Mundie Moms

Friday, August 3, 2012

Pushing The Limits Blog Tour: Guest Post & Giveaway


I'm thrilled to be the next stop in Harlequin Teen's Pushing The Limits Blog Tour. This debut is absolutely amazing! It's one of those books that makes you think, and stays with you long after you've read it. You can read my review here

Today I've got two treats for you, a guest post from Katie McGarry (love her first name), and an excerpt, along with some information about the book. 

Guest Post: Dear Katie


Dear Pre-Published Teenage Katie,

You do not end up becoming a family court judge, but it’s okay. Don’t burst into sobs. Don’t think that you’ve failed and that the world is going to come to an end.

Breathe.

By the way, take that advice and consider tattooing it on your arm.

Breathe.

I know you’ve been through an awful lot already, but unfortunately life isn’t done with you yet. I can tell you exactly where you are at right now: in bed, holding your hands to your head, with hot tears streaming down the sides of your face, wondering if it can possibly get any worse.

I’m sorry. It does.

You’re going to cry. You’re going to be really pissed off at God. You’re going to think you’re not strong enough to get out of bed ever again.

But you will get out of bed. You will be strong enough. You will be okay.

I promise. And I swear I’m still the same girl you are: I never make a promise I don’t keep.

So here’s the good news…

You get a scholarship to college. I know. Breathing just became easier and you’re rolling your eyes wondering why I didn’t share that tidbit of information first.  You do become a political science major and you do focus on history and philosophy. You do kick ass and take names in college.

But you also start to realize that if you don’t make some major changes in your life soon, you might never break free from the chains that weigh you down. You need a degree—like a month ago—and you need a nice paying job like yesterday.

Breathe, Katie. I know, you’re freaking out. You’ve made going to law school, becoming a family court judge, and personally fixing every problem that plagued your neighborhood your sole mission in life, but it’s okay—we find another way to reach people.

I have something to tell you…you’re a writer.

You can stop laughing now.

Really. I can still see you stifling a giggle.

If you think about it, being a writer isn’t a stretch. Your teachers have told you that you’ve got talent and you do spend a good majority of time spinning stories in your head.

So, pre-published teenage Katie—I know how you hurt. I know how your insides feel as if they are slowly dying and I can tell you that everything you’re going through will serve a purpose. One day you’re going to write a story and you’re going to funnel all of the emotions that you’re feeling now and pour them onto a page. You will not become a family court judge, but, if you’re lucky, you will touch countless people’s lives with your characters.

Chin up, Katie, and wipe the tears from your eyes. You succeed, girl.



An Excerpt:


Echo and Noah both attend the same high school, but that’s where their similarities seem to end.  Their paths cross however, when, on the first day of school after winter break they both meet their newly appointed school social worker.  Katie McGarry wrote Pushing the Limits in alternating points of view, one chapter by Echo, the next by Noah.  Check out the excerpts below, taken from the first chapters of Katie’s debut novel.  Want to read from the beginning? Every stop on the blog tour features new excerpts – the complete tour schedule can be found here: http://harlequinblog.com/2012/07/two-essential-ways-to-build-your-characters/.

Echo: Mrs. Collins reminded me of an overgrown Labrador retriever with her blond hair and much too friendly attitude. “Echo’s ACT and SAT scores are fabulous. You should be very proud of your daughter.” She gave me a sincere smile, exposing all of her teeth. Start the timer. My therapy session had officially begun. Close to two years ago, after the incident, Child Protective Services had “strongly encouraged” therapy—and Dad quickly learned that it was better to say yes to anything “strongly encouraged. I used to go to therapy like normal people, at an office separate from school. Thanks to an influx in funding from the state of Kentucky and an overenthusiastic social worker, I’d become part of this pilot program. Mrs. Collins’s sole job was to deal with a few kids from my high school. Lucky me. Noah: “You’ve got a f***ed-up name,” I mumbled. I didn’t know why I wanted to rattle her, I just did. “Shouldn’t you be getting high in the bathroom?” So she did know me. “They installed security cameras. We do it in the parking lot now.” “My bad.” Her foot rocked frantically back and forth. Good, I’d succeeded in getting under that perfect facade. “Echo...echo...echo...” Her foot stopped rocking and red curls bounced furiously as she turned to face me. “How original. I’ve never heard that be- fore.” She swept up her backpack and left the office. Her tight ass swayed side to side as she marched down the hallway. That wasn’t nearly as fun as I’d thought it would be. In fact, I kind of felt like a d**k.

******Please visit BookHounds for the next excerpt from Echo and Noah.******


So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

o one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again

Purchase Pushing The Limits from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Follow Katie on: her website | Twitter | Facebook



The Giveaway:

Thank you to Harlequin Teen I have a 1 finished copy of Pushing the Limits along with a Pushing the Limits blue ribbon to giveaway to one lucky winner! To enter, please fill out the form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


That's not all! For those following the blog tour, you have the chance to enter to win a Kindle! Go HERE to enter. 

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