News

09
May

Thrice Interview + Giveaway: THE S-WORD

Hi! Today we’re celebrating the release of Chelsea Pitcher’s THE S-WORD​, which came out yesterday!

They say:  

the s-wordLizzie wasn’t the first student at Verity High School to kill herself this year. But the difference is, she didn’t go quietly.

First it was SLUT scribbled all over the school’s lockers. But one week after Lizzie Hart takes her own life, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it — in Lizzie’s own looping scrawl. Photocopies of her diary show up in the hands of her classmates. And her best friend, Angie, is enraged.

Angie had stopped talking to Lizzie on prom night, when she caught Lizzie in bed with her boyfriend. Too heartbroken to let Lizzie explain the hookup or to intervene when Lizzie gets branded Queen of the Sluts and is cruelly bullied by her classmates, Angie left her best friend to the mercy of the school, with tragic results.

But with this new slur, Angie’s guilt transforms into anger that someone is still targeting Lizzie even after her death. Using clues from Lizzie’s diary and aided by the magnetic, mysterious Jesse, Angie begins relentlessly investigating who, exactly, made Lizzie feel life was no longer worth living. And while she might claim she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, her anguish over abandoning and then losing her best friend drives Angie deeper into the dark, twisted side of Verity High — and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for — even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

I say: This sounds amazing & I’ve been really, really looking forward to reading it! I’d hoped to read it last weekend on vacation but I had some issues with my Nook. It’s next on my TBR list, though!

Now for our interview with Chelsea:​​

1. Describe your main character in 3 adjectives + a noun.

Angie is a fierce, heartbroken, clever detective. 

2. Describe your book in 3 adjectives + a noun.

THE S-WORD is a dark, chilling, hopeful mystery. 

3. Describe yourself in 3 adjectives + a noun.

I am a caring, crafty, charmed creature. 

4. If you could travel to any 3 countries, what would they be?

Greece, Ireland, & Brazil (JS: Greece & Ireland are on my list, too!)

5. If you could take any 3 non-writing-related classes, what would they be?

​Salsa, painting, & surfing

6. If you could have any 3 alternate careers, what would they be?

Broadway performer (you’d be laughing if you’d seen me try to act), singer/songwriter, or professional traveler (wait – what do you mean, that’s not a thing?!)

7. What are your 3 favorite flowers?

​Irises, Daphne, and Hyacinth (the three best-smelling flowers!)​

8. What are your 3 favorite foods?

Pizza, Thai yellow curry with tofu, mac and cheese

9. What are your 3 favorite books?

Holly Black’s TITHE, Francesca Lia Block’s DANGEROUS ANGELS, & Marion Zimmer Bradley’s THE MISTS OF AVALON

You can find out more about Chelsea at her website or by following her on Twitter or Facebook, and you can add THE S-WORD to your Goodreads shelf here.

Chelsea is being generous enough to give away 1 copy of THE S-WORD to one lucky reader in the US or Canada. Contest is open through noon on Sunday, May 12. To enter, leave a comment below answering the following question: Have YOU ever kept a diary?

Thanks so much for stopping by, ​Chelsea​! I hope you’re having an awesome week!

18 Responses

  1. I did keep a diary on and off for a few years when I was younger, but never really consistently. I had a couple spurts of a few months where I really wrote a lot in grades 3 and 5 – when things with friends got crazy and boys got interesting 😉 Looking back on it now is pretty hilarious. My life was so unnecessarily dramatic back then!
    I loved reading the interview and Greece & Ireland are totally on my list too! Also: mac and cheese = awesome choice 🙂 Can't wait to get my hands on The S-Word!

  2. Emz (Icy Cold Reads)

    I never have actually kept a diary. Sure, I have written down a few thoughts and feelings, but they were never collected in one place. One day I would write an "entry" in one notebook, then a few months (or a year) later, I would then compose another "entry" in another notebook or just on a piece of loose leaf. Needless to say, the younger me wasn't very organized and I ended up "misplacing" most of my diary entries. However, I did have several teachers that required my classmates and I to write journal entries everyday or so, but I usually made stuff up for those – I mean what can I say? Writing "I woke up. I ate breakfast. I rode the bus to school. I talked to my friends. I ate lunch. etc…" every single day is not interesting at all.

    Whoa, that was long. Anyways, I can't wait to read The S-Word! 🙂

  3. I do keep a diary with me even until now, though I just started way back 2010. It was a stress-reliever and at the same time if someone found out about it, I get nervous they might actually get to read my entries. And I would be much more scared if that ever happened. But it did though. My friend found it in my bag in school and he sort of went scanning some of my entries. It’s crazy and frustrating and annoying all at the same time!

    1. Boo on your friend! It's not ok to read other people's diaries! (Though I have to confess…I once totally snooped in a roommate's! Eek. NOT COOL, PAST JESS.) I'm glad your diary is a good stress-reliever for you!

  4. Tamara

    I tried keeping a diary a few times when I was younger, but my mother kept finding them and reading them. I got really frustrated always trying to hide them, so I just stopped. Now that I'm older I'm thinking of starting again. At least now I don't have to worry about anyone snooping and reading my journal 🙂

  5. Valentina

    I kept a diary throughout out my elementary years talking about very random things such as test quizzes boys fights friends etc. I remember finding it after my family moved and was feeling very nostalgic after reading it. it is definitely something that can be used to cherish memories and when things are down it is something u can always look back to, to brighten our day.

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