Divided Blog Tour {Author Interview & Giveaway}

I'm thrilled to have the Divided Blog Tour stopping by today! Check out my Interview with author Elsie Chapman and enter the Giveaway for a copy of Divided...

Divided

(Dualed #2)

by Elsie Chapman

5/27/14

Random House

The hunter becomes the hunted. . . .
West Grayer is done killing. She defeated her Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and proved she’s worthy of a future. She’s ready to move on with her life.
The Board has other plans. They want her to kill one last time, and offer her a deal worth killing for. But when West recognizes her target as a ghost from her past, she realizes she’s in over her head. The Board is lying, and West will have to uncover the truth of the past to secure her future.
How far will the Board go to keep their secrets safe? And how far will West go to save those she loves? With nonstop action and surprising twists, Elsie Chapman’s intoxicating sequel to Dualed reveals everything.

Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / IndieBound / Book Depository

What three words best describe Divided?

Twisty, action, conflict.

Grab a copy of Divided and answer the following:

favorite chapter? Chapter 10 (intro of a pivotal character)

favorite page? Page 152 (Chord’s only human, after all)

favorite setting/place? The mirror maze.

hardest chapter or page to write? Chapter 12 (a lot of people and dialogue to juggle)

flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentence teaser: “I need my Alt to learn how to chase.”

How did your experience writing this sequel, Divided, compare or contrast with writing the first book, Dualed? Did you find writing a sequel to be harder or easier?

Writing Divided was such a different process than writing Dualed. It felt more calculated and deliberate, whereas with Dualed, a lot of it just…happened. Some of that comes from using an outline vs not, and being able to see more of the book right from the very beginning instead of diving in and figuring it out that way. Writing a sequel can be easier because you’ve already got the groundwork set up; but, at the same time, you’re limited to that same groundwork, which can be frustrating. It’s a toss-up!

Your character West is one that I really love and connected with; she’s such a complex, surprising, and realistically flawed heroine...what do you think sets her apart from other YA heroines? What, to you, makes a heroine unforgettable or worth rooting for?

Thank you! Well, I really wanted West to feel real. Not invincible, not totally kick-ass with no vulnerabilities or doubts. She’s only fifteen. She’s going to question everything, herself most of all. The best reading experiences come from sitting back and being okay with letting a character just be—to let them mess up and have to fix things because it’s cool to see how they get out of it. There‘s a lot of great YA heroines out there—I find myself drawn to the ones who are both strong and weak.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of being a published author? The hardest or most surprising aspect?

Rewarding: Hearing from readers who really connect with your books. It’s always going to feel amazing and a bit surreal.

Hardest: The emotional ups and downs that come with being out there.

Surprising: How writing the next book is always going to be just as hard as the one you just finished.

Fill in the blanks:

I’m really awesome at staying up late.

I’m really embarrassed to admit the number of hours I’ve spent on Tumblr.

The last great book I read was Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by Divided, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?

Something dark, maybe with a hidden centre. Like a Ding Dong, except in cupcake form. Ding Dong Divided???

Thank you so much for stopping by today, Elsie!

website * goodreads * twitter * facebook

ELSIE CHAPMAN grew up in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, before graduating from the University of British Columbia with a BA in English literature. She lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children, where she writes to either movies on a loop or music turned up way too loud (and sometimes both at the same time). For more information, please visit Elsie at ElsieChapman.com.

Win a finished/hardcover copy of Divided!

The awesome peeps at Random House have offered up one copy for one winner.

DETAILS

-US/CAN only

-ends 6/16/14

-must be 13+, one free entry per person

-winner will be emailed and must claim prize within 48 hours

-Word Spelunking is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen prizes

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