Blog Tour: Quick Q and A with Alice Kuipers and Contest!

Alice Kuipers is the award-winning author of Life on The Refrigerator Door and the newly released Lost for Words. Today, she's here on Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf, answering a few of my questions about the book. Also be sure to check out the contest below!

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In your opinion, what are the top three reasons why teens or even adults should consider buying Lost for Words the next time they see it in stores or online?

Wow, this is a hard question! Not because I don't love the book, but because it means I have to try and market it which is way outside of my experience! But, okay, I'll try:

Lost For Words talks about real family dynamics in the face of real tragedy. Reason One To Read It: It's vivid and true.

It's a book for anyone who sometimes doesn't know what to say. It's about the space between words and experience. It's about being lost and being found. Reason Two To Read It: It's about things that matter to you.

It's a great story about a great character (I love her!) who you as a reader will root for as she stumbles through the drama of her life. Reason Three To Read It: You'll want to know what happens to Sophie as soon as you open the first page.

Lost for Words is told from the viewpoint of Sophie, so can you tell us about her? Also, if you could offer her any advice what would you say?

Although Sophie insists that she's fine, she's feeling shaky and sick and is overwhelmed by memories of a day she'd rather forget. She is vulnerable yet tough; strong yet damaged; brave yet frightened. My advice to her at the beginning of the novel would be that it's okay not to be alright. That there's nothing wrong with being vulnerable and fightened sometimes - especially after what she's been through.

Lost for Words is written in diary format, so what made you choose to tell the story in that way?

Lost For Words was a hard story to write. I struggled to find the right way to tell it. I wanted the novel to be in fragments, like Sophie herself, but it was my editor who said, why don't you date the fragments? I was freed up when she said that - a diary is the perfect way to get to the heart of a character. It made sense to me.

What were you like when you were Sophie's age? Were you similar to Sophie in any ways?

There are elements about Sophie that remind me of myself. Her interest in poetry, her attraction to the wrong guy, her frustration with her mother are all things I went through. But Sophie has to deal with something way outside of my experience and so any similarities between us are made different because of what Sophie is going through. She's much braver than me.

Do you have a favourite line or scene from Lost for Words? If so, would you mind sharing or telling us about it?

I have lots of favourite lines and scenes from the novel, but one of my favourite scenes is the party at Abigails where Dan appears out of the shadows upstairs. He's wrong in every way for Sophie, but she can't help herself because when she's with him, she forgets. It's the worst way to deal with her problems, but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun to write.

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Thanks, Alice! I'm really looking forward to reading Lost for Words. To find out more about Alice and her books, be sure to check out her website and her author page at HarperCollins.

Now, the part you've all been waiting for... the contest!

HarperCollins has been amazing enough to offer up THREE copies of Lost for Words for me to giveaway.

To enter, please fill out the following form, and as with any contest, there are rules. Here they are:

~ Must be 13 or older to enter.
~ Open to participants with a United States mailing address only. Also, no P.O. Boxes, please.  (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail).
~ Don't comment below to enter or you will not be entered!
~ This contest will close on July 5 with the winner being announced July 6 or 7.