Interview with the ANONYMOUS author of WAGS' WORLD + GIVEAWAY!

Some of you may remember that I've recently & enjoyed a series called WAGS' WORLD, which features the infamous Wives and Girlfriends of footballers? Perfect reads for the World Cup season! You can read my review here and here in case you missed them.
Anyway, this fantastic series was written by an anonymous author and I got a chance to interview her - yay, how exciting!
Unfortunately, she still refuses to get personal, but at least she provides some other interesting information - so read on! :)
Oh and if you like the sound of these books, then there's a giveaway in store for you - just scroll down!
Enjooooooy! :)

- You've decided to remain anonymous as an author, but can you please tell us something about yourself?
OK, let's see... I live in the UK (not necessarily in London, though I've read that about myself in some author bios. Let me tell you that those bios are unauthorised! I have never actually said that I live in London... Or that I don't...)
I'm married and I have young children. I like football, swimming and dancing. And I love writing.

- Are you a WAG too? Did you base your books on your own experience?

The WAGs' World series is fiction. That's all I'm saying. :)

- Why do you think so many girls today aspire to be WAGs? Would you encourage that?

I think the coverage we see in papers and mags make being in a relationship with a footballer look like instant glamour: a ticket out of ordinary life, a rags-to-riches fairytale existence. In reality, of course, so-called WAGs are women who happen to date/marry footballers, and are as diverse as women who happen to date/marry men in any other profession. OK, footballing can be a very highly paid profession, but only at a certain level, and even then there's a downside - it's not all about money and glamour, as Amy soon learns in the WAGs' World books. I don't think I'd discourage anyone's hopes and dreams, but I'd like to think that women could pursue their own interests and develop their skills and talents to reach the kind of recognition and satisfaction they dream of in their own right.

- Can you tell us a bit about your writing process?

I do a lot of research, make a rough plan of what my characters need to go through, and then I set about putting the necessary action into writing. I often change direction as I write and sometimes surprise myself by uncovering unplanned juicy facts about characters and their motivation. Rosay and Trina have both surprised me in the past, for example, and I'm never completely sure what our Asha's going to come out with next.

- Can we expect more books in the series?

As far as I know, there are no plans for more WAGs' World books. I hope people continue to enjoy reading them, though! I certainly enjoyed every minute of writing them.

- The covers are gorgeous - would you happen to have any inside scoop on how they were designed?

I'm glad you like them! I don't really know much about their design, but I do have some idea of the cover model's top-secret identity.

- Who do you predict will win the World Cup this year?

Well, at the time of writing this, the world is gearing up for the final and all my previous predictions are out of the window! Maybe I vaguely expected things to unfold in a similar way to the World Cup tournament I made up! World Cup WAGs would be a very different book as things currently stand - can you imagine how exciting it would be to be in Spain right now? And could Johann and Kylie's big day have reached a whole new height of celebration?!

- Lastly, who's your favourite real life WAG and why?
I don't really have a favourite, but I must say that it's hard not to admire Ellie Darby, who normally stays out of the limelight, for her recent appearance on the BBC Three series WAGs, Kids and World Cup Dreams. You can see her talk about what she thinks of the WAG stereotype here.

Thank you very much for interviewing me, Bookalicious Ramblings!
- Not at all, thank YOU for agreeing to do this, Anonymous! :)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Also, in case you missed it the first time around, I'm also hosting a giveaway for TWO sets of the whole series (i.e. three books) ! The giveaway ends very soon so here are the rules if you'd like to enter:

• the contest is open INTERNATIONALLY
• it ends on July 10th at midnight
  
• all you have to do is fill out this form

In the form, I also ask you some questions regarding your favourite WAGs and World Cup finalists. I've gotten some interesting replies so far so stay tuned as I post them in my winners announcement post - should be fun! :)

Interview: ILANA FOX + WIN a copy of SPOTLIGHT or MIA!

I absolutely loved both of Ilana Fox's novels - her smashing debut THE MAKING OF MIA and her recent bestseller SPOTLIGHT (my review here) so I was thrilled when she not only agreed to be interviewed here, but also provided some fabulous answers, yay!

Furtheremore, those of you who are not familiar with her books yet will also get a chance to WIN either of her novels so scroll down for more info on the giveaway!

Enough rambling for now - let's move on to Ilana's answers! :)

* How would you describe your two novels in five words (per novel)?
THE MAKING OF MIA: Ultimate makeover and revenge story.
SPOTLIGHT: When being famous goes wrong.

* How did you come up with the idea for Spotlight? Were you inspired by any real life events or people? Beau is rather reminiscent of Simon Cowell, methinks ... ;)

I'm really interested in how you can be a celebrity without having any special talent ... and how 'celebs' are turning more and more into brands. Take, for example the Sugababes. Their brand is exactly the same as it's ever been, but the three original members have left and have been replaced. Yet they're still the Sugababes! When Britney Spears had her very public breakdown people weren't just concerned for her, they were concerned about her image, too, and it's becoming less and less about the person and more what brand values they project. I'd love to say Simon Cowell didn't influence Beau at all, but I'd be lying. Simon Cowell is a genius and an expert in building pop brands - but that's where the similarities lie. I doubt very much Cowell would be as ruthless as Beau Silverman ... although they both do have hairy chests and dark hair.

* What kind of reasearch did you have to do? How did you get all the behind the scenes info on reality TV, the lives of the rich & the famous and (most importantly) strippers? ;)

I'm really lucky that most of my friends work in the media, and know famous people. I've interviewed a lot of celebrities, and the good ones are expert in turning their brand on and off - when they're on they're incredibly professional, but when they're off they're just like you and I ... only perhaps more insecure and needy. Their careers are based on wanting to be loved, and they live in fear of not being adored any more, especially if their career is all they have. I couldn't live like that! When I was writing the stripper scenes I asked around, and one of my friends had gone undercover at a strip joint for a national newspaper. She filled me in on how the business worked, and I used the Britney Spears 'Gimme More' video for a setting. I know some girls think it's cool to go to strip clubs so they can pretend to be one of the lads, but they're not for me. I don't have a problem with girls making money that way if they want to, but it can be so dangerous and exploitative.

