Katie Mcgarry is the author of bestselling young adult novels, Pushing The Limits, Dare You To, Crash Into You, and Take Me On. Her fifth full length novel, BREAKING THE RULES, will be released on December 30, 2014.
NAW- Tell us about your book, ‘Red At Night.’ How did you get the idea for it? What is it about?
Red at Night is the story of Stella and Jonah. Stella and Jonah have known each other their entire lives, but they have never personally interacted. Stella is the “weird” girl. The one that people in class often use as the punchline to their jokes. Jonah is the guy who hangs with the crowd telling the jokes.
Jonah’s life changes after a tragic event that leads him to hanging out at a cemetery. There he meets Stella and the two strike up an odd friendship and eventually fall in love. They challenge each other’s belief systems and, overall, it is a story of hope.
NAW- Tell us about the character of Stella. How did you develop her character?
I came up with the idea from a conversation I had with a friend in high school. I was explaining how cemeteries freaked me out and he explained that cemeteries were a safe haven for him. There were nights he had nowhere to go and that he always felt safe crashing at cemetery because it wasn’t like anyone was going to bother him there. His story broke my heart and always stuck with me. Stella was created from that conversation.
NAW- How did you select the title?
The title Red at Night is born from the saying: Red at night, sailor’s delight. Red in the morning, sailor’s take warning. Stella has a hard time trusting people as she has been abandoned by both her mother and father. She sees relationships as storms and tries to stay away from them. In a very emotional moment between Stella and Jonah, she notes that the evening sky is red and that maybe a storm is no longer brewing.
NAW- Tell us about your other works.
I have published four full length YA novels:
PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, and TAKE ME ON. My fifth full length novel, BREAKING THE RULES, will be released on December 30, 2014. It is a continuation of Echo and Noah from PUSHING THE LIMITS.
NAW- What are your upcoming projects?
In 2015, I will be publishing a new series that involves teenagers who are raised in a motorcycle club.