The Next Big Thing Blog Hop!

‘The Next Big Thing’ Blog Hop is a chance for authors to tell you what they’re working on. An author answers 10 questions about her next book, then tags five other authors to help spread the word!

A huge thank you to Alyssa Goodnight, who tagged me!

Here’s my Q&A about the sequel to A Breath of Eyre, A Touch of Scarlet, releasing March 26, 2013:


1 What is the working title of your book?
A Touch of Scarlet, as the book is inspired by The Scarlet Letter.

2 Where did the idea come from for the book?
Did you ever have a book you hated in high school, but then you read it again as an adult and were like, “Wow, this book is amazing; I just didn’t appreciate it when I was sixteen.” That’s what happened to me with The Scarlet Letter. After I wrote A Breath of Eyre, in which my character gets lost in the novel Jane Eyre, I was looking for other classic novels to inspire Books 2 and 3. For the sequel, I needed to send Emma into a book that would put her through the wringer, so to speak. The Scarlet Letter deals with identity, power, guilt, hypocrisy, sexuality—many of the issues teens face in high school—so it seemed like the perfect catalyst to force Emma out of her comfort zone.

3 What genre does your book fall under?
Not an easy question, but I guess I’d say contemporary with a touch of paranormal.

4 Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Even though I don’t usually imagine actors while I’m drafting, these casting choices wouldn’t ruin my day:

Lily Collins as Emma
Olivia Thurlby as Michelle		Hayley Williams as Jess
Annasophia Robb as Elise		Colton Haynes as Gray
a young Brandon Flowers as Flynn		Steven R. McQueen as Owen

5 What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A girl with the ability to slip into the books she’s reading finds truth and fiction merging through the pages of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic, The Scarlet Letter.

6 Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I am represented by April Eberhardt Literary, and the book is being published by Kensington Books.

7 How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
For some reason, the sequel took much longer to write than Book 1. From start to finish, it probably took me a year and a half to write, although I was teaching full-time as well.

8 What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Maybe other books inspired by classic literature, like Kelly Creagh’s Nevermore, Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange, or Kathryn Burak’s Emily’s Dress and Other Missing Things.

9 Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I am always inspired by my students, who manage to navigate some treacherous waters with grace and resilience.

10 What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I think A Touch of Scarlet might appeal to readers who love gothic novels, New England settings, romance, family dynamics, classic literature, and themes of identity and coming of age.

Now I’m going to tag the following wonderful writers:

A.C. Gaughen
Sarah Perry
Tiffany Schmidt
Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Please visit their blogs on Monday, November 12, when they will publish their answers to the same questions.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and feel free to leave me a comment below!!

Message for the tagged authors and interested others:

Rules of The Next Big Thing
***Use this format for your post
***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress)
***Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:
What is the working title of your book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
What genre does your book fall under?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.

Piece of advice: Line up your five people in advance.

Cover Reveal Giveaway Winner

The winner of the signed copy of A BREATH OF EYRE & A TOUCH OF SCARLET swag is

Angelica!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered and for all your fun comments!!

A TOUCH OF SCARLET Cover Reveal Giveaway!

I have been absent from this blog for quite some time, consumed with book revisions and personal challenges and going back to school. But A Touch of Scarlet releases six months from now, and I find myself wishing it were out now. If this book had a season, it would be fall. The story begins where A Breath of Eyre left off, with Emma starting her junior year at Lockwood Prep. But everything is changing—the leaves on the trees, her relationships, and most important, Emma herself. Feeling lonely and restless, Emma begins to run in the woods behind her school—sometimes in an attempt to evade her fears, other times in search of something that seems to be calling to her. As the ghosts of the forest draw her in, she comes face to face with the characters from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. And if she’s brave enough to face them, they might just have a lesson or two to teach her. Here’s the gorgeous autumnal cover!

To those who have already read A BREATH OF EYRE, you’ve probably seen the cover in miniature on the back flap of the book, but it looks so much lusher in full size! While ARCs won’t be available for several months, the book is available for pre-order. You can also add it to your Goodreads list. To celebrate the cover reveal, I am giving away a prize package that includes:

• A signed copy of A BREATH OF EYRE
• A signed cover flat for A TOUCH OF SCARLET
• Bookmarks and magnets for both books

 

Just answer the following question in the comments: What is your favorite thing about fall? You’ll also get:

          +1 entry if you retweet this post (Win a signed copy of @evemariemont's A BREATH OF EYRE plus swag for A TOUCH OF SCARLET: http://tinyurl.com/9yeuluc)

          +1 entry if you post this link on Facebook

          +1 entry if you post the contest on your own blog (please leave a link here)

The giveaway is open internationally and will end at midnight E.S.T. on Tuesday, October 16. Good luck!

New Year's ARC giveaway of A BREATH OF EYRE!

Today is January 3^rd, which means my book will be hitting shelves in less than three months, 83 days to be precise—yikes! It is absolutely terrifying to think of people actually reading this book to which I’ve given so much of my heart, time, and sweat. But I hope people fall in love with Emma, Gray, Michelle, and Owen as I have and enjoy spending time lost in the world of Jane Eyre. And I really hope people love the characters enough to pick up the sequel, A TOUCH OF SCARLET, which I have finally finished in draft form! While I had outlined the sequel for my editor this summer, this second book kept surprising me and taking me down unexpected paths, particularly as Emma travels into The Scarlet Letter this time—lots of secrets and scandal! Emma grows up so much in this book, and the relationships developed in A BREATH OF EYRE just get more complicated and meaningful. If the series sounds like your cup of tea, I’d love it if you would consider adding the books to your Goodreads list. 

SHAMELESS PROMOTION ALERT: A BREATH OF EYRE is also available for pre-order at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Indiebound. ;)

For those who haven’t read it yet, here is the official synopsis:
Emma Townsend has always believed in stories—the ones she reads voraciously, and the ones she creates in her head. Perhaps it’s because she feels like an outsider at her exclusive prep school, or because her stepmother doesn’t come close to filling the void left by her mother’s death. And her only romantic prospect—apart from a crush on her English teacher—is Gray Newman, a long-time friend who just adds to Emma’s confusion. But escape soon arrives in an old leather-bound copy of Jane Eyre…

Reading of Jane’s isolation sparks a deep sense of kinship. Then fate takes things a leap further when a lightning storm catapults Emma right into Jane’s body and her nineteenth-century world. As governess at Thornfield, Emma has a sense of belonging she’s never known—and an attraction to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Now, moving between her two realities and uncovering secrets in both, Emma must decide whether her destiny lies in the pages of Jane’s story, or in the unwritten chapters of her own…

To celebrate the new year, I am giving away one ARC of A BREATH OF EYRE, complete with bonus materials like the quiz: “Which literary heroine are you?” and a teaser chapter from A TOUCH OF SCARLET. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me one reason why you’re excited about 2012. Plus, you get:


 +1 entry for tweeting or posting on Facebook: New Year's ARC giveaway for @evemariemont's A BREATH OF EYRE: http://tinyurl.com/7lyuk9w
+1 entry for posting on your blog
+1 entry for following my blog


The giveaway is open internationally and will end Friday, January 13 at midnight EST. I will be giving away more ARCs in February and March, so stay tuned. Thanks so much for entering, and have a very happy and healthy new year!