parallels in the story of the manuscript and the reality of their journey. Along the way, they encounter a parade of equally troubled individuals, including ghost-hunting priests, a robot magician, a discarded piece of furniture, a runaway teenager, and a Japanese rock star. As Garnet confronts her past, she begins to understand why someone might want to live forever.

☆ Author Interview ☆

Welcome, and thank you for stopping by! Tell us a little about yourself and your writing goals.

I’m Danielle, I write fantasy novels and teach reading. I have a background in history, and I love doing research, getting inspired, and then writing weird fiction about it. My goals are to continue to write character-driven stories with beautiful weirdos with hearts of gold. I like to tell stories that are complicated and a bit dark, but still utilize humor and heart. Eventually it would be awesome to be a full-time writer, but for now it’s my side-hustle.

Congratulations on your new release. Please tell us a little bit about it. What’s your favorite aspect or part of the story? Do you have a favorite character? Who/Why?

August Prather is Not Dead Yet is about a group of queer kids on a road trip. Kate Garnet and August Prather are rival writers and August is a bit chaotic, while Garnet is steady. Lyosha and Mitya is an adorable couple who happen to be exorcists, they’re my favorite, especially Lyosha. He had a sharp tongue and a heart of gold. There’s a parallel story as Garnet is reading August’s novel, which is also about a journey – a quest for immortality. I love all the random misadventure the gang gets up to on their way across the country, and I love the dialogue. Writing witty banter is a lot of fun, I crack myself up, I’m such a nerd.

Are you a planner or a pantser? How much do you know about your story before you start writing? How often does your plan change? Why does this work best for you?

I’m more of a pantser, but I try to have some of the bits figured out before I go, like checkpoints. I like to let the characters have a high free will, do what they do, and then they will decide where the plot leads. It makes it more interesting for me, if I know everything that happens, it’s less fun to write a story.

How long did it take to write this book?

I wrote this novel in college so it took me about three years, but that was because I had so much other writing to do. I worked a little at a time, and eventually built out the complex story into something. I ended up not doing anything with the manuscript for a few years, then I edited it a couple of years ago and started querying. My new WIPs are being written much quicker since I rarely have homework these days.

Werewolves or vampires?

I love vampires, they’re so fun and sexy. I feel like I need to write something with vampires or werewolves soon. I’m currently writing a story with demons and witches, and I’m really enjoying the classic horror bits I get to play with and twist around.

Are there tropes you’ve been reluctant to try, or flat-out avoid?

Reluctant to approach any sort of traditional love-triangle, mostly because I feel like it’s over done. I prefer a love octagon or some sort of crazy situation where there’s a host of characters who are all interested in each other, and that creates more dramatic tension because it is even more unpredictable.

How many WiPs are you juggling?

I have two at the moment. A YA urban fantasy series called This Will Kill That, and I’m about half way finished with book two. Sort of post-apocalyptic with a mysterious city where rival Color factions fight for power. The daughters of rival Colors fall in love. Assassin girls, psychic powers, ghosts, witty banter and riddles.

The other is an NA fantasy with demons, angels, witches, and warrior nuns. It’s a bit of a dark comedy, inspired by Rosemary’s Baby. An introverted girl finds out she’s been chosen to be the mother of the Anti-Christ and she’s going to be a demon queen. There’s a banished demon who becomes her love interest, and an adorable murderous corgi demon.

If you could be (or had to be) a shifter, which animal or fantasy being would you choose to be?

I would be a dragon! I’m year of the dragon in the Chinese zodiac, and dragons are just so eccentric and powerful. I would probably be a really small, cute dragon that flutters around and sleeps a lot.

Meet the Author

Danielle K. Roux is a writer, teacher, and historian. Her first novel August Prather is Not Dead Yet is currently available in e-book and paperback through Parliament House Press (and soon will be available in hardcover and audio book). Danielle has always loved reading and telling stories – especially stories with adventure, mystery, humor, romance and at least a little bit of spookiness. Not Dead Yet has all this covered, with a story-within-a-story structure and a quest for immortality in the early twentieth century paired with a present-day road trip. There’s a lot of existential crisis and a male/male romance that is sweet and steamy.

Danielle has been writing fiction since she was nine, after getting tired of reading from the perspective of white, straight male characters in fantasy novels. Her first written story involved a group of middle school girls who find necklaces used by a dead witch that give them supernatural powers. It was written in notebooks in purple and green gel pens that are currently housed in a box in her linen closet. She is inspired by travelling to new places and reading about the stories tied to landscapes. She has at least three novels building in her brain (or wherever novels come from) and wishes she was writing them all right now.

Danielle lives with her wife and two orange cats in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has added a lot of young adult fantasy fiction to her bookshelves recently, and regrets nothing. Her dream library would be accessed through a secret door and look something like the library in the animated Disney Beauty and the Beast, although it would also have a cute barista or sentient coffee machine that once was said barista.

When she isn’t writing or thinking about writing, Danielle is building houses in the Sims, listening to podcasts, or taking Buzzfeed quizzes to find out what kind of tree she is based on her hair color. She has recently been watching lots of old BBC period pieces, and some of them are good. She has begun to drink Diet Coke and is worried this might be a real problem. Coffee and tea are still her primary beverages of choice.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway

Enter the rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win:

• $50 Amazon gift card, an Out of Print rainbow library card enamel pin & signed copy of August Prather is Not Dead
• $20 Amazon gift card, an Out of Print rainbow library card enamel pin & signed copy of August Prather is Not Dead
• An Out of Print rainbow library card enamel pin & signed copy of August Prather is Not Dead
• An ebook copy of August Prather is Not Dead Yet

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