Title: The Outside (The Hallowed Ones Book Two)
Author: Laura Bickle
Genre: paranormal YA
Publisher: Harcourt
Synopsis:
One girl. One road.
One chance to save what remains…
After a plague of
vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community
for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she
enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English”
friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other
survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise
the threat of starvation.
And yet through this
darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to
deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted,
and are they even people at all?
In this
edge-of-your-seat thriller, it’s up to one Amish girl to save her family, her
community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to leave
behind in return?
Advance
Praise for The Outside:
“Top-notch. . . . A horror story with heart and soul.”
—Kirkus, starred
review
“At once horrifying, hopeful, and hauntingly
beautiful, this gorgeous read with its rich textures and spine-tingling
suspense kept me glued to the pages in utter fascination. Laura Bickle is a
master storyteller.”
-Darynda Jones, NY Times Bestselling
author of The Darklight Series
Praise for The Hallowed Ones
"This is a book to make you fear the shadows--a
horrifying and gruesome tale of faith, and things that blink red eyes in the
night. I began reading in the daylight, and read on into the late hours,
leaning close, biting my lip. I could not look away; I was obsessed. Katie is
an unbreakable soul."
—Lauren DeStefano,
New York Times Bestselling author of the Chemical Garden Trilogy
"What an eerily believable, unique story! I can't
stop thinking about it--or shivering."
—Melissa Marr, New
York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely Books
"Tight pacing, suspenseful scenes, Wow! moments
of tension, and exposure into a world I knew little about, The Hallowed Ones is
an exciting, terse read. . . . Laura Bickle's debut novel for young adults has
quickly become my favorite dystopian novel of 2012. . . . It left me wanting
more, so much more."
—readergirlsblog.com
"Readers will find it hard to put down this
suspenseful, scary, compulsively readable adventure."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Katie's an original character, and her
thoughtful rebellion makes her an interesting addition to supernatural
fictions's gallery of strong heroines."
—Bulletin
About the Author:
Laura Bickle’s
professional background is in criminal justice and library science, and when
she’s not patrolling the stacks at the public library she’s dreaming up stories
about the monsters under the stairs (she also writes contemporary fantasy
novels under the name Alayna Williams).
Laura lives in Ohio
with her husband and six mostly-reformed feral cats.
1. What inspired you to write this book?
I live not too far from a large Amish settlement,
one that I visited often as a child. I used to see the Amish girls my age and
wonder how their lives were different from mine. I admired how strong and
self-sufficient they seemed. It later occurred to me that these traits,
combined with their incredibly strong sense of community, could make the Amish
uniquely equipped to survive certain types of disasters, such as the one that
devastates the world in THE HALLOWED ONES and THE OUTSIDE.
2. What characters do you connect with most?
Katie is my favorite. Katie was an interesting character to write
because she's very strong in a quiet, enduring kind of way. She struggles to
develop her own moral compass, independent of her parents and community. That
requires a great deal of fortitude, just as much fortitude as dealing with the
evil creatures in her world.
3. What's your favorite book-turned movie?
How to Train Your Dragon, hands-down. I want my own dragon in the WORST
POSSIBLE WAY.
4. If you could be best friends with one of your
characters, who would it be?
Alex is an injured man Katie found outside the
boundaries of her community in the previous book, THE HALLOWED ONES. Katie
brought him inside her barn to recover, but couldn’t be sure what kind of evil
he was bringing in with him.
I like Alex because he challenges Katie. He’s an
anthropology student in the outside world, and he both infuriates her and makes
her consider ideas that she might not otherwise encounter. His presence forces
her to take risks, and she learns a great deal about herself and her own ethics
in attempting to protect him. They’re stuck together learning to survive in a
devastated world, and Katie has to learn to make peace with his viewpoints in
order to develop a workable relationship. In terms of their romance, they’re
very much opposites, but they are able to respect each other.
5. Can you tell us about any other books you're
writing?
I’m working on another
YA project with supernatural elements. Stay tuned for details!
6. What do you do in your spare time?
I collect Tarot cards and I’m owned by a herd of cats…those
usually keep me pretty busy. My husband and I are also amateur astronomers. I
also collect comic books and action figures.
I took bellydancing classes a couple of years ago. I still dance
occasionally (usually where no one can see me!). It was a lot of fun, and I
still have some jingly coin belts hanging about the house that have survived
being dragged around by the cats.
7. Who's your inspiration?
This will sound cheesy,
but my mom is my inspiration. She was a school librarian, and I spent a whole
lot of summers tucked in a sunny corner at the library, reading mythology
books. I blame my love for reading and writing squarely on her.
8. If you were stranded on a desert island which
character do you want by your side?
Definitely Katie. As a
young Amish woman, Katie knows a whole lot of things that would be useful in a
survival situation, like how to find and grow food. She’s accustomed to a world
without electricity and modern conveniences, so I’m certain she’d have a whole
lot to show me about survival!
9. Team Edward or Jacob?
Team Jacob.
10. Team Peeta or Gale?
Team Peeta.
11. What are you reading
now?
I’m
always reading more than one book. Right now, I’m reading Kathleen Peacock’s
HEMLOCK, Cat Winters’ IN THE SHADOW OF BLACKBIRDS, and Lauren DeStefano’s
SEVER. All are incredible!
7 comments:
I've seen some good reviews about The Outside. It definitely has an unique premise. I don't know of any Amish vampire stories lol. I really enjoyed the interview. They are a lot of fun!I love How to train your dragon :)
Thanks so much for hosting me today! I appreciate it! :-D
Thanks, Ashleigh! It was a lot of fun to write.
And HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is my absolute favorite. The live show came to our town last year, and I kid you not...the dragons were so beautiful and realistic I got sniffly.
I love your interview. And I think it's so sweet, and not cheesy at all, how Laura Bickle's inspiration is her mom. That was just really heartwarming. <3
Aww, thanks, Kayla! I do love my mom. :-)
I love horror and know very little about the Amish culture, so this is doubly interesting! I'll check it out!
Thanks, Susan! I hope you enjoy! :-)
Post a Comment