#Giveaway 10 Favorite Books as a Child with Eileen Cook #win THE HANGING GIRL by @Eileenwriter @HMHTeen 12.22

 

Skye Thorn has given tarot card readings for years, and now her psychic visions are helping the police find the town’s missing golden girl. It’s no challenge—her readings have always been faked, but this time she has some insider knowledge. The kidnapping was supposed to be easy—no one would get hurt and she’d get the money she needs to start a new life. But a seemingly harmless prank has turned dark, and Skye realizes the people she’s involved with are willing to kill to get what they want and she must discover their true identity before it’s too late.

 

Eileen Cook grew up in a small town in Michigan, but would go on to live in Boston and Belgium before settling in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and two very naughty dogs.

In second grade Eileen’s teacher wrote on a homework assignment “I am sure someday you will be an author” which is a tribute to the psychic abilities of elementary school teachers, as well as Eileen penchant for making things up. While she would go on to fill endless notebooks with really bad poetry, short stories, and the occasional start to a novel, she would first go on to pursue a career as a counsellor working with individuals with catastrophic injuries and illness.

Eileen quickly discovered that the challenge of working with real people is that they have real problems and she returned to writing where she could make her characters do what she wanted. Her first novel was published in 2008. Entertainment Weekly called her novel WITH MALICE a “seriously creepy thriller” which pretty much made her entire year.

When not planning murder and mayhem on the computer, Eileen enjoys reading, knitting, yelling at her dogs to stop digging holes and watching hockey (which she is required to do as a new Canadian.)

Eileen is a popular speaker at conferences both in the US and in Canada, provides writing/editorial coaching, and is a mentor/instructor for the Simon Fraser University The Writer’s Studio.

Eileen lives in Vancouver with her husband and two very naughty dogs and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

Favorite Books as a Child

I read really widely as a child, mysteries, horror novels, romances, fantasy and pretty much every book Judy Blume ever wrote (most of those I read a few times). I was the kid who loved going to the library and checking out stacks and stacks of books.

My ten favorites (in no particular order) when I was quite young were:

1) The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler by Konigsburg I adored the idea of running away to live in a museum and there is a hint of a mystery, which sealed it as a favorite.

2) The Phantom Tollbooth by Juster, is so bizarre and goofy, but it appealed to my sense of humor.

3-5) Everything Judy Blume ever wrote: She was hands down one of my favorite writers growing up. I read her books over and over.  A few favorites include: Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, Blubber and Tiger Eyes.

6) I Know What You Did Last Summer by Duncan. Since I love mysteries and twisty stories, you can bet that all of Ms. Duncan’s books were on my to-be read pile.

7) James and the Giant Peach by Dahl.  I was torn between choosing Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or this book, but you could always count on him to mix humor with a great story.

8) Nancy Drew Series by Keene.  There was a set of these books at my grandmother’s house, they were old and the pages were falling out, but I read them all.

9) The Outsiders by Hinton.  Stay gold, Pony-Boy!

10) The Pigman by Zindel because I loved all the pranks played- I desperately wanted to cause that kind of trouble.

– 1 Winner will receive a Signed Copy of THE HANGING GIRL by Eileen Cook.