Awesome Book Giveaway and Interview: Simone Elkeles, YA Author of PERFECT CHEMISTRY & RULES of ATTRACTION

If you guys keep up with my posts, you know Simone is one of my favorite Young Adult authors. She writes wonderful contemporary, realistic novels. They're full of hot love, romance and teenage angst; perfect if you're at that stage in your life or just remembering when you were. I'm so happy to have the opportunity to ask her a few questions and offer two of her novels to my terrific followers.

There will be two winners: One person will receive her breakout novel, PERFECT CHEMISTRY and the other winner will receive the sequel and newly released, RULES of ATTRACTION. Even though Rules of Attraction is the follow-up to Perfect Chemistry, it is a firm stand-alone novel and the winner will have no trouble understanding it if they've not read Perfect Chemistry first. The winners will also receive bookmarks depicting the books.

Let's move on to the interview and then finish up with the requirements of the giveaway.

1) How did you begin your career as a writer? Did it start as a hobby or did you always want to write full time? What's your educational background? Do you have an MFA?

Unlike most authors I know, I hated reading as a teen and hated English class.  I got B’s and C’s in English class most of the time.  I have a master’s degree in Industrial Relations from Loyola University-Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Psychology. I’ve never taken a creative writing class in my life.  I fell in love with reading as an adult – specifically romance novels.  I was so in love with them, I started writing them.  Once I started writing for “myself” and not a teacher or for a grade, I realized that I loved writing and never wanted to stop.  I pretty much taught myself how to write, because they didn’t teach me how to write a book in my regular English classes.  Writing is the best profession and now I can’t imagine doing anything else!  I know I still have a ton to learn about writing and when I read books I love I think “I wish I could write like that!”  I’m always working on my craft and hope I can get better and better with each book.

2) Why did you select a Latino gang member as the love interest in PERFECT CHEMISTRY? What kind of research did you do in preparation for writing this story? Was it difficult?

I did interview some suburban gang members in Illinois.  I also talked to my friend who is a Chicago police officer who gave me information. Lastly, I looked online or made up stuff on my own.  It was hard to do the research, but definitely interesting. (some stuff I read and heard made my stomach churn, but I didn’t write about those things)

3) Your books that I have read utilize alternating POV. Why did you choose to do this and will you continue to do so?

I never wrote in alternating POV in different chapters until my editor told me he wanted my book Leaving Paradise written that way.  I didn’t know how, and he told me to read the young adult book Flipped.  I read it and loved it and said, “Okay, I can do that!”  It worked for me, and I like writing in alternating POV in different chapters.  Romance novels are pretty much in alternating POV, but they usually change POV within a chapter.  I haven’t mastered that technique yet.

4) Do you think Contemporary YA is losing ground to Paranormal YA? Why do you think so many YA authors are utilizing the supernatural in their stories?  Will you ever write a YA novel with paranormal elements? Why or why not?

I get a ton of email from fans saying, “Thank you for not writing about vampires or zombies or werewolves!”  I think there are some amazing paranormal YA books out today, but there will always be a place for realistic fiction.  I don’t think I’ll ever write paranormal, but I’ve always wanted to write a time travel.  I think that’s the next fun thing to write, but who knows.  I just write what I’m inspired to write at the time.  I write realistic dramedy well, so that’s probably where I’ll stay.

5) You have a lovely website and a Twitter account, but you don't appear to be as visible online as many other YA writers, some of which have only written one book, but get a great deal of publicity. What's your take on this? Are you going to do any in-person touring?

I’d love your suggestions about where I’m “not” where I should be, ha ha.  I have a website at www.simoneelkeles.net, I’m on Twitter (although I’m still not getting the lure of it yet – do I have to let people know that I fed my dogs and went to the bathroom?), I’m very active on Facebook, and on YouTube.  I felt that blogging took way too much time so I stopped doing that.  I’m a mom and wife and need time to write as well. I speak at schools and conferences (I’ll be at ALA, BEA, the Rochester Teen Book Festival, YALSA symposium conference) and do some book signings (admittedly not a lot of book signings as of late), but I’m not sure I can do more than I already am.  I’d like to do a book tour in the fall, after school starts.

6) I've read your last three books, including the new release RULES OF ATTRACTION. I'm a huge fan and hold your writing and storytelling ability in high esteem. I love LEAVING PARADISE and I'm aware the sequel will be released in November 2010. Have you begun a new work in addition to the LEAVING PARADISE sequel. If so, is there anything you can tell us about it?

Firsts of all, thank you for the sweet comments about my books and writing.  People ask me what inspires me to write and I tell them my fans inspire me.  I have the most passionate fans in the world. Reading their letters and emails make me want to write more books.

I’m writing the third book in the Perfect Chemistry trilogy.  The novel will be about Luis Fuentes, the youngest Fuentes brother.  He’s such a good guy who doesn’t live with the angst that his big brothers have always lived with.  Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams.  When he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he’s never known to try and save her from herself.  Just when he thinks he’s got life all figured out, Luis learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life.  Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father? 

Thanks so much Simone for taking the time to answer some questions and filling your readers in on some snippets of your life and what they can look forward to from you in the future. I know I can't wait!

If you would like the opportunity to be one of the two winners, become a follower if you're not already, leave a comment and your email or some way to reach you. This is important because, sometimes, people enter the giveaway and don't leave any email or contact info. Please don't forget. If you're a winner, I want you to get your book!

Open to residents of the US only. Sorry guys. Publisher only willing to mail to addresses in the US this time.

Thanks to Kate Lied of Bloomsbury Children's Books/Walker Books for Young Readers for making the books available and facilitating this giveaway.

Giveaway ends May 1, 2010

Toodles!