Thrice Interview + Giveaway: ALL FOUR STARS

Hi! Thanks to everyone who entered to win ARCs of SISTERS’ FATE this week in my twitter giveaway or via the blog! I’ve chosen winners — but there will be more contests next week — one here, and on Instagram and the Cahill Witch Chronicles’ Facebook page. You can also enter to win a copy AND read an excerpt (a scene between Maura & Cate) at Ex Libris Kate! Stay tuned for another excerpt (with Finn?) next week!

Today we’re celebrating Tara Dairman’s debut, ALL FOUR STARS, which released yesterday!

Before we start — why are they called Thrice interviews? The original titles for the Cahill Witch Chronicles were THRICE BLESSED, THRICE CURSED, and THRICE FATED. I have a tattoo with the word thrice, which is partly to remind me how joyful writing that first book was, back when it was just mine, and partly because I like threes. Cate Cahill is the oldest of three sisters, as am I. My birthday is May 3; my anniversary is Sept 30. So there’s a natural theme to these interview questions…

They say: Meet Gladys Gatsby: New York’s toughest restaurant critic. (Just don’t tell anyone that she’s in sixth grade.)

Gladys Gatsby has been cooking gourmet dishes since the age of seven, only her fast-food-loving parents have no idea! Now she’s eleven, and after a crème brûlée accident (just a small fire), Gladys is cut off from the kitchen (and her allowance). She’s devastated, but soon finds just the right opportunity to pay her parents back when she’s mistakenly contacted to write a restaurant review for one of the largest newspapers in the world. But to meet her deadline and keep her dream job, Gladys must cook her way into the heart of her sixth-grade archenemy and sneak into New York City—all while keeping her identity a secret. Easy as pie, right?

I say: This was a totally delightful middle-grade read! Gladys is such a winsome heroine; I was rooting for her from the first pages, when she almost sets her parents’ kitchen on fire trying to make crème brûlée! I love her character’s arc as the cooking ban forces her to get creative and make new friends – but I love that she never wavers in or sacrifices her passion for cooking, even in the face of her parents’ disapproval. The book is warm and funny and smart, and there are mouthwatering descriptions of everything from Gladys’s parents’ microwaved kitchen disasters to delectable desserts from around the globe to her friend Parminder’s family’s delicious Indian dinners. Recommend!

Now for our interview with Tara:​

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

Gladys Gatsby is a shy, sneaky, determined foodie.

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

ALL FOUR STARS is a fun, funny, mouth-watering story.

3. Describe yourself in 3 adjectives + a noun.

I’m a short, tenacious, well-traveled person.

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

Bhutan, Iran, and Sweden

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

Mandarin language, carpentry, and some sort of martial art

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

Computer scientist, editor, or translator

7. What are your 3 favorite flowers?

Coxcombs (so fuzzy!), hibiscus (so tasty!), and jacarandas (so purple!)

8. What are your 3 favorite foods?

Pesto, cherries, and hummus. (Though not all together, please.)

9. What are your 3 favorite books?

PRIDE & PREJUDICE, JANE EYRE, and the HARRY POTTER series (if you’re really forcing me to choose)

Thanks for stopping by, Tara! Congratulations on your debut!

You can find out more about Tara and ALL FOUR STARS at her website or by following her on twitter or Facebook.

To celebrate Tara’s release, I’d like to give away an ARC of ALL FOUR STARS – and a bonus ARC of M.A. Larson’s PENNYROYAL ACADEMY. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below. Contest open until next Friday, July 18, at noon EST. Open only to residents in the US. Thanks to Penguin Teen for the prizes!

a Rafflecopter giveaway