Alexandra Monir Author Interview - The Final Six

Photo Content from Alexandra Monir

Iranian-American author and recording artist Alexandra Monir has published five novels for young adults, including her popular debut, Timeless. A Barnes & Noble bestseller and one of Amazon’s “Best Books of the Month,” Timeless and its sequel, Timekeeper, have been featured in numerous media outlets and been published in different countries around the world. She followed the duology with Suspicion and The Girl in the Picture, both standalone YA thrillers. Her upcoming science fiction novel, THE FINAL SIX (March 6, 2018) was acquired by HarperCollins and Sony Pictures on the same week, in two major pre-emptive deals.

Alexandra is also a singer/songwriter who often integrates music into her books’ pages. She wrote and recorded three original songs to accompany Timeless and Timekeeper, which were released as the album The Timeless EP and distributed by Jimmy Buffett's record label, Mailboat Records. She also recorded a song that was released with the publication of Suspicion, and is composing a stage musical geared toward Broadway. Her musical roots are deep, as she is the granddaughter of the late Monir Vakili, the foremost Iranian opera singer.

Alexandra Monir is a frequent speaker at middle schools and high schools across the country and at major events including fan conventions, women’s leadership conferences, and book festivals. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and newborn son. 

        

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (March 6, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062658948
ISBN-13: 978-0062658944

Praise for THE FINAL SIX

“A breathtakingly real look at love, loss, and the dangers of space, THE FINAL SIX skyrockets into twists and turns I never saw coming!” ―Beth Revis, NYT bestselling author of Across the Universe series

“I sat down to read a bit before bed and then it was two a.m. and the book was half gone. This is a space competition of epic proportions, loaded with disturbing hidden secrets and intense action. Your eyes will be glued to the page.” ―Kendare Blake, #1 NYT bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

“Compelling, cinematic, and fascinating. I can’t wait to read what happens next in the mission to Europa!” ―Romina Russell, New York Times bestselling author of the Zodiac series 

Was there a defining moment during your youth when you realized you wanted to be a writer?
I was a voracious reader from pretty much age two, and reading my first book series, The Baby-Sitter’s Club, made me want to start writing my own. At age eight, I started typing up my own “series,” about the adventures of me and my best friend, Roxane. J

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?
I think storytelling is everything. It informs how we see the world, opens our minds, and brings us closer together.

What do you hope for people to be thinking after they read your novel?
I can’t imagine anything better than for my readers to finish the book thinking about what a blast it was—and for them to be inspired to fight for the things and the people they believe in.

Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite book and why?
It’s so hard to pick an all-time favorite! But two books that I consider perfectly-written are Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?
A few years ago, Gretchen McNeil shared her word-count spreadsheet with me, which was a game-changer! Once I started setting daily word-count goals and tracking them, I became a much more efficient writer.

Your new book is THE FINAL SIX, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it?
The Final Six takes place in the near-future, after Earth is largely destroyed and underwater from global warming. With the future of the human race at stake, the United Nations and the international space agencies band together to send a crew of six astronauts to create a new human settlement on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. It’s a mission that requires the young—the best and brightest! So the space agencies handpick twenty-four teen finalists from around the globe, including our narrators, Leo and Naomi, and they become celebrities overnight as they’re drafted into International Space Training Camp and compete for one of the six spots on the mission. But getting chosen will mean leaving Earth and everyone on it forever, and entering a new world with its own dangers…

For those who are unfamiliar with Leo, how would you introduce him?
Leo Danieli is a former champion swimmer from Italy, whose life was shattered when he lost his entire family in the flooding of Rome. But when he is chosen as one of The Twenty-Four, he finally has something to live for again.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
Next up for me is the sequel to The Final Six! I’m also developing a few other projects that I look forward to sharing soon!

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating Naomi?
I learned all about hacking robots while writing her character—that was a new one for me! J

If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
Ooh, great question! I think Leo would have a lot to bond over with Imogen Rockford from my mystery novel, Suspicion.

What’s the best advice you can give writers to help them develop their own unique voice and style?
I always recommend spending at least one hour a day reading and another hour a day writing, because it’s through studying other writers and practicing writing yourself that you develop your voice and storytelling ability. If you don’t have a book idea in mind, start out by keeping a diary where you write all about your day as if it’s a story—that helped me develop my voice when I was growing up. And with reading, try dividing your time equally between the classics and the new releases, to get the most well-rounded view.

If your life was a song, what would the title be?
“Chasing Dreams.” J

What did you do for your last birthday?
My first child was born a couple weeks before my birthday, so we made it a very low-key celebration at home. It was definitely my most special b-day yet, with the new little love of my life in my arms, and my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law all there! P.S. I wrote The Final Six while pregnant, and that’s one of the reasons we named our baby Leo! J

Can you define love in your own way?
Love is the all-consuming desire to make another person happy.

If you had one day in your life to live over, which would you choose and why?
My wedding day! It was so much fun, and like a fairy-tale, but went by too fast! J

Tell me about your first kiss
My first kiss was with my on-and-off boyfriend during a game of Truth or Dare in eighth grade. Not the most romantic!

What's the most memorable summer job you've ever had?
As a teen pop singer, I opened for the boy band O-Town when I was 17 and for Aaron Carter when I was 18. It was a thrill!.

When Leo, an Italian championship swimmer, and Naomi, a science genius from California, are two of the twenty-four teens drafted into the International Space Training Camp, their lives are forever altered. After erratic climate change has made Earth a dangerous place to live, the fate of the population rests on the shoulders of the final six who will be scouting a new planet. Intense training, global scrutiny, and cutthroat opponents are only a few of the hurdles the contestants must endure in this competition.

For Leo, the prospect of traveling to Europa—Jupiter’s moon—to help resettle humankind is just the sense of purpose he’s been yearning for since losing his entire family in the flooding of Rome. Naomi, after learning of a similar space mission that mysteriously failed, suspects the ISTC isn’t being up front with them about what’s at risk.

As the race to the final six advances, the tests get more challenging—even deadly. With pressure mounting, Naomi finds an unexpected friend in Leo, and the two grow closer with each mind-boggling experience they encounter. But it’s only when the finalists become fewer and their destinies grow nearer that the two can fathom the full weight of everything at stake: the world, the stars, and their lives.

You can purchase The Final Six at the following Retailers:

        

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you ALEXANDRA MONIR for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will be chosen for an Exclusive Skype call with Alexandra.
1 Winner will receive The Final Six Swag by Alexandra Monir.

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MARCH 5th MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW 

MARCH 5th MONDAY Twirling Book Princess EXCERPT

MARCH 6th TUESDAY BookHounds YA GUEST POST 

MARCH 7th WEDNESDAY Here's to Happy Endings REVIEW

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MARCH 8th THURSDAY Wishful Endings REVIEW

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