Dark Days Blogger Post: Interview with Don't Look Now author, Michelle Gagnon + A GIVEAWAY!!!

Title: Don't Look Now (PERSEF0NE #2)
Author: Michelle Gagnon
Publisher: HarperCollins, 335 Pages (August 27th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK
Check out my review of: Don't Turn Round (PERSEF0NE #1)

Synopsis: The jaw-dropping sequel to breakout YA thriller Don't Turn Around, which Kirkus Reviews named a Best Book of the Year, calling it "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for teens, a surefire hit"

Noa Torsen is on the run. Having outsmarted the sinister corporation Pike & Dolan, Noa and her friend Zeke now move stealthily across the country, protecting runaways before they become test subjects for P&D's horrific experiments. Noa knows all too well what that feels like: Whatever they did to her has left her exhausted and scared.

Back in Boston, Peter anxiously follows Noa's movements from his computer, using his hacker skills to feed her the information she needs to stay alive. But he's desperate to do something more, especially when he learns what P&D has done to his ex-girlfriend Amanda.

Then, in an explosive confrontation, Noa and her team are trapped in the one place they thought was safe. It will take everything Noa and Peter have to bring down the corporation before it gets them first. And with no one to trust and enemies hiding at every turn, they may be the only people alive who can.

This stunning second book in the critically acclaimed Don't Turn Around trilogy raises the stakes to their absolute limit and will leave readers begging for the exciting conclusion, Don't Let Go.

Interview:

Hi Michelle! I’m SO excited to have you here visiting today! I’ve read and LOVED both Don’t Turn Around and Don’t Look Now and I can’t WAIT to read the third book in the trilogy – Don’t Let Go.

That makes two of us!!! I’m thrilled to hear that you’re enjoying the trilogy.

How about we talk a bit about the PERSEFoNE trilogy? How did you come up with the idea and start writing such an action packed story filled with twists and turns?

Honestly, at the outset all I knew was that a teenage girl was going to wake up on an operating table in a warehouse with a scar, and no memory of how she got there. I also wanted her to be on the run for most of the book, so she never really gets a chance to catch her breath. And then every time I got an idea, I’d add it in. What was most important to me was that Peter and Noa be real teenagers; aside from their hacking skills, they don’t have other ways to fight back. I didn’t want them to be black belts/superheros, and I wanted them to have some of the same awkward moments that I remember from that age.

What was the hardest part in writing this amazing trilogy? 

Definitely avoiding information dumps. By book 3, it was really hard to straddle the line between reminding people of major plot points from the first two books, and telling so much that it distracted from the action. Even though I’ve written a series before, those books were more self-contained. A trilogy is much more challenging!

What was the easiest part in writing the trilogy?

I love these characters, so sitting back down with them each time was really fun. The first book just flew out of me, too—I wrote the rough draft in about eight weeks!

What are 3 things we don’t know about: Noa, Peter & Zeke?

Let’s see:
Noa only wears grey or black—mostly black. And she taught herself to play guitar, although she doesn’t get a chance to do that in the books.

Peter was a pretty amazing soccer player, although he ended up dropping off the team after his brother died. So he’s still a fast runner.

 Zeke never knew his parents at all, he was placed in foster care when he was still a baby.

When starting to write a new book, how do you begin? Do you start with an outline? What’s your process?

I honestly just have a sense of how the book will kick off, and I run with it. Each day, I (hopefully) know which scene I’ll be working on. But I never outline. I’m always surprised by the endings! :)

Without giving too much away, in your own words, what would you tell readers to expect in the first two books?

Both Noa and Peter go through a lot—and I mean a lot—that changes them. They face really terrifying circumstances and long odds, and they lose a lot of the people they care about along the way. But they come out of the experience so much stronger.

And lastly, for those of us who have been lucky enough to reach BOTH books, can you tell us what we can expect in the third book? Any hints? 

Hmmm, let’s see...without giving too much away, Noa and Peter will have much more quality time in book 3. The band is back together!

Michelle, thanks for taking the time out to visit with us today. It’s a pleasure to host you here as part of the Blogger Dark Days Tour. I can’t wait to read Don’t Let Go! And now the long wait begins until I can get my hands on it. Feel free to stop and visit anytime!

I’ll send you an ARC as soon as I get one myself!

And I'll totally be taking you up on that offer! Thanks Michelle, so awesome of you!!

About Michelle:


Michelle Gagnon is a former modern dancer, bartender, dog walker, model, personal trainer, and Russian supper club performer. Her bestselling adult thrillers THE TUNNELS, BONEYARD, THE GATEKEEPER, and KIDNAP & RANSOM have been published in North America, France, Denmark, Spain, Argentina, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Australia. BONEYARD was a finalist for a 2009 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense.

The first book in her Young Adult PERSEFONE trilogy, DON'T TURN AROUND, was selected as one of the best books of 2012 by the American Library Association, Entertainment Weekly Magazine, and Kirkus. It was nominated for an ITW Thriller award, and was a Junior Library Guild and Indienext pick. The second book, DON'T LOOK NOW, will be released in August 2013.

Michelle lives in San Francisco.

Find Michelle Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

Be sure to check out all the blogs and their featured author during the Dark Days Blogger Tour:

8/19: ASYLUM at Icey Books

8/26: THE BITTER KINGDOM at Good Books and Good Wine

9/02: DON’T LOOK NOW at A Life Bound by Books

9/08: NOT A DROP TO DRINK at The Broke and the Bookish

9/16: THE BURNING SKY at A Book and a Latte

10/7: THE BROKENHEARTED at Tales of the Ravenous Reader

Tour Dates:

Part One: Featuring Madeleine Roux, Rae Carson, Sherry Thomas, Michelle Gagnon, and Mindy McGinnis

Wednesday, September 25th @ 7:00 PM - Barnes & Noble, Las Vegas, NV
* Guest Appearance by TERA LYNN CHILDS-- SWEET LEGACY

Thursday, September 26th @ 7:00 PM - Tattered Cover Book Store-Highlands Ranch, Highlands Ranch, CO

Friday, September 27th @ 7:00 PM - Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX

Saturday, September 28th @ 8:30 AM-5:00 PM - Austin Teen Book Festival, Austin, TX

*“Team Dark Days” will compete against Macmillan’s “Team Fierce Reads” in a friendly game show style format, in addition to a Dark Days Panel!

Part Two: Featuring Rae Carson, Amelia Kahaney, and Mindy McGinnis

Tuesday, October 8th @ 7:00 PM - Books & Company, Dayton, OH

Wednesday, October 9th @ 7:00 PM - Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH

GIVEAWAY!!!

Enter to win a copy of Don't Look Now!

Rules and how to enter:

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Giveaway ends: September 18th, 2013 (12:00AM EST)

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