* Being a Brit, was it challenging for you to write a novel set mostly in the US, or is that like a second home to you?

It's actually a second home for me, as I'm half American! I was born in England but my mother's American, so I've been to America more times than I can count! When I was writing the novel I went to Oklahoma, Boston and Chicago for work, so I set some of the book there. I also love love love Manhattan, so it was a treat to be able to set a lot of Spotlight there. Unfortunately I've not been to California yet, but so many TV shows are set there you get the gist of what it's all about. It's somewhere I definitely want to go.

* How long did it take to write the book and were there any particular scenes you were struggling with? On the flipside, what scene was your favourite to write?

THE MAKING OF MIA took nine months to write (on top of working full time at The Daily Mail), so I naively assumed SPOTLIGHT would take the same. The reality is it took eighteen months - mainly because I had so much going on in my personal life. 2009 was definitely the worst year of my life - although there were some amazing highs, too - and it took a lot of determination to finish SPOTLIGHT. I look at it and I think, yeah, I had a shitty time, but I also managed to write this book and I'm really proud of it. So it wasn't all bad!
I don't think I particularly struggled with any scene, although I'm sure there were times when I would look blankly at my manuscript and wonder what on earth was going on. I remember getting about halfway through and feeling a bit lost, but if I feel that way I know my characters have veered off track a little, so it's about pin-pointing where it starts to go wrong and changing it. When I was writing a bit near the end where Beau's about to get his comeuppance it went really wrong as one of the characters said 'we're going to do this to get back at you!' and Beau simply shrugs it off. I didn't expect that - but then, Beau is really wily.
In terms of my favourite scene, well, the last scene of a book is always my favourite to write as I sob my eyes out. Honestly. I know it's ridiculous, but when you finish writing a book it's like saying goodbye to a whole amazing world filled with people you know intimately, and there's a massive release. My boyfriend came home from work just as I finished SPOTLIGHT and couldn't work out why I was sniveling at my screen. He thought I was quite mad.

* How did the gorgeous cover come about? Would you happen to have any stories to share about it?

I wish there was an amazing story to tell about this, but there isn't! The paperback cover of THE MAKING OF MIA is gorgeous, and I think Orion wanted to have something quite similar. When I saw it I was shocked at how pink it is! I'm not a particularly girlie girl, or very 'pink', but I love the cover. I'd definitely pick it up if I was in a shop. Literally, tens and tens of people have asked me if those are my legs on the cover. They're not! Maybe I'll audition my legs for NO PRINCE CHARMING.

* Did you do anything special on the Spotlight launch date? Was there a party?

I had a massive champagne-fuelled launch party for THE MAKING OF MIA, and even though it was utterly amazing, I wanted to keep the SPOTLIGHT launch a bit more low key. The problem with huge parties is you try to speak to everyone and end up speaking to nobody. So this time round I had a dinner at my favourite restaurant - Roast, in Borough Market in London - for 15 of my best friends and family. It was absolutely gorgeous, and we drank champagne and my favourite wine, and had the best food and service ever. I always go to Roast for special occasions, and the team there made it really magical for me. I can't thank them enough.
And to celebrate on the day itself - a Thursday - I went out and bought a car. On impulse. I got a beat-up, green VW Golf Convertable, and I love it. I've not driven in about nine years though so I'm having a couple of lessons to remind me how to park and reverse. I can drive without a problem, it's just the parallel parking bit that gets me every time!

* The rumour has it that you've recently quit ASOS to become a full-time writer - how has your life been ever since?

Yes, it's true! I was at ASOS for over a year, and I set up all their social media activity, but it was all getting a bit too much. My job at ASOS was really full-on, and I realised that if I stayed there while I wrote NO PRINCE CHARMING I wouldn't be able to give as much as I could to either. I miss working in an office, and I especially miss working in newspapers, but I love working for myself. I do a bit of social media consulting to get me out of the house and for pocket money, but it really feels like I'm living the dream. I feel very lucky.

* Amazon tells me that we'll have to wait for nearly two years for your next novel, No Prince Charming. Why so long? And can you tell us what it's about?

I think Orion are just being cautious, and I'm hoping it will be out Spring 2011 - we'll see how it goes! I'm writing it at the moment and I hope to have the first draft finished in a couple of months. It's so exciting! It's about a girl named Ella who has settled for what seems like the perfect life, but it isn't really. Then she falls in love, and it all falls to pieces. I'm not going to tell you any more as it's still early days, but I'm very very very excited about this book. I have quite a few plans and tricks up my sleeve. It's really good fun, and I'm talking to a lot of people (some quite famous) about things to make sure it's authentic. Would love to tell you more, but you'll just have to wait and see!
__________

Thanks so much for your fabulous answers, Ilana! I cannot wait to get my hands on No Prince Charming!
Don't forget to visit Ilana's website and follow her on Twitter.
Visit Amazon or Book Depository to purchase her books.
__________

Lastly, it's GIVEAWAY time!
I have
one (1) copy of THE MAKING OF MIA
and
two (2) copies of SPOTLIGHT
up for grabs
so there will be three winners in total.

Here are the rules:

• fill in THIS FORM to be entered
• you don't have to be a follower to enter
• see the form for how to get extra entries
• ends May 15 at midnight UK time
• open to UK only this time, sorry.

Feel free to comment below and at least let me know which book you'd prefer to win, but in order for your entries to be counted, you must fill out this form. This is the first time I've used Google Docs so I hope I'm doing it right, heh?!

Interview: KERIS STAINTON, the author of DELLA SAYS: OMG!

As a part of her blog tour, I had the pleasure of interviewing Keris Stainton, the author of Della Says: OMG!, which is her debut novel and it comes out on 6 May 2010!

