Release Tour: Switchback by Danika Stone and Meet the Author

A real adventure!

The book is Switchback by Danika Stone will release tomorrow in the Contemporary, Young Adult Genre.

Vale loves to hike, but kind of hates her classmates. Ash is okay with his classmates, but kind of hates the outdoors. So, needless to say they are both fairly certain that the overnight nature hike with their PE class is going to be a hellish experience. But when they get separated from the group during a storm, they have worse things to worry about than bullies and blisters.

Lost in the Canadian wilderness with limited supplies, caught in dangerous weather conditions, and surrounded by deadly wildlife, it’s going to take every bit of strength, skill, and luck they can muster to survive.

An epic YA adventure story about two friends lost in the Canadian wilderness from Danika Stone, the author of All the Feels.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41711283-switchback?ac=1&from_search=true

Other buy links: B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/switchback-danika-stone/1129468508#/

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/switchback/id1437157374?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/switchback-20

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=Z9dsDwAAQBAJ

This post is part of a Tour. You can find the schedule here (http://xpressobooktours.com/2019/03/05/tour-sign-up-switchback-by-danika-stone/).

AUTHOR BIO:Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both teens: INTERNET FAMOUS (Macmillan, 2017) and ALL THE FEELS (Macmillan, 2016); and adults THE DARK DIVIDE (Stonehouse, 2018) and EDGE OF WILD (Stonehouse, 2016).

Ms. Stone’s work has received both recognition and literary praise. In 2017, Chapters included EDGE OF WILD in “Our Favourite Canadian Fiction”, and INTERNET FAMOUS was nominated for the R. Ross Annett Award for Children’s Literature (2018) as well as selected as one of Fierce Reads’ “9 Perfect Summertime Reads” (2017). EDGE OF WILD (previously entitled TATHAGATA) was a quarter-finalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel of the Year Award (2013), a finalist in the Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize (2015), and took second place in the Publish or Perish contest (2015). ALL THE FEELS was selected for Swoon Reads’ fourth list (2015) and was nominated for YALSA’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (2016), and for CYBILS’ Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards (2016).

Ms. Stone’s books have been reviewed by VOYA, Teen Reads, and School Library Journal. Danika has also featured in the BN Teen Blog, Clash, Quillable, Fierce Reads, Lethbridge Living Magazine, CJSR’s Word, and on CBC’s Daybreak.

When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.

Hi Danika, and thank you for being here today!

If your story had a soundtrack, which song would it be?

Switchback has a deep friendship at its heart, and any soundtrack would have to capture that. “Broken”, by lovelytheband, is one of my faves and would be an amazing choice. I could totally imagine Vale saying: “I like that you’re lonely/ Lonely like me / I could be lonely with you.”

A fun fact about writing your book.

Ashton Hamid was not in the original version of the book. I actually stole him out of my current WIP because I liked him so much! It was funny because as soon as I switched him into the manuscript, EVERYTHING in the book clicked together. He was fated to be Vale’s best friend! (I just didn’t know it.)

How do you keep from resenting your duties when you have to stop writing to take care of them?

As terrible as it sounds, I always resent being interrupted when the words are flowing, but if left alone, I’ll get so caught up in writing I forget to eat or sleep. No kidding! So if I feel any resentment at all, it’s tempered by the fact that I know I’m better off living with my family. They are amazing!

An hidden or uncommon talent that helps/makes it harder to write the story?

I have this weird habit where I wake up in the middle of the night and I can hear my story characters talking. I keep a pad of paper by my bed and I transcribe their words. It’s weird, but true!

How honest are you?

I’m uncomfortably honest. I hate lying, and I would rather say things as they are. (My hubby jokes that he needs to be “brutally understanding” because of it.)

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

A perfect “non-writing” day starts at Tim Hortons for coffee and people-watching. I go for a walk before the day gets too hot, and then I come home to read one (or two!) of the books in my TBR.

Has your environment /upbringing colored your writing?

I was raised in a very creative household. My father was an avid reader and could easily read a book in a single sitting. He and I started trading books when I was in junior high—meaning I read ALL genres—and that love for reading stayed with me. My own writing tends to have many different inspirations and I think that’s probably why!

If you were stranded on a deserted island and can have only 2 people with you, a person from your books and a person from any other book, which would they be?

This is a tough one, because I want to say Vale, from Switchback (because she’s a total badass!) but if I honestly had to choose someone, I’d probably take Constable Jim Flagstone from my Waterton mystery series. He’s got a Hopper (from Stranger Things)vibe, and he’s literally the most reliable person I’ve ever written.
Or… maybe I’d choose Vale. Gah! I don’t know – but one of those!
As for the second person, I’d probably take Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series, since she’d definitely be able to keep care of us and she’d keep her head no matter what. No doubt about that second choice!

Do you have any scar? What are they from?

I have many scars, but none of them have really good stories. They’re all just the side effect of living a very outdoorsy rough-and-tumble life. My body is very worn in, but I like it!

How lucky are you and why?

I consider myself to be the luckiest person I know, and that’s because I make my own luck. I figure no matter what the situation, there’s always a way to spin it positively, and that’s what I do. It works. 🙂
Thank you so much for interviewing me, Vivi! It was awesome to chat with you!

Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.
Author links:

https://www.danikastone.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6574168.Danika_Stone

https://www.facebook.com/danikastoneauthor/https://twitter.com/danika_stone