I haven't had a RAD post in a while, so let's all get excited for this one! Please give a warm welcome to Karen Metcalf, author of a YA speculative fiction novella called Into the Storm.
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Random Q&A:
What is your favorite onomatopoeia?
Hmmm…. and Shazaam!
What is the strangest thing you have ever done? (Please keep this appropriate!)
One time on the interstate, I blew my car horn at an 18-wheeler that cut me off. My horn got stuck on full blast, so I pulled over and shut the car off. After about 10 minutes, the stupid horn stopped, only to find out that my car wouldn’t shift out of park. Apparently car horns in old Subaru’s are connected to the tail light. If the tail light doesn’t work, then the car won’t shift out of park. I paid $95 for the tow just for a fuse and this fun little lesson. Oh, and I could have bypassed the whole thing with a screwdriver. That was pretty strange.
What’s the most embarrassing outfit you’ve ever been caught in? Or, if you are so fashion forward, what outfit would you not want to be caught dead in?
Ha! I have never in my life been described as fashion forward! I had a last minute invite to prom my 9th grade year. I had to raid local dresses, which ranged from 80’s sequins to pageant wear. I had a horrible “farmer’s tan” and no time to fix it. Also, my heels were like 8 inches and looked like something from the Spice Girls. I still wore glasses, and I had big bangs. That was pretty rough.Describe yourself in 3 words.
According to my mother: “Strong Willed Child”
If you were stranded on an island, what 3 things would you take with you? (Assume you have the bare necessities).
Extra contacts?
Ereader (yes, that’s a cheat because I can have all my books on it!)
Boyfriend
(in that order, lol.)
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the guest blog:
When I was thinking up guest post topics someone recommended that I discuss my favorite love story. Surprisingly, I didn’t think of a book. I thought of my grandmother, Granny Franny. I’ll try to be brief, but I hope I give her story justice.
She was under some pressure from her best friend to meet up with some guy named “Stash”, but their schedules just weren’t matching up. Granny Franny was helping host a social event, and their venue fell through. Her best friend’s husband, an architect, stepped in and volunteered a building the architects used. Once at the party, she met a man name Bob, another architect, who had the task of watching over the event to make sure all went well with the building.
The two really hit it off and she even talked him into heading out on the dance floor against his better judgment. They were dancing the night away when Bob realized he was about to miss his ride, and had to leave without even saying goodnight. Very Cinderella-esque.
She was a bit disappointed, and probably assumed the worst. The next day her friend asked her what she thought of “Stash”, which turned out to be Bob’s nickname. So this is how Fran came to meet Bob Metcalf, my grandfather. Obviously, he made up for it.
They had a long marriage, and two kids. I’m told they were more in love than most couples can ever hope to be. I love to hear stories of their marriage, and know that he absolutely adored her.
Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away before I was able to establish many memories of him, but I did love my Granny Franny. I remember her as a short little thing, and very feisty. She never edited herself, and I loved her spirit. We lost her as well in 2006, and miss her dearly.
I can only hope to be half as lucky as they were to have each other. All a girl ever wants is for someone to love her for who she is, and I know that Granny Franny had that and more.
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Thanks so much Karen for this wonderful post! I know I greatly enjoyed reading your Q&A responses and guest blog.
And don't forget to visit Karen on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKarenMetcalf and fan her page for In the Storm: http://www.facebook.com/InTheStormNovella.
Nothing stays calm or safe in Morganville for long. Claire and her friends may have tried to get back into the swing of things, but before long, Claire finds herself forced to overwork herself developing a new defense system for Morganville at the command of Amelie. Despite nearly succumbing to exhaustion, she is successful, and Morganville is as safe from outside threats as the rest of the world is from Morganville’s vampires. But Claire’s improvements seem to have an unpleasant side effect: the people of Morganville are slowly losing their memories, both the vampires and the humans. Claire needs to figure out how to reverse the effects and save the residents of Morganville from this madness before she forgets how to save herself.