To see what the first readers thought of the book, please visit Chicklish, Novelicious and Rhiana Reads. I'll be reviewing the book soon (cannot wait!!!) and in the mean time please enjoy the interview below. :)

Q: You're a debut novelist so please do tell us a bit about yourself. I also love your name, it's fabulously unique! Is there a story behind it and how is it pronounced properly?
A: Okay. :) I'm 38, which I can't quite believe since I feel about 25. I'm married with two little boys and I live in Lancashire, which is lovely. I spend WAY too much time on Twitter and I love YA fiction and American TV shows like The West Wing, Glee, Gossip Girl, Friends... My name rhymes with "ferris" - like ferris wheel or Ferris Bueller. The name itself is Welsh and the proper spelling is Cerys (Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have a daughter named Cerys), but I was actually named after a friend of my mum and she spelled hers Kerris. Yes, with two Rs. I changed it to Keris (with one R) because I think it looks better that way.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer? What was your road to publication like?
A: I've always written, yes, but I didn't really think seriously about being a writer until a few years ago. I didn't have the confidence, I don't think. My road to publication was actually pretty smooth, but it was slow. It's taken four years from signing with my agent to seeing Della in the shops (actually, I haven't seen it in the shops yet, but I know it's there!).

Q: Is there a particular reason why you've decided to write YA instead of adult novels? Also, what authors do you look up to?
A: No. I just had an idea for a story about a teenager and so I wrote it. But I absolutely love YA and probably read more YA than adult fiction these days. (Although I have also written an adult novel, but I don't have a publisher for that... yet *crosses fingers*). And there are LOADS of writers I look up to. Meg Cabot is the YA goddess, of course. I also love E Lockhart and Maureen Johnson. For adult fiction, I'm a huge Marian Keyes fan and I really love Lisa Jewell too.

Q: What does an average day in your life look like?
A: I take my eldest son to school and then either drop the baby off with my (very kind!) in-laws or put him in bed and then I get to work. Or rather to Twitter. Then I answer emails, blog, tweet and generally faff about on the internet, all the time worrying about the fact that I haven't even opened my writing file. I'll do this every day for weeks until it all becomes too much and I force myself to do some novel writing. And then I feel much better and promise myself I'll write regularly in future. And then I do the same again. Maybe I should go to a hypnotist or something...

Q: How long did writing Della take? What inspired the book?
A: It took about four months, I think. The book was due at the same time as my son, Joe, so I knew I had to get on with it. It was inspired by my own experience. When I was a teenager, my sister had a party and my diary went missing. I started thinking about how much worse that would be if it happened now - with social media and mobile phones, etc.

Q: Tell us a bit about Della - how would you introduce her to your potential readers? In what way can she be a role model to the young girls today?
A: Della's quite insecure and self-conscious. Her mum and sister are both gorgeous and so even though Della is too (but in a different way) she can't see it. She also worries about revealing too much of herself because she's afraid people won't like her if they know the real her. So of course having people read her diary - her most intimate secrets - is horrifying to her. I think she's a role model because she learns to be honest, to be herself and not to worry too much about what other people are thinking about her. I was terrible for that when I was a teenager. What I didn't understand then is that no one is that bothered about anyone else because they're too busy worrying about themselves!

Q: The original title of your debut novel was Della Says: OMG! WTF? - is there a particular reason why the last part was removed?
A: Some of the shops thought it was a bit too rude, which I'd been worried about too. It was an eye-catching title, for sure, but I prefer the new title. What about you?

Q: The book comes out next week and the rumour has it that you're planning a launch party - can you tell us more about that? And most importantly, what will you be wearing??? (Joking about the last part as I know you've been stressing over it, hehe.)
A: I'm having two launch parties! Argh! One in London - where I lived for 10 years and a lot of my friends and publishing industry people are - and one in Manchester, near where I live now. I don't know what I was thinking of. I'm promised they'll be the best nights of my life, but I'm in denial about them. I'm even more in denial about what I'm going to be wearing. I've got some amazing shoes, but not much else. I really wish they were pajama parties. I can manage pajamas. :)

Q: What's next for you? Are you already working on a new book? If so, do tell us ALL about it!
A: I'm supposed to be working on one, yes. :) It's about a British girl named Jessie who goes to New York following a horrible break up, and Finn, an American boy who's in love with his best friend's girlfriend. They're perfect for each other. But first they have to meet... and there are 8 million people in New York.

***

Ooh, sounds intriguing - I look forward to learning more about it as time goes by!
Thanks for stopping by and answering my questions, Keris - and good luck with the launch, I'm sure it'll be a success! :)

To learn more about Keris Stainton, visit her website or her book related blog. You can also find her on Twitter or Facebook.

You can get your own copy of Della Says: OMG! at Amazon, Book Depository or WHSmith.
The tour continues tomorrow at chicklittings.blogspot.com so don't forget to drop by.

_______

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Interview: TARA HYLAND, the author of Daughters of Fortune + GIVEAWAY - Win one of FIVE copies!

Scroll down to see how you can be
one of the FIVE people who will win
a trade paperback copy
of this fantastic debut!

Some of you may remember how much I enjoyed Tara Hyland's debut novel DAUGHTERS OF FORTUNE and for those of you who missed it, you can read my review here.
Now comes the good news: I got to interview the author (yay!), which is fantastic as I'm fascinated by authors and I love asking them questions, it's such an honour!
Want even more good news? The book is officially out today (HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, TARA!) so feel free to grab your copy!
And now without further ado, here is the interview, in which Tara provides some fascinating answers about her inspiration, reserach, deleted characters, her gorgeous covers, publishing advice, her next book and more ... Read on!

1. On your website, you say you wanted to write the kind of book you enjoy reading with a strong storyline and an escapist edge - you did an excellent job at that, but how did you get the inspiration to feature three daughters of a fashion mogul? Are they based on any real people?
I came up with the idea for Daughters of Fortune when I was reading another book actually, which was also about siblings fighting over a fashion business, but it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, so I decided to have a go at coming up with my own. I was actually going to set the book around a jewellery dynasty to begin with, as Tiffany & Co used to be one of my clients when I worked in finance, but then another author used a jewellery business, so I settled on fashion instead.
In terms of the characters, from the beginning I wanted all three girls to be very different, each with their own issues, but all equally compelling. I originally just thought of them in terms of a few words - very ambitious, driven Elizabeth; gentle, naive Caitlin, who inadvertently becomes a rival to Elizabeth; and damaged, wild child Amber. From there, it was about coming up with plausible reasons why they were so different, even though they are related, as I wanted them to feel believable. While none of the girls are based on real people, when I was writing the novel, there was quite a lot in the media on Kate Moss / Pete Doherty and Amy Winehouse / Blake Fielder, which echoed the Amber and Johnny relationship. But that was just a coincidence - I'd already written them in as characters. I suppose it's quite a familiar story - the girl who is so in love with a guy that she doesn't realise how bad he is for her, even though everyone else can see it.

