INTERVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Saying Goodbye
(What the World Doesn't Know Book 1)
(What the World Doesn't Know Book 1)
by Mahima Martel
Saying Goodbye is the first book of a two book series. It is currently on tour with Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my interview with the author. There is also a giveaway to enter below. Be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
No matter how strong the relationship, or how powerful the attraction, at some time we all must say goodbye.
In 1964 the wind of change blows across the Atlantic from England to America and sparks a cultural and social revolution. Traditional values of the past are replaced with more modern attitudes caused by the hottest tunes and the latest dance craze.
Vivacious Hollywood starlet Frankie Robinson has no romantic expectations when she meets the dark and introspective Alex Rowley, guitarist for one of the hottest British bands - The Dark Knights. During their first dance, they step into each other's rhythm, as though partners in another life.
For an eager young couple, neither Frankie nor Alex anticipates the scandal their public relationship will cause - reputations must be protected and images need to be maintained. As Frankie and Alex dream of a life together, agents and managers worry of the monies lost and the dangers to their perspective clients. Frankie and Alex are to be kept apart no matter what tragic cost.
Behind the closed curtains of celebrity life, Frankie and Alex find a way to keep their private love alive despite all obstacles.
Excerpt
Alex walked through the party, studying the guests carefully, with his cigarette between his lips and a glass of whiskey in his hand. Tonight, after the Hollywood Bowl concert, Alex felt on the top of the world. He had more money, fame, and women than any twenty-one-year-old could possibly imagine, but then he caught sight of the one thing that would take his life to the very pinnacle of success: Hollywood starlet Frankie Robinson.
Alex had first noticed her in American magazines and even saw her once on television. He was totally smitten with her, though they had never met. There was something about her that he noticed was lacking in other girls: passion, fire, and an overall joie de vivre. During his globe-trotting years, all the girls he had met were the same - sweet, demure, and oftentimes downright submissive. It wasn’t that he disliked these qualities; they had their purpose (especially when one was trying to make an easy conquest), but the girls with the independent spirits were the ones that Alex was truly attracted to. Perhaps it was because deep inside he felt he had that same spirit within himself.
Alex’s attention was now focused solely on Frankie. She was even sexier in person than what he had seen on television. She was wearing a tight sundress that fit snuggly over her curvaceous yet athletic figure, with a thick mass of untamed blonde hair, and pouty full lips. Taking it all in, Alex transformed into the cartoon characterization of a hound dog. When she turned and flashed him a cute smile, the infamous bad boy Alex Rowley turned to mush. Frankie Robinson had gotten to him.
Book Trailer - Lonely Girl song lyrics
Interview with the Author
Hi Mahima (Jennifer), thanks for joining me today to discuss your new book, Saying Goodbye.
Which writers have influenced you the most?
John Steinbeck for his ability to write unique, yet highly empathic characters.
Milan Kundera: Life is Elsewhere was a book that really touched me when I was a young adult. It’s one of those books that just hit you at a certain age that you never forget. It was about an artist and lover surviving in the time when Communism is taking over Czechoslovakia.
Guy Sajer’s The Forgotten Soldier was so intense, yet so eloquently written, it not only inspired me as a writer; it changed my life and how I perceive mankind.
I love writers who write about humanity struggling through difficult situations.
What age group do you recommend your book for?
My book is about young adults trying to gain their freedom from their parents, managers and agents. So I would say young adults, but the time frame of the book is the 1960’s, so anybody who is interested in recent history - sex, drugs and rock and roll.
What sparked the idea for this book?
A mild obsession LOL. I love the music of the 1960’s - The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, etc. I also love how the early 1960’s had a massive cultural shift as young people were really taking control of the world; they were without a doubt changing the world.
But it just wasn’t the musical bands, it was young women who were rising up and voicing their opinions about politics and love. It was the very seeds of feminism and it is great. One of the greatest songs I came across in my research was Lesley Gore’s You Don’t Own Me. This song reached number 2 behind The Beatles in 1964. This sound is a sign of the times and a sign of things to come.
The actual story came from a celebrity relationship I uncovered in my mild obsession for the 1960’s. The relationship was (for whatever reason) kept out of the tabloids and pretty much quashed. It sparked my creativity on what may have happened, so I wrote a story about it.
Which comes first? The character's story or the idea for the novel?
I’d say the characters came first. I fell in love with the characters. They were hard to let go when finishing the book.
