ANOMALY - Krista McGee - One Free Book on This Blog, Plus More

Welcome, Krista. Tell us how much of yourself you write into your characters.

Parts of me are in all of my protagonists. In Anomaly, I am like Thalli in that I grew up feeling different from those around me, like I didn’t quite fit in anywhere. And, like Thalli, I had to learn that feeling was not true, that I am exactly who God made me to be, to fit into His plan.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?

I taught Oompa Loompas to hip-hop dance for my Christian school’s production of Willy Wonka, Jr.

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I kept a blog while our family lived in Spain. It was really just an outlet for me as we adjusted to what turned out to be one of the most challenging, amazing years of my life. But as I wrote, friends responded with surprise. They liked reading what I was writing. They were able to connect with us, to feel what we were feeling, to share our experience overseas. At times, I wrote too much, was a bit too open, too raw. But I learned the power of words and began to crave more opportunities to share more stories with others.

Tell us the range of the kinds of books you enjoy reading.

There are very few genres I do not enjoy. In any given year, I will read mysteries, romances, historical fiction, science fiction, supernatural fiction, suspense novels, classics. I also enjoy non-fiction – biographies, books on Christian living, on theology, devotionals, memoirs, essays, journals. I even like books about books! I just love to read.

How do you keep your sanity in our run, run, run world?

I need time alone. Time to read, to pray, to just be quiet and still. I have my quiet time with God in the mornings, and I usually try to have at least one night a week where I can sit on the couch, relax and unwind. I have found that the more time I can take to be still, the more focused I am when it’s time to move.

How do you choose your characters’ names?

I like to use names with biblical allusions. I also enjoy using the names of friends and family. In Anomaly, I used the Periodic Table of Elements as the basis for the names. Scientists are in charge of the world, so it made sense.

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?

My husband and I just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. That is an accomplishment I am very proud of.

If you were an animal, which one would you be, and why?

I’d want to be a narwhal. They can dive deep, they have a horn that can feel, and they can live in places no human can. Not to mention, they are literally the coolest animals on the planet!

What is your favorite food?

Anything with chocolate in the name – chocolate cake, chocolate pie, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chunk ice cream, chocolate covered strawberries…

My kind of girl, but I draw the line at chocolate-covered bacon or insects. What is the problem with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?

Fear of failure was my biggest roadblock to writing. I struggled with starting because I was afraid I couldn’t finish. When I surrendered my desire and my fear, God enabled me to finish what I started.

Tell us about the featured book.

Anomaly is a dystopian novel, set in a future where the world has been destroyed by nuclear war and the

only survivors are scientists who determine to create a new world. Their world is inhabited by people whose ability to think, question, and feel is removed. They each have a job to do to help the State run smoothly. Thalli, however, is an anomaly. She questions what she is taught. She is not content to be just her pod Musician. She longs for more. And she gets more, but not in the way she expects.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Prologue

Fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds.

That’s how long I have to live.

The wall screen that displayed the numbers in blood-red letters now projects the image of a garden. The trees are full of pink and white blossoms, the green grass swaying a little in the wind. I hear the birds as they call to each other. I smell the moist soil.

But the countdown still plays in my mind.

Fourteen minutes and fifty-two seconds.

It isn’t really soil that I smell. It isn’t really the garden breeze that I feel on my face. That is simply the Scientists’ “humane” means of filling my bloodstream with poison, of annihilating a member of society who has proven to be “detrimental to harmonious living.”

The wall screen is beginning to fade. The colors aren’t as bright. The blossoms are beginning to merge together. They look more like clouds now. I don’t know if the image is changing or if it is the effects of the poison. I could try to hold my breath, to deny the entrance of this toxic gas into my body. But I would only pass out, and my lungs would suck in the polluted oxygen as I lie here unconscious.

No. I will die the way I finally learned to live. Fully aware.

At peace. With a heart so full of love that even as it slows, it is still full.

Because I know something the Scientists refuse to acknowledge.

Death is only the beginning.

Interesting. How can readers find you on the Internet?

You can visit my website, www.kristamcgeebooks.com; my Facebook page Krista Abney McGee; or my Twitter site @KristaMcGeeYA

Krista McGee is celebrating the release of Anomaly, the first book in her new YA dystopian series, with an iPad Mini Giveaway!

One winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini
• A $25 iTunes gift card (download Anomaly to the iPad!)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 31st. Winner will be announced at Krista's website on August 2nd.

Spread the word about Krista and her giveaway HERE!

Thank you, Krista, for letting us be a part of your book release.

Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.

Anomaly - Christianbook.com
Anomaly - Amazon
Anomaly - Kindle

Christian Book Store

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws. 

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

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