2. The story starts in the 1970s and ends in the 2000s and tackles both business and fashion so I imagine you must've done quite a bit of research. What research methods did you use and what were some of the most fascinating things you discovered during your research?
Yes - there was an awful lot of research involved! - on the changing times and locations, as well as the business and fashion. In terms of the business side, I worked in finance for the best part of a decade, and I had mainly retail clients, so that was just from general knowledge. I've also been lucky to do a lot of travelling in my life, so I've visited many of the locations mentioned; for example, my husband spent a year in Tokyo back in 1997/98, and I went to visit him a couple of times, so I know Japan quite well. On the fashion side, I also read a couple of books: The House of Gucci by Sara Gay Forden, which gave me a feel for the rivalries within a family-run fashion house, and How Fashion Works by Gavin Waddell, which helped with the details of Caitlin's fashion course. And the rest was just down to imagination!
The most interesting thing I found out during my research was about Belleville, the artistic area where my Paris scenes are set. Originally I was going to use Saint Germain, but it felt a bit passé. As I looked into the art scene in Paris, I stumbled across Belleville in an article online, and it seemed like a much more alternative, cutting-edge place - especially in the early nineties, when that part of the books is set.

3. On your website, you also talk about how you got published and you also say you had to make the book far shorter than it originally was. Can you reveal any of the scenes that were deleted?
Yes - the book got a lot shorter! The first draft that I sent into my agent, back in January 2008, was 220,000 words long, and he said that he wouldn't submit it to publishers until it was cut to 150,000 words - that meant losing a whole 30% of the manuscript! One of the big things that I cut out was a character called Rupert, who provided the basis for a love rivalry between Elizabeth and Caitlin (Elizabeth was in love with him, but he preferred Caitlin, who then preferred Lucien - yes, it was quite complicated, and it was probably a good thing that it went!)

4. Which five words would you use to describe your book?
Fashion, glamour, secrets, wealth, passion.

5. How did the gorgeous UK and US covers come about? Did you have any say in them? Can you share any interesting stories on how the covers were designed?
The UK cover was originally quite different. I saw a first draft in July 2009, and it had a white background, with three blank-faced girls, full-length on the cover, strolling side-on off the page. Apparently they were meant to be the three daughters in the novel, strutting down a catwalk. I hated it! The girls on the cover all looked the same, almost like mannequins, which seemed weird, as everyone always comments on how the three main characters are so different, especially in the way they look and dress. It looked more like a cover for a book about modelling. So I wrote a long email saying how much I disliked it, and that for me it didn't capture the spirit of the book - and then found out that no one agreed with me! I felt very much like the lone voice of dissent, and honestly, I really didn't think anything was going to change. Then two months later, I received a new draft of the cover - and it was the one you see today! I couldn't believe how different it was! I was quite amazed (and grateful) that my publishers had listened to my concerns and gone away and totally reworked the design. And now it looks wonderful!
The US cover was a lot more straightforward. The one you see is pretty much the same as the first draft. They wanted a Gossip Girl feel, and also to capture the idea of upper class Englishness, and I think that's what they've done perfectly.

6. If your book was turned into a film, which actresses and actors would you ideally like to see playing your main characters?
Ooo - I like this question! Mainly because I love movies / TV almost as much as books! There's quite a big cast of characters in my book, so I'll just go with the three sisters:
Elizabeth - I always imagine Katherine Heigl's body, as Elizabeth's meant to be statuesque, with Sarah Michelle Gellar's head (the way she is in Cruel Intentions, quite bitchy and sharp!)
Caitlin - A shorter Liv Tyler (I always imagine Caitlin is about 5'6, whereas Liv Tyler is 5'10)
Amber - if she ever turned to acting, Avril Lavinge!

7. As a debut author, what have you learned on the road to getting published and what advice would you give to aspiring novelists?
I've learnt that everything in the world of publishing takes time! I originally contacted my agent in March 2007 (you can read the full story on my website, www.tarahyland.com), and it took another eighteen months to get the manuscript ready for submission to publishers, and another sixteen months from there to actually seeing the book published! But, even though it's been a long path to publication, it's also been an amazing experience, and I hope that I get to be a novelist for the rest of my life.
My advice to aspiring novelists would be to seek out feedback on their work - get a friend, relative or someone in your writing group (basically, anyone who is going to give you honest, constructive feedback) to read your manuscript before sending it off. It's so easy to get too close to your manuscript, so that you can't see the wood for the trees, and an outsider can often spot problems that you can't. My editors invariably come up with concerns and ideas which I would never think of. Even now, I'm looking at reviews on my first novel, seeing what people say, and trying to think how I can improve my next book, while still keeping the elements people liked about Daughters of Fortune. So far, Book 2 is 10% shorter and has less characters! Those points may sound familiar, Bookalicious...

8. The rumour has it that you've finished your second book - can you give us some details on what it's about and when it will be published?
I've just handed in the first draft of my second book (early March 2010), and it should be out this time next year, so spring 2011. My agent and editors saw a reasonably detailed synopsis last year, before I started writing, but I still haven't heard what they think of the full manuscript, so it's a nerve-wracking time! It's about a mother who abandons her daughter for fame and fortune, and the consequences of her actions on both their lives. It takes in the golden age of Hollywood, which was such a glamorous, dark period. There's also a big mystery running from page one of the book, although the story is still character-driven. Here's my synopsis (although my publishers haven't seen it as yet, or said they liked the book, so it may change!)

