Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop + S.K. Falls Author Interview + Drew Character Interview

Time for another giveaway hop! This one features a very interesting and unique read: Secret for a Song by S.K. Falls. I reviewed it recently, here's the link: Secret for a Song Review. We'll be featuring an interview with the author, S.K. Falls, and we also had a few questions for one of the characters (and love interest) in the novel, Drew.


Secret for a Song by S.K. Falls
Goodreads | Amazon

Saylor Grayson makes herself sick. Literally.

She ate her first needle when she was seven. Now, at nineteen, she’s been kicked out of college for poisoning herself with laxatives. The shrinks call it Munchausen Syndrome. All Saylor knows is that when she’s ill, her normally distant mother pays attention and the doctors and nurses make her feel special.

Then she meets Drew Dean, the leader of a local support group for those with terminal diseases. When he mistakes her for a new member, Saylor knows she should correct him. But she can’t bring herself to, not after she’s welcomed into a new circle of friends. Friends who, like Drew, all have illnesses ready to claim their independence or their lives.

For the first time, Saylor finds out what it feels like to be in love, to have friends who genuinely care about her. But secrets have a way of revealing themselves. What will happen when Saylor’s is out?

S.K. Falls Interview

Secret for a Song was certainly a compelling and unique read, so we're very excited to be interviewing you (and one of your characters) today! To start, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I write as S.K. Falls, but my first name is Sandhya (pronounced like San-dee-ya). I’m originally from India, but I live in the United States with my husband and kids. Secret for a Song is my first contemporary novel, and I heart peanut butter M&Ms.

For our curious readers, could you describe your book in three words.
Bittersweet, twisted, hopeful.

While I was reading the novel, something that I was quite interested to know was where you got the idea for the book! What inspired you to tackle such a difficult issue?
The idea of a girl with Munchausen who pretends she has a terminal illness came to me first, before the rest of the plot did. I’d studied Munchausen Syndrome as a psych major in college, and I’d read about patients who pretended they had cancer or other illnesses to gain sympathy and attention. When the idea just wouldn’t let go, I knew I had to write it. And that’s when I realized she’d fall in love with a boy with a degenerative disease, that she’d come to deeply care about people who had terminal illnesses. From there I went on to figure out how to put Saylor in the most impossible situations and how, if at all, she’d redeem herself.

Who is your favourite character in the book? Which of your characters do you relate to most?
Wow, this question is hard to answer because I imagine, like all authors, all my characters are really special to me for different reasons. I love Saylor’s no-bullshit approach to her illness, but I love Zee’s sense of humor. I think Drew has an epic spirit, and Pierce is extremely brave.

As far as relating to the characters, I’d say I relate to Zee most. Like her, when I’m faced with something life-changing and difficult, I use humor to deal with it.


Secret for a Song is told from the point of view of the character Saylor. So we at Looking for the Panacea decided to throw some questions at the main love interest, Drew. 

What qualities do you look for in a girl?
I like vulnerable girls. Girls who aren’t afraid to let their sorrow or confusion show in their eyes. I think girls who’ve been through something big in their lives are so much more interesting than sheltered girls.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you like to go?
I’d like to spend some time in a cabin on Icarus Lake…actually, I’d like to rewind time and go back to the days I spent at a cabin on Icarus Lake one year.

What is your biggest fear?
Being seen as weak.

Perhaps you could share with our readers a secret...
My biggest secret is that I’m scared. Not many people know that about me. They see me as someone with a life-changing illness, but someone who’s coping, someone who laughs a lot and sings and plays guitar. But underneath all that, I’m afraid of what lies ahead. I’m afraid, like anyone else, of facing my mortality and my weaknesses.


Giveaway Details:

• The giveaway is open to everyone! 
• There will be one winner. This person will win a $10 Amazon GC and one ecopy of Secret for a Song.
• You must be 13 or older to enter, and have your parent's permission if you are younger than 18.
• Giveaway ends on the 9th July.
• Winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.
• ALL ENTRIES WILL BE CHECKED. So don't cheat. Yeah, we're watching you....

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