Authors Are Rockstars: Alexandra Monir. Interview & Giveaway
What makes Alexandra Monir a rockstar?
Well I guess it depends on
how you define rockstar. To me a rockstar isn’t just someone who’s in a band,
its someone who can reach a person or many people with their work. It’s someone
who can change the way a person feels, thinks, or even how they see things in
the simplest way. And Alexandra Monir does just that, she took something as
simple as pen and paper and turned it into something powerful. With a few words
she is able to influence emotions and has the power to make you feel so many
things. And that is why in my book Alexandra Monir will be now and forever a
rockstar.
Let’s
meet Alexandra Also a singer/songwriter, Alexandra integrated original music into her books’ pages, writing and recording three original songs for TIMELESS and TIMEKEEPER with producers Michael Bearden, Heather Holley and Rob Hoffman. The songs were released on iTunes via Jimmy Buffett’s record label, Mailboat Records.
Alexandra currently resides in Los Angeles, California, where she is at work on her third young adult novel, while also blogging for The Huffington Post and recording music. She has two new novels slated for publication with Random House in 2014 and 2015.
Onto
the Interview
What do you think makes a good story?
The best stories are ones that you can’t put down, that you stay
up late into the night to read because you have
to know what happens, filled with characters you’ll miss when you finish
the book. The stories I find impossible to put down usually involve a strong
mystery or romance storyline, and always feature unforgettable characters.
What is one book or series you can’t live without, yours or other?
The world would be a far poorer place without the Harry Potter series!
When did you consider yourself a writer?
I started writing stories when I was seven years old, but I
didn’t consider myself a professional writer until I got my first book deal.
Suddenly, this became my job! Which was, and continues to be, the most amazing
feeling.
What do you think the best part of writing is?
Losing yourself in a story, and the thrill of creating
characters and situations and putting the puzzle pieces together.
How important do you think villains are in a book? Favorite book
villain, any book?
I definitely think it’s important to have an antagonist- either
a terrifying villain OR just a character/situation that creates difficulty for the
protagonist. A favorite book/movie villain that comes to mind is the title
character in The Picture of Dorian Gray. He’s
a fascinating one because he is both the protagonist and the bad guy.
Which of your characters would you be most or least liking to
invite or for dinner? And why?
That’s easy- I’d love to have dinner with PHILIP! J My most unlikely choice
would be Rebecca, since she would probably terrify me in person.
Do you read reviews of your books? If so do you pay any attention
to them or let them influence your writing?
I definitely see them, but I try not to get too wrapped up in
reviews. I do like to stay attuned to my readers’ and fans’ responses, though-
I’m always eager to know what resonates with them and why.
Why time travel? If you could write a book about anything what
would it be and why?
Time travel actually was that dream book for me to write- it’s a
subject I’ve always found fascinating, and when I asked myself what book I’d most like to read, the idea and plot
for Timeless burst into my head. And
I knew I had to write it!
So what’s next for you?
I’m just starting on my third draft of Suspicion, my romantic thriller publishing next fall with
Delacorte/Random House! After that I begin a new book that publishes in 2015.
I know this is about you being an author and writing amazing books
but you also write and perform music. What got you into music in the first
place?
Aww, thank you! My mom is a singer in her own right, and my
grandmother was a famous opera singer, so they were major inspirations for me. I
began singing and performing in elementary school, and by the time I started
high school I’d begun writing and recording my own songs. Music is still a big
part of my life- I’m currently writing the score to a musical, which hopefully will
make it to Broadway one day! J
About Timeless book one
When
tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and
move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy,
aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion
filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that
hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous
Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted
her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined
could actually exist.
And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed
romance.
Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.
Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.
Add Timeless on Goodreads
Giveaway:
Alexandra had kindly donated
5 SIGNED copies of TIMELESS so we could have a giveaway. Isn’t that awesome?!
Sorry to some of you guys this away is US only.
This giveaway last
from now until September 2nd. Winners will be chosen at random and
will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck
everyone.
Links:
TIMELESS Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TimelessSeries
Follow Alexandra on Twitter! twitter.com/TimelessAlex
The TIMELESS music! https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-timeless-ep/id587887283
a Rafflecopter giveaway
17 comments
Definitely about the time travel, I love books about time travel. thanks for the giveaway and great interview!
ReplyDeleteAbout the villains! It's nice to know her pov.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed finding out what she's working on next :)
ReplyDeleteI think it was really cool that we got to see what she's working on next. That's always super fun in my mind, and her new book sounds SUPER awesome.
ReplyDeleteGrace Radford/Anna Pett
I love that she is fascinated by time travel, as it fascinates me too!
ReplyDeleteBest part of writing is losing yourself in the story. <3 Thanks for the giveaway. ;)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the author on what makes a good story, and I really like when a book has a strong mystery plot!
ReplyDeleteThe time travel. And I totally agree with her about Harry Potter.
ReplyDeleteMy comment doesn't seem to have shown up, so let me answer again. I love that the book she wrote was on a subject that was her dream subject to write about. I also agree with what she said about what makes a good story. But that is different for different people. To me, Twilight was a story I couldn't put down. But others couldn't stand it. And I think that's okay!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! Thanks so much for being a tour host!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Jaime
Great interview! My favorite part was about the time travel.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
Finding out what she is working on next :) Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI loved her answer about who she would invite to dinner. I need to read this so I can see why Rebecca terrifies her! Thank you for the chance to win a copy :)
ReplyDeleteWhen she said Dorian Gray was her favorite villain. That book is amazing.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI think it's pretty awesome that Alexandra has been writing since she was seven - I have always wished I was better at writing! And I totally agree about the HP series :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, some of the things she mentions as being the best part of writing a book, are for me the best part of reading a really awesome book. Meeting new characters, learning about the situations they are in, and losing myself in the story. Thanks for the interview!
ReplyDelete