About the Book:
Author: Lisa Ann O'Kane
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Amazon (US) | Amazon (CAN) | Amazon (UK) | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |Goodreads
Synopsis: Autumn escaped a cult, but now she realizes she's fallen into another.
Growing up in San Francisco’s Centrist Movement, sixteen year-old Autumn Grace has always believed emotions—adrenaline, endorphins, even happiness—drain your Essence and lead to an early death. But her younger brother’s passing and a run-in with a group of Outsiders casts her faith into question.
Ryder Stone, the sexy, rebellious leader of the Outsiders, claims Essence drain is nothing more than a Centrist scare tactic -- and he can prove it.
Autumn follows Ryder to his Community of adrenaline junkies and free spirits in Yosemite National Park, and they introduce her to a life of adventure, romance, sex, drugs and freedom. But as she discovers dark secrets beneath the Community’s perfect exterior, she realizes the more she risks in search of the perfect rush, the further she has to fall.
About the Author:
Lisa Ann O’Kane is a young adult author and former vagabond who once camped out in Yosemite National Park for an entire summer, an experience that inspired her debut novel Essence.
Her background is in zookeeping and environmental education, and she has been kicked, cornered, bitten and chased by nearly every animal she has ever loved. She currently resides in Florida, and she is now a huge fan of shooting stars, indoor plumbing and keeping both her feet planted firmly on the trail.
Represented by Hannah Bowman of Liza Dawson Associates
WWW | @lisaannokane on Twitter
Lisa's Essence Playlist:
I wrote the first draft of Essence in four and a half months during the winter of 2011-2012. This was less than half the time it took me to write my first (shelved) novel, so I certainly felt possessed for a little while there. I also felt inspired by pretty much every song I heard. This resulted in an Essence playlist that still gives me that electric feeling every time I listen to it. I hope you like it!
Essence was inspired by the summer I spent living and working in Yosemite National Park, so it’s only natural the first song on my playlist would be a song I played on repeat while I lived there. Nick Drake’s music is so introspective and meandering, and this song will always remind me of the awe I felt waking up in that beautiful place day after day.
The love triangle in Essence is purposefully underplayed. I expect readers to know who Autumn is going to choose from pretty much the beginning—as one boy never really stood a chance. Here is that boy’s ode to Autumn as he watched her fall for someone else.
The boy Autumn chooses is certainly no saint, so it’s only fitting his love song to her would include pieces of his imperfections. I think this song by The Lumineers sums him up so perfectly, and I must have listened to it at least fifty times while writing Essence.
Deception is at the heart of Essence, so this song was particularly important to me while I wrote the second half of the book. I especially love the fact that “Little Talks” is a duet, and the creaking ship in the song’s background still gives me goosebumps.
One of my favorite things about being an author is the opportunity to explore the various ways people crash into and out of each other’s lives. We are such passionate creatures that our arrivals and departures often resonate long after our paths are no longer entwined. The rawness of this and the poignancy of this song mesh together perfectly for me, making this a fitting way to close out my Essence soundtrack.
I hope you enjoyed my Essence playlist, and thanks so much for stopping by The A P Book Club for my pre-release blog tour. Have a wonderful day!
Thanks again to Lisa for taking the time to drop by and share this awesome playlist with us! We're really excited to read Essence, and hope you are too!
--Ashley & Paul
Growing up in San Francisco’s Centrist Movement, sixteen year-old Autumn Grace has always believed emotions—adrenaline, endorphins, even happiness—drain your Essence and lead to an early death. But her younger brother’s passing and a run-in with a group of Outsiders casts her faith into question.
Ryder Stone, the sexy, rebellious leader of the Outsiders, claims Essence drain is nothing more than a Centrist scare tactic -- and he can prove it.
Autumn follows Ryder to his Community of adrenaline junkies and free spirits in Yosemite National Park, and they introduce her to a life of adventure, romance, sex, drugs and freedom. But as she discovers dark secrets beneath the Community’s perfect exterior, she realizes the more she risks in search of the perfect rush, the further she has to fall.
About the Author:
Her background is in zookeeping and environmental education, and she has been kicked, cornered, bitten and chased by nearly every animal she has ever loved. She currently resides in Florida, and she is now a huge fan of shooting stars, indoor plumbing and keeping both her feet planted firmly on the trail.
Represented by Hannah Bowman of Liza Dawson Associates
WWW | @lisaannokane on Twitter
Lisa's Essence Playlist:
I wrote the first draft of Essence in four and a half months during the winter of 2011-2012. This was less than half the time it took me to write my first (shelved) novel, so I certainly felt possessed for a little while there. I also felt inspired by pretty much every song I heard. This resulted in an Essence playlist that still gives me that electric feeling every time I listen to it. I hope you like it!
1. “Northern Sky” by Nick Drake
I never felt magic crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky.
Essence was inspired by the summer I spent living and working in Yosemite National Park, so it’s only natural the first song on my playlist would be a song I played on repeat while I lived there. Nick Drake’s music is so introspective and meandering, and this song will always remind me of the awe I felt waking up in that beautiful place day after day.
2. “Watching You Watch Him” by Eric Hutchinson
I love you
From the bottom of my heart
And that's not gonna change
But things look grim
When I am watching you watch him.
The love triangle in Essence is purposefully underplayed. I expect readers to know who Autumn is going to choose from pretty much the beginning—as one boy never really stood a chance. Here is that boy’s ode to Autumn as he watched her fall for someone else.
3. “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers
So show me family
All the blood that I would bleed
I don't know where I belong
I don't know where I went wrong
But I can write a song.
I belong with you,
You belong with me,
You're my sweetheart.
The boy Autumn chooses is certainly no saint, so it’s only fitting his love song to her would include pieces of his imperfections. I think this song by The Lumineers sums him up so perfectly, and I must have listened to it at least fifty times while writing Essence.
4. “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men
Don't listen to a word I say
The screams all sound the same
Though the truth may vary
This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore.
Deception is at the heart of Essence, so this song was particularly important to me while I wrote the second half of the book. I especially love the fact that “Little Talks” is a duet, and the creaking ship in the song’s background still gives me goosebumps.
5. “Shooting Star” by Bob Dylan
Seen a shooting star tonight slip away
Tomorrow will be another day
Guess it's too late to say the things to you
That you needed to hear me say
Seen a shooting star tonight slip away.
One of my favorite things about being an author is the opportunity to explore the various ways people crash into and out of each other’s lives. We are such passionate creatures that our arrivals and departures often resonate long after our paths are no longer entwined. The rawness of this and the poignancy of this song mesh together perfectly for me, making this a fitting way to close out my Essence soundtrack.
I hope you enjoyed my Essence playlist, and thanks so much for stopping by The A P Book Club for my pre-release blog tour. Have a wonderful day!
Thanks again to Lisa for taking the time to drop by and share this awesome playlist with us! We're really excited to read Essence, and hope you are too!
--Ashley & Paul
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