YADP Post: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Young Adult Debut Promotions (YADP) is a post I do to help out debut authors, and to get them noticed.  My posts will definitely include a feature of the book, a feature of the author, and a giveaway, with an interview, guest post, or excerpt optional.  If you would like more information about YADP click here and scroll down until you come to the section talking about it.

Today I am featuring...


Mindee Arnett
And she will be doing an interview, excerpt, and giveaway!

~The Book~

The Nightmare Affair

by Mindee Arnett

Series: The Arkwell Academy #1

Pages: 367

Release Date: March 5, 2013

by Tor Teen

Goodreads / Purchase

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. Then Eli’s dream comes true. Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

~Author Interview~

1. Why did you decide to become a writer?

I’m not sure I ever made a conscious decision. Really, the habit of storytelling was something I started very young, when I was still in my My Little Pony and Breyer Horses stage, way before I ever realized writing could be a career. I would make up elaborate, plot-driven stories involving my toys. Later, in the sixth grade, I discovered fiction writing, and I’ve been doing it ever since. The move toward publication just came as a natural progression.

2. Who were your biggest influences?

My very earliest influences include Walter Farley, author of The Black Stallion series, C.S. Lewis, L. Frank Baum, and fantasy writer Jennifer Roberson. I later discovered Stephen King who became a huge influence. And I can’t forget to mention J.K. Rowling, of course.

3. Where do you like to write?

Either at my desk or in my armchair. During a good writing day, I’m likely to have visited both.

4. Do you have a special routine you like to do before you write?

I have to get all the busy work done first, like answering emails, responding to tweets, and whatnot. If I don’t, I tend to get too distracted. Other than that, I always have to do a “reading warm-up.” Usually, this involves reading over the material from the previous day. If I’m at the start of a first draft, I’ll spend a couple of minutes reading whatever novel I’m currently devoted to.

5. When and how did you get the idea for THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR?

I got the idea in 2009, but I didn’t start writing it until late 2010. I had just begun drafting a different book and held off on the idea, giving it time to stew. The idea itself just came to me while I was in the middle of researching monsters for a short horror story. I stumbled across the concept of Nightmares being demons that sit on your chest when you’re sleeping, and the notion of making one of these creatures a mostly-normal human girl just arose out of it.

6. Is there another book in the works?  If so, what can we expect?

Yes, the sequel to The Nightmare Affair will be out next year, presumably in March. Dusty and her friends will face a new mystery, one that seems small at first but quickly escalates into something a lot bigger. There’s not much more I can say right now, except that readers can expect things to be a bit steamier on the romance front.

Also coming winter 2014 is my YA sci-fi thriller AVALON from Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins). Here’s the description on Goodreads if you’re interested.

THIS OR THAT

1. Jelly or peanut butter?

Um, neither? Or if I have to chose, I guess peanut butter, but only if it’s combined with chocolate.

2. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

Dark chocolate all the way.

3. Cats or dogs?

Both. At present, I have 4 cats and 3 dogs. I love them equally and couldn’t live without either.

4. Hardcover/ paperbacks or ebooks?

Hardcover, mostly. Unless the book is super long. Then give me an ebook.

Thanks for such fun questions!

~Excerpt~

~Giveaway~

~There will be one winner

~Giveaway ends on March 12, 2013 @ 12:00 A.M.

~This giveaway is US/CAN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Get to Know Mindee Arnett~

Bio:

Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares.

Connect:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook