Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Interview + Giveaway with Sam Hawksmoor, the author of The Repossession

I'm joined today by Sam Hawksmoor, the author of the fantabulous YA Thriller/Mystery/Supernatural novel, The Repossession. He is here with us to talk about his book and his passion for writing. Enjoy the interview and don't forget to enter to WIN a copy of the book!


The Repossession
499 pages
Published March 1st 2012 by Hodder Children's Books

    
      34 kids missing. Vanished without a trace.

Believing she is possessed, Genie Magee's mother has imprisoned her all summer encouraged by the sinister Reverend Schneider. Beautiful Rian, love of her life, sets her free, and their escape washes them up at Marshall's remote farmhouse downriver. But why are there newspaper clippings of the missing kids pinned to Marshall's bathroom wall? And should they believe his stories about the experiments at the Fortress, an underground research station nearby?

Genie meets Denis. Missing two years now, but hasn't grown an inch. Rian is haunted by Renée, who insists she's not actually dead. Soon they discover the terrible truth about Reverend Schneider and worse, Genie is next ... and Rian can't do a thing to prevent it.

The Repossession is just the beginning.


About the author: 

Sam Hawksmoor started writing after careers that involved travel, photography and teaching. Add a smattering of gold prospecting in British Columbia, working on radio in Africa, not to mention being a tour guide in America and Europe; he likes to collect people and stories. His heart belongs to Vancouver, a city that is changing so fast the past is disappearing almost before it happens. Sam believes that the 21st Century will be so different to the last, people will look back on our lives now and wonder how it was we could be so primitive. On the other hand... Hawksmoor hopes that you will enjoy The Repossession and stick around for part two, The Hunting.




E: Evie
SH: Sam Hawksmoor
E: Welcome to Bookish, Sam! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to us today! Your recently published YA novel, The Repossession, is a wildly compelling, edgy thriller, full of surprising plot twists and fabulously fleshed out characters – I couldn’t have loved it more! Would you mind telling us what/who inspired you to write it?
SH: It was inspired by a young lady who was going through a tough time and fought hard to full recovery.  It was also influenced by another girl whose family threw her out and shunned her at 16 when she fell for a guy outside her religion.  She’s still in touch and pretty well adjusted considering.
E: The main protagonists in your book, Genie and Rian, are both likable and easy to connect with. I loved the chemistry between them! Are any of your characters based on people in your own life?  Which of them do you think is most like you?
SH: So yes to Genie. She is very much based on a real girl called Roxy. One who has a happy ending and marrying soon as it happens.  I don’t think either are quite like me.  They are much braver and resolute. (I’m probably more like Moucher the dog!)
E: How would you describe The Repossession in five words?
SH: Devotion, loyalty, leadership, action, determination.
E: What was the most difficult part of the novel for you to write?
SH: Editing out the more tender intimate moments of their relationship.  Keeping to the age specific I guess.
E: Have you always wanted to be a writer? At what point in your life did you decide that writing is something you want to do?
SH: Been writing all my life.  I was encouraged at school and we had access to a good library there.  I guess I wanted to write the kind of stuff that excited me when I was a kid.
E: How do you approach writing a new novel? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
SH: I have no idea what a pantser is  - no elastic sided pants allowed in this house thank you very much.  As for plotting.  Well yes to a certain extent. I tend to make notes before I write a chapter so I don’t write myself off a cliff.  Sometimes I can see a whole scene I have to come to, so you know the road has to lead there whatever happens.  Book Two ‘The Hunting’ is pretty much all action as they try to stay ahead of The Evil Fortress.  I’m afraid not all are going to survive…
E:  What’s next in line for you? Are you working on a new book now?
SHWorking on one right now, another dystopian glimpse at the future, but I have completed a novel set in the London Blitz that my agent is keen on – so hopefully that will be picked up.
E:  Where is your favorite place for writing? Do you have any special writing rituals?
SH: Coffee shop, preferably sitting in a sunbeam.  Much of The Repossession was written in three different coffee shops, one in Vancouver (Epicurian) out on the narrow terrace with Koko (the dog) at my side, one in Biarritz (Miremont – like writing in the First Class lounge on the Titanic with view of the ocean), one in Portsmouth (Café P) where I was teaching and doing tutorials at the time.  Rituals?  Yes. Always read back what you wrote before.  Keeps you in line and in voice.
E: Do you even experience writer’s block? If so, how do you deal with it?
SH: Long walks, go see a movie, fall in love… or all three.
E:  Which three of your favorite books would you recommend everybody to read?
SH: The Droughtlanders by Carrie Mac, Ship Breakers by P Bacigalupi, Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
E:  If your book had a soundtrack to accompany it, what songs would be on it?
SH: It had a soundtrack. The Pierces (13 Tales of Love) Inception Soundtrack (played loud) In the Mood for Love (Movie soundtrack Hong Kong) and lots of Mexican music and singing when I was in France.  (And Moucher barking – yes there really is a dog).

