Author Interview & Giveaway: Elizabeth Norris (UNRAVELING)

Today A Book and a Latte has a very special guest! I’m thrilled to interview the author of one of my favorite reads this year. Please help me welcome the debut author of UNRAVELING,

Elizabeth Norris
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Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl’s fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming. (Goodreads)

Hi Liz! Happy Book Birthday to UNRAVELING, and thank you so much for stopping by today! My first question, or challenge rather, is to describe UNRAVELING in 140 characters or less (the size of a tweet).

UNRAVELING is a gripping story of one girl’s fight to save her family, her world, and the one boy she never saw coming.

Hmm… that seemed a little too easy, that sentence is on the back cover :), but it’s a great description! What are some of your favorite sci-fi books, movies, and TV shows? Did any of them inspire you to write UNRAVELING?

I’m a huge sci-fi fan. I loved The X-Files when I was younger. Every Friday night, I would have friends over after swim practice and we would watch the show and then have a sleep over. I also really loved Battlestar Galactica, Roswell, and Sliders when they were on, and now I watch Fringe every week.

Oh, I loved Battlestar Galactica! I was thrilled to find out that UNRAVELING is a series; I hope we don’t have to wait too long for book 2! Can you tell us anything about what’s coming next for the series? 

The sequel, titled UNBREAKABLE, is scheduled to come out in 2013. It takes place about four months after the end of UNRAVELING and the whole book spans less than ten days. It’s another thriller and this time both Janelle and Ben’s lives are directly in danger.

Wow, I can’t wait… it sounds intense! Can you tell us about your writing process? Do you use an outline? Did you know the ending of UNRAVELING (or the series) before you started?

I outline most of the book before I actually start writing. I need to know where the story is going and how it’s going to end—especially if it’s a mystery, knowing what’s going to happen will help me with the details that are going to help the reader and the main character figure it out. My synopsis for Unraveling was about thirty pages. I did surprise myself a few times while I was writing though.

What hobbies or activities do you enjoy? Writing doesn’t count!

I love photography, and my favorite part of the process is developing the negatives and printing black and white photos. While I haven’t been able to take a class in a long time, I take a lot of pictures. I also read a lot.

That’s awesome, I think the development process of photography is somewhat of a lost art, so it’s cool to meet someone that still uses negatives. So, what’s on your to-be-read list for spring?

The top three are:
Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Great picks! I’m excited for Girls of Nightmares and Froi of the Exiles too, and I love Melina Marchetta. This was so much fun! Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions! 

Many thanks to Janet Reid (Liz’s agent) and Liz for providing a personalized signed finished copy of UNRAVELING to one of my lucky readers! Just fill out the Rafflecopter below — US addresses only please (sorry). 

Related Links: My Review: UNRAVELING | Read the first 90 pages
Buy: B&N | Indiebound | Amazon