Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Blog Tour: Surrender by Elana Johnson



Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is with great pleasure that I feature:
Elana Johnson and her book, Surrender.
? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’m not sure I ever realized it. I began writing as an emotional escape from a personal tragedy. I found that I loved it, that I felt better after bleeding out the angst onto the page instead of living it in my real life. Since I have sort of a pit bull personality, I pursued publication. But there was never a moment of “I want to be a writer.”

? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
I seriously wish I had a long list of super cool jobs like “mall Santa” or “cliffdiver.” Sadly, I don’t. I worked part-time jobs in college, and then I became a teacher. I’ve been doing that for 12 years, and I’m still teaching now, as a published author.

? How long does it take you to write a book?
The actual drafting only takes a few weeks. Once I’m immersed, I’m in the story and there’s no going back. It takes a bit longer to revise and edit.

? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I like to listen to loud music – and sing along – while I write. I think this completely baffles some people, because they need silence in order to write. But not me! The more noise, the better.

? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
From a combination of real life and TV. I love TV, especially reality TV, and I think some of the people on Survivor and The Amazing Race and others are fascinating. So that’s where I get a lot of my inspiration.

? How do you decide what you want to write about?
I write about what matters to me, and I write what I like to read. So anything that can cause a strong emotional response, and that’s something I care about, that’s what gets penned.

? What books have most influenced your life?
Oh, boy. I hate to say lest people think me shallow! But I didn’t really read much growing up. I loved to read, but I think it fell away as I got more involved in high school and things like that. I’m not sure I have a book that “changed my life” or influenced me to do or be something…

? What are you reading right now?
I have TEN MILES FROM NORMAL cracked open, and I’m really enjoying it!

? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I love to watch movies, watch reality TV, and go out to eat. So if I’m not writing and I have free time, that’s what I’m doing.

? What is your favorite comfort food?
Macaroni and cheese. Even the boxed kind is enough to make me smile.

? What do you think makes a good story?
A good, sympathetic character. If there’s someone I care about, I’ll read with you until forever.

? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?
I love Kathleen Duey. Her SKIN HUNGER book is one of the best fantasy novels I’ve ever read. The way she works with words… beautiful. That’s why I love her.

Fun random questions: 
  • dogs or cats? Dude, neither. I am so not an animal person.
  • Coffee or tea? Again, neither! Haha! I do love me some hot chocolate, though.
  • Dark or milk chocolate? Can I choose semi-sweet? I like that in cookies.
  • Rocks or flowers? Flowers, for sure. Rocks smell bad.
  • Night or day? Depends on what I’m doing. I like sleeping at night, and I like writing at night, and I like watching movies late into the night.
  • Favorite color? Yellow.
  • Crayons or markers? Crayons. You can’t mix marker colors, but you can do almost anything with crayons.
Pens or pencils? Pens. I like the permanency of them. 


About SURRENDER: Forbidden love, intoxicating power, and the terror of control…

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.

All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn. Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque....

Releasing June 5, 2012, from Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster) Order here.
Read the first two chapters for free HERE.


You can win one of five 
SPECTACULAR SECOND books this week! 
It’s easy peasy lemon squeezy. All you have to do is fill out this rafflecopter widget with what you’ve done, and you can win a signed copy of either INSURGENT (by Veronia Roth), A MILLION SUNS (by Beth Revis), CROSSED (by Ally Condie), PERCEPTION (by Kim Harrington), and IN HONOR (by Jessi Kirby)—all spectacular second novels by some of today’s hottest YA authors.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

16 comments:

Michelle McLean said...

Happy book birthday!!! Love the interview :)

Natalie Aguirre said...

Awesome interview. It's fun learning more about Elana, like that she doesn't like coffee or tea. So wish I could write a book as fast as her.

And have to say Surrender is one of the most awesome second books around. So excited for Elana.

Heather Murphy said...

No coffee??? How do you survive?!

Donna K. Weaver said...

Fun interview. Semi sweet chocolate totally works.

Kris @Imaginary Reads said...

Great interview. I love crayons and flowers too :)

Nicole Zoltack said...

I think it's crazy that it only takes you a couple of weeks to write a draft. Crazy! Great interview!

Vivien said...

I LOVE THE SKIN HUNGER SERIES!!!!!



yea....:D

Book Flame said...

Yum Mac and Cheese is one of my fave comfort foods also. Love the interview!

Lea said...

Mac and Cheese! Looking forward to dinner now. Happy Book Birthday!

Daniela said...

Love the interview!I'd chose flowers over rocks too. Flowers do smell much nicer.

Kayeleen Hamblin said...

Wait... no bacon? I guess you can put bacon in mac and cheese. Ooey gooey, cheesy bacon and noodles.

Amanda said...

Very unique questions in your interview!
Especially like the last bit!

molly.frenzel said...

I listen to loud music when I write too. It used to baffle my roommates in college b/c I would be studying with my stereo cranked.

Evie said...

"dogs or cats? Dude, neither. I am so not an animal person."
Me too! Don't get me wrong I love animals I just don't want to touch them :)

PurpleMist. said...

Wow, I love how she gets inspirations from reality tv, that's actually pretty cool!

Unknown said...

Team hot chocolate!!! :D

Great interview!