Life in Morganville is looking up. A big music producer wants to work with vampire Michael Glass, and that means that he will be granted the previously unattainable—a brief vacation from Morganville. But this respite isn’t without strings attached; though Michael can take his friends Claire, Eve, and Shane, he also has to take a vampire escort, Oliver. Before any of them even leave, all can tell this combination is not going to be fun. They figure if they can just survive the road trip, then they can enjoy a much deserved vacation. But surviving turns out to be a lot harder than they thought it would be.
Now that Bishop is gone, life in Morganville is a lot different, and a lot better. Amelie, the ruling vampire, is changing the way things are, and now, humans have a lot more rights that the vampires must respect. Day-to-day life is safer than it’s ever been, and Claire and her friends actually have the opportunity to do what they like for once since they don’t have to be running from danger all the time. But life in Morganville never stays boring for long, and soon, someone goes missing. Yet when Claire and her friends start to investigate, they uncover a secret documentary project on vampires, a project that could have deadly repercussions for all the residents, both human and vampire, of Morganville. 
It’s been a year since Ivy lost Tristan, and they’ve each moved on in the only way they could. Tristan is finally resting in peace, and Ivy can now focus on her relationship with Will. There’s nothing that Ivy would like better than to put the horrors of the past behind her, but while spending the summer in Cape Cod, Ivy ends up in a deadly car crash. As she separates from her wounded body, Ivy is surprised to see that her beloved Tristan is with her. But even more surprising, after his promise never to leave her, is when she wakes up in the hospital—alive. More than ever, Ivy cannot stop thinking about Tristan. Despite her wonderful relationship with Will and the love and support of all her friends and family, something about having seen Tristan gives Ivy hope that he might not actually be gone forever. That’s not a hope that Ivy’s willing to just give up, especially when she suspects her connection to an amnesiac called Guy feels as natural as being with Tristan. Is it possible that Ivy’s true love is not lost after all? 
The war between Bishop and Amelie rages on in Morganville. Bishop still has the upper hand, but Amelie is building up an underground resistance with help from her ally Claire Danvers and her friends. Living in Morganville is more dangerous than even, especially now that Claire has been forcibly bound to the hated Bishop. It’s hard to tell who is on which side, and who’s a double agent, especially with the half crazy Myrnin running around. But this battle must end once and for all, and it will. But where does Morganville go from there?
Adam is just like his mother Jem. He can see the numbers when he looks into a person’s eyes, signifying the day of their death. It’s a curse, something he’s never wanted, but something he has to live with nonetheless. When the rising tides flood the coast, Adam and his Nan are forced to go to London. Even before they reach the city, Adam makes a very eerie discovery: lots of people are going to die in January of 2027. Adam doesn’t know what to do about it; he’s never actively tried to go against the numbers before. There’s no doubt that there’s going to be a catastrophe. The real question is if anything can be done about it.
Theia Alderson has always been a very sheltered girl. She’s rarely allowed to go out with friends, let along leave the house often, and boys have never been in the picture. Everything changes, though, when Haden Black moves to town. It’s not just the fact that Haden is undeniably gorgeous and dangerously alluring, but the fact that Theia has dreamed about him—before they actually met. Theia doesn’t know how this is possible, or how she can spend every night with him in an outlandish dreamscape that feels strangely real. And no matter how hot and cold Haden’s feelings toward her run, Theia is finally sure of her own feelings, even when she discovers the truth of Haden’s nature. But will her love be strong enough to save them both?
Clarity Fern, better known as Clare, is not normal. She can see things just from touching an object. She comes from a family with extraordinary abilities, but most people in her hometown of Eastport just see them as freaks. So, Clare ends up dividing her time between helping out with the family business, a psychic thrill for tourists, and avoiding the cruel taunts of her peers. But when a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare can no longer pretend to be on the outside, especially when Justin, the mayor’s son and Clare’s ex-boyfriend, begs her to use her abilities to help solve the case. And when Clare finds out that her psychic brother Perry is the main suspect, she knows she has to get involved in order to protect her family. Working with Justin and Gabriel, the son of the new detective who doesn’t believe in psychics, Clare finds herself being tested from all sides. Just how far will the killer go to stay hidden, and how far can Clare go before she’s in too deep?
