Welcome to the FFBC: WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU by Stephanie Kuehn

When I Am Through with You

by Stephanie Kuehn
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 1, 2017

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery

Synopsis:

“This isn’t meant to be a confession. Not in any spiritual sense of the word. Yes, I’m in jail at the moment. I imagine I’ll be here for a long time, considering. But I’m not writing this down for absolution and I’m not seeking forgiveness, not even from myself. Because I’m not sorry for what I did to Rose. I’m just not. Not for any of it.”

Ben Gibson is many things, but he’s not sorry and he’s not a liar. He will tell you exactly about what happened on what started as a simple school camping trip in the mountains. About who lived and who died. About who killed and who had the best of intentions. But he’s going to tell you in his own time. Because after what happened on that mountain, time is the one thing he has plenty of.

Hi Stephanie!!  We’re so excited about WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU and for the chance to ask you some questions!  Welcome to the FFBC!



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Favorite Book?

Espedair Street by Iain Banks


Favorite TV show?

At the moment: Bates Motel


Favorite movie?

The Wicker Man


Favorite Song?

Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat


Favorite Food?

An amazing cheese plate.


Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.

New Tammany College . The Island of Dr. Moreau. Hogwart’s.


What were your favorite books growing up? (I was into Fear Street!!)

So many! As a young kid, I loved Albert Payson Terhune’s books about the Sunnybank collies and also the Black Stallion books. When I was older, I loved Dean Koontz’s Watchers, Peter Straub’s Floating Dragon, and The Dark Forces series. 


Favorite Quote?

“The truth is a snare: you cannot have it without being caught. You cannot have the truth in such a way that you catch it, but only in such a way that it catches you.”  - Soren Kierkegaard


What are your fandoms?

Do sports count? I would’ve said the Oakland Raiders. But now they’re moving to Vegas, so I’ll have to focus on the A’s and the Warriors. 


Name a recent book that you read that you would recommend to our book lovers.

Samantha Mabry’s upcoming ALL THE WIND IN THE WORLD. It’s a gorgeous story of magic, love, betrayal, and curses. 



ABOUT THE BOOK:


Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU?

WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU is a survival story centered around a death. It’s about a high school orienteering club that sets out on a weekend backpacking trip in California’s Trinity Alps where things quickly go very, very wrong. But it’s also about Ben and his longtime girlfriend Rose, about whether the love between them can survive. About whether it even should. 


How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?

I definitely found inspiration in the books THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. Both offer enthralling looks into seriously unhealthy relationships—built respectively on loathing and lust—and both end in tragedy. These are stories that wallow in the depths of moral ambiguity and moral failure, and in that sense, I wanted Ben and Rose to follow the path taken by both Robert and Gloria, and Frank and Cora.


Tell us your favorite quote from WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU.

“Neither option brought comfort, but I knew I’d rather drown than know I was the cause of someone else’s pain. That was noble, wasn’t it? To think of others first? I’d always told myself that, but doubt chewed at the edges of my certainty. Maybe the truth was that I preferred death to guilt. It was hard to see anything noble in that.”


I have to admit, your characters give me chills sometimes.  Which character (from any of your books) would you be most freaked out to spend time alone with?

Emerson Tate from DELICATE MONSTERS. 


What 3 hashtags would you most associate with your book? (Could be a word or phrase or anything that would instantly make you think of WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU)

#perfectlove #perfectcruelty #grizzlylake


Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write? Or which scene was the most difficult to get through?

Most of my books to date have been very internal and character-driven. I suppose this one is, as well, but it’s also got a lot of external action and a bigger cast of characters than I’m used to. There are fights and gunfire and lightning strikes and lots of bloodshed. I really had fun writing these bigger, more overtly physical scenes that involved a lot of moving parts and physical danger at every turn. 


If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU – Which one would you pick? 

Well, I guess the most appropriate would have to be VLA’s WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU. 


Is there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU (specific music, snacks…)? 

I think it would be a great book to read outside in a hammock in the shade. Maybe with a Coke and a Clif bar. 


What’s next for you? 

I have a couple of new projects that I’m working on. I really want to keep pushing myself as a writer and to try new things. 


Thank you so much for everything, Stephanie!

Thank you so much for your thoughtful questions! 


I can't even express how happy this interview made me!!  Stephanie is one of my all-time fave authors of EVER, and I can't wait to share with you all my thoughts on this book-- because I LOVE IT!!!  Also, sports totally count as a fandom (GO STEELERS & PENGUINS), and I would NEVER want to be alone with Emerson Tate either **shivers**.

  

I grew up in Berkeley, California, which is a quirky sort of a place with many wonderful bookstores. When I was fifteen, my very first job was working in one of those bookstores. It’s where I would go after school, and I’d read everything that I could. Back then, some of the books that had the greatest impact on my life were young adult novels, and now, as an adult, I’ve found my own passion in writing for teens.

Other passions of mine include mental health advocacy, social justice, and sports of all kinds. When I’m not writing or reading (or studying for graduate school), I’m usually outside running or playing with my family. I currently live in Northern California with my husband, three kids, and our menagerie of pets. Life is loud, joyous, and filled with animal hair.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, my last name is pronounced keen. I know! I don’t get it either.

FOLLOW THE TOUR HERE!

• 3 winners will receive a copy of WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU by Stephanie Kuehn
• 1 winner will receive WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU & THE SMALLER EVIL by Stephanie Kuehn
• US Only
• Please read the rules in the Rafflecopter-- NO GIVEAWAY ACCOUNTS PLEASE.

a Rafflecopter giveaway