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