Simone Elkeles Winners!

And the winners are...

Jill of the O.W.L. Blog who asked for Rules of Attraction

&

Becca who asked for Perfect Chemistry

Congrats to both ladies!! I've sent you both emails, so please be sure to send me your address within the next 48 hours. And a big thank you once again to Walker Books for sponsoring this giveaway! 

Interview with Simone Elkeles & Giveaway!

With some extreme giddyness and more than a small dash of excitement, I'm pleased to welcome the always hilarious author Simone Elkeles. I became a supreme fan of her work after stumbling across Perfect Chemistry last year and have been eagerly awaiting the sequel, Rules of Attraction ever since. Simone's here today to celebrate the recent release of Rules of Attraction (which I loved) and to dish on her books and characters. Welcome Simone!

First off, how do you pronounce your lovely name?

Simone is (Sim-own) and I always tell people Elkeles is “Not Elk-uh-more, it’s Elk-uh-less!” Or you could do it as El-kel-ess. Seriously, it’s not easy on the tongue to say Elkeles. Everyone gets it wrong, so I’m used to it.

I’ve seen before that you weren’t necessarily planning on writing a ‘sequel’ to Perfect Chemistry. What made you decide to write Rules of Attraction after all?

Ever since I wrote Perfect Chemistry, I thought it would be amazing to write about all three Fuentes brothers. When I sold Perfect Chemistry, though, I wasn’t sure I’d get to write a trilogy or even a sequel/companion novel. When my editor Emily Easton at Walker said that fans definitely wanted another Perfect Chemistry novel and weren’t ready to let my characters go, I was so excited. I didn’t want to have Brittany and Alex be the main characters because their story was already written – I wanted to let Carlos and Luis have their own stories. I’m so happy to announce that it will be a trilogy, so all three brothers can have their own story!

In your opinion, what makes Carlos and Kiara work so well as a couple?

They like challenges, and they both challenge each other. Kiara surprises Carlos, which is what he needs in a girl. And Kiara needs a guy who is going to pull her out of her shell. Carlos definitely does that!

Do you feel like you connect more with certain of your characters than others? As an author, how much of your own personality do you put into your characters?

There is definitely a part of me in every character I write. To be honest, I have a sarcastic attitude and connect more with the snarky and sarcastic side of my characters more than anything else. I totally “get” my male characters. I allow them to be rude jerks at first – which totally entertains me as a writer. By the end of the book, though, that attitude has been squashed because they are totally humbled by falling in love with the right girl. Yes, it’s fiction ha, ha. Amy from the How to Ruin books is more like me than any other character. On the other hand, Maggie was the toughest character for me to write, because she’s the total opposite of me. In the sequel (Return to Paradise), we get to see a totally different side of Maggie.

What’s it like to write a book with two distinct and unique voices? Both Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction alternately switch between a male and female narrator. Do you ever find yourself having a hard time switching gears?

I love switching point of view between chapters. It lets me give my readers insight into both my hero and heroine and what they’re thinking. I don’t have a hard time switching, but maybe that’s because I’m switching from male to female characters. Sometimes I feel I have writers ADD because after a while I have a hard time focusing on a chapter and have the urge to switch. It’s refreshing to change gears and switch to another character.

Do you listen to music while you write? Is there a Rules of Attraction soundtrack?

I don’t listen to music while writing, but I do have a Rules of Attraction soundtrack that will be posted probably this week (it's up now)! Go check it out. The soundtrack for Perfect Chemistry is already posted there.

Is there a particular book (or movie for that matter) you wish you had written?

I loved the movie The Cutting Edge. It’s an amazing romance and every time I see it I find more things to love about it. It’s a classic romance. I also cry every time I watch Rudy. It’s not a romance, but it’s an amazing story about success due solely to heart and perseverance. If that movie doesn’t teach you that anything is possible if you work hard enough at it, nothing will!

What books do you find yourself recommending over and over and over again?

I loved Flipped, The Hunger Games, Rainbow Boys, and Wicked Lovely a ton!

So many books come out each year, but are there any in particular that you are really looking forward to reading?

I’m really looking forward to the third book in the Hunger Games series.

Are you currently working on another project? And if it’s the next Perfect Chemistry novel, what can you tell us about Luis?

I just finished Return to Paradise, the sequel to Leaving Paradise. Now I’m doing research for the third Perfect Chemistry novel. It will be about Luis, Alex’s youngest brother. Luis is a good boy 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? Oh, I can’t wait to sit down and write it! The sequel to Leaving Paradise is coming out in September and the third Perfect Chemistry novel is coming out in 2011!

