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Gold Manor Ghost House: Guest Post and Giveaway!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013



I did not choose to love YA lit.  YA lit chose me!  

I was going about the business of life, you know, family, friends, work, community obligations, blah, blah, and more blah.  Most of my reading consisted of literary classics or philosophy (and filled with glee when the two converged).

And then, seemingly out of thin air, I fell in love with young adult literature, in particular paranormal and dystopian lit.  How did this happen?  Can I pinpoint the change in me? Was it Harry Potter or reading stories to my kids or the day I discovered Twilight?

All of the above, of course.

Once I jumped into the YA world, there was no hope for me.  It had me in its clutches.  And before long, I wanted to be part of the game.

Never had I desired to write a novel.  I’ve got a touch of the dyslexia, which makes writing (and editing!) difficult.  But once I fell into story after story, I found I wanted to contribute to the world of the YA reader.  In fact, the impetus for my first book, The Knowers, was an attempt to write a love story for my boys.

Gold Manor Ghost House reflects my YA love.  It’s an ode to what excites me in a book: mystery, romance, friendship, peril, virtue, and discovery.  GMGH is the first in the Four Families Series.  I look forward to visiting Anna, Adam, Corey and the entire Gold Manor gang over and over again.  

I am grateful to the YA world of writers and readers.  My life is the richer for the discovery of it.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Born and raised in Bakersfield, California, Merry Brown now lives in the northwest corner of Tennessee with her husband, three boys, and Daisy the cat. She teaches philosophy at the University of Tennessee, Martin, where she counts it a great privilege and joy to introduce students to perennial questions about the nature of the universe, meaning, morality, and the human condition. Merry Brown's love of philosophy and young adult paranormal and dystopian literature inspired her to write THE KNOWERS, the first book in the Exiled Trilogy. GOLD MANOR GOLD HOUSE is her latest YA paranormal romance book.

My contact info:
twitter: @merryebrown
Facebook: Merry Brown

CONTEST: Comment for the chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

21 comments:

  1. Andra Lyn said...:

    You're right, YA lit is amazing! It really exploded into greatness over the last decade though. I remember there being like...three shelves of "teen" literature when I was a teenager. Now there has to be rooms and rooms of YA stuff in Libraries and bookstores!

    thanks for sharing!
    andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com

  1. I love how young-adult literature has grown over the past decade. When I was a teen, it was rather difficult to find and didn't yet have the title, 'YA'. Even though I am in my mid-twenties, I still love reading it! The stories grab my attention and I'm pretty sure YA is a genre that I will read for the majority (or the rest) of my life. :)

  1. Unknown said...:

    I love you just felt compelled to write YA, it really is a great gendre and it is great to see it recieve more notice

    fencingromein at hotmail dot com

  1. Krystal, thanks for being my first stop on this blog tour. It's great to share my work and connect with others who love YA lit!

  1. Kate said...:

    Thanks for sharing your post and the giveaway! So who was your favorite character to write?

    hense1kk (at) cmich (dot) edu

  1. MomJane said...:

    I loved your comment. I am certain a lot of YA readers love you.

  1. Kate,
    Thanks for the question. It's a toss between Anna and Corey. It was fun to write Anna, seeing the world unfold through her eyes. But Corey I could identify with - in the unrequited love department.
    Merry

  1. Galadriel said...:

    What's your favorite YA novel?

  1. bn100 said...:

    Nice post

    bn100candg at hotmail dot com

  1. Tis sounds like a great start to a series. Thank you for sharing!

    Brooke Bumgardner
    brooke811[at]ymail.com

  1. Natasha said...:

    Sounds like a great read!!
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com

  1. Galadriel,
    Thanks for the question. I have no idea.... I've read so many great YA books over the years, from Narnia to Potter to my current favorite, The Raven Boys. Do you have a favorite?
    Merry

  1. erin said...:

    Congrats to Merry on the new release! What is the one thing that you have to have/do while writing?

  1. Anonymous said...:

    I can relate to what you're saying. Up until I discovered YA, I was reading classics and literature. But now I hardly read anything other than YA. I'm addicted. :) And thanks for the giveaway!

  1. Unknown said...:

    I feel the same about YA! The first time I read YA a couple of years ago, I was hooked! The fast paced nature of the books always gets me!

    volta2173 at sbcglobal dot net

  1. laurie said...:

    Thanks for sharing your post and the giveaway! So who was your favorite character to write?


    parisfan_ca@yahoo.com

  1. Froggy said...:

    I love YA and this book sounds good!!

    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    Froggy
    froggarita@gmail.com

  1. My daughter introduced me to YA and there is no going back.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

  1. Unknown said...:

    I was hooked on YA after The Hunger Games! Thanks for your post! This looks great!
    saltsnmore at yahoo dot com

  1. Veronica Vasquez said...:

    This sounds like a wonderful book! Love YA and love supernatural stories! Definitely a must-read!

    ChaoticKarma23 at gmail dot com