We are excited to welcome author, Alexandra Monir, to the nest today. Alexandra is the author of the novel, Timeless and the short story, "Secrets of the Time Society". Timeless' sequel, Timekeeper, will be out in December 2012. She was kind enough to join us in the nest today for an interview and she has a great giveaway opportunity for our readers. Giveaway details can be found at the end of this post. Andrea @ Reading Lark: How long have you been writing?
Alexandra Monir: My first book was published just last year, but I've been writing stories and coming up with ideas since childhood.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Can you describe Timeless in five words?
Alexandra Monir: Time travel romance and mystery!
Andrea @ Reading Lark: What would you like readers to know about the upcoming release of book #2 in the series?
Alexandra Monir: I'm so excited about it! The love story goes in a really cool new direction, and some major secrets come out involving Michele's family background --- which has to do with her time travel abilities. Andrea @ Reading Lark: Where did you get the idea for this series?
Alexandra Monir: I've always loved historical fiction and the idea of time travel. One afternoon I had this random thought: "What if someone's true soulmate isn't in their actual lifetime? What if your soulmate could be someone from another century?" I was intrigued by that concept, and it led to me coming up with the whole idea of TIMELESS.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Why did you choose to set the book in the early 1900's?
Alexandra Monir: I chose 1910 because I wanted my protagonist to travel back in time a full century, and I also just love that period in American history. 1910 had one foot in the old-world Victorian era, and the other foot racing into modern times, so it was such an interesting, complicated era that was a lot of fun to explore.
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Which character is your favorite to write?
Alexandra Monir: Lily Windsor, for her spunk and fun flapper personality!
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Who are three of your favorite authors?
Alexandra Monir: J.K. Rowling, Edith Wharton, Frances Hodgson Burnett
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Is music an inspiration for your writing? If so, can you share a few songs from your writing playlist?
Alexandra Monir: Music is my #1 inspiration! I actually reveal a playlist of songs featured in TIMELESS on my book's Amazon page- including two original songs that I wrote and recorded for the book. :) You can check out the playlist here: Alexandra's Amazon Page
Andrea @ Reading Lark: Why did you choose to write YA?
Alexandra Monir: I love getting to write characters that are growing up and experiencing things for the first time, like first love!
Andrea @ Reading Lark: What is your favorite bird?
Alexandra Monir: Ooh, I don't know- maybe a sparrow? :)
Bio:
At the age of 25, author and recording artist Alexandra Monir released her debut young adult novel, Timeless (Random House; January, 11 2011). The book became an immediate success, with Amazon.com naming it one of the “Best Books of the Month” for January 2011, and Barnes & Noble featuring the title in their “Top Teen Picks.” The book went on to hit the Barnes & Noble Teen Bestsellers chart, and has been featured in a variety of media, from popular teen websites to The Huffington Post. Alexandra is currently writing the sequel, which publishes in 2012. Alexandra also integrated original music into the novel’s pages, writing two songs for the book, which she recorded with producer Michael Bearden (musical director of Michael Jackson’s last concert, This Is It ). The songs were released on iTunes as a supplement to the book. Alexandra currently resides in Los Angeles, California, where she is at work on further projects in writing and music.
Links:
Website
Timeless Series on Facebook
"Secrets of the Time Society" (eBook)
Timeless in Paperback
Timeless Excerpt
Timeless Music