What was the hardest part to write in this book?
I don’t want to give away anything about the book, but I had to make a decision on how much to ante up the drama of the characters’ relationship and the drama that kept them apart and essentially would keep them bound to each other their entire life. So in the end, as the writer, I decided to go with one of the most dramatic things that could affect a relationship and it was the hardest thing for me to write.
How do you hope this book affects its readers?
Our society tends to glamorize and idolize celebrity relationships. Many times the truth behind celebrity relationships is that they are not that great. Just because something looks great on a glossy magazine, doesn’t mean it's good in real life. Love and relationships are more than what we see at face value.
Also the true essence of love, and the idea of how much you can love someone no matter who they are and how far away. Love doesn’t necessarily end when someone walks out the door, or even leaves the country. Even when you say goodbye to someone, the love is still very, very strong. This love can last a lifetime and alter the course of one’s life.
How long did it take you to write this book?
About two years, but I was obsessing on it probably about five years.
What is your writing routine?
I am a morning person. I get up early and spend an hour or so writing at a cafe before work and at lunch. I often write at night as well. When I get hooked on a story, I am a writing madwoman.
How did you get your book published?
Through an independent publisher. I love working directly with the editor, the cover designers and even the publisher to have some creative control. Working with editors helps me learn so much about my writing and how to make it better. It is great to work with cover artists because I can see how my ideas and work influence others in a different medium. I just love the whole creative publishing process. It takes a village to publish a book and I love those who contribute to the process of creating the end-product.
What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Today there are many avenues for writers to be published. They can go the traditional route of seeking an agent or publisher, or they can independently publish. My advice is to know your work, know your customer and target reader and how it fits into the publishing world. Publishing is a business for profit, so once you get to the point of publishing you have to think of your creative work as a commercial product. Does your book have mass commercial appeal, or is it something that has a very specific market? Most publishers look for the commercial appeal, where independent publishing may work better for a book that has a very specific market.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Photography is also a passion of mine. Writing can be rather solitary, so photography gets me outside in the world.
What does your family think of your writing?
When I first started they said it was a nice hobby; with my most recent books they are seeing it is more than a hobby, it's my life. I have an alternative lifestyle; I am a writer. LOL. My family is now becoming my own free marketing campaign.
Please tell us a bit about your childhood.
My childhood was fairly average. The one thing that stood out in my life was my German ancestry. After learning about the Holocaust and WWII, it plunged me (at thirteen) into understanding how people could be so cruel - how my ancestry could be so cruel. I questioned myself; am I capable of such hatred? I started thinking about humanity as a whole. It is the human condition that soon became my writing muse.
Did you enjoy school?
Yes. I enjoyed learning and researching. I would take on additional research and projects of subjects that interested me. Even today, I love researching, learning of history and historical figures.
Did you like reading when you were a child?
Not really. I was a huge, huge daydreamer. I could lose a day daydreaming. I decided that instead of wasting my time daydreaming, I should write my daydreams down, and thus I became a writer.
What was your favorite book as a child?
I have a couple: The Diary of Anne Frank is probably my favorite, but I loved The Little Prince.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I was a around in my early teens when I watched the movie Bridge on the River Kwai. I was so taken by the story and the drama that afterward I started writing a story. I was, however, sidetracked in regards to making a writing a career. I didn’t come back to writing until I read The Forgotten Soldier in my early twenties and I have been writing every since.
Did your childhood experiences influence your writing?
No. I think writing was just in me.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Not so much. I have only started published this year, so my book is really just getting out there.
What can we look forward to from you in the future?
More of my characters Frankie and Alex from Saying Goodbye.
I have also been working on a book that is a dramatic family/love story that takes place in post-WWII Germany. I’m hoping to have that completed in the next year or so.
Thank you for taking the time to stop by today. Best of luck with your future projects.
About the Author
Mahima Martel is the pen name of Jennifer Ott. Her premiere focus in writing is love within drama, or dramatic love. She is fascinated by the human condition and what drives people to do what they do. Mostly, she found it is love, or lack of love that motivates people, whether it is to inspire to greatness, or to the depth of depravity.
Mahima states: "Saying Goodbye (What the World Doesn’t Know) is based on a true story I uncovered hidden deep within the tabloids of the early 1960’s. I could definitely see how the love of these two characters could inspire each other to great heights ... and it did so."
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win one of three gift cards.
Links
