Giveaway: Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra

Title: Invisible Touch
Author: Kelly Parra
Description: Kara Martinez has been trying to be "normal" ever since the accident that took her father's life when she was eleven years old. She's buried the caliente side of her Mexican heritage with her father and tried to be the girl her rigid mother wants her to be -- compliant and dressed in pink, and certainly not acting out like her older brother Jason. Not even Danielle, her best friend at Valdez High, has seen the real Kara; only those who read her anonymous blog know the deepest secrets of the Sign Seer.

Because Kara has a gift -- one that often feels like a curse. She sees signs, visions that are clues to a person's fate, if she can put together the pieces of the puzzle in time. So far, she's been able to solve the clues and avert disaster for those she's been warned about -- until she sees the flash of a gun on a fellow classmate, and the stakes are raised higher than ever before. Kara does her best to follow the signs, but it's her heart that wanders into new territory when she falls for a mysterious guy from the wrong side of town, taking her closer to answers she may not be able to handle. Will her forbidden romance help her solve the deadly puzzle before it's too late...or lead her even further into danger?

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Read my review of Kelly's novel, Invisible Touch, here. A riveting tale of a Latino girl with a psychic ability. Highly recommend!

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Giveaway Item(s): A signed copy of Invisible Touch

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Author Interview: Kelly Parra

Kelly Parra is the author of Graffiti Girl and Invisible Touch, both with a Latino protagonist. I highly enjoyed Invisible Touch, which I definitely recommend for you to read.

Enjoy the interview!

Q: Firstly, what inspired you to write Invisible Touch?

Hi Diana, thanks so much for inviting me for an interview! Let’s see, I’ve had an interest in the paranormal since I was younger, and the television show Ghostwhisperer inspired me to write about a young girl with a psychic ability. I thought wouldn’t it be great to write about a teenager that could see signs and have to piece them together in order to solve mysteries? And that’s how the concept was formed.

Q: If Invisible Touch becomes a movie, which actors/actresses do you want to play your characters?

Oh, tough one. Hmm…someone asked me this before but it was hard for me to come up with people because I imagine what my characters look like in my head. I’ll go with Selena Gomez for Kara and maybe Jesse Metcalf for Anthony. They both have similar looks to the faces I envision. :)

Q: What do you find is the hardest aspect in writing? And the easiest?

The hardest aspect of writing is weaving the plot with themes and goals/conflicts. Having to stay on my toes with many aspects of a book can be daunting! The easiest is the fun part, creating characters from my imagination.

Q: What genres or story plots do you still want to try out that you have not done yet?

I’d love to write an adventure story. I have always loved watching movies with lots of action and adventure and I think one day I’d like to give it a try.

Q: What is your advice to those who wants to become published authors?

Keep reading and writing, learn the craft by taking classes and on- line workshops, and don’t give up. If you love your characters and your story, you’ll keep rewriting and learning until you see them published.

Q: Do you have any novels you are working on at the moment or will be releasing soon? If so, can you please give us a brief summary about them?

I am actually branching out into adult romantic suspense writing under the pen name Kelly Lynn Parra so I do not have a young adult book releasing soon. You can learn more about my books at my website: www.kellyparra.com.

Q: Lastly, please give us an interesting fact about yourself that not many people know of!

How about that I feel that I’m not all that interesting at all? LOL. Okay, my parents have 13 siblings each, for a grand total of 26 aunts and uncles around me while I was growing up. It was definitely entertaining at family gatherings. :)

Bio: Kelly Parra’s earliest stories were told with paintbrushes, but upon discovering the drama, forbidden love, and danger of romance and suspense novels, those paintbrushes were replaced with a keyboard. Now a multi-published author, she has created memorable characters such as a graffiti artist, a psychic teen, and a tough undercover narc. A two-time RITA finalist, she divides her time between her novels, freelance writing, and the adventures of motherhood, where she juggles her home life with two children, a tattooed husband, a sweet poodle, and a stealth turtle. Learn more about Kelly at her website, www.kellyparra.com.

Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra

Title: Invisible Touch
Author: Kelly Parra
Age Group: Teens
# of Pages: 279
My Rating: 4.5/5

It's hard to be normal after a parent's loss. For Kara Martinez, it's even harder. After her father died in a tragic accident, Kara has been able to see signs of people's futures on their bodies. Unable to tell anyone about her ability, she blogs her life out anonymously.

Kara tries to live everyday like a regular teen, but when she sees a gun in one of her classmates' future, she has no idea what she should do. Trying to piece together this mystery, Kara gets tangled up on the wrong side of town. Not to mention, she starts to fall for Anthony, a bad boy with his own secrets.

The definition of Invisible Touch: Thrilling, gripping, and romantic. Kelly Parra weaves an exciting modern tale with a protagonist who has the power to see one's fate.

It was nice to see a non-white female lead who was proud of her Mexican heritage (although she was quarter Irish). I think Kara is a strong character as she risks her life every time to solve the puzzle of her classmate's future. Although she had her own fears, she was able to overcome them admirably when she faced danger. I felt bad for her because when she first saw ghosts (before seeing signs), her mother didn't believe her. Instead, she was sent off to a therapist and rehab so she could "get better". I found it extremely frustrating to be in Kara's position because the therapist she had to deal with was extremely annoying.

When Kara first met Anthony, I thought it was sudden how he immediately started liking her (not exactly on the first encounter but the one after). I generally do not like it when a character likes another all of the sudden without the development within their relationship. Luckily, Kara and Anthony got to know more about each other as the plot progresses and they were able to deepen their relationship with each other.

I love the mystery part of the novel because it kept me going, wondering what was going to happen to Kara and those around her next. The ending was a shocker and something I did not expect at all. It made the story so much better overall with such twist!

Invisible Touch is a read you don't want to miss out on!

Won copy from Life, Words, & Rock 'n' Roll.