[Day Eighteen of 31 Days] Giveaway + Author Interview: Grace Nosek, author of Ava of the Gaia

Today's guest is Grace Nosek, author of Ava of the Gaia. Grace is here for an interview and a giveaway!

Hi Grace! Welcome to the Fairytale Nerd! So, how are you today?
I’m doing very well, thank you! It’s a gorgeous fall day in Boston and I don’t have too much reading to do for law school this week. Hopefully, I’ll even have time to start working on my next novel!

Ah! A law student and an author. I wonder how you manage your time with your readings and... sleep. Come to think of it, sleep is for the weak. :D So, tell me about your book.
My young adult novel, Ava of the Gaia, unfolds in a Massachusetts high school. Ava Fae delights in the appearance of an alluring new boy at her high school, until she sees the dagger tattoo on the inside of his wrist. She knows that tattoo, and it can mean only one thing—either she or the new boy will be dead by the end of the school year.

There are so many wonderful young adult and paranormal romance novels out there. It’s a genre that allows for an extraordinary amount of experimentation. That freedom inspired me to write the kind of young adult book I really wanted to read. I wanted to read about a strong woman who stays true to herself and her friends. I wanted chemistry between the lead characters that developed naturally and involved lots of witty banter. I wanted that splash of magic that makes novels pop, and I wanted a book that really showcased nature and how humans connect with the natural world around them.

Why fairies?
Although I don’t call the people in my books fairies, my main character’s name is Ava Fae and she has that same wild connection with nature, that impish love of the outside, that joy in living in the moment that I think draws people to fairies. This passage from my book captures why I love the essence of fae magic.

Ava felt a cool splash against her shoulder. Grinning, she tilted her head back to welcome the rain. It started lightly and then almost instantly turned into a massive downpour, with great big dolloping raindrops. Ava laughed delightedly, the sound gurgling up from somewhere deep within, and she threw her arms up as if to embrace the water sheeting down on top of her. Owen stood, mesmerized by the scene in front of him.

Ava began to sway her hips and wave her arms rhythmically in the air, as if the Earth were playing some deep, primal drumbeat that only she could hear. Her gorgeous golden locks were fighting a losing battle against the taming power of the rain and her face was totally uncovered. Rain clung to her lashes. Her eyes were closed in silent enjoyment of the freedom brought on by the thunderstorm. As she moved through the mud, flecks of it began to coat the back of her legs; her toes squelched happily into it. Her dance, so fluid and so graceful, made it impossible for Owen to turn away. Ava didn’t notice, because her eyes were closed, but leaves, and yellow and purple flower petals and bits of twig displaced by the downpour had begun to swirl languidly around her, in a beautiful imitation of a tornado.

What is your greatest extravagance?
I have a La-Z-Boy recliner in my dorm room that I absolutely love. Other than that, the two things I really want are a dog and a solar-powered tree house.

Who is your real life hero? How about in books?
Jane Goodall. I love the work she’s done with chimpanzees and conservation. In books, I adore Hermione Granger and Sabriel from the Garth Nix series.

What is the worst thing about being a writer? The best?
I think the best and worst thing are two sides of the same coin. Nobody is forcing you to do this. You have to find all the self-motivation you can and ride that wave long enough to produce a book. But it also means that you are creating something for yourself, from your own passion and creativity. I love that aspect of writing. I wrote a book, worked for two years, for no other reason than that I loved my characters and I wanted to see where they would take me.

What is your next project?
I’m working on a sequel to Ava of the Gaia. It’s so exciting because my characters get pushed beyond their furthest limits and I get to see how they will respond. Some of the novel takes place in Australia, a place I have visited extensively, and it’s fun to synthesize my memories with my writing, to imagine my characters visiting towns and beaches that I’ve explored in the past.

Thank you for visiting The Fairytale Nerd Grace!

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BUY

Ava of the Gaia

by G.E. Nosek

Ava Fae saves the life and steals the affection of the beautiful new boy at her high school, knowing full well that saving his life may mean losing her own.
When Ava dances in the rain, nature dances with her—fallen leaves and shimmering petals swirl around her in a tornado of color, as if the Earth is lending out its crown jewels to adorn a favorite princess. Ava belongs to the ancient Order of Gaia—a secret group created by those with superhuman abilities to safeguard the vitality of the natural world. Now, another secret group, the Order of Ares, is methodically hunting down and killing the Gaia.
Isolated from the conflict and lulled by the halcyon setting of her rural Massachusetts town, Ava is content to use her powers to frolic with the local fauna and compel her teachers to recycle, until a new boy wearing the tattoo of the Ares arrives at her high school. With a pair of wickedly slanting cheekbones, a silent hurt in his blue eyes, and the Ares’ ability to control his own and others’ pheromones, Lucas is a one man siren song, pulling Ava inexorably towards him. No hapless schoolgirl to be so easily ensnared, Ava responds to the beautiful boy’s attention with un-tempered ferocity, especially after he appears to casually crush a spider in front of her. But Ava catches Lucas carefully releasing the spider outdoors. Then, after rescuing Lucas from a late night bar fight, she glances up from tending to his wounds to find a look of such trust in his eyes that it leaves her struggling to breathe. Ava must decide: are these moments of intimacy artfully contrived steps in a plan to lure her into betraying her people or can she actually work with Lucas to bring about a rapprochement between the warring orders?

Want this book? 

Grace is giving away THREE digital copies! 

Fill out the form for a chance to win Ava of the Gaia!