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by Simone! I was more than a little giddy at the chance to chat with you about your books! And for some strange reason I'm suddenly feeling the strong urge to go and track down The Cutting Edge...

***************

Thanks to the marvy folks at Walker Books for Young Readers, I have a copy of both Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction to giveaway to a couple of lucky readers. For a chance to win one of these truly awesome books, just tell me who your favorite bad boy/good girl couple from literature (or film) is. Please be sure to leave me a way to contact you if you win and which book you'd prefer if picked. Sorry, but this contest is only open to residents of the US. Giveaway is open until Sunday, May 16th 23rd at Midnight.

Sorry, giveaway is CLOSED.

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

To start things off, I will just go ahead and label Simone Elkeles' latest (and most outstanding) YA novel Rules of Attraction as grade A quality bookcrack. When I explained this phenomenon to the hubby he said: "so you liked it and now you're craving more, but it just doesn't have any nutritional value?" Exactly so.

Rules of Attraction starts off with a bang: readers of Perfect Chemistry will immediately recognize Carlos as Alex's hot-headed, thrill-seeking younger brother who is ready and eager to make his mark. After losing his job and falling into trouble with a gang in Mexico, Carlos suddenly finds himself in the white-bread, upper-class high school in Boulder, Colorado and it's the last place he ever wanted to be. But Carlos is ready to make the best of things: he's happy to spend his days flirting with co-eds while bunking with his brother at the university until a search at school reveals a stash of drugs in his locker. With the threat of juvie hanging over his head, Carlos is forced to attend an after-school program for at-risk youth and agrees - under duress - to move in with one of Alex's old college professors in hopes of helping him to 'straighten' out.

But wait. There's more. *rubs hands together deviously*

Kiara Westford loves her family, her best friend, the great outdoors, and most of all the vintage car she is restoring. But she doesn't exactly love her shy, good girl persona. For her senior year, she's decided to step out of her shell where step number one is to volunteer to show a new student around Flatiron High. Who turns out to be none other than too-cool-for-you Carlos Fuentes. The two mix about as well as oil and water; wherein Carlos leaves Kiara eternally frustrated and maybe both a bit amused after each exchange. But just when she's decided to wash her hands of this hunky bad-boy for good, Kiara discovers that her professor father has decided to invite Carlos to live with them after his most recent brush with the law. Oh boy.

Undeniably, Rules of Attraction was a page-turner. I am a sucker for the good girl/bad boy scenario and although I was nervous it wouldn't be played out as well as in Perfect Chemistry, I was in for a pleasant surprise with Carlos and Kiara. Their seemingly simple story could easily have come across as campy and predictable but nothing of the sort occurs - Simone Elkeles is extremely talented at what she does. Her dialogue is snappy and engaging, her pranks perfect, and her characters! Her characters are utterly unforgettable. Both are believable as teens from vastly different worlds, struggling to understand each other. Kiara especially is made of some tough stuff. Having been setup as a shy wallflower, she could have easily been dominated by Carlos' larger than life personality - but no, Kiara holds her own, giving as good as she gets in an inspiring, girl-power kinda way. And the attraction between these two? Sizzling. Scorching. Have a fan ready. Like I said, it's some good bookcrack.

And I just can't finish without mentioning this truly striking cover. It has got to be one of my most favorite of the year in fact. The barely contained movement and the stillness of passion are just so lovely. And kissing in the rain? Sa-woon baby. What makes it even more special is that it captures a real-live moment from the novel itself! How astounding (and refreshing) is that?!

series reading order (sorta):
~ Perfect Chemistry - my review
~ Rules of Attraction

Because Everyone Loves a Second Opinion:
Angieville review 
A Good Addiction review
La Femme Readers review
Sharon Loves Books and Cats review
The YA YA YAs review

book source: ARC provided by the publisher, Bloomsbury

Cover Alert: Rules of Attraction

A ginormous thank you to Chelle over at Tempting Persephone for posting the cover of Simone Elkeles' newest called Rules of Attraction, sequel to the oh-so fabulous Perfect Chemistry. I'm so in love with this cover. All that implied movement - come on, kissing in the rain from a car? so cool - I just know this will be another fantastic ride. But GAH!! How can I wait until next April to see what Ms. Elkeles has planned for Carlos?!