The New Authors On The Block: Five Little Known Facts about Stone Feild + Giveaway

Welcome back to the fourth and final week of the March edition of The New Authors on the Block with March debut Christy Lenzi! 

5 little known facts about Stone Field:

1. There are little homages to some of my favorite poets tucked away in the book. Some are obvious—Walt Whitman is mentioned outright—but other, more subtle references are in there too. You will find one in Cat’s surname and her father’s first name, for instance.

2. Too many curling fingers! Before my editor alerted me to it, there were about ten moments in the book when characters’ fingers were curling in to fists. It was after the ARCs were done when the repetitions were discovered. We went through and edited most of them. If you read the finished book and find there are still more than one or two curling fingers in it, please don’t tell me, or I might curl my fingers into a fist and shake it at the sky.

3. Annie Dillard says it takes ten years to write a book. For me, looking back, perhaps that is true, because I can see elements in STONE FIELD that I have been pondering and writing about for a long time. One of four unpublished novels I wrote before STONE FIELD explored similar themes, as well as life in the same troubled area and time period. One of my early published short stories for younger kids in Cricket magazine explored it from yet another angle. So though the actual writing of STONE FIELD took closer to 1-2 years, the development of it in my mind took closer to ten.

4. STONE FIELD’s book birthday is the day after my daughter turns 21. I dedicated the book to her and meant it to be a birthday surprise, but the ARCs arrived unexpectedly when she was home from college on a visit and she discovered my gift early. I like the thought that my two first-borns arrived in the world almost exactly 21 years apart.

5. This has been a well-kept secret until now, but I think the time is right to reveal it: STONE FIELD is a palindrome. You can read the whole book forward or backward and it will read the exact same way. It was a difficult feat, I can tell you. And my poor editor! She almost had a breakdown. But I am very proud of this little known fact. (We are playing the Four Truths & One Lie game, right?)

About Christy: 

Christy Lenzi first stuffed a note into an aspirin bottle and threw it in the creek when she was eleven, hoping her words would reach someone out in the big world. Eventually her notes got longer and turned into books. One of her favorite things to do is to ride her motor scooter, Roxanne, down a winding road at sunset. Christy lives in California’s Central Valley with her family.

Connect with Christy: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Pinterest

About Stone Field:

Title: Stone Field 

Author: Christy Lenzi

Genre: Historical Fiction, Retelling, Romance

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: March 29th 2016

Summary: 

In a small town on the brink of the Civil War, Catrina finds a man making strange patterns in her family’s sorghum crop. He’s mad with fever, naked, and strikingly beautiful. He has no memory of who he is or what he’s done before Catrina found him in Stone Field. But that doesn’t bother Catrina because she doesn’t like thinking about the things she’s done before either. Catrina and Stonefield fall passionately, dangerously, in love. All they want is to live with each other, in harmony with the land and away from Cat’s protective brother, the new fanatical preacher, and the neighbors who are scandalized by their relationship. But Stonefield can’t escape the truth about who he is, and the conflict tearing apart the country demands that everyone take a side before the bloodbath reaches their doorstep. Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Stone Field is a passionate and atmospheric story of how violence and vengeance pervert the human spirit, and how hatred can be transcended by love.

ADD IT TO GOODREADS!

What to expect this month:

• March 6th: Introduction of Christy and Stone Field
• March 13th: Excerpt
• March 20th: Q&A
• March 27th: 5 Facts About Stone Field 

Giveaway:

• Please be 13 years or older or have a parents permission to enter
• This giveaway is open to US residents or those with US mailing addresses
• The Book Bratz and Chisty are not responsible for any lost or damaged packages.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The New Authors On The Block: Q&A with Christy Lenzi + Giveaway

Welcome back to the third week of the March edition of The New Authors on the Block! Today it is time for a Q&A! 

Q&A: 

Where did your inspiration for Stone Field start?

It started when different elements came together in my mind and ignited, kind of like a match, a rag, and a can of gasoline. One element was an interest in my Civil War ancestor from Missouri, Bushwhacker Bill Wilson, who was lauded as a hero, but did some pretty horrible things. I wondered what it must have been like living in his tumultuous time and place. Another element was my fascination with Emily Bronte’s fierce characters in Wuthering Heights. Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship perplexed and intrigued me. Then Cat’s voice came to me, and that was the spark thrown on both of those interests.

