A website dedicated to books in the Young Adult genre, featuring book reviews, author interviews contests and much more!


Monday, January 10, 2011

Interview with Alexandra Monir, Author of Timeless!

I'd like to welcome Alexandra Monir! Alexandra is a singer/songwriter and debut author of the highly anticipated novel, Timeless which has been described as "a sweeping young adult
time-traveling romance and a thrilling mystery." Sounds amazing, right? Alexandra stopped by to discuss the book with us, which releases tomorrow, January 11th 2010. 

Alexandra Monir
In an exciting development for readers and music fans alike, author/recording artist Alexandra Monir has revealed that she integrated original music into her novel's pages, writing two songs for the book. The songs play a crucial role in the story's plot. Alexandra is recording the songs with producer and musical virtuoso Michael Bearden (musical director of Michael Jackson's last concert, This Is It) and a stellar 8-piece band! The tracks were written by Alexandra, her songwriting partner Heather Holley (of Christina Aguilera success) and Michael Bearden. The songs will be released as digital downloads, timed with the book's release. Stay tuned for more news from the recording studio.
Official Website





1. In Timeless, Michele Windsor makes a discovery that hurtles her back throughout the ages, from a time of horse-drawn carriages to the wildly decadent 1920's with its flapper dresses and The Cotton Club. And of course, there's Philip, the young man Michele's been dreaming about her whole life. Can you share with us a favorite line, scene or passage from your book?

Alexandra MonirThe flapper dresses and Cotton Club actually come later in Michele's time-travels, in the Roaring 1920s, which is my favorite era in history! But I do love the romanticism, innocence, and extravagance of the Gilded Age too. My favorite scene in the book is definitely the masquerade ball in 1910, where Michele and Philip meet. Suddenly this person she had always thought was a figment of her imagination is there in the flesh, a boy from the past! I felt the shock and the thrill right along with her as I was writing it. 

2. What three words best describe Timeless?

Passion, intrigue, adventure.

3. When Michele stumbles on a key at the home of her grandparents, she is transported back through time. If you had the opportunity to go anywhere in the past and visit with anyone for one day, who/where would you pick and why?

Great question! I would go back to the late-1940s to meet my maternal grandmother when she was my age, just like Michele gets to meet her relatives when she travels to the past. My grandmother died before I was born and she was a renowned opera singer who I have so much admiration for, and I've always wished I could have met her. 

Timeless4. Being that you are also a singer/songwriter, was there any music that you relied on in particular for inspiration during the writing process? And if you had to pick one song as Michele's theme song, what would you choose and why?

 I actually wrote the whole book while listening to music in my headphones! Music is my number one source of inspiration. Whenever I was writing scenes of Michele in the past, I tried to only listen to music from those time periods. For the contemporary scenes and time-traveling sequences, I listened to moody, dreamy music like Cesaria Evora and Radiohead. In fact, I wrote my book proposal for Timeless while listening to Radiohead's "Sail To The Moon" on repeat! As far as Michele's theme song, I actually wrote it for her. :) It's called "Chasing Time" and it's featured in the book, and the record is coming out the same day as the book.

5. When you were writing your book, were there certain places you visited in New York to get a feel for what Michele would've experienced throughout the ages? Is there one place that is your favorite in the city?

 I spent a lot of time in the classic New York places that Michele visits when she goes back in time, especially Central Park, and the Fifth Avenue stretch where the Windsor Mansion would have stood. My favorite area in the city is Fifth Avenue from 42nd St all the way to 58th approaching Central Park, as it's one classic New York landmark after another: the New York Public Library, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, The Plaza Hotel. As touristy as a lot of these places are, they really are the essence of Old New York and when you're in those spots, you can't help but think of all the decades of people who have walked there before you. 

6. Do you have any other upcoming projects in the works?

I’m doing lots of writing! I'm also doing more songwriting and getting ready to release a full-length album at some point in the near future.



Timeless

 TIMELESS
BY ALEXANDRA MONIR

When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.

Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.




9 comments:

Christina / Book Addict said...

Awesome interview! I am sooooo excited for this one. I love the fact that she listened to music the entire time while writing the novel- very cool!

Rachel said...

Great interview, fantastic questions! This book sounds really interesting, I'll definitely have to check it out.

Rie Conley said...

I cannot wait to read this book! I'm so glad I you had an author interview on it as it's one I was on the fence on.

Bere said...

Fantastic interview, Kim! The cover for Timeless is gorgeous and it sounds brilliant. I can't wait to pick it up. Its awesome to hear how music plays an important role in the novel. I love music too and I'm really looking forward to listening to the songs Alexandra wrote for the book. =D

Nikki (Wicked Awesome Books) said...

I've been wanting to read Timeless since I first heard about it. Great interview! I hadn't realized there was a very time-traveling aspect to it. I thought the MC went back to one time, not many, so that's really interesting. And I listened to the song previews on iTunes, Alexandra is a fantastic singer. I'm even more excited for the book now.

Tales of Whimsy said...

Alll this talk of New York has me craving a trip :)

Great interview.

Tales of Whimsy said...

I want the hat in image 1 :>

Sandy said...

Great interview! I didn't know any of this info about the author and its made me want to read the book even more ^_^. I can't wait to get it in my hands.

Lexie@BookBug said...

Love the pix! By the way, I nominated you for a Stylish Blogger Award on my blog at http://thebookbug-hogan.blogspot.com/