Guest Post with Laurie Faria Stolarz, Author of The Touch and Blue is for Nightmares Series

I am thrilled to welcome author Laurie Faria Stolarz today! Laurie has written many YA books including Project 17, Bleed, Deadly Little Secret, and the Blue is for Nightmares series. She grew up in Salem, MA, attended Merrimack College, and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston.

Thanks so much for inviting me to talk here about the upcoming release of DEADLY LITTLE LIES, the second book in the TOUCH series.

DEADLY LITTLE LIES is the sequel to DEADLY LITTLE SECRET, (the first book in the TOUCH series). I’m really excited about it, because I think it has even more suspense, romance, and twists than the first book. It starts up a few months after Ben’s departure at the end of DEADLY LITTLE SECRET. Camelia’s spent those months researching everything she can find on psychometry (the ability to sense through touch). See the full description below.

About the Book:

Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, a new boy at school who had a very mysterious gift – psychometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry and experiencing strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow been transferred to her.

Ben returns to school, but he remains aloof, and Camelia can't get close enough to share her secret with him. Camelia makes the painful decision to let him go and move on. Adam, the hot new guy at Knead, seems good for her in ways Ben wasn't. But when Camelia and Adam start dating, a surprising love triangle results. A chilling sequence of events uncovers secrets from Ben’s past – and Adam's. Someone is lying, and it's up to Camelia to figure out who – before it's too late.

I’m launching the release with a really exciting contest, the winner of which could have a minor character in DEADLY LITTLE GAME, the third book in the TOUCH series, named after him or her. Be sure to check out all the details on my website: www.lauriestolarz.com/news.html.

Also, be sure to check out some of Camelia’s favorite psychometry links below, as well some tips she has to develop your own psychometric powers, her guilty pleasures, and more.

Lastly, the paperback of DEADLY LITTLE SECRET will be out in November as well. For a limited time Barnes & Noble will be releasing an exclusive edition that will have excerpts from Ben’s secret blog.

Many thanks again for this opportunity to chat! Also, be sure to visit my website, where you’ll find more contests under NEWS.

All best,

Laurie Stolarz

Directions on how to bring your own psychometric senses to fruition

1. Make yourself comfortable in a place that feels “sacred” to you. For some it’s outside, surrounded by nature; for others it’s a favorite chair or surrounded by candles; for me, it’s wherever I’m doing pottery.

2. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breath, letting go of any stray or nervous thoughts.

3. Now, take an object in your hand. A good idea is to have someone give you something they’ve owned for a long time, i.e. a favorite bracelet or a set of keys.

4. Close your eyes again and concentrate on this object. Be aware of any thoughts or feelings that come about as a result of holding this object. Talk those ideas through, even if they seem silly or insignificant, but never make information up.

Remember, this takes practice and a bit of experimenting. The goal is to begin tuning in to your own inner awareness and your ability of perception. What works for me is saying a question aloud in my head, and then sculpting out the answer – using my power of touch in a creative and organic way.

Camelia’s Favorite Links About Psychometry:

http://paranormal.about.com/cs/espinformation/a/aa063003.htm

http://freespace.virgin.net/russel.steward/psychome.htm

http://www.powerful-psychic-reading.com/psychometry.html

Camelia’s Guilty Pleasures

Favorite snack: Honestly, I’m pretty open. My mom’s a super health-freak and doesn’t allow any “toxins” in the house, so anything salty, sugary, and bad for you usually works for me. Bring on the Fritos, Doritos, Twinkies, and Scooter Pies.

Touristy Trip: I’d love to go to Florence and Rome to study the art.

Fashion addiction: When I go shopping, I mostly just look at the mannequins and then copy (buy) the clothes I think look cute. I’m a big Gap girl – basic, comfortable, feminine when it needs to be, and can be dressed up or down.

Dessert: Fried ice cream – yum!

Fast food: Chips and chalupas from Taco Bell.

Beauty Binge: I don’t wear a lot of make-up, but I must admit I like collecting samples from Sephora and at the make-up/perfume counters at the mall, though my mom hates it, saying I should only use organics on my skin and in my body. I do like Bare Escentuals products – the Buxom Lip gloss is amazing.

Late-Night TV: The Ghost Whisperer, marathons of Made, Supernatural, and Lisa Williams’ Life Among the Dead.

Chick Flick: Before Sunrise.

Nightlife: Chatting online with friends.

Cheap Thrill: Cool and fun new sculpting tools.

Ultimate Splurge: A new pottery wheel – I still use an old kick-wheel.

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

1. I love what I do, and feel very grateful to be able to have this as a career.

2. I love dark chocolate, Starbucks coffee, Bertucci’s cheeseless pizza, popcorn, and Indian food (though not necessarily in one meal).

3. I watch an embarrassing amount of reality TV (it’s research after all).

4. I’m very deadline driven, giving myself weekly deadlines and agendas, so that everything gets done on time.

5. I have a background in marketing and French.

6. My first job was as a piano teacher (I was 9). I’ve also been a waitress, a supermarket cashier, worked in a ceramics studio, worked as a tour guide for international exchange students, been a teacher, a script reader, an editor, and written obituaries for a newspaper.

7. I’m a vegetarian. If I were to try my hand at a different career, it would be holistic nutritionist.

8. I love yoga, dance/aerobics classes, cooking, tennis, and power walks.

9. I often shop online, fill my basket, and then empty it all out. Does anyone else do this?

10. My readers mean the world to me.

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