The Zombie Apocalypse with Courtney Summers (& #YA C*ntest)

Today, I’d like to welcome Courtney Summers, the author of a new YA novel coming out next week called This is Not a Test. You know how I love a good end-of-the-world dystopian tale, so I’m excited about this book. Some of the best dystopians in the last couple of years have come from the Young Adult realm. If you’d like to learn more about Courtney, you can check out her website at: www.courtneysummers.ca. And if you’d like to win a copy of This is Not a Test, read on!

ABOUT THIS IS NOT A TEST  It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.  When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

Now, let’s hear from Courtney. Welcome!

Give us the “elevator pitch” for your latest work.

Six teens are trapped in their high school during the zombie apocalypse.

What is your favorite scene in the book?

I really enjoyed writing the opening chapter because it was very action and zombie heavy!

Hardest scene you’ve ever written:

I can't give it away because it's in the book I'm working on now.  The scene is set the day after a horrible night.

What’s on your nightstand or top of your TBR pile?

Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent.  I started it and had to set it aside for a deadline. Setting it aside was hard.  It's incredible so far and I can't wait to get back to it.

Favorite book when you were a child:

I loved Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar.

Your five favorite authors:

Robert Cormier, Melina Marchetta, Ryu Murakami, Blake Nelson and J.K. Rowling.

Book you've faked reading:

Little Women. (Suzanne is crying. No!)

Book you're an evangelist for:

In the Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami.  Dark and incredible.

Book you've bought for the cover:

Catch by Will Leitch.  The inside was just as great.

Book that changed your life:

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.

Favorite line from a book:

"I want to only imagine things, not know them."
The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.  It was so long, so rich and it had an incredible pay-off.

Most horrifying moment while reading a book:

The scene with the rat in American Psycho has scarred me for life.

Favorite book about books or writing:

On Writing by Stephen King.

What’s next?

My fifth book, ALL THE RAGE, comes out in 2013 from St. Martin's Press.

Many thanks, Courtney—I’m trying to think what five people in my high school I’d want to face the zombie apocalypse with…it’s almost scarier than the zombies! 

You know the drill to win a copy of This is Not a Test. One entry for comment, another for blog follow, a third for a Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and a fourth for a Tweet or Retweet. Now...Go forth and comment!