Crossroads Tour: Carrie Harris

The idea for Bad Taste in Boys is very unique and it’s rare to find a book about zombies. What made you originally want to focus on that particular paranormal creature?

Thank you! My favorite thing about zombies is that they can be both scary AND funny. Like, a zombie could literally give you the finger, which is both gross and completely hilarious at the same time. To me, that’s an even better combo than chocolate and peanut butter. I like finding that place where I’m giggling hysterically and vaguely scared at the same time. I always know the scene’s a keeper when that happens.

Can you tell us a little about Kate?

I have a friend who says that I’m Kate Grable in disguise, and it’s true that we’re a lot alike. We’re both very obsessive when there’s something we want. We’re both huge geeks and not ashamed to admit it. And we’re both very hard on ourselves. Oh, and we both had horrible taste in guys that eventually improved. I never hooked up with a zombie, but I dated some real winners. One of them got a cue ball stuck in his mouth. Don’t ask.

You have had some very strange careers! What did you learn from each one, and how did that influence your writing?

Yes, I have! I’ve sold knives—and cut the tip of my finger off in the process—which gives me expertise in dismembered body parts. I’ve coordinated autopsies, which gives me expertise in corpses. And I managed the national research center for the human form of Mad Cow disease. Every day, we’d get brains via Fed Ex. I’d go down the hall on a regular basis, looking for my brains. I’ve heard every joke you can think of about that, and probably made most of them myself.

So really, I was MADE to be a zombie writer.

What are 5 little-known facts about you?

I fell off a cliff once. The kicker to this is that I was taking a wilderness rescue course… learning how to save people who fall off cliffs.

I used to manage the national research center for Mad Cow disease in humans. My husband used to call me ‘Mad Cow,’ but only in public.

I once put my legs behind my head at a party and got stuck like that. I don’t recommend it.

My minivan’s name is Helsing.

The other soccer moms think I’m weird. They don’t realize that I think this is a compliment.

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

Publisher: Delacorte Press (July 12th, 2011)

Reading Level: Young Adult

Hardback: 201 pages

Series: Kate Grable #1

Someone's been a very bad zombie.

Kate Grable is horrified to find out that the football coach has given the team steroids. Worse yet, the steroids are having an unexpected effect, turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless flesh-eating zombies. No one is safe--not her cute crush Aaron, not her dorky brother, Jonah . . . not even Kate!

She's got to find an antidote--before her entire high school ends up eating each other. So Kate, her best girlfriend, Rocky, and Aaron stage a frantic battle to save their town. . . and stay hormonally human.

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Check out details of the Crossroads Tour by clicking here.

Each day of The Crossroads Blog Tour, a new research question will be revealed on The Crossroad Blog Tour main page: http://judithgraves.com/events/the-crossroads-tour/crossroads-2011/ and each day the answer to that question will be found within one of the different blog posts by Crossroads Tour authors. Your job is to get the question, read the blog posts, and collect all answers by the end of the tour, on Halloween.

Answers are to be emailed to bridgesocialmedia@gmail.com by October 31^st at MIDNIGHT. Winner of the grand prize will be announced on November 1^st, the DAY OF THE DEAD.

Follow the tour on Twitter: @TheCrossroadsBT and on Facebook

BRIDGE Social Media: http://www.bridgesocialmedia.com is holding a special promotion for public libraries. Libraries that actively promote the Crossroads tour (post a link on their website, mention it in their newsletters, etc) can email us proof of their promotional activities by midnight on OCTOBER 31st to be entered in a draw to win a FREE SKYPE AUTHOR VISIT FOR THEIR LIBRARIES – WITH BEST-SELLING YA AUTHOR, RACHEL VINCENT.