Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - Freerunner by Kathy Cassel (Interview & Guest Post & Giveaway)

Set against the backdrop of the sport of freerunning,
Kia must decide whether she will continue running or
face her past abuser in order to save another child.

Night is Kia’s favorite time, when she freeruns to outdistance the memories of abuse she suffered as a young child. But when former reality television star Terrence Jones arrives at their school as the new head track coach, things begin to change in unpredictable ways. Kia tries out for the team to fit in, but just as she’s gaining a new sense of normal, her abuser steps back into her life. Not only that, but being on the track team causes even more turmoil. Why does the assistant coach, Cassandra Clark, dislike Terrence Jones so much, and even more troubling, why does Coach Clark dislike her so much? As the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together, Kia realizes she has to choose between running from her past or saving a child from the same sort of abuse she suffered. But will she have the courage to do so?

Genre: YA fiction

Click here to get your copy!

Interview with Kathy

#1. What was the inspiration for this book?
Freerunner is the story of a 15-year-old who freeruns to escape the memories of abuse/molestation she suffered as a young child. So many teens live with painful secrets like Kia, and they need to know that they weren’t at fault and that God does have a plan for them for healing.

#2. How long did it take to finish writing this book?
I have worked on different versions of it over the past three years as I’ve switched from writing devotional books to issued-based teen fiction. There is a lot to learn about writing fiction, and it’s taken me a while!

#3. What drew you to write in this particular genre?
I love YA books, but most of the books I was checking out from the library had themes of depression, suicide, death and so on. I quickly realized the books didn’t offer any real answers or hope, and I felt a strong call to switch from devotion books to fiction that would reach teens with the message that there is a God, and he has a plan for them. If they walk away from the story with that hope, then I’ve succeeded in planting a seed of faith.

#4. Do you have favorite character(s) in this book?
I love the relationship between Thorn and Kia, so that makes them my favorites. Everyone needs someone to count on, and those two have each other. One of my favorite parts is:

Thorn hands me a pile of DVDs. “You pick the movie, I’ll make the popcorn.”
I blink back tears. Funny how family can feel like strangers and friends can become family.

That’s the kind of friendship Kia has with Thorn and his grandparents.

#5. What do you hope your readers will take away with them when they read this book?
Freerunner is the story of a 15-year-old who freeruns to escape the memories of abuse/molestation she suffered as a young child. So many teens live with painful secrets like Kia, and they need to know that they weren’t at fault and that God does have a plan for them for healing.

#6. How did you name your characters?
I love names, and I try to remember the ones I hear that catch my attention. I keep a list of names in a journal and when I start planning a story, I try to pick the best one for each character. A couple of times I’ve had to change a character’s name because it was too similar to another character, and that gets confusing.

#7. Tell us something funny, sad, embarrassing, whatever, that happened involving this book.
I asked a friend if I could photograph her daughter to give the design team an idea of what I envisioned for the cover. I took action shots and mood shots (and even have some fun bloopers). When I sent them to the design team, they actually chose to use one of my photos for the cover. Now one of my friend’s daughters is on the cover of my first teen fiction book. She’s an amazing young lady, so it’s special to me to have her as the cover model.

#8. Tell us a little about yourself, your family, friends.
I have eight children—one stepdaughter, two birth children, and five adopted children three of whom are from Haiti. We joke that we are white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate.

#9. If you could change one thing in your life, past or present, what would it be?
I wish I had pursued teen fiction earlier. I was told writing wasn’t practical and that I didn’t have the imagination to write fiction. And maybe both of those things are true, but with study and practice, most of the things we feel called to do our within our reach.

#10. What one piece of advice would you like to give readers?
Stay close to God and follow your heart. If you are walking with him then the things you desire are probably the things he has planned for you. God has gifted you with both the talent and personality to accomplish what he has chosen for you.

#11 Share with us a thought, Bible verse, whatever is on your mind/heart.
After writing that above answer, Ephesians 2:10 is on my mind.

I think this is a good verse to hang on to and realize that God does have a plan for us, and he’s given us all we need to fulfill it.

More from Kathy

Meet the cover model for Freerunner.

I asked a friend if I could photograph her daughter to give the design team an idea of what I envisioned for the cover of Freerunner. I took action shots and mood shots (and even have some fun bloopers). When I sent them to the design team, they actually chose to use one of my photos for the cover. Now one of my friend’s daughters is on the cover of my first teen fiction book. She’s an amazing young lady, so it’s special to me to have her as the cover model.

The cover model is fifteen–year-old Larissa (fourteen when the cover photo was taken), who is part of an adoptive family that has twelve children. She and her brother were adopted as toddlers, and while Larissa doesn’t share Kia’s story, she has had struggles of her own. To accommodate some medical issues, she is homeschooled. She is involved in modeling, dance, musical theater and singing. The amazing part about Larissa performing is that because of the trauma of spending three years in foster care she struggled with selective mutism, not able to talk to anyone outside of her family. Amazingly she has been able to overcome it and is now able to express herself verbally as well as through music and dance. Larissa’s newest interest is photography, and she loves llamas and collecting realistic dolls.

Here are a few fun facts about Larissa:
Favorite color: Purple
Favorite sport: dance
Favorite Bible verse: Proverbs 3:5
Favorite Bible character: Noah
Favorite activity: singing and dancing
What do you want to be as an adult? Performer and photographer
What one thing do you want to do more than anything else? Walk a runway in Italy
What advice would you give a girl in Kia’s situation or in any abusive situation? Pray and ask an adult for help.
You are the victim, it isn’t your fault.

Kathy Cassel

Kathy grew up in northern Indiana, lived in three different continents while her husband was in the USAF, and now lives in the Florida Panhandle. She and her husband have eight children, five of whom are adopted, three from Haiti and two from the United States. They also have four grandchildren. Kathy’s favorite activities are those that involve traveling and adventures that include her children and grandchildren.

In order to better relate to the characters in her stories, Kathy has done things such as whitewater rafting, certify in scuba diving, and get her motorcycle endorsement. She draws the line at sky diving.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Kathy is giving away the
grand prize of a $40 Books-A-Million Gift Card!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/103e1/freerunner-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Locks, Hooks and Books, November 18
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Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 20
Stories By Gina, November 21 (Author Interview)
Sara Jane Jacobs, November 21
deb’s Book Review, November 22
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 23