Which character can you relate to the most?

It’s pretty easy for me to relate to Cat because her particular strengths and weaknesses resonate with me, especially the way in which they’re connected. For instance, Cat is fiercely determined to remain true to herself and pursue her desires (strengths!), which can sometimes lead to a sort of tunnel vision and self-absorbed intensity (weaknesses!) I also relate to her impulsive nature—living life in the moment. That can be a wonderful thing, but Cat rarely considers the future ramifications of her actions. I love Cat. And I also want to shake her hard. Sometimes I wonder if people feel that way about me.

How does it feel to be a debut author?

Vulnerable. Exciting. Slow. Fast. Up. Down. Nauseating. Scary. Exhilarating. Like an amazing rollercoaster that I couldn’t ride until I’d spent ages inching forward in a long, long, line. But totally worth it!

Name 3 songs that help get you in the writing mood:

When I was working on STONE FIELD, I was listening to Agnes Obel’s album Aventine and was struck by how the haunting atmosphere and themes seemed to go so perfectly with the story, especially “Dorian,” and “The Curse.” Another song I listened to at the time that seemed apropos was “Friend of Mine” by Edie Brickell & Steve Martin. Not only did Martin’s banjo make it sound like a song Cat might have heard back then, it’s a perfect ode to Effie’s friendship.

What is your favorite element of the story? Why?

Cat’s wild work is one of my favorite aspects. My ideas for her creations were inspired by the ephemeral nature art of the environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy. I enjoy seeing Cat express her feelings and thoughts through her art because I think creating art is important and good for the soul. As the author Kurt Vonnegut wrote, “Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow.”

About Christy: 

Christy Lenzi first stuffed a note into an aspirin bottle and threw it in the creek when she was eleven, hoping her words would reach someone out in the big world. Eventually her notes got longer and turned into books. One of her favorite things to do is to ride her motor scooter, Roxanne, down a winding road at sunset. Christy lives in California’s Central Valley with her family.

Connect with Christy: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Pinterest

About Stone Field:

Title: Stone Field 

Author: Christy Lenzi

Genre: Historical Fiction, Retelling, Romance

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: March 29th 2016

Summary: 

In a small town on the brink of the Civil War, Catrina finds a man making strange patterns in her family’s sorghum crop. He’s mad with fever, naked, and strikingly beautiful. He has no memory of who he is or what he’s done before Catrina found him in Stone Field. But that doesn’t bother Catrina because she doesn’t like thinking about the things she’s done before either. Catrina and Stonefield fall passionately, dangerously, in love. All they want is to live with each other, in harmony with the land and away from Cat’s protective brother, the new fanatical preacher, and the neighbors who are scandalized by their relationship. But Stonefield can’t escape the truth about who he is, and the conflict tearing apart the country demands that everyone take a side before the bloodbath reaches their doorstep. Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Stone Field is a passionate and atmospheric story of how violence and vengeance pervert the human spirit, and how hatred can be transcended by love.

ADD IT TO GOODREADS!

What to expect this month:

• March 6th: Introduction of Christy and Stone Field
• March 13th: Excerpt
• March 20th: Q&A
• March 27th: 5 Facts About Stone Field 

Giveaway:

• Please be 13 years or older or have a parents permission to enter
• This giveaway is open to US residents or those with US mailing addresses
• The Book Bratz and Chisty are not responsible for any lost or damaged packages.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The New Authors On The Block: Excerpt from STONE FIELD + Giveaway

Welcome back to the second week of the March edition of The New Authors on the Block! Today Christy is sharing an exclusive excerpt from Stone Field! 

Excerpt: 

“If Father won’t tend to you, somebody has to. Whoever heard of a girl roaming up and down the hills at all hours? Look at you—wearing boys’ pants and your hair hanging loose and tangled. It’s not proper.”

I don’t give a damn about being proper. It’s just a mess of rules that people make up so they can have a say in other people’s business. But I don’t waste my words on Henry. I tear off pieces of my biscuit and crumble them in my fist while he preaches his sermon. Since Papa’s off working in the barn, I’m the only one left in Henry’s congregation.

He crosses his arms over his chest, looking at me like I’m dirt on a stick. If the high slant of his cheekbones and the soft curve of his lips didn’t belong to our dead mother, I would slap his face. Mother had never minded what I wore and would never have talked to me this way.