Sam, thank you so much for joining us today!  
I'm looking forward to reading The Hunting!

I hope you guys enjoyed the interview, for more information about Sam Hawksmoor and his book, please visit his website.



GIVEAWAY 

Hachette Book Group Canada has generously offered to giveaway one finished copy of The Repossession!

Enter through Rafflecopter below!
Open to: CANADA
Ends: March 25th



a Rafflecopter giveaway

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About the Author
Evie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.
She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and  chatting with fellow book-worms.
You can find Evie here: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Shelfari | The Library Thing

16 comments:

Lexie said...

I think it's really interesting that he based Gene off of a real person! That's not something I've seen a lot; I know many authors take little facets of different people, but I've rarely seen them base a character largely off of one individual. I'm happy that Roxy got her happy ending; it'll make me hopeful, even if Gene doesn't. :D

Love the interview. Thank you so much for the giveaway! *-*

M.A.D. said...

GFC Mary DeBorde M.A.D.
zenrei57 (at) hotmail dot com

Enjoyed the interview and the book sounds like a great thrill ride! It's funny how many published authors have actually been *writing* their entire life ... you have to wonder if it's a natural extension of a reader's love of literature.

Sher A. Hart said...

Too bad I'm not eligible in the US because after reading your review, I'd like to read this book too.

Lalaine said...

I cant wait to read my copy of this book! and she looks like such a nice author. I want to know her more by reading her book! great interview.

Ƹ̴Ӂ̴ƷFICBOOKREVIEWSƸ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

Na said...

I like how the story was inspired and that is what I would keep in mind reading it. When it comes to fighting anything it can really strengten a spirit.

Lexie@BookBug said...

Wow! My head is spinning just from the description! Sounds like a crazy, thrilling read (and I really enjoyed the interview!)
GFC: Lexie@BookBug

Unknown said...

I can't wait to read this book, it reminds me of one of my favourite shows, Criminal Minds. I also like that the author is Canadian - I sadly haven't been reading enough Canadian authors lately. Oh, and I didn't realize that this book was the start to a series! Great interview Evie!

Bookish in a Box said...

It sounds a little morbid, but I think a book set during the London Blitz would be fascinating. I want to read it!

Carl Scott said...

Vancouver is a cool city, I lived there a couple of times myself.
C'mon dude, pantser!
Sounds like we're in for quite a ride.
Thanks Evie!

Melissa said...

Sounds like a super interesting read!

Jaime Lester said...

Even though it was difficult for her to do so, I appreciated that she was willing to make the book more YA appropriate during the "tender" moments. I don't think that some of that stuff is too terrible, but I do believe there should be a limit as to what YA authors are allowed to write about unless they make it more age specific YA, like 18+ or something. I think it is pretty great that she stops to think about that kind of thing.

Jaime Lynn- GFC
I do follow you GFC, but there was no box in the giveaway to enter my GFC name.

Thanks for the giveaway!

PuttPutt1198Eve said...

I can see that there's something about not only caffeine but also coffee shope that spurs on a writer's creativity. The author here indicates that the book was written in three coffee shops. I like to do a lot of my thinking in such a setting, too.
my GFC name is puttputt1198eve

Desiree said...

This sounds really good. I'm excited to read it! Thanks for the giveaway!

Julie S said...

Fall in love - now that's a cute solution to writer's block!
Thanks for the interview and giveaway.

Ruby97 said...

This book sounds like a really good thriller- wonderful! I love these types of books, and interviews give you an exclusive insight of the book in the authors perspective. I think its a great experience to compare how you percieve the book to how someone else does. Thanks for this interview/giveaway! :)

Anonymous said...

Loved the interview. And the book sounds really great too. I love how the author likes to write in coffee shops.

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