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You Are The Everything
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Release Date: October 30, 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
Can you want something—or someone—so badly that you change your destiny? Elyse Schmidt never would have believed it, until it happened to her. When Elyse and her not-so-secret crush, Josh Harris, are the sole survivors of a plane crash, tragedy binds them together. It’s as if their love story is meant to be. Everything is perfect, or as perfect as it can be when you’ve literally fallen out of the sky and landed hard on the side of a mountain—until suddenly it isn’t. And when the pieces of Elyse’s life stop fitting together, what is left?
Interview
Hi Karen!! We are so excited to have you in our tours and to chat with you about YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING!!
Thank you for having me!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Favorite Book?
This is an impossible question to answer! There are so many books out there that give me life. The book that inspired me most to write this book was YOU by Caroline Kepnes though. She made second person work in a way I hadn’t seen done before and her work made me brave enough to try my own version of second person on the page.
Favorite TV show?
Broadchurch. I’m obsessed with British detective shows. Obsessed!
Favorite movie?
The Princess Bride
Favorite Song?
Disturbed’s cover of The Sound of Silence. If you haven’t heard it, dial it up right now and listen, with the volume up. There is so much power in that song.
Favorite Food?
Chana masala – as spicy as possible!
Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.
Hogwarts/Hogsmeade. Narnia. Pandora.
What were your favorite books while growing up?
A Wrinkle In Time; The Chronicles of Narnia; Light a Single Candle.
Favorite Quote?
“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” ― Mary Oliver
What do you find yourself “Fangirling” over?
Books, of course! I just finished Severance, by Ling Ma, and it’s now my new favorite in the post-Apocalyptic genre, and while it isn’t YA, it’s going to have broad appeal. I just started Monday’s Not Coming, by Tiffany Jackson, and it’s amazing. Kate DiCamillo’s new middle grade, Louisiana’s Way Home is up next. I will be a fangirl of Kate’s forever.
What recent book would you recommend to our YA fans?
Elana K. Arnold’s Damsel. There is so much raw power contained in this fiercely feminist fable.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING?
YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING is a survival story and a love story, unfolding in the wake of a plane crash that only two people survive. Elyse has loved Josh Harris for as long as she can remember, and now their love story seems to be coming to life, but at what cost?
I wrote this book in the second person because the voice becomes a powerful tool, drawing the reader right into Elyse’s point-of-view, even closer than the first person, You will become Elyse. You will crash into the mountain. You will fall in love with Josh Harris. It will be you, all along. The story will become a part of you. I hope it becomes a piece of your heart, it definitely is a piece of mine. <3
What 3 hashtags would you most associate with your book? (Could be a word or phrase or anything that would instantly make you think of YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING.)
#heartbreak #youaretheleaf #lovealwayslives
This book sounds really emotional. What 3 movies/TV shows destroyed you?
Truly, Madly, Deeply
Big Fish
The Iron Giant
Tell us your favorite quote from YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING.
“You are love and umbrellas and conundrums.”
Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write? Or which part was the most difficult to get through?
I have a couple of favourite scenes, but the one where Elyse is in the feed store, involving the horsehead mask was fun. I also liked the band concert in Paris.
As far as difficult goes, I’m going to say the last chapters were definitely the hardest. It’s hard to type when you’re crying!
If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING– Which one would you pick?
Well, that would have to be R.E.M.’s You Are The Everything.
Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING (specific music, snacks…)?
Maybe some crusty French bread to start and then, later, donuts, of course. (Eat something nutritious in between!)
What’s next for you?
I have a middle grade coming out next year with Algonquin called NAKED MOLE RAT SAVES THE WORLD about finding the hero that lurks inside all of us; and about friendship, forgiveness, bravery, and showing up.
After that, LETTUCE, a YA novel about the gulf between who we want people to be and who they really are when the chips are down; about love, disease, death, and all the things in-between. And competitive sports.
Thanks so much for chatting with us!!
It was my pleasure. Thank you so much for hosting!
- 1 copy of YOU ARE THE EVERYTHING by Karen Rivers
- US Only
- Please read the rules in the Rafflecopter
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