Introducing Carrie Arcos

It's that time of year again -- The Ontario Teen Book Fest is taking place Saturday, March 9th, 2019, from 9 am to 5 pm at Colony High School, 3850 E. Riverside Drive, Ontario, CA 91761. As always you can find info at http://www.ontariotbf.org/. No tickets are needed, the event is free, and you will even get free lunch courtesy of Panera Bread! Please use hashtag #OntarioTBF when sharing information and photos of the event.

This event is sponsored by Once Upon A Time. They will have books available for purchase at the event. There will also be t-shirts and posters available for purchase as well. Find them at  http://www.shoponceuponatime.com/

You can enter to win a poster signed by all of the authors at the bottom of this post!

In today's blog tour post, we're introducing you to Carrie Arcos.

Carrie Arcos has written 4 books for young adults, and has earned a Master's degree in English and Creative Writing. Over the years, she has had many careers, but according to her bio, aside from writing, the best job she's ever had was teaching high school (she taught English as well as coached Cross Country and Track). 

Her debut novel is entitled Out of Reach. When her older brother Micah doesn't come home, Rachel and her brother's best friend, Tyler, go out looking for him. A story of addiction, family, and discovery, Out of Reach was a National Book Award finalist in 2012.

Arcos followed up in 2014 with There Will Come a Time, in which Mark tries to honor the death of his sister, Grace, with the help of her best friend Hanna, and Grace's journal, all the while struggling with the intense grief and sadness that comes with losing one's twin.

Her next novel, published in 2017, was Crazy Messy Beautiful, the story of an aspiring artist looking for romance, who finds instead that love, like life, is more complicated than he ever thought possible.

In 2018's We Are All That's Left, a mother/daughter story weaves back and forth between Zara's young adulthood in modern Rhode Island and her mother Nadja's time growing up in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War. Their distant, disconnected relationship becomes one-sided as an explosion leaves Nadja in a coma. Zara is left with PTSD and questions about her mother, faith, and philosophy, which a friend she gets to know during this tragic time might help her figure out. 

Q&A with Carrie Arcos

Read Now Sleep Later: What was your reading/writing life like when you were a teen? 

CA: As a preteen and teen I read quite a bit. I could be engrossed in a novel for hours. I read all kinds of things. I loved the classics, as well as romances and science fiction. As far as writing went, I did write for school assignments, but I didn't necessarily do a lot of creative writing on my own. I wrote poetry and spoken word, only for my eyes. I was intimidated to try to write on my own, feeling that I couldn't really do what the writers I admired did.

RNSL: What was the first book that sparked your love of words?

CA: As a kid I read Frog and Toad All Year and loved it. The illustrations and the story are seared in my memory. Beyond that I think just story really captivated me. I love a good opening line.

RNSL: If money and reality were no object, what would be your ideal writing spot?

CA: A cabin by a stream.

RNSL: Have you ever heard back from a reader regarding something about your writing that really surprised or delighted you? What did they say?

CA: I heard back from a reader after he read There Will Come a Time. He loved the book and was shocked that I captured so much of himself as a teenager on the page. That was a great surprise and a great affirmation to me as a writer. I love that book so much and Mark's story is one that rings true.

RNSL: What are you working on next that you can share a bit about?

I'm working on a novel that will be out summer 2020. It's called Skywatchers. In 1952 in Monterey, CA a group of teens participating in Operation Skywatch, Henry Truman's civilian radar program, witness a UFO landing in the woods. They go to investigate and all but one return. Super excited about this venture into grounded science fiction for me. It's been both a challenge and a dream come true to write.

You can find more about Carrie at her website, www.carriearcos.com, or find her on Twitter @carriearcos. 

Find her books linked below and at Once Upon a Time's pop up shop on the day of the event (while supplies last):

Out of Reach
There Will Come a Time
Crazy Messy Beautiful
We Are All That's Left

Check out these links to find out more about this year's authors.

Official Blog Tour Schedule

February 26th - Spotlight on Abdi Nazemian -What A Nerd Girl Says

February 27th - Spotlight on Cindy Pon - Bookchelle

Spotlight on Suzanne Young - Movies Shows N Books

February 28th - Spotlight on Isabel Quintero - Read Now Sleep Later

March 1st - Spotlight on Amy Spalding - Nite Lite Book Reviews

Spotlight on Julie Buxbaum - My Fangirl Chronicles

March 2nd - Spotlight on Demetra Brodsky - Adventures of a Book Junkie

Spotlight on Kayla Cagan - Movies Shows N Books

March 3rd - Spotlight on Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka - BookCrushin'

March 4th - Spotlight on Jeff Sweat - Movies Shows n Books

Spotlight on Robin Reul - What A Nerd Girl Says

March 5th - Spotlight on Jessica Brody - The Readers Antidote

March 6th - Spotlight on Stephanie Garber - Adventures of a Book Junkie

March 7th - Spotlight on Jennifer Brody - Bookschief Managed

Spotlight on Carrie Arcos - Read Now Sleep Later

March 8th - Spotlight on Nicole Maggi - Bookchelle

Spotlight on Mary Weber - BookCrushin'

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