“Plenty of girls are courted or already married at seventeen, but there’s not a man in his right mind who’d want to chase down and tame a wildcat like you. You should be here at home.” He tilts his chin up as he talks so the righteousness he spouts will fall on me like manna from Heaven. “When you feel troubled or restless, you should turn your idle thoughts to the Bible and your idle hands to work. That’ll sweep the wickedness out of any girl’s heart.” He nods, agreeing with himself.

But Henry and Jesus don’t know a thing about a girl’s heart. And they don’t know what it feels like to have a soul bent on wandering through dark places, looking for the missing piece of itself. They can’t help me.”

About Christy: 

Christy Lenzi first stuffed a note into an aspirin bottle and threw it in the creek when she was eleven, hoping her words would reach someone out in the big world. Eventually her notes got longer and turned into books. One of her favorite things to do is to ride her motor scooter, Roxanne, down a winding road at sunset. Christy lives in California’s Central Valley with her family.

Connect with Christy: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Pinterest

About Stone Field:

Title: Stone Field 

Author: Christy Lenzi

Genre: Historical Fiction, Retelling, Romance

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: March 29th 2016

Summary: 

In a small town on the brink of the Civil War, Catrina finds a man making strange patterns in her family’s sorghum crop. He’s mad with fever, naked, and strikingly beautiful. He has no memory of who he is or what he’s done before Catrina found him in Stone Field. But that doesn’t bother Catrina because she doesn’t like thinking about the things she’s done before either. Catrina and Stonefield fall passionately, dangerously, in love. All they want is to live with each other, in harmony with the land and away from Cat’s protective brother, the new fanatical preacher, and the neighbors who are scandalized by their relationship. But Stonefield can’t escape the truth about who he is, and the conflict tearing apart the country demands that everyone take a side before the bloodbath reaches their doorstep. Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Stone Field is a passionate and atmospheric story of how violence and vengeance pervert the human spirit, and how hatred can be transcended by love.

ADD IT TO GOODREADS!

What to expect this month:

• March 6th: Introduction of Christy and Stone Field
• March 13th: Excerpt 
• March 20th: Q&A
• March 27th: 10 Facts About Stone Field 

Giveaway:

• Please be 13 years or older or have a parents permission to enter
• This giveaway is open to US residents or those with US mailing addresses
• The Book Bratz and Chisty are not responsible for any lost or damaged packages.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The New Authors On The Block: Introducing March Debut Christy Lenzi + Giveaway

Welcome to the third month of The New Authors on The Block!  This month we are introducing: 

Christy Lenzi the author of Stone Field ! 

About Christy: 

Christy Lenzi first stuffed a note into an aspirin bottle and threw it in the creek when she was eleven, hoping her words would reach someone out in the big world. Eventually her notes got longer and turned into books. One of her favorite things to do is to ride her motor scooter, Roxanne, down a winding road at sunset. Christy lives in California’s Central Valley with her family.

Connect with Christy: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Pinterest

About Stone Field:

Title: Stone Field 

Author: Christy Lenzi

Genre: Historical Fiction, Retelling, Romance

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Publication Date: March 29th 2016

Summary: 

In a small town on the brink of the Civil War, Catrina finds a man making strange patterns in her family’s sorghum crop. He’s mad with fever, naked, and strikingly beautiful. He has no memory of who he is or what he’s done before Catrina found him in Stone Field. But that doesn’t bother Catrina because she doesn’t like thinking about the things she’s done before either. Catrina and Stonefield fall passionately, dangerously, in love. All they want is to live with each other, in harmony with the land and away from Cat’s protective brother, the new fanatical preacher, and the neighbors who are scandalized by their relationship. But Stonefield can’t escape the truth about who he is, and the conflict tearing apart the country demands that everyone take a side before the bloodbath reaches their doorstep. Inspired by Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Stone Field is a passionate and atmospheric story of how violence and vengeance pervert the human spirit, and how hatred can be transcended by love.

ADD IT TO GOODREADS!

What to expect this month:

• March 6th: Introduction of You and Stone Field
• March 13th: Excerpt 
• March 20th: Q&A 
• March 27th: 10 Facts About Stone Field 

Giveaway:

• Please be 13 years or older or have a parents permission to enter
• This giveaway is open to US residents or those with US mailing addresses
• The Book Bratz and Chisty are not responsible for any lost or damaged packages.

a Rafflecopter giveaway