Guest Post with Paula Stokes ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Content from Paula Stokes

Paula Stokes writes stories about flawed characters with good hearts who sometimes make bad decisions. She’s the author of several YA novels, most recently Liars, Inc. and The Art of Lainey. Her writing has been translated into nine foreign languages. Paula loves kayaking, hiking, reading, and seeking out new adventures in faraway lands She also loves interacting with readers. Find her online at authorpaulastokes.com or on twitter as @pstokesbooks.

Publisher: Harper Teen
Format: Hardback | 368 pages
Publication date: 24 March 2015
ISBN 10: 0062323288
ISBN 13: 9780062323286

Praise for LIARS, INC

“Stokes continues to masterfully plant crumbs and red herrings on the road to the solving the mystery. The action is nonstop in this dark, psychological thriller. Readers will be on edge until the satisfying conclusion.” ―VOYA

“An interesting mystery with plot twists and turns to keep teens reading.” ―School Library Journal

"Max is so well-drawn it's hard not to be completely sympathetic to his predicament...the author twists and turns at all the right moments. Even the keenest mystery buffs will be hard-pressed to predict the book's finale, which packs quite the emotional and physical punch. Captivating to the very end."―Kirkus Reviews

TUESDAY MARCH 24. FBI INTERVIEW WITH MAX CANTRELL

Paula: Welcome to Day 7 of the #CatchAKiller Blog Tour, AKA LIARS, INC. RELEASE DAY! Most of this interview can be found in Chapter 9 of the finished book, so if you’ve read it already then you’re officially excused from your investigative duties. Go celebrate by writing a review for the book…and then do something even more fun :D But be sure to come back tomorrow to find out what Jonas Jacobsen has to say. If you haven’t read LIARS, INC, keep reading! Nothing in the blog tour content is directly spoilery for the book, but the info presented here might get you thinking about who's lying and who's telling the truth. Can you follow the clues and sniff out a killer? Make your guess and then read LIARS, INC. to see if you’re right!

CASE CA4153-228
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
LEAD INVESTIGATOR: McGhee, James, Special Agent
SECONDARY INVESTIGATOR: Gonzalez, Alex, Special Agent
PERSON OF INTEREST: Cantrell, Max
LEGAL GUARDIAN PRESENT: Cantrell, Ben and Darla. Waived right to be present for questioning.

Agent McGhee: Thanks for coming in to talk to us.

Max Cantrell: No problem. It’s a lot quieter here than at my house.

Agent Gonzalez: Oh yeah? Why’s that?

Max Cantrell: New baby sisters. Cute, but loud.

Agent McGhee: So Preston’s mom tells us he was camping with you this weekend.

Max Cantrell: Uh, yeah. That’s right.

Agent McGhee: So take us through your camping trip from the beginning. When did you and Preston DeWitt arrive at the Ravens Cliff overlook?

Max Cantrell: Well, I had to babysit until six-thirty, so it was about seven when we met up.

Agent McGhee: And then what?

Max Cantrell: And then we pitched the tent, built a fire, and sat around bullshitting until we got tired and went to sleep

Agent Gonzalez: Bullshitting… Did that involve drinking?

Max Cantrell: Maybe. Big deal.

Agent Gonzalez: So you make a fire, have a little booze. Then what?

Max Cantrell: Then we went to sleep.

Agent McGhee: Alone?

Max Cantrell: Huh? We were in the same tent, if that’s what you mean.

Agent Gonzalez: He means was it just you two or were there girls there too?

Max Cantrell: Just us.

Agent McGhee: What happened when you woke up?

Max Cantrell: I went surfing.

Agent McGhee: And Preston?

Max Cantrell: I mean, we went surfing.

Agent McGhee: Did anyone see you guys?

Max Cantrell: I don’t know. Can I get some water?

Agent McGhee: Alex, grab a pitcher for all of us, would you?

[Agent Gonzalez leaves the room.]

Agent McGhee: Sorry about my partner. He’s tightly wound.

Max Cantrell: No shit.

Agent McGhee: What did you and Preston do after you went surfing?

Max Cantrell: He split early, actually. Said he wasn’t feeling well.

Agent McGhee: About what time was that?

Max Cantrell. Didn’t look at my phone. Maybe nineish.

[AGENT GONZALEZ RETURNS WITH WATER.]
Agent McGhee: Max was just telling me that Preston left the beach early on Sunday. Apparently he wasn’t feeling good.

Agent Gonzalez: Oh yeah? A little too hung over to surf?

Agent McGhee: Do you know if he went straight home?

Max Cantrell: I figured, but he didn’t say.

Agent McGhee: Did you and Preston take a walk along the top of the cliff on Saturday night?

Max Cantrell: Yeah. He was fooling around by the edge. Pretending to fly, stuff like that.

Agent McGhee: Did you guys argue?

Max Cantrell: “What? No. Why would you ask that?”

Agent McGhee: Just following up on a tip. Probably irrelevant. I think that’s all the questions we’ve got for now, Max. But if you think of anything else, please give me a call.

Max Cantrell: Isn’t it kind of early to assume something bad happened? I thought you had to wait forty-eight hours just to file a missing persons report.

Agent McGhee: That’s actually a myth perpetuated by TV shows. There’s no required waiting period in California. And it’s been over forty-eight hours since either of his parents saw him. You’re the only one who has seen him in the last couple of days… We don’t know anything for certain, but we need to consider the possibility that Preston’s disappearance is politically motivated until we can rule that out.

Max Cantrell: What? Like…terrorism or something? Don’t you think that’s a little unlikely?

Agent McGhee: A high-profile senator’s son disappearing right after an election? We’re just trying to stay ahead of the curve, Which reminds me. We’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk to anyone about what we’ve discussed this morning.

Max Cantrell: Okay. Am I done? Do you know where my parents went?

Agent McGhee: I’ll show you where they are.

For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder.

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.

For more information, check out THE OFFICIAL LIARS, INC. WEBSITE.

You can purchase Liars, Inc. at the following Retailers:

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you PAULA STOKES for making this giveaway possible.

1 Deluxe Swag Pack. Includes (1 Black or White T-shirt, 1 Notebook, 1 Signed Postcard, 1 Magnet, 2 Signed Bookmarks, 1 Signed Bookplate, and a Mini Shark's Tooth Pendant)