Monday, September 29, 2014

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Anna Zaires

It's just 1 day away from the release of Keep Me, the sequel to Anna Zaire's Twist Me!  To wet your appetite for the newest installment of Julian and Nora, the blog spoke with Anna about the books. 

5 Questions with Author Anna Zaires

Q1. Twist Me was such a hypnotic read. It just pulls you into the story, and I love how you showed Nora’s internal conflict between the reality of her situation and her attraction to Julian. Where did the inspiration for the plot and the characters come from? Was it based off any real news headlines?

A. No, not really, although I’m aware of these types of headlines. Who isn't, right? Real-world stuff like this is awful, and I wouldn't wish Nora's situation on anyone. What’s fascinating in fiction is usually horrifying in reality, and real-life kidnappers are generally nothing like Julian. Having said that, I must admit that I’ve always been intrigued by captive-themed (now known as dark) romances. When I was a teenager, I discovered bodice rippers from the eighties, and I absolutely devoured them. Something about those books really resonated with me. In a way, Twist Me is a modern-day version of those novels, although it’s more psychological in nature. Nora is aware of the wrongness of what’s being done to her, and she never completely forgets the fact that Julian is her kidnapper—which makes for an interesting dynamic as she begins to fall under his spell.

Q2. Twist Me was from Nora’s point of view. Keep Me is going to be from both. How was it writing from both of their perspectives this time? Was one easier or harder to write?

A. Oh, Julian’s POV was definitely harder. While I can see bits and pieces of myself in Nora, Julian is almost my polar opposite. He’s ruthless and amoral, yet there is something about him that draws you in. It wasn’t easy getting into his head—though once he let me in there, it was quite the experience.

Book-Bosomed Book Blog: You did a great job with Julian!

Q3. Julian is dark and mysterious and he doesn’t “date,” but Nora spent over a year with him. In that time what kinds of “normal” things did she gradually learn about him that would have otherwise come naturally had he actually dated her? Does Julian ever just sit back and watch a movie, read a book? What can you tell us about Julian’s favorite things?

A. You’ll learn about a couple of those things in Keep Me. In general, though, their relationship is still developing, and I would like you to discover more about Julian alongside with Nora. Otherwise, you’ll know more than she does, and she’ll get jealous :).

Q4. Do you have any favorite scenes from either Twist Me or Keep Me?  Ones that you thought were particularly profound to Nora and Julian’s relationship or just ones that were fun to write?

A. Oh, absolutely. I think the birthday scene in Twist Me is a pivotal point in their relationship, and it was one of my favorite ones to write. In Keep Me, there are several very intense scenes, both action-wise and relationship-wise, and I could definitely feel my adrenaline surging as I was writing them. I won’t say more, so as not to give spoilers, but there is also one sex scene that is my favorite out of all I’ve written to date :).

Q5. What brought you to the decision to give Nora and Julian a third book? (Any hints about it?) And how does Hold Me play into your release schedule for 2015? Will it be before or after White Nights, which is previewed at the end of Keep Me?

A. I have a super-long blog post on this subject, actually:  http://www.annazaires.com/1/post/2014/09/will-there-be-twist-me-3.html.
As to the timing of book releases, that’s always a tricky question with me. I think I’ll play it by ear for now and see which book flows easier before I commit definitively to one book or the other coming out first :D.

Thank you so much Anna!  Both books are well done and looking forward to Hold Me as well!

 Twist Me is on sale right now for 99 cents (limited time offer). 
B&N 

You can read the blog's review of Twist Me and Keep Me

Keep Me is available at a discount for pre-orders and for the week of release. 
Release date September 30th.

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