TIED spoke to Laney. She’s not sure why, exactly. The idea kept popping into her head. She didn’t sit down and plan it out—she just started writing one day. The more she wrote, the more the story refused to let go. To her, it was haunting in a way. And now that we know why she wrote TIED, let’s learn more about the author herself!

Ben & Jerry’s ____________ is the best ice cream ever!
I don’t eat Ben & Jerry’s, but I love Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip. It’s the real deal. The freezers are so cold in the ice cream shop that the ice cream gets hard and sort of chewy. Awesome. I also love fudgesicles. And raspberry sorbet. Oh, and firecracker popsicles. The ones you can only find on ice cream trucks.

If that doesn’t get you interested in this brand new author, check her out at all these other places:

Do you prefer the people in your life to be simple or complex?
I’d say simply complex. I prefer people who are multi-layered, but not so complex that they’re high strung. I like laid back personalities that surprise you. People who on first glance you may see in one light, but as you get to know them, you realize that light is actually a multitude of colors.

If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
This is going to sound lame, but I already have the job I want most in the world. I’m a writer. I create my own worlds, see through other people’s eyes, speak through their mouths. I get to use my imagination everyday, and let it run free. What’s better than that? I have the best of two worlds. My reality, and my fantasy.

What was your most embarrassing moment?
I fell on stage once. In the middle of a performance. In front of a few hundred people. On my face, basically. And it hurt. But, I was in the middle of a combination with dancers all around me continuing on as if I hadn’t just face planted the wood floor. I got up, fell back into step, and finished the piece.

If you could meet any famous person living or not, who would it be?
Tolkien. For sure. I’d love to hear what the master mind of High Fantasy has to say. About life, books, the creation of The Lord of the Rings … 😉

Now, before we get to the last question, let’s look at Laney McMann’s book …

Normal people don’t believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either.

Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares.

Or is that all in her head?

Layla doesn’t know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.

No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?

The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first.

In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.

Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?

The answer may never be far enough … away.

Favorite 6 sentences from the book

Afternoon sun flooded through the shop’s front windows in sheets, creating a back lit silhouette in the doorway. Dust particles floated past my scope of vision like miniature ghosts, and the clear grey eyes glancing at me made my breath end in my throat.

The room spun and slowed to a time-warped crawl, and the spicy sweetness of gardenias wafted through the air. Visions rushed up to the surface, flooding my brain, blowing the circuits. My magazine dropped to the floor, and I swayed, grabbing the counter for support, forcing myself to blink.

“Layla?” Thudding feet echoed in the distance.

Buy it now …

But before you go, one last question …

If you were to be eaten by cannibal, how would you like to be prepared?
Since I’m a chef, I’m gonna say pan seared with espresso rub, and finished off in the oven. 😉

Congratulations, Laney! Good luck with TIED!

Have more questions for this author? Ask in the comments!

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