Hey everyone! Today I am SUPER excited to be sharing a Q&A with Kate Karyus Quinn, author of DOWN WITH THE SHINE and a giveaway as part of the blog tour! Let me tell you a bit about this magical book first and then I’ll share the Q&A and giveaway details!

ABOUT THE BOOK

DownWiththeShine FINAL COVER There’s a reason they say “be careful what you wish for.” Just ask the girl who wished to be thinner and ended up smaller than Thumbelina, or the boy who asked for “balls of steel” and got them-literally. And never wish for your party to go on forever. Not unless you want your guests to be struck down by debilitating pain if they try to leave.

These are things Lennie only learns when it’s too late-after she brings some of her uncles’ moonshine to a party and toasts to dozens of wishes, including a big wish of her own: to bring back her best friend, Dylan, who was abducted and murdered six months ago.

Lennie didn’t mean to cause so much chaos. She always thought her uncles’ moonshine toast was just a tradition. And when they talked about carrying on their “important family legacy,” she thought they meant good old-fashioned bootlegging.

As it turns out, they meant granting wishes. And Lennie has just granted more in one night than her uncles would grant in a year.

Now she has to find a way to undo the damage. But once granted, a wish can’t be unmade…

AUTHOR Q&A

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Pisces. Introvert. Thoughtful.

Describe your book in 3 words.

Drunk. Extrovert. Sarcastic.

I saw that you have an MFA in Film and Television Production. If you could choose anyone to direct a film adaptation of DOWN WITH THE SHINE, who would it be?

I would love to have a women director, because we need more women making movies. For someone specific, I love CLUELESS and think Amy Heckerling would be amazing.

Dream cast for your MC?

Janine McCurdy from both iCarly and Sam and Cat would be great as Lennie. She has that edge and attitude.

For Smith and Dylan – I would steal Bob Morley and Marie Avgeropoulos both from The 100.

What would you wish for if you could have anything come true?

I’d probably keep things simple and just ask for a specific dollar amount of money (tax free please) in my checking account. Not so much as to be greedy, but enough that I could pay off my student loans and not have to worry about paying bills anymore.

If you could have any magical ability, what would it be?

I think being able to read minds would be pretty cool. It also would help me know when my kids are lying to me!

What would you say is Lennie’s motto? Yours?

Lennie’s motto at the beginning of DOWN WITH THE SHINE is to keep herself protected. Ironically, she’s very careful what she wishes for, because she’s afraid of being disappointed. By the end of the story that changes quite a bit. For me… I think my motto is more, being willing to take a leap of faith and hoping it all works out in the end.

Other than your own, who is your favorite fictional character?

Argh. This is tough. I’ll go with Anne of Green Gables just because she’s a character I fell in love with when I was young and then through all her books (If I’m remembering correctly I think there’s eight of them – though the last ones are more about her children) I got to watch her grow up.

What was the last book you read and loved?

I read SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo toward the beginning of this year and have not been able to stop talking about how amazing and wonderful it is. As a writer I am in awe of the storytelling chops on display within those pages. As a reader, I am sobbing nonstop until the second book lands in my hands.

ABOUT KATE KARYUS QUINN

Kate Karyus Quinn is an avid reader and menthol chapstick addict. She has lived in California and Tennessee, but recently made the move back to her hometown of Buffalo, New York, with her husband and two children in tow. She promised them wonderful people, amazing food, and weather that would… build character. Another Little Piece is her first novel.