Friday Five with YA author Tracy Auerbach

I think about a story for a long time before I actually decide to get it out in the world. Characters and situations tend to spin around in my head. I daydream about them when I have free time. It’s better than television! Then, when I finally get around to writing, I usually have big scenes in the book planned out, and I work my way through it like that. The real work for me is in filling the time between those huge moments. I have to find small pockets of time to write, between my job and my kids, the dog, and all of my other life stuff, so writing time is precious time. Stolen moments.

There are just so many! Anything by Holly Black is magical. I just love sliding into any of her worlds. The Darkest Part of the Forest, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, The Cruel Prince Trilogy, and The Curseworkers trilogy were all amazing. For high fantasy, Brandon Sanderson is a genius. I love, love, love Robin Hobb’s books as well.

Don’t waste time pretending, or trying to be what other people want you to be. Always let the real you shine through. If people don’t appreciate you for who you truly are, they’re not worth your time.

It’s the easiest way to escape to fantasy worlds of my own making without being described as clinically insane!

I am an extrovert! Completely and totally. There are a lot of great things about being an extrovert. I make friends quickly and easily, and I always share. In fact, I overshare. That has been amazing because I’ve found that when I share it makes people more willing to share with me, gift me a little piece of themselves and their personal world, which is priceless. I’ve also found that when I share about things I’ve struggled with, others feel comfortable sharing with me, and we can often help each other out.

 Tracy Auerbach is an author of science fiction and fantasy for teens and adults. As an avid reader with a vivid imagination, she chose to study film, English, and education, and went on to teach and write STEM curriculum for the New York Department of Education. This helped to polish her writing skills and ignite her passion for science fiction and fantasy.

Her first scholarly article, published in Language Magazine, was about the value of active, creative learning in science. On the fiction side, Tracy’s work has been featured in the online literary journal Micro-horror, The Writing Disorder fiction anthology, and the “(Dis)ability” short story anthology, in addition to her novels.

When she is not teaching or writing, Tracy is usually reading or spending time with her family. She lives in New York with her family.

Connect with Tracy on her website, Goodreads, Amazon, and on Instagram

The time has come for Kai and her friends to make a final stand, and as the war begins, everyone must choose a side. But with the lines between good and evil more blurred than ever, Kai has to stick with her convictions and follow her heart. Kai’s first priority is to free Finn from the clutches of Tessa Raven, who has become no better than the evil she once fought against.

As Kai reluctantly turns against the people she once considered her closest friends, she becomes entangled in a struggle with a mysterious new power that threatens to destroy what is left of Finn and change everything she thought she knew about the planet.

Meanwhile, Charlie and Aric remain behind and help Raven breach the underground world of the Science Council. All bets are off as they prepare to cross every line and burn every bridge in an attempt to claim the world that has abused them for too long.