I am so happy to welcome M.G. Buehrlen onto the blog today to help promote her debut THE 57 LIVES OF ALEX WAYFARE. I have heard a lot of glowing things about this book and I can't wait to dive into it for myself!
1. So tell us a little about Alex. What sets her apart from all the other YA heroines?
Oh, Alex. I'll tell you something about Alex. She's not your conventional heroine. In fact, she might even be the villain of her own story. While she's brave and snarky and fiercely loyal, she's also deeply flawed and lonely. But she grows throughout the book, learning from every one of the secondary characters, and she's in for a whole lot more growing pains throughout the series.
2. And what about a swoony boy? There's a swoony boy, right?
There are several swoony boys. At least they are swoony to me. You've got Blue, the mysterious boy Alex is drawn to the most, then there's schoolmate Jensen, her childhood crush, and Levi, her boyfriend from a past life, and a few others who aren't necessarily love interests, but they are swoony in their own right.
3. You've worked the blogger side of things for years running YABC. So that means you were totally relaxed and knew what to expect when your book hit the shelves, right?
Ha! I wish! I was so unprepared for the author side of things. Running a blog and a social network like YABooksCentral.com, I know the promotional side of the industry backwards and forwards. But learning the author side was like learning Greek. I'm still learning, and I'm sure I will continue learning for the rest of my career. And while being a blogger has helped me know how to promote my book, it definitely didn't help me sell the book to a publisher. The blogger side and the author side are not even on the same coin, let alone on different sides. (Now I really want a Greek salad for some reason...)
4. Let's play Truth or Dare. Except this is an interview and you aren't sitting in front of me, so I'll pick for you.Truth: What's the scariest part about being published?
The scariest part about being published is the fear of failure. Of your book just sort of NOT SELLING and then publishers won't want to buy any books from you Ever Again. Most authors want long careers in the biz, but it's not a sure thing. Once you have one book published, that could very well be your last. It's not like getting a degree and then securing a steady job with benefits. This is a case by case basis. You're living book by book, like check by check. That's the super scary part.
5. And because I can, let's also do a Dare. I dare you to show us a picture of your writing space/area.
I don't really have a designated writing spot anymore. I used to have a writing room and a treaddesk, but I've moved and I don't have the extra space anymore. So really, my writing space is anywhere my laptop takes me. Here's a pic of some revising happening at my local coffee shop, complete with iced coffee and sleeping bebe. :)
6. Lastly, what can we expect for Alex next?
You can expect Alex's next adventure to drop Spring 2015. I'm currently working on the draft, and boy do I need to get that done soon. She'll be doing a lot more traveling, a lot more missions (maybe one that hits a bit close to home), and she'll learn a thing or two about some of the bullies at school. Maybe... just maybe Tabitha isn't as bad as Alex thinks...
Maybe.
;-)
Thanks for stopping by, M.G.!
Thanks for having me on the blog, Hannah! Forget Greek salad, now I want bananas from Ireland...
Official summary:
One girl. Fifty-seven lives. Endless ways to die.
For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.
But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.
It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.
Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.
And will stop at nothing to make this life her last.
Preorder links:
Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | Amazon | Indiebound | The Book Depository | Waterstones
Author bio:
When she’s not writing, M.G. moonlights as a web designer and social media/creative director.
a social network for YA (and kids!) book lovers. The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare is her debut novel. M.G. lives nestled away in Michigan pines, surrounded by good coffee and good books, with her husband and son and three furbabies. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.
Social media links:
Web: http://www.mgbuehrlen.com/
This sounds so good & I love the cover!!
ReplyDeleteThe villain of her own story? I love the sound of that. And this cover is so beautiful. I need to get my hands on it soon! Great post, Hannah!
ReplyDeleteI've heard amazing things about this book already so yay!! It's definitely scary to release your writing into the world and hope that it's well-received.
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