SYNOPSIS
Zoey Valentine is concerned with two things: surviving the multitude of self-defense classes her dad makes her take and avoiding Ash Matthews.
That is, until the Z virus hits, wiping out a third of the population in a matter of weeks. If that weren’t frightening enough, the bodies of the victims disappear and suddenly reappear, awakened from their dead state. They're faster, smarter, and they work together to get the one thing they crave, human flesh.
The United States is in a panic and then the government decides the unthinkable: to bomb every major city overrun with the awakened.
Now Zoey is on the run, with her dad and Ash, desperate to find a
place of safety amongst the ruined remains of the country.
Title : The Awakened
Release Date : 1 December 2015
Author : Sara Elizabeth Santana
PreOrder the Ebook Now ! Amazon
You get a free signed bookmark for every preorder on Kindle !!
But do remember to email her at sesantanawrites@gmail.com with your address and proof of purchase to claim it :)
INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
I got the chance to interview the author, Ms. Santana and she's very fast to respond and very nice. I hope you guys like the questions :)
Hey Sara ! I'm so excited to hear that your book is
being published and by one of a well know bookstagrammer. Could you tell us the
story on how this happened ??
It seems like a fluke to me! I started my blog over 3
years ago, as a sort of response to a college professor that I had. She was SO
anti-YA and it drove me insane. I hated it. I have a lot of passion for young
adult literature and so I started my blog as sort of an…angry girl rant about
how awesome YA is. Obviously it turned into way more than that, way more than
what I had expected! The instagram is a HUGE part of my blog, probably the
biggest part, and I just sort of stumbled into that too. I figured I needed one
and I found that people tend to respond more on IG and boom, there you go. Its
still very weird to me!
What is your book about ? And what can readers expect
from it ??
Well, The Awakened is about a girl named Zoey,
who is living in New York City, just getting through her senior year. She has a
super overprotective dad and her next door neighbor is both incredibly annoying
and also incredibly hot. Normal stuff. But her world sort of turns upside down
when a virus wipes out a third of the population and that population returns as
these flesh eating monsters that can communicate, and are smart and fast. Its
very much a survival story. You can expect a lot of running, a lot of action, a
fair amount of blood, definitely some romance and a ton of sarcasm as well.
What is your source of inspiration when you write
??
It sort of depends. Sometimes I write because I think,
you NEED to get this done. Doesn’t sound very inspiring does it? But often
times, I think of my characters and how I want to get them where they need to
go. I put music on, I light a delicious smelling candle, I read a book that
inspires me, and it gets my butt into gear and I write. Plus, I also think that
I would be so committed to it because I knew there was nothing more that I
wanted than to publish a book and in order to make that happen, you have to
write one and you have to work hard…so I did.
Do you have any unique routine you do before you start
writing ??
Not really. I do like to eat before I write because I
can’t concentrate on anything, much less writing, when I’m hungry. I just can’t
do it. But I tend to find some background noise, whether its my playlist or
something on Netflix. I like having a bottle of water for me. That’s really
about it. Sometimes I write on my laptop at home, sometimes its in a notebook
somewhere else. I’m very relaxed about how I write.
I saw from your account that you have been declined by
many publishing houses so how do you keep yourself motivated after being
rejected ??
Its hard. I’m not going to lie. Its extremely hard.
There were times when I just wanted to say, enough is enough and just stop. Its
hard getting those emails again and again and again. But I think I had a lot of
people believing in me. I believed in myself. I knew that it wasn’t easy and I
had heard from so many authors that I’ve met and become friends with that its
not easy. And I wanted it so badly. You don’t tend to give up on something you
want that badly.
What do you usually do if you get a writer block ??
I don’t really believe in the idea of writers block. I
tend to think writers block is more…you’d rather do other things. Or you’re
afraid that what you’re going to write isn’t going to be good. That’s the big
one. I think we expect to sit in front of the computer and just, wham, have
beautiful words come out, but that isn’t what happens. We have to sit in front
of the computer and tell ourselves, its okay to write total crap. Everyone does
it. Because at least there are words on the paper that we can go back and fix
and rewrite. Its one of the biggest things I struggle with but I sometimes just
sit there and tell myself, even if its only 100 words today, at least you wrote
something.
When did you start your bookstagram account and what's
the reason behind you starting one ??
Like I said before, it was just sort of natural. I had
started my blog and I figured I should attach all the necessary social media
accounts like Twitter and Instagram. I use Instagram a lot because people
really respond and connect there. Besides my actual blog, its definitely what I
use the most. I just like being able to show my love for books and all things
nerdy and I like connecting with people all over the world. Its incredibly fun.
I saw that you have a few parabatais, who are also a
bookstagrammer. How did you guys meet and become close friends ??
I am so lucky. I have some of the best friends in the
world, and so many of us are bookstagrammers and bloggers and BookTubers and we
all just share this love of reading. I met most of these people through the
internet, through my blog or at different events that I’ve gone to, and you
know, just connected with these people right away. Its really awesome that the
book community can do that.
And lastly, do you have any advice for writers who just
started and dreamed of being a big writer someday ??
It sounds cheesy and repetitive probably but I honestly
mean it: don’t give up. Just don’t do it. Keep writing, even if you’re writing
badly because you only get better the more you do it. Keep reading, be
influenced by all the amazing authors that are out there. And just don’t give
up. If you want it, go for it. Don’t let anyone tell you can’t do it. I’ve had
a lot of people in my life doubt me or just flat out not support me, and it
hurts, but you have to tell yourself that you can do it. And you will. And
never be afraid to ask for help or to feel like you’re failing. Its going to
feel that way all the time. But just get back up and keep writing. Never ever
ever give up. In the words of one of my favorite authors, Cora Carmack “No easy
days.” Not one day is going to be easy but in the end, its so worth it.
About The Author
Sara Elizabeth Santana is a young adult and new adult fiction writer.
She has worked as a smoothie artist, Disneyland cast member,
restaurant supervisor, nanny, photographer, pizza delivery driver and
barista but writing is what she loves most. Her first story was written
at age nine. She runs her own nerd girl/book review blog, What A
Nerd Girl Says.
Her favorite books are a tie between Harry Potter and
the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling and Trickster's Choice by Tamora
Pierce. She lives in Southern California with her dad, five siblings and
two dogs. Her debut novel is The Awakened.
GIVEAWAY
I hope you guys like this blog tour post. This is my first post that includes an interview with the author. I was so nervous cause I have no idea what kind of questions I should ask so I hope you guys enjoy the questions that I asked her. I would be posting a review of this book very soon :)
Do check out the other blog in The Awakened Blog Tour
The Blog Tour
Check out the entire tour for more information about the book, interviews, guest
posts, excerpts and more!
November 26th: Reading and Reviews / What A Nerd Girl Says
November 27th: Living Within Fiction
November 28th: Lisa of Literature / Seeking Bazinga
November 29th: Chloe's Book Nook / Book and Movies Addict
November 30th: Tine's Reviews / Escape From Realities
December 1st: What A Nerd Girl Says / The Book Academy / Bookish
Wonderland
December 2nd: Recently Acquired Obsessions / Morgan Reads
December 3rd: Case Maynard, Author / Movies, Shows and Books
December 4th: Bout of Bibliophilia
December 5th: Tesairie's Book Reads / iFandoms Collide
December 6th: Just One of Those Bibliophiles / A Traveling Book / Endlessly
Readings
December 7th: My Life in Blog / Erin Rhew Books
December 8th: Metamorphic Books / Knightingale Reviews
December 9th: Reading Over Sleeping / Always and Forever Fangirl
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