An unwanted child: San Francisco, 1958. On a dark December night, a baby girl is left at the Sisters of Charity Orphanage on Telegraph Hill.
A mysterious suicide: One year later, movie star Frances Fitzgerald takes her own life. Her husband, wealthy businessman Maximilian Stanhope, is rumoured to know more about her death than he’s letting on, but nothing is ever proved.
A terrible secret: What is the connection between these two events? That’s what Frances’ daughter, Eavan, wants to find out. Abandoned by her mother when she is just seven years old, her childhood is filled with hardship and loss. Even though as a young woman she finds professional success as a journalist, on a personal level she struggles to trust those around her. Unable to commit to the man she loves, Eavan becomes convinced that uncovering the secret behind her mother’s death is the only way to lay her demons to rest. But finding out the truth may end up tearing her apart.

9. Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Just a big thank you to Bookalicious Ramblings for reviewing Daughters of Fortune. And I hope that readers enjoy the book.

***
Thanks so much for your time and brilliant answers, Tara! Oh, it's a rather safe bet that this book will be a great hit with the readers! And I cannot wait for the next book - it sounds fantastic!

Other reviews of DAUGHTERS OF FORTUNE: Chicklit Reviews, Chicklit Club, Girlie Gossip.

Lastly, make sure you watch the video below to learn more about this book straight from the author! To learn more about Tara Hyland, visit her website or her publisher page for more videos & info.

So you say you want to read this book? Well, here's your chance to win a copy!

• There will be FIVE winners and each gets a trade paperback copy of this brilliant book.
• To be entered, just leave a comment and tell me why you want to read this book. :)
• You don't have to be a follower to be entered.
• The contest is open INTERNATIONALLY and it ends on April 1st.

Here's how you can get more entries:
+ 2 if you're a follower of this blog;
+ 1 for following Tara on Twitter: @TaraHyland;
+ 1 for following Simon & Schuster UK on Twitter: @simonschusterUK (they're kindly sponsoring this giveaway);
+ 2 for tweeting about this contest or retweeing this tweet (provide link);
+ 2 for mentioning the contest in your sidebar;
+ 5 for posting about this contest on your blog with the picture of the cover and a video of Tara.

I need to get a hang of the Google Docs thingy, but until then I'll have to do this the old fashioned way, sorry. Good luck, everyone! :)

Interview: LAUREN OLIVER + Win a copy of BEFORE I FALL!

Today is a big day: March 2nd in the official publication day for BEFORE I FALL, an incredible YA debut by Lauren Oliver. The blogoshere has been gushing about it for months so if you haven't heard about it, you must've been living under a rock and you really need to get with a program - trust me, you do not want to miss this amazing book - scroll down to see how YOU can win a brand new copy of BEFORE I FALL along with some signed bookmarks!

Here's a quick plot summary:

"Sam Kingston is dead. Except she isn’t.
On a rainy February night, Sam is killed in a horrific car crash. But instead of seeing a tunnel of light, she wakes up in her own bed, on the morning of the same day. Forced to live through the same events – the drive to school, skipping class, the fateful party – she struggles to alter the outcome, but wakes up again on the day of the crash.
What follows is the story of a girl who comes of age in a matter of days. Who discovers, through heartbreaking insights, the consequences of her every action. Of a girl who dies young, but in the process learns how to live. And who falls in love . . . a little too late."

I got a chance to read it online (legally) on a HarperCollins site a few months ago. I wasn't supposed to review it, but the book affected me so much that I just could not resist, I had to get it all out of my system. I described it as a book with "NICELY COMPLEX PLOT, WELL STRUCTURED, WONDERFUL CHARACTERS, BEAUTIFUL WRITING, THOUGHT PROVOKING, EMOTIONAL - ALL IN ALL, AN OUTSTANDING DEBUT!" You can read the whole review here and this book honestly moved me so much that it ended up being my second favourite book of 2009 and virtually *everyone* who has read the book so far has been amazed by it - it's just the kind of a novel that really makes you think and stays with you forever.

Oh and guess what - the foreign rights for this book have already been sold to FOURTEEN countries even before this book was officially published. Yes, that's how good it is! :)

Both the UK and the US trailers have been released - they're both great so click here to watch them!

The woman we have to thank for this incredibly powerful book is LAUREN OLIVER (visit her official site), who is not only so very talented but also unbelievably nice! I was lucky enough to interview her and please find her answers below!

Let's start with the standard question: What was the inspiration for Before I Fall? It's such an original book so I do wonder how you came up with the idea for it!
Thanks! The idea for Before I Fall came from a bunch of different places. I used to spend a lot of time trying to imagine, in as much detail as possible, a “perfect” day: the kind of day I wouldn’t mind reliving forever. So I’ve always had that question in my mind. Additionally, I’ve always been interested in the mean girl phenomena and in themes of change and redemption—and ultimately, even though Before I Fall has a very strong narrative structure, I do see it as a character-driven book about change.

How long did it take to write the book? I imagine it must've taken a while since the story is so complex. Were there any particular scenes you were struggling with? How did you get published in the end?
You know, I was working from an extremely solid and intricate outline, and generating the outline was certainly the most difficult and time-consuming part of the process, I would say. The actual writing of the book only took about five-six months. It was surprisingly easy, actually, as was the publishing process; I believe my agent managed to get us a deal within a few days.
However, before people start throwing shoes at me, I will say this was not my first attempt at publication. I had previously completed two adult novels, neither of which was ever sold.

Can you tell us more about this "universe" (for the lack of a better word) where Sam finds herself reliving the last day of her life seven more times?
[SPOILER ALERT! PLEASE DO NOT READ ON IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK YET.]
Hmm. I mean, in some ways I envisioned it as kind of a limbo. She is able to effect changes in the lives of the people around her, and so alter the legacy she will be leaving behind, but ultimately she is still penned in by the ultimate circumstances of her death. I guess you could say that that—that event, that death—is the concrete limit, the axiom on which her other actions must be based. That’s why, for me, there was never a question of allowing her to live on at the end.

Which five words would you use to describe Before I Fall?
Redemptive; realistic; hopeful; sad. That’s only four but I think they are sufficient.

