Welcome to Jenuine Cupcakes!
*hands you a cupcake*
I'm really excited to share some of Harlequin TEEN's upcoming titles and the interviews I had the chance to do with a few of their authors.
First up, Elizabeth Scott, author of Heartbeat.
Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
Harlequin TEEN
Harlequin TEEN
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-373-21096-1
ISBN: 978-0-373-21096-1
Life. Death. And...Love?
Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.
But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.
Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.
Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?
Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.
But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.
Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.
Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?
Harlequin TEEN Spotlight: Q&A with Elizabeth Scott
1) How did you come up with the idea for your story?
I'd read an newspaper article about the death of a
pregnant woman and thought, "What if she'd died but the baby hadn't?" It
turns out that it does happen, though very rarely, and the moment I
learned that, Emma sprang into my head.
2) If your main character had a theme song, what would it be and why?
I can't see Emma with a theme song. Olivia,
yes—she'd have something catchy and fun. But Emma it's just...all that
comes to mind is the way a hospital smells. Which is a terrible theme
song, since it isn't one, but there you have it.
3) Which character was the most fun to write?
Caleb. So often "bad boys" turn out to be
misunderstood guys with hearts of gold and while Caleb does have a good
heart, he's also done some really bad things. I liked that he had
screwed up so much because it helped him become the person he is in Heartbeat.
4) If you could spend twenty-four hours as one of your characters, who would you choose and why?
No one! I tend to put my characters through a lot, so I'll stick with being me.
5) What is your writing style, are you a plotter or a panster?
Plotter—I have to know the beginning and the end a
book before I write. I usually think I know the middle, but I always
turn out to be wrong. Always. It's one of the things that make writing
so much fun!
6) What's the last book you read and loved?
Cristin Terrill's All Our Yesterdays is BRILLIANT.
7) Best piece of writing advice you've ever received?
Write what you believe in, because if you don't
believe it, no one else will. Also, kill your darlings. I'm frequently
mentioned as someone who writes short YA novels and let me tell you, my
first drafts? HUGE. But I usually lose at least 30% when I'm revising,
if not more, because a lot of what I write isn't necessary. I might
like it, I may love it, but if it's not necessary, it goes.Thanks Elizabeth!
Great interview, Jen! The first book I ever read by Elizabeth Scott was Living Dead Girl. It was back when I would go to Barnes and Noble for an hour or two, grab a stack of books that appealed to me off the shelves, and then sit in the cafe and read the first few pages of each to determine which would be coming home with me. But when I started reading Living Dead Girl I couldn't put it down. I stayed and read the entire thing before buying it. I'm very excited about this new book, and Scott is going to be at BEA to promote it!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I have loved all of Elizabeth Scott's books--the ones I have read at least. And I imagine I will love the ones I haven't gotten around to reading as well. This new one sounds so good! I love her advice about writing what you believe in. Such a great interview. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Heartbeat, but I'm really into bad boys! I just don't like those that don't make sense so like yeah. That was an awesome interview! Loved this post :D <333
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