Today we have the pleasure of meeting Elle Strauss, author of CLOCKWISE.
ABOUT CLOCKWISE:
A teenage time traveler accidentally takes her secret crush back in time. Awkward.
(12+)
Boy watching with her best friend would be enough excitement for fifteen
year old Casey Donovan. She doesn't even mind life at the bottom of the
Cambridge High social ladder, if only she didn’t have this other much
bigger problem. Unscheduled trips to the nineteenth century!
When Casey gets talked into going to the Fall Dance, the unthinkable
happens--she accidentally takes Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the
school, back in time.
Protocol pressures her to tell their 1860 hosts that he is her brother
and when Casey finds she has a handsome, wealthy (and unwanted) suitor,
something changes in Nate. Are those romantic sparks or is it just
‘brotherly’ protectiveness?
When they return to the present things go back to the way they were
before: Casey at the bottom of the social totem pole and Nate perched on
the very the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best
friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her little brother gets
escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse
is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past
again.
Which of course, she does.
Sounds pretty cool, right? Now, let's meet Elle, Q and A Style
Q: Why time travel?
A: I'm never really sure how to answer this question. I think I like the puzzle effect of time travel, the complications that occur when two time frames overlap and how to untangle it.
Q: The cover for CLOCKWISE is very different from most YA covers out there now. I love it! How did you come up with such a great cover?
A: I actually did a vlog on the evolution of the cover.
http://youtu.be/4QBwsKi6yI4 The
short version is it's my 17year old daughter's concept and sketch which
I took to a guy who's good with Adobe Illustrator. You can watch the
vlog to see how that evolved step by step and the story behind it.
Q: I recently read on your blog you
are planning the second and third book, that "Clockwise" will become a
series. Awesome! Was this novel intentionally written for a series? Will
the series be a continuation in the storyline or a new story
altogether?
A: I'm in the midst
of writing the sequel right now. I didn't originally plan a sequel for
this story line, but was (and still am) planning a companion book
featuring a character who shows up briefly towards the end. I put
Clockwise up on Wattpad and the readers there started clamoring (yes,
actual clamoring ensued) for a sequel. A subplot I'd cut from the first
book is now the main plot in the second and has made opportunity for a
third. So to answer your question, each book will be able to stand
alone, but they will work better as a set. In other words, same
characters, different situations.
Q: If you could go back in time for one hour, where would you go?
A: Funny you should ask that. I would go to
New York in 1924 to the El Fey Club, and dance the
Charleston. If you tell me (on
twitter @elle_strauss or
Facebook Elle Strauss - author) what year you'd go back to for one hour and what
you'd do, I'll enter you in for a chance to win time travel YA novel,
TEMPEST by Julie Cross. Use the hashtag #onehourbackintime
Thanks for having me, Angela!
Thank you, Elle, for answering our questions AND for offering such a cool contest! Hey everybody, go buy CLOCKWISE now. And when you're done, enter Elle's contest to win TEMPEST!
Find CLOCKWISE on
Amazon and
Barnes and Noble. The ebook is only 99 cents for a limited time!