How did you decide on the title? Did you have any alternative titles in mind?
Originally we called the book IF I SHOULD FALL, but we felt it was somewhat too ephemeral and also very similar to IF I STAY, a book that was being released at the time. But it took us about 500 titles to get from IF I SHOULD FALL to BEFORE I FALL, if you can believe it! I'm terrible at titling. :)

Would you change anything about the book now if you could go back? Is there anything you wish you could've written differently?
There is much I would change on a line-by-line level. I feel I've already grown and developed as a writer, and there are certain phrases in the book that don't feel quite right to me anymore. But on the whole, no; I'm happy with the book's overall structure and content. I'm not one for regret, in any context!

The book will undoubtedly be a massive hit and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it were turned into a film. Should that happen, who would you like to see starring in it?
Oof. I don’t know! I can only hope your predictions for the book’s success are correct. I actually can see Kristen Stewart playing Sam, and I’m not just saying that because she starred in Twilight! And I could completely see Dakota Fanning playing Lindsay; she looks just like the way I envisioned Lindsay in my hed.

What was the best and the worst thing you've heard/read about Before I Fall so far (in terms of reviews etc.)?
The best thing I’ve heard was that the book has caused a girl to reconcile with her mother, from whom she was semi-estranged; also, a blogger told me that the book helped her grieve the loss of a younger family member. People have been generous so far in terms of criticism, but probably what most aggravates me is when people think that I’ve included a superfluous quantity of drinking and drugs. We really did drink that much in high school! I was just trying to depict my experiences realistically. And besides, the whole point of the book is how unfulfilling those moments can be, and how what really brings happiness are moments of true connection and sharing.

What you working on now?
I am editing my second book, DELIRIUM, which will be released in early 2011. It’s very different from Before I Fall, a kind of dystopian Romeo-and-Juliet story, and I am very, very excited about it.

* * * * *

To celebrate this awesome day, I'm also hosting a CONTEST!
One lucky winner will win a hardcover copy of BEFORE I FALL and some *signed* swag! Here's what you have to do in order to be entered into this contest:

• you have to leave a comment telling me WHY you'd like to win/read this book (+1)
  
• you have to be a follower of my blog through Google Friend Connect (+1)

Those who are more determined and want to have more chance of winning can get more entries by:

• following Lauren on Twitter: @OliverBooks (+1)
• tweeting about this contes (provide link) OR simply re-tweeting my tweet (+2)
• posting about this contest on your blog sidebar (+2)
• dedicating a whole post to this contest (+3) along with one of the trailers (+5)

The contest is open WORLDWIDE and closes on March 10th at midnight your time.

ps: If you don't win, you can always get your own copy at Amazon US/UK or at Book Depository (free worldwide delivery, woo)!

_____

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Interview: KATE FORSYTH, author of THE PUZZLE RING

Oh, I'm so happy I got a chance to participate in The Puzzle Ring blog tour! First I got to read this fantastic book (my review here) and then I could also interview the wonderful author of the book, Kate Forsyth!

I think the interview is very interesting (whether you've read the book or not) and I hope you'll enjoy it too! In it, Kate:

• tells us more about puzzle rings,
• explains all the puzzles and double meanings of the amazing cover,
• mentions the potential sequel (yes, please!),
• tells us more about how she comes up with names for her characters,
• discusses her favourite and most difficult to write scenes,
• reveals what she's currently working on!

Q: How did you come up with the idea of the puzzle ring and can you tell us more about it?
I first got the idea for ‘The Puzzle Ring’ reading a jewellery catalogue while bored waiting in a doctor’s surgery – which just goes to prove you can get ideas anywhere! The jewellery catalogue had a few short paragraphs detailing the history of puzzle rings. First invented in Arabia by a jealous king who wanted to know if his young & beautiful wife ever removed her wedding ring, puzzle rings were brought back to Europe by the crusaders in the 14^th and 15^th century. A cunningly forged ring made up of several interlocking loops, puzzle rings sit on the finger just like any other ring but once they are taken off, they fall apart and cannot be put back together again unless you know the secret to them – a code rather like doing a Rubiks cube. I found this tale quite fascinating, and thought at once what an interesting and unusual thematic structure it would give a quest story. When I got home I scribbled a note to myself in my Ideas notebook, but did nothing more with the idea. Then, when my book ‘The Gypsy Crown’ was bought by Scholastic in the UK, they asked if I had any other ideas for more books with a similar feel and I thought of my puzzle ring idea at once. Yet all I had was an idea, not a plot. I wondered to myself, WHY? Why would anyone need to go & search for a broken puzzle ring? Who and where and when and why? A few days later I was browsing in a crowded and cobwebby second hand book store when I saw a curious old chest shoved under a shelf. I sat down on a stool and dragged it out and opened it. The chest was full of old tattered books and papers, including one that caught my eyes at once. Entitled ‘The Book of Curses’ it had a medieval woodcut on the front cover showing a red winged devil and various gargoyles and imps flying above its head. I opened it up, and it fell naturally open to a chapter called ‘The Brahan Seer and the Seaforth Doom’, the story of a curse cast against the Mackenzies of Seaforth by a warlock in 17^th century Scotland. It’s an amazing story, with a hag-stone through which the warlock could see the past and the future and far, far away and many other things impossible to see, and a curse cast as revenge for the warlock’s terrible death. I got up from that stool, clutching the book to my chest, seeing the whole tale of Hannah and the hag-stone and the curse cast against her family bright and vivid and whole in my mind’s eye. I went home and began writing the novel that very afternoon.

Q: The cover is beautiful and also very meaningful. I've seen people comment on it before they read the book so could you perhaps point out all the things that are depicted on the cover and how they relate to the book?

