I want to share an interview with you that I just did—and it includes the first-ever giveaway of a SIGNED hardcover of Imaginary Girls. I’m not doing a giveaway on my blog just yet, so if you want to win a book, you’ll have to enter there.

BUT, but, wait a second… before I tell you where to find this interview and giveaway, I’d like to give some backstory first.

I’m brought back to a day in February of 2010, when I read a book that absolutely wrenched itself into me and would not let go and that has since gone on to become one of my favorite novels. Here is what I said about the moment I finished reading If I Stay by Gayle Forman:

Tonight I needed a break, so I read. I had to stop reading YA novels while writing Imaginary Girls because I needed Chloe’s voice to be crystal-clear in my mind, without any intrusion, but I’ve decided it’s okay to read now.

Imagine me on the couch, picking up a book I’ve been telling myself I wasn’t allowed to read for months. It’s called If I Stay by Gayle Forman. Fast-forward two hours or however long it took to reach the final pages when I am choking on sobs, tears running down my cheeks, eyes glued to the page, riveted with emotion by what was happening. I reached the last page. A certain line on that page broke me open and out loud I gasped in surprise. I finished. I closed the book. My eyes had so filled up with tears I couldn’t see the room through the blur.

E had fallen asleep on the couch beside me, but all of a sudden I was leaping away, leaving the book on the table and getting some distance from it—so affected by its pages I couldn’t touch the book anymore.

E sat up, alarmed. Did something happen? he said all bleary. What’s wrong?

I just read an incredible book, I said. That’s what happened.

You’re welcome to read the whole post dated February 13 here (but random note: I did not finish the two novels I’d wished to write in 2010, sob).

Clearly I love Gayle’s writing. Clearly the book meant quite a lot to me. You may have seen it here.

Okay, now fast-forward a year and a half.

Imagine that this same author I admire so much has read MY book. And it wrenched itself inside her to the point that she emailed me about it. And then imagine she believes in the novel enough to want to tell other people about it. So much so that she interviews me for her blog and posts our conversation. This happened TODAY.

Here’s some of what Gayle Forman said about my book’s cover and about ME:

“I think this might be the most stunning YA cover I have ever seen. Ever. It tells you the book, IMAGINARY GIRLS, is something special, something eerie, something otherworldly. Something unlike anything you’ve ever read before. All of which is true and none of which begins to scratch the surface of this beautifully written—and beautifully written in a way that is different from anything I’ve ever read before—creepy, elegant, ambient, riveting, provocative novel that I’m still thinking about several months after finishing it.” (ACTUAL QUOTE. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP)

!!!

What can I even say to that?!

I want to share Gayle’s interview with me—about how long it took me to publish, the snobbery that sometimes comes when you write YA, the real-life person who inspired the story, and what I really think of Ruby.

Also. YES, ALSO! If you comment on Gayle’s post (NOT on my post here that you’re reading but on the post on Gayle’s blog) and share something you learned or mastered over time (if you read the interview, you’ll see why that’s so significant), you could win a signed first edition of the hardcover of Imaginary Girls or a CD of my playlist from when I was writing Imaginary Girls.

Go read the interview here and comment to win the giveaway!

*****YES, THIS IS WHERE YOU ENTER.*****

Thank you so much to Gayle for interviewing me and saying such amazing things about the book!

p.s. Today is exactly TWO WEEKS from the pub date!

p.p.s. Have you seen the book trailer?

p.p.p.s. Have you read If I Stay and Where She Went yet? You must!