Today kicks off the Insanity tour by Lauren Hammond. Lauren will be stopping by several blogs and some will be hosting giveaways. Lauren is here today to talk to us about "Using Psychology in Novels". Sign up below for a chance to win an ebook of Insanity.
Using Psychology in Novels
Thanks for having me!
This is such a great topic, so I’ll dive right in…
Here’s a line from Insanity that I believe will start this post off right.
The human mind can be a powerful weapon.
I truly, truly believe that and I think that’s why Insanity was so interesting for me to write.
I’ve always been fascinated by what makes people do some of the things they do. How they think? How their mind operates?
Insanity is rooted from what happens when you’ve truly lost it—your mind. What happens when that last marble you’ve been holding onto finally rolls away? And what happens when people reach their breaking point?
In all reality, it’s difficult to say.
Not one person thinks the same. Not one person reacts to specific situations the same way. While some are stronger and can handle difficult and tough situations, some are weaker and can’t.
With Adelaide, for example, she’s already a weaker character, her past being part of that, but she uses her mind as a shield to block out that past because in the back of her mind she knows that if she relives her past, well, Oakhill will become her permanent home. In all reality, people do do that. Reliving things that are too painful to bear is much harder than living in denial. Denial is easy. Pretending problems don’t exist is easy. It’s when you’re confronted with problems and pain that everything becomes difficult. Too hard.
All in all, I think I got across that the human mind can take a person anywhere they want it to if they allow themselves to believe in it.
This was such a great topic and I’m glad I got to talk about it.
If you’d like a twist of the mind read Insanity and check out the sequel, White Walls on June 19th!
Publisher: S.B. Addison Books (May 8th, 2012)
Reading Level: New Adult
Ebook: 190 pages
Series: Asylum #1
Sometimes love...can drive you crazy.
Adelaide Carmichael and Damien Allen couldn't be more opposite.
Adelaide's mother abandoned her when she was ten years old, leaving her to be raised by her abusive and alcoholic father.
Damien on the other hand came from a wealthy family, was a local celebrity, and seemed to have a bright future ahead of him.
Despite their differences, Adelaide and Damien were young, wild, and fiercely in love.
And they had a plan.
They were going to run away.
Be together forever.
And their plan was set in motion, until tragedy struck and for some reason, Adelaide wound up in The Oakhill Institution for the insane.
Adelaide has no idea what she did to wind up at Oakhill, but she knows one thing for sure...
She wants out.
And after Damien follows her there to aid her in escaping, Adelaide slowly begins putting together the pieces of her memory that are missing.
And it doesn't take Adelaide long to figure out that sometimes...
That one true love never dies.
Excerpt~
Shoving my feet off the side of the bed, new surroundings burn my eyes. Tan plaster walls instead of thick white padded ones. One oblong barred window. Two dressers. Two closets. Two beds.
They've moved me to a different room.
A gentle squeaking noise bounces off the walls and my eyes avert to my right. Oh crap. They put me in a room with a nut job.
They say I'm a nut job.
But not like this.
Not even close.
She rocks back and forth on her cot, knees to her chest, twisting a piece of her wiry, red hair between her fingertips. Her freckled arms are trembling. She sings with vibrato.
I am slowly going crazy. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
Switch.
Crazy going slowly am I. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
Switch.
I think about screaming again. I think about plugging my ears. Somebody turn her off.
She lifts her head slowly, a maddening look in her big, brown eyes, an eerie smile crawling across her pale, freckled lips. “Shh,” she whispers. “They're coming for us.”
“Who's they?”
She shakes her head and lets out a cackle laced with the deepest kind of crazy. I think they put her in here with me purposely. They're trying to break me. They think if they put me around truly insane people that I'll accept my place here.
Well...They are wrong.
Prize:
- 1 winner will get an ebook of INSANITY.
- You must be at least 16+ to enter.
- Name and email must be provided.
- Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
- Contest is International and ends June 8th.
- Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
- The form must be filled out to enter.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Tour Schedule
May 25th
Confessions of a Bookaholic http://www.totalbookaholic.com
Me, My Shelf, and I http://www.memyshelfandi.com/
Stuck in YA Books http://lovesbooksreviews.blogspot.com/
May 26th
I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read http://www.sithereandread.com/
Reading Angel http://www.readingangel.com/
May 27th
Buried in Books http://wwwburiedinbooks.blogspot.com/
A Purrfect Read http://trh87books.blogspot.com/
May 28th
The Phantom Paragrapher http://www.thephantomparagrapher.blogspot.com/
Novel Sounds http://novelsounds.net/
May 29th
Me, My Shelf, and I http://www.memyshelfandi.com/
Good Choice Reading http://www.goodchoicereading.com/
May 30th
Book Flame http://bookflame.blogspot.com/
Reading Teen http://www.readingteen.net/
From the Shadows http://www.fromtheshadows.info/
May 31st
A Diary of a Book Addict http://adiaryofabookaddict.blogspot.com/
Once Upon a Twilight http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/
June 1st
Confessions of a Vi3tBabe http://confessionsofavi3tbabe.com/
Forever 17 Books http://forever17books.blogspot.com/
June 2nd
Paranormal Wastelands http://paranormalwastelands.blogspot.com/
To Read or Not To Read http://www.2readornot2read.com/
June 3rd
I Live, Laugh, Love Books http://livelaughlovebook.blogspot.com/
Paranormal Wastelands http://paranormalwastelands.blogspot.com/
June 4th
Between the Pages http://www.betweenthepagesreviews.com/
Books with Bite http://www.bookswithbite.net/
June 5th
Reading Angel http://www.readingangel.com/
The Bookish Brunette http://www.bookish-brunette.com/
June 6th
Uniquely Moi Books http://www.uniquelymoibooks.com/
Tina's Book Reviews http://www.tinasbookreviews.com/
June 7th
Electrifying Reviews http://www.electrifyingreviews.com/
A Tapestry of Words http://atapestryofwords.blogspot.com/
June 8th
Stitch - Read - Cook http://www.stitchreadcook.com/
A Life Bound By Books http://alifeboundbybooks.blogspot.com/
Tour Schedule
May 25th
Confessions of a Bookaholic http://www.totalbookaholic.com
Me, My Shelf, and I http://www.memyshelfandi.com/
Stuck in YA Books http://lovesbooksreviews.blogspot.com/
May 26th
I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read http://www.sithereandread.com/
Reading Angel http://www.readingangel.com/
May 27th
Buried in Books http://wwwburiedinbooks.blogspot.com/
A Purrfect Read http://trh87books.blogspot.com/
May 28th
The Phantom Paragrapher http://www.thephantomparagrapher.blogspot.com/
Novel Sounds http://novelsounds.net/
May 29th
Me, My Shelf, and I http://www.memyshelfandi.com/
Good Choice Reading http://www.goodchoicereading.com/
May 30th
Book Flame http://bookflame.blogspot.com/
Reading Teen http://www.readingteen.net/
From the Shadows http://www.fromtheshadows.info/
May 31st
A Diary of a Book Addict http://adiaryofabookaddict.blogspot.com/
Once Upon a Twilight http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/
June 1st
Confessions of a Vi3tBabe http://confessionsofavi3tbabe.com/
Forever 17 Books http://forever17books.blogspot.com/
June 2nd
Paranormal Wastelands http://paranormalwastelands.blogspot.com/
To Read or Not To Read http://www.2readornot2read.com/
June 3rd
I Live, Laugh, Love Books http://livelaughlovebook.blogspot.com/
Paranormal Wastelands http://paranormalwastelands.blogspot.com/
June 4th
Between the Pages http://www.betweenthepagesreviews.com/
Books with Bite http://www.bookswithbite.net/
June 5th
Reading Angel http://www.readingangel.com/
The Bookish Brunette http://www.bookish-brunette.com/
June 6th
Uniquely Moi Books http://www.uniquelymoibooks.com/
Tina's Book Reviews http://www.tinasbookreviews.com/
June 7th
Electrifying Reviews http://www.electrifyingreviews.com/
A Tapestry of Words http://atapestryofwords.blogspot.com/
June 8th
Stitch - Read - Cook http://www.stitchreadcook.com/
A Life Bound By Books http://alifeboundbybooks.blogspot.com/
Hi yes i have had repressed memories without even knowing it. I went through a bad marriage once and years later my mother showed me some pictures in a album and i asked her who this person was on several pictures and she told me it was me. I could not believe it. She told me it was a time in my life when i was so unhappy. Thats why. Thanks joannie jscddmj [at]aol [dot] com
ReplyDeleteWhat a great excerpt! I do believe that people repress memories that are too painful or traumatic to handle. I remember as a child holding a tourniquet on my father to keep his hand from bleeding from a deep cut. I remember where I was, the materials used, but I do not remember seeing blood. Funny and amazing how the brain works!
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post, excerpt and giveaway!
PhoenixCarvelli at gmail dot com
Interesting post. I was a psychology major. The human mind is an interesting place. Haha!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read this!
I can't wait to read this one now! What a beautiful cover! And an interesting guest post!
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, there are no repressed memories in my head. And love/hate relationships are usually good reads in my opinion! :)
I can't wait to read this book and thank you so much for the chance. Its hard being in a love/hate relationship i have been there it isn't fun at all. The cover of this book is amazing as well.
ReplyDeleteI want to read this book.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds pretty cool, would love to read it! Plus I love the cover!
ReplyDeleteThat would be scary to find yourself insane and no idea why or how you came to be thier.
ReplyDeleterlrlaney@yahoo.com
Can't wait to read this book, love how original it sounds & the cover is gorgeous! :)
ReplyDeletei never really believed in repressed memories till i discovered i had quite a few myself
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fantastic book!
ReplyDeleteOh Wow, this sounds absolutley amazing!!! I really enjoy the love hate relationships that characters have in books and as far as I know I don't have any repressed memories, but now I'm trying really hard to think and my brain is hurting without my coffee lol
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read this book!! :)
ReplyDelete-JennyC
The excerpt has me intrigued, and I like the psychology aspect. I took a few psych classes in college because the mind is a fascinating thing to explore.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a repressed memory...yet!
ReplyDeleteThis book seems so interesting.
Thanks for the giveaway!!!