I’m so glad you love the cover! I love it too. It was done by Zdenko Basic who does the most gorgeous work (you can see more here). There is so much in the cover its difficult to describe – particularly without giving away what happens in the book! In the very centre of the cover is a rose – the many different meanings of a rose are just one of the many puzzles that Hannah must figure out before she can find the puzzle ring, but its primarily a symbol for Eglantyne, the fairy princess who is burnt as a witch in the 16^th century and so casts the curse on Hannah’s family. Eglantyne means rose, and Rose is Hannah’s middle name – or so she thinks. Surrounding the rose is a golden puzzle ring and then the title, which is overlaid on a compass rose. Surrounding the circle of the compass is a wall, representing the wall that surrounds the garden of Wintersloe Castle, with four symbols at each of the points of the compass. Hannah must travel to three of the four points of the compass to find the lost loops of the puzzle ring, her father having already found one at the first point. At the north point of the compass on the cover is an ancient yew tree with a doorway through it, at the eastern point is a wolf howling, at the southern point is a statue of a horned man, and at the western point are two grinning jack o’lanterns. Each of these four things appear in the book, and each have a symbolic meaning as well. There is also a toad, a very important toad. The cover is a puzzle in itself, laden with double meanings, just like all the codes and cryptic clues in the book.

Q: Will there ever be a sequel to The Puzzle Ring?
I’d love to write a sequel. Maybe even two, as the world I’ve created seems so rich and full of possibility (to me, at least!) I have a few ideas ...

Q: The characters have lovely names (e.g. Wintersloe, Eglantyne, Irata, Rosamund etc.) - how do you decide on them?
I spend a lot of time thinking of my names. I have lists of house names in my Ideas notebook, so that whenever I need to name a house or a place I have a reference I can go straight to. Wintersloe was not the original name for my beautiful old house – originally I called it Dunrosayn – which means castle of roses in Scottish Gaelic. But my sister, who is a writer too, was working on a novel set in Scotland at the same time and she had called her castle Dungorm (which means blue castle). So I decided to change it, but none of the names I had in any of my lists seemed right. I was staying with my parents-in-law in the country and I went out for a long tramp. Walking is one way that always helps me solve a problem when I’m writing. Anyway, I passed the most gorgeous house with a beautiful, big old garden and I stopped to have a look, and I saw it had a mossy old name on the wall by the gate. I lifted up a flowering branch to see the name, and saw it was called ‘Wintersloe’. I loved it at once. I thought about it all the way home. I knew that sloes grew on blackthorns, and that blackthorns were often used to make witches’ wands and also that the thorns that grew up around Sleeping Beauty’s castle was thought to be blackthorn. It just seemed perfect. That’s often how I find things. It’s just serendipity.

Q: What is your personal favourite scene in the book?
Oh, I have so many favourites. I love the scene where Hannah and Donovan climb the fairy hill and then the toad spits the hag-stone out at her feet. That was one of the very first images that came into my mind when I began ‘seeing’ the book. I love the scene where the toad leads her to her father’s room and she first discovers his notebook, filled with strange and cryptic poetry. I loved writing about Mary, Queen of Scots, and imagining the scene where the children first meet her. And I loved writing the character of the old fairy-cook Linnet, she’s one of my all-time favourite creations.

Q: Which one was the most difficult to write?
The most difficult scenes were at the end of Hannah and her friends’ adventures in the 16^th century, when they had to find a way home. I really wanted to have a scene showing the defeat and capture of Mary, Queen of Scots, and how she had fallen from the most beautiful and powerful woman in the world to a humiliated and bedraggled prisoner – yet there was no reason for Hannah and her companions to be in Edinburgh at that time. They were trying to get home, they had to get back to a gateway to the Otherworld. I spent weeks searching through old books and on the internet for reference to a fairy gateway near Edinburgh, but found nothing. Eventually I reluctantly put the idea aside, and wrote the end of the book without that scene. I was travelling to Scotland with my family for a month to go to all the places that appear in the book, and to check my facts and generally to see and hear and smell and feel the Scottish landscape, and I wanted to have my first draft finished before I went. Anyway, on our very last night in Scotland, we were in Edinburgh and planned to go to Calton Hill for the Beltane celebrations, which I had never seen before. There were fire-eaters and people on stilts and fairies in wisps of gauze despite the freezing weather – and a Scottish storyteller. I love storytelling, I’m a member of the Australian Guild of Storytellers myself, and so of course I was eager to hear him speak. He told all the children gathered round the tale of the fairy boy of Leith, an old story about a boy who used to be a drummer for the Fair Folk and would pass through a great pair of gateways into, he said, “this very hill on which we sit”. I was absolutely electrified. All the hairs on my body stood upright. I knew the old tale, but in my version the boy simply says that the Fair Folk met under ‘the great hill between Edinburgh and Leith’. I had no idea that meant Calton Hill, one of the seven hills of Edinburgh itself. In that simple sentence, that Scottish storyteller delivered me the solution to my problem, which had been troubling me for months. I was able to have Hannah and her companions ride to Edinburgh to find the gateway in Calton Hill, and so be in Edinburgh at the time Mary, Queen of Scots, was captured. It was perfect! And another of those extraordinary serendipitous moments that made this book such a magical story to write.

Q: What are you currently working on?

I’ve just finished writing the long-awaited sequel to my earlier YA fantasy, ‘The Starthorn Tree’. Called ‘The Wildkin’s Curse’ it comes out in Australia in May. I’m also working on the third in the series, to be called ‘The Starkin Crown’.


Thanks for reading the interview! To find out more about the author and her other works, please visit her website. To learn more about The Puzzle Ring, check out other stops of the blog tour (The Bookette posted the schedule)! Yesterday, Kate was a guest blogger at Today's Adventure discussing her research methods, and tomorrow The Book Bug is posting an interview with her so be sure to check that out - I know I will!
If you'd like the read this wonderful book yourself, you can get a copy at Amazon UK or Book Depository (free worldwide delivery).

Lastly, I'd like to thank Kate for inviting me to be a part of this amazing blog tour and for giving me a chance to interview her! I'll definitely be reading more by her - as a matter of fact, I've just ordered my copy of The Gypsy Crown, yay!

Interview: ZOË FOSTER, the author of AIR KISSES

If you been reading this blog for a while, then you surely remember that I really enjoyed a book called Air Kisses - no? In that case, you can read my review of it here. A summary for the tl;dr crowd: I absolutely loooved it!
Well, a while after I posted my silly little review, I received a really wonderful thank you email from the author of the book and me being the smart woman that I am, I took the opportunity and asked her for an interview (right after I recovered from the shock of receiving such an awesome email from such a great writer, hehe) and Zoë kindly agreed to it so without further ado I present to you my first author interview starring the fabulous Zoë Foster, the author of Air Kisses!

