Hello, reader friends! Join me in welcoming author friend Stephanie Morrill for a little chat, a JustRead blog tour, and giveaway celebrating Within These Lines!

about the author

Stephanie Morrill writes books about girls who are on an adventure to discover their unique place in the world. She is the author of several contemporary young adult series, as well as the 1920s mystery, The Lost Girl of Astor Street, and the WWII era romance, Within These Lines.

Since 2010, Stephanie has been encouraging the next generation of writers at her website, GoTeenWriters.com. She lives in the Kansas City area, where she loves plotting big and small adventures to enjoy with her husband and three children.

You can connect with Stephanie and learn more about her books on her website and social media.

website | facebook | twitter | instagram

 

q&a

Describe Within These Lines in five words.

S: Romantic, Honest, Raw, Tragic, and Hopeful

B: Well, that settles it. *slides book into tbr*

What are some of the challenges you faced while writing Within These Lines?

S: Taichi’s POV felt very intimidating to me when I first started this book. I rewrote his first scene several times before I felt happy with how he sounded. Building his character involved a lot of listening. Listening to conversations about how current minorities in America feel now, but also reading autobiographies written by Japanese Americans who endured the incarceration.

B: Oh, I’m sure! Thank you for your diligence, stories like this one need to be told!

What do you want readers to gain from reading Within These Lines?

S: My greatest hope for every story I write is just that readers will enjoy it. That’s always in the front of my mind when I’m writing. But if in addition to enjoying Within These Lines, the book causes readers to awaken to social injustices around them, that would be fantastic too.

B: Amen to that!

What book(s) are you reading right now?

S: I just started The War Outside by Monica Hesse

B: I’m noticing a barbed wire theme developing here…

What is your go-to beverage?

S: Coffee in the mornings, and then plain ol’ water through the rest of the day.

B: A fellow water drinker! We are definitely friends now!

What is your favorite comfort food?

S: Pasta and ice cream. I’m all about carbs.

B: Yum! Let’s throw in some potatoes and I’m set for life.

Do you prefer print or ebooks?

S: I’m format agnostic. I like them all!

B: Same! All the books, all the time!

What’s your ereading style?

S: I’m a Kindle Paperwhite girl. I like the option it has for lighting.

B: Stephanie, we are undeniably kindred spirits.

What’s your writing style?

S: I’m a hybrid, but these days I probably lean more toward outliner. When I wrote contemporaries, I could get away with more pantsing, but with historicals or mysteries, I need a bit more structure in place before I set off into the wilderness.

B: Makes sense. A little structure goes a long way, or so I assume.

Do you have any writing quirks?

S: I think I’m a pretty normal writer (does that exist?) but I do like total silence when I’m writing. If people are moving around in the house, I put on a white noise app to cover it.

B: I can’t even write reviews when it’s noisy so we’ll go with normal (and be in denial together)!

about the book

Title: Within These Lines
Author: Stephanie Morrill
Publisher: Blink YA
Genre: Historical Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: March 5, 2019

When Evalina Cassano and Taichi Hamasaki are torn apart by the events following the attack on Pearl Harbor, they must fight if they want any hope of returning to one another before World War II steals their future together. Within These Lines is one unflinching, haunting, historical novel you don’t want to miss; perfect for fans of Monica Hesse, Ruta Sepetys, and Elizabeth Wein.

Evalina Cassano’s life in an Italian-American family living in San Francisco in 1941 is quiet and ordinary until she falls in love with Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants. Despite the scandal it would cause and that inter-racial marriage is illegal in California, Evalina and Taichi vow they will find a way to be together. But anti-Japanese feelings erupt across the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Taichi and his family are forced to give up their farm and move to a Japanese-American internment camp.

Degrading treatment makes life at Manzanar Relocation Center difficult. Taichi’s only connection to the outside world is treasured letters from Evalina. Feeling that the only action she can take to help Taichi is to speak out against injustice, Evalina becomes increasingly vocal at school and at home. Meanwhile, inside Manzanar, fighting between different Japanese-American factions arises. Taichi begins to doubt he will ever leave the camp alive.

With tensions running high and their freedom on the line, Evalina and Taichi must hold true to their ideals and believe in their love to make a way back to each other against unbelievable odds.

Within These Lines:

• Is a young adult historical novel set in the World War II era
• Contains themes of love, separation, social justice, war, and diversity
• Perfect for junior high and high school students
• A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection

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tour giveaway

One Grand Prize winner will win a release copy of Within These Lines & a special designed poster of Within These Lines from the publisher, Blink YA. Featured quote on poster: “Be Brave Enough to Care and Bold Enough to Act”

Five First Prize winners will each with a special designed poster of Within These Lines from the publisher, Blink YA. Featured quote on poster: “Be Brave Enough to Care and Bold Enough to Act”

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway began at midnight March 5, 2019 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 18, 2019. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Due to shipping cost, only US mailing addresses valid.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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tour schedule

Check out each stop on the Bookstagram Tour and (upcoming) Takeover Tour, as well as this tour for more chances to win!