Guest Post: Inara Scott (Delcroix Academy) & Giveaway

Inara Scott

Books:

• Delcroix Academy

Inara grew up in winter wonderland of Buffalo, NY. Consequently, she spent much of her childhood complaining about being cold. To spare the world her whining, she fled the cold climate and eventually wound up in the Pacific NW, where she practiced law for ten years before getting up the courage to quit her day job and write full time. A proud author of children's and young adult fiction, Inara firmly believes that great literature doesn't have to be depressing or written for adults. You can find her online at Twitter (@inarascott), on Facebook, and at her website: www.inarascott.com.

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Hi everyone,

I’m excited to be here and tell you a little bit about Delcroix Academy: The Candidates and some of the people you’ll meet there. To start off, here’s a little about Dancia, the heroine of the story:

Fourteen (almost fifteen) year-old Dancia Lewis is is girl everyone sees but no one knows. She likes it that way. In fact, she does everything in her power to make it that way. Because Dancia is dangerous. From crashed cars to guys in comas, Dancia can Make Things Happen just by thinking about them. Horrible things. Things that hurt people. Even when – or perhaps especially when – she’s trying to help.

Dancia lives in a small town in Washington state, in the shadow of Mt. Rainier. She’s pretty sure one day Rainier is going to explode and dump lava all over the city and everyone she knows. Her luck is just like that.

Where did Dancia come from and how did I capture her voice? All I can say is that Dancia flows onto the page right out of my head. She isn’t me – for one, I’ve got no dangerous telekentic powers – but she is someone with whom I’d love to have a conversation. If we went to school together, think we’d be best friends.

The two other most important people you’ll meet at Delcroix: Jack and Cam. First off, Jack:

I didn’t see the kid running toward me until we were about to collide. He was looking over his shoulder and scowling at the road behind him, eyebrows knit together like a dark smear across his forehead. He had long legs and arms, black hair and pale skin. I thought I saw the scrawl of a tattoo across one bicep.
“Hey!” I yelled, ducking out of the way just in time to avoid being flattened.
He stopped and spun around. His gaze darted wildly from my face to the road and back. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He brushed it off with an impatient, trembling hand.
I saw panic in his eyes, and fear in the rigid, jerky way he kept moving, as if he couldn’t afford to stand still.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He looked over his shoulder again, and then took a step closer to me. Grabbing my shoulders, he peered right into my face. “If a man asks if you’ve seen me, say no, okay?”
Beautiful silvery-grey eyes stared out from spiky black eyelashes. I froze, unable to tear my gaze from his.
“Okay?” he repeated, shaking my shoulders. His voice cracked.
I gulped, my heart pounding in my chest. Suddenly, I had a taste of the fear that seemed to consume him. “Should I call the police?”
“No!” His voice cracked again. “No,” he repeated. “Just say you haven’t seen me.”
He let me go and started running down the block.

Who is Jack? He’s the boy you know at school who insanely hot but always in trouble. You look in his eyes and see the soul of a poet, but know that poet is buried under a life full of heartache. Is Jack redeemable? I guess you’ll have to read the books to find out!

Finally, there’s Cameron Sanders, Student Recruiter for Delcroix Academy…

“Call me Cam.” The boy stuck out his hand for me to shake. He was tall, way taller than me and I’m a good five foot nine. In middle school, I really had to slouch to hide the fact that I was the tallest girl in my class. Naturally, Grandma is always on me to stand up straight.
“Hi, Cam.” I tried to wipe my hand surreptitiously on my shorts, because it had suddenly become damp and the last thing I wanted was for him to think I was one of those people who always have sweaty palms. I couldn’t avoid meeting his eyes, so I did, and instantly, I got this fluttery feeling in my chest. Even though I knew it was impossible for a guy that attractive to ever notice a girl like me, his gaze felt warm and inviting. He had an air of athletic outdoorsy-ness, like he could run a marathon or climb a mountain and look gorgeous doing it.
Reluctantly, I extended my hand.
“Great to finally meet you, Dancia.” He closed his palm over mine and I could barely keep from jumping when an electric shock rippled through my arm.

I think we all know a Cam Sanders – hottest guy in the school and everyone’s best friend, you’d hope he would be a jerk so you could hate him and be done with it, but he’s too darn nice. But why is he so interested in Dancia? He’s a junior, and could have any girl he wants – why is he paying so much attention to the girl no one knows?

I hope you will want to get to know Dancia, Jack and Cam a little better – Delcroix Academy: The Candidates is in stores AUGUST 24th!

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Trailer

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Dancia Lewis is far from popular. And that’s not just because of her average grades or her less-than-glamorous wardrobe. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a welcome cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just … happen. Cars skid. Structures collapse. Usually someone gets hurt. So Dancia does everything possible to avoid getting close to people, believing this way she can suppress her powers and keep them hidden.

When recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy offer her a full scholarship, Dancia fears her days of living under the radar may be over. But Delcroix is a school for diplomats’ kids and child geniuses — why are they treating Dancia like she’s special? Even the hottest guy on campus seems to be going out of his way to make her feel welcome. And then there’s her mysterious new friend Jack, who can’t stay out of trouble. He suspects something dangerous is going on at Delcroix, and he wants Dancia to help him figure out what…But neither Jack or
Dancia could have imagined what’s really going on behind the gates of Delcroix Academy.

Up for grabs: Two copies of Delcroix Academy for two lucky winners

Contest Information:

• fill out the form below
• September 14 is the deadline
• open to US only
• check my contest policy
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