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your debut novel Air Kisses?
I've been writing beauty for around 6 years, first as the beauty director at Cosmo, then at Harper's BAZAAR, and now at www.primped.com.au. I wrote Air Kisses while at Cosmo, which is probably why it's based on a novice beauty editor at a glossy magazine. All fiction, of course.

2. Where does your passion for beauty come from? Has it developed after you've started your first job as a beauty editor, or is it something that has always fascinated you?
I always loved fooling round with makeup and hair, but I wasn't aware there was a whole job that existed where you were paid to do this. I didn't even know what a beauty editor was. I was just a journalist on a teen music mag who was lucky enough to be poached for the job at Cosmo, partly, I think because I wasn’t “of the beauty world”, and thus not too deep in to be able to relate to my readers from their perspective. Even now, as someone is as absolutely entrenched in the beauty arena, I try to maintain a voice and interest and writing style that mimics The General Public. As in, ‘What do I need that for? But it’s so expensive! How do I use it? Do I REALLY need it? Will it make me look like Angelina Jolie? Why not? Are there any chips left?’

3. Judging by the book (which is apparently based on your own experiences), the job of a beauty editor is far more fun(ky) and glamorous than most people would probably expect. What are some of your craziest and most extravagant experiences as a beauty editor?
Oh man. It’s one loco little ride, let me tell you. Last week, for example, Nivea took a gloss of beauty editors to learn how to do trapeze. In a couple of weeks Clinique is flying us all up to Queensland for a two nights. One time Biotherm flew us up to Byron bay for lunch. And another time, Elizabeth Arden took us in choppers to a day spa for breakfast and a massage, before choofing us off home. It is safe to say being a beauty editor is one of the wildest, most privileged, most obscenely spoiled professions in existence. I plan to never retire. EVER. (You can trapeze at 87, right?)

4. After working for a couple of important glossies, you've set up your own beauty site Primped. Care to tell us more about that?
I started a blog, fruitybeauty, while at Cosmo, back in 2006. This was because I had waaay too much product information and too many tips/tricks in my head and needed more than three dot points in the magazine to explain it all. This was a prescient move as it turned out, because when Independent Digital Media decided to launch a web 2.0 beauty website last year, (PRIMPED) they approached me to edit it, in lieu of my masthead magazine experience and my TTLY GR8 blogging/online skillzzz LOL!!!!! :)

5. How did your publishing deal come about? How long did it take you to get published?
I gave some chapters to a literary agent at Curtis Brown, who kindly informed me they had legs. (Waxed and tanned, of course.) Which was nice. From that moment til signing with Penguin it was a few months, I think, but the novel didn't hit the shelves for another year after that. It takes aaaaages from signing contracts to on-the-shelfyness.

6. Are your characters inspired by real people? And most importantly, how did you come up with such amazing male characters???
I’d be one filthy little liar if I said my characters weren't each a cocktail of Real Life friends/workmates/acquaintances. Most of the boys were also amalgamations, but with Dec there was a big element of fantasy. So many girls have asked me who the Real Dec is, (and may they have his number) but he's probably one of the only purely fictional characters. (Annoying.)

7. If Air Kisses was turned into a film, which actors would you like to see starring in it? What song would fit the film theme perfectly?
Actress... I adore Natalie Portman. Would love her to play Hannah. Song? Probably something by Fiest or Robyn.

8. What books are you working on now?
I've just finished my third book, another lady fiction number about the life of a footballer's girlfriend, which goes on sale here Feb 2010. My second book, Textbook Romance, is out next month and is a non-fiction dating book.
I have as much, or possibly more passion for writing about dating and relationships as beauty. I've been the dating columnist at Cosmo for a while now, and seem to be the bird all my friends - male/female/gay/straight/married/single - come to for advice/tough love when they need it. "What should I write back." That's the question I get the most. And I REVEL in answering it. I'm actually quite a pain in the ass when it comes to male-female dynamics, I love to dish my opinion even when it's entirely unsolicited. (Bus drivers, baristas, workmates...)

9. You're obviously a very busy woman, so how do you even find the time to write? What's your writing strategy like and how long does it usually take you to finish a book?
Oh man, it's all about discipline. Be screwed without it. Since signing my three-book deal (at 26) I've pretty much spent every Saturday, 6am til 2pm writing my books. Wasn’t always fun knowing every one else was splashing around frivolously in the waves or eating hamburgers in American style diners and chatting about the prom and if the football team would win that weekend or being hungover from a huge night on the turps while I was cooped up, blinds down, smashing keys. Laptop came on every holiday, too. Because I've worked full time the entire time, each book has taken around six months to actually write, but then the editing back and forth usually takes another six. If I was purely writing books, no full time work, and had an IV feeding me espresso, I reckon I could smash out a book in 2-3 months.

10. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Read a lot. Write a lot. And never, ever use the excuse 'I have no time.' No one has the time, you gotta make the time. It's one of my pet hates hearing people say, 'I'm gonna write a book, you know.' And then hearing them say it again and again for years. Do it already! Start! See what happens! You'll never know if you really want to - or can - do it, until you start. And don't think you have to start at the beginning. I started my first novel by getting down anecdotes I knew I wanted in, then creating the story and characters around them. Kind of felt like cheating. Awesome.

11. What are some of your favourite novels and which authors do you generally look up to?
I'm a bit of an oddball: I oscillate between self-help mind expanders like Eckhart Tolle or male humorists like David Sedaris.

Thanks so much, Zoë!

So far the novel has been published with three different covers, which you can see below (original hardback, Australian paperback and the UK paperback respectively). Which one's your favourite?

And if you still don't know what the novel is about, then let the author introduce it to you herself! (Isn't her accent fantastic? :D)

Lastly, two more important things you can do: a) you can follow the fabulous Ms Foster on Twitter @zotheysay and b) you can vote for her for the Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Female Award in the Author section. Oh and you could also pick up a copy of Air Kisses (yay for free worldwide delivery) and have some fun reading it. :)