Our Sweet Six: An Interview with Anita Grace Howard, author of SPLINTERED

Today we're so excited to hang out with Anita Grace Howard, the sweet-and-talented author of SPLINTERED. Anita graciously agreed to be the first author to answer our Sweet Six questions. Sweetening the deal herself, Anita even-more-graciously offered to donate a free audiobook and super-cool swag!

But first... a glimpse of SPLINTERED.

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on.

There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Cool, right? If that doesn't make you want to read SPLINTERED, maybe these blurbs will...

"Splintered is dark, twisted, entirely riveting, and a truly romantic tale.” USA TODAY online

"Splintered is a delicious, mad, wonderful read. I can't recommend it highly enough." --Melissa Marr, author of the New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series

Trust us, you want to read SPLINTERED. :) You really, really do. And we're going to give you the chance to win a FREE copy! But aren't you a little curious about the awesome author who made the world of SPLINTERED come alive?

Thought so. :) Buckle up, here we go! 

THE VALENTINE'S SWEET SIX 

Anita, tell us about your book!

SPLINTERED is a YA fantasy about Alyssa Gardner, the great-great-great granddaughter of Alice Liddell (real life inspiration for the heroine of the famed Lewis Carroll novel). To save her mom from life in an asylum, Alyssa follows a hunch that there might be some truth to the Alice in Wonderland tale. Led by some family heirlooms and a mysterious moth, she and her best friend/secret crush Jebediah Holt stumble into the rabbit hole where they meet creepy and violent counterparts of the original fairytale crew. They soon realize this is not the fairyland of Lewis Carroll's vision, and the only way Alyssa can free her family of its curse of insanity is to fix the things her great-great-great grandmother Alice put wrong. But if she fails, Wonderland will have her head.

What scene in your book do you LOVE the most?

Aside from the kissing scenes? Those are always my favorites. ;) Seriously though, there was one scene that was both my favorite and my least favorite. Chapter 12: The Feast of Beasts.

It's my fave because it’s one of the most “Carrollian” scenes in the book. It’s based loosely on Chapter 9: Queen Alice, one of the wackiest and most visual chapters in Through the Looking Glass. I never forgot that scene after reading it as a kid, so I wanted to give credence to it in my book. I kept my tribute nonsensical like Carroll’s, but at the same time wove in some sadistic and gruesome undertones to darken it.

It's my least fave because of where I was when I wrote it. My son had recently been diagnosed with epilepsy and his pediatric neurologist started him on medication; the dosage was too high for his system and caused him to have severe panic attacks. We spent several nights those first few weeks at the ER, trying to figure out what was going on. It was during one of these trips that I wrote my Feast of Beasts scene. In the three hours we were there, I managed to tap it all out, even while worrying and wondering if my son was ever going to have a normal life again. I put everything I was feeling into my writing, and it came across as chaotic and absurd and terrifying, which was exactly how life felt to me in that moment, and exactly how it feels to Alyssa when she's living that scene in SPLINTERED.

If you had to pick a character you LOVE (and not your own!), who would you pick and why?

Jane Eyre. She’s the epitome of a strong and intelligent female character who never has to sacrifice her feminine side to kick fate’s fickle bootie.

What's the craziest/most memorable valentine you've ever received?

An earthworm ring from the little boy next door when I was in first grade. And yes, it was authentic; the poor worm’s two ends were tied together with dental floss. I still shudder when I think of it. Still, the little boy’s heart was in the right place and I remember it to this day, so he did something right!

If you were a Brach's Heart, what phrase would be written on you?

GAME ON, because I had to fight tooth and nail and never give up to realize my dream of getting a book on the shelves.

The all-important choice: flowers or candy?

Jewelry. Wait, that wasn’t an option??? That’s the same thing my hubby said. Harumph. ;) Okay, all playing aside, I love Godiva dark chocolate truffles. They would be my top choice if chocolate diamonds weren’t available. :)

Anita, you're awesome. I think Brach's need's to add GAME ON as a phrase. And I, for one, am so glad you never gave up! Huge thanks for taking the time to hang out with us, and for your generosity in giving away some sweet treats for readers. 

What treats, you ask, lovelies? How about an audio book and a swag pack? Take a look...

1 Splintered Audio Book – 10 CD set

Splintered Swag Pack – 1 signed bookplate, 1 signed bookmark, 1 vintage AIW gift tag

Ready to enter? GAME ON, as Anita would say. :) Just Spread the Word about the SPLINTERED giveaway by doing any TWO options...then leave a comment below to tell us what you did! The contest is open for a week, and the winner will be announced next Wednesday, February 27th.a Rafflecopter giveaway

In the meantime, pop over to Anita's blog and say hello.:)

Thanks for helping up share the YA book love Anita! *throws around Brach's hearts and Godiva Dark Chocolate truffles in your honor*