About Claudia Lefeve – website, twitter
Claudia Lefeve was born and raised in the Gulf Coast border town of Brownsville, Texas; a curious place where folks see curanderas in lieu of shrinks, tortillas are served at every meal, and even gringos speak Spanish. PARALLEL, the first book in The Travelers series, is her debut YA speculative novel. She currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two pugs.
Thank you for stopping by Bewitched Bookworms today. Could you tell us a little about yourself, and how you started writing?
Thank you for having me! Let’s see, I was born the year of the dragon and I’m a Scorpio. Honestly, I have no idea what to say about myself, so we’ll just leave it at that. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I didn’t seriously consider writing as a career until a couple of years ago. I began selling a couple of short stories to small press anthologies and went from there.
In Parallel, your main character Etta Fleming finds herself in an alternate universe where her life is suddenly completely opposite. Could you briefly describe the concept and how you came up with the idea for the series?
I’m a big fan of shows like Fringe, The X-Files and Lost, especially during the last couple of seasons where they focused on time-travel and alternate timelines. I realized that I haven’t read very many YA books that deal with alternate realities, so the idea kind of stemmed from that. Etta travels to a new dimension where she learns more about her real family, the source of her psychokinetic abilities, and why she was sent away in the first place.
Cooper Everett is the man who transports Etta into the alternate world. You had to research quantum mechanics and physics to make this aspect of the book believable. How daunting was that, and were you nervous when you realized ust how complex the science behind such things is?
At first, it was a bit overwhelming…to do that much research for a few key scenes, but if I didn’t understand the basics, then my readers wouldn’t. The funny thing is, I almost failed physics in high school and I don’t know if you noticed, but the dedication is to my dad who was also my physics teacher! I actually read a couple of books written by physicists who were able to dumb it down enough for the average person to understand.
Which character is your favorite to write in this series, and which one has been the most difficult?
Definitely Cooper. He’s the kind of guy I would have dated if he existed! Another favorite was Jenny Prado. She didn’t have very many lines in the book, but she’ll be a major character down the road. The hardest character to write would have to be Victor, Etta’s dad. He’s been missing for a while, so I haven’t fully begun to understand what makes him tick.
Other than writing, what hobbies do you have? I know that we both share a love for Bones and True Blood, and we often tweet back and forth while watching the new episodes when they air.
I love our weekly Bones and True Blood debriefings! And you pretty much nailed it, speaking of TV. When I’m not working or writing, the only thing I have time for is TV and I make a lot of time for that. I usually write in the living room so I don’t miss any of my shows. But before I start to sound like a total couch potato, I should also add that I read a lot too. Wait, I do that on the couch too!
This was a great interview, and Cooper is my favorite too! But I’ll admit, unlike Etta, I’m more of a Team Edward girl. Claudia and I definitely share the love of great TV, Bones, Supernatural, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries are topping my list of must watch series.
About Parallel – goodreads, amazon, Barnes and Noble
Destiny has a way of catching up.
Saddled with powers she doesn’t understand, Etta Fleming’s world is turned upside-down the day she meets Cooper Everett, the man who transports her to an alternate reality. A reality she was meant to be a part of.
One minute, she’s an orphan living at Dominion House for Girls, an institution for delinquent foster kids, then finds herself attending the exclusive Dominion Hall Academy.
Plucked from the only world she’s ever known, Etta now has to deal with an aunt she never knew, a boyfriend she doesn’t know, and a best friend who can’t know
And now for the Giveaways:
#1- two lucky people will win an e-copy of Parallel
#2- one entry to win the Grand Prize – includes a travel mug, bracelet, and more. Grand prize entries are open to US/Canada residents only.
All you have to do is comment below and leave your email address to be entered for both prizes. Entries are open until 11:59 pm CST on October 14, 2011. Good luck!
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oh sounds great , i am actually entering this one in hopes to win as a gift for my sister, the best auntie in the world. who love loves this genre of books
staceyx at telus dot net
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As a fan of both X-files and Fringe, I am definitely interested in this book. Great interview! I love finding new authors and books to enjoy. It's one of the best things about blogging. Congratulations on Parallel!
LadyVampire2u AT gmail DOT com
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Thank you again for hosting me today on Bewitched Bookworms! I actually have another hobby…camping! The hubby, pugs, and I are off early this morning and there's no internet/cell service where we'll be this weekend!
Good luck to everyone!
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Thanks for the interview! The book sounds really cool – as a fan of The X-Files and Fringe, among others, this is right on my favourite topics list. Cannot wait to read it! 🙂 You sound like a great person and a bossoming writer! Congrats and good luck! 🙂
Ammy Belle
apereiraorama @ gmail . com http://lateintothenight.blogspot.com/
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Sounds like a cool book. Great interview.
aharel4 (at) gmail (dot) com
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This book sounds great.
pixiepuff2006@yahoo.com
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Great review! I am a transplant Texan who lived in Virginia for a short time…this books sound great!
mmafsmith at gmail dot com
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Thanks for the awesome giveaway. This book really sounds good. I can't wait to read it. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
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Great review. This sounds like such a great read and definitely something I would love. Thanks for the giveaway.
Sthrnsweetie115@AOL.com
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Great interview and congratulations on Parallel.
Thanks for the giveaway, i would love to read this book!
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ups, email darksiry(at)gmail(dot)com
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Sounds good. Thanks for sharing! Im looking forward to reading it.
bacchus76 at myself dot com
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This sounds like a great read, thanks for the chance to win
june111(at)att(dot)net
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Great interview. This sounds like a good read.
a_zreader@yahoo.com
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Awesome interview! I would love to win this!
lag110 at mchsi dot com
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I have been hearing a lot about this book. I would love to read
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Count me in 🙂
Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
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Great interview! This book looks really interesting, I love alternate worlds. 🙂 Thank you for the giveaway!
liedermadchen(at)hotmail(dot)com
My recent post Book Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
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Thanks for the giveaway! the book sounds pretty good, and the cover is really pretty.
shae_carcar (at) yahoo (dot) com
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Cute braclet. And the book sounds good too. 😀 what a steal!
thunter_5@yahoo.com
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Sounds like it could be quite an interesting novel! (And I have this thing with collecting travel mugs…) Sign me up!
jazriyah(at)gmail(dot)com
My recent post Nostalgia Friday: Dark Angel, by L J Smith
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Okay, I DEFINITELY have to read this book! I had to research quantum mechanics for one of my books, too! So I definitely want to see Claudia's take on it for fictional purposes. 🙂
Smiles!
Lori
serena423[@]yahoo.com
My recent post Welcome!
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Thank you for participating in this tour and for sharing with us today. I have been trying to follow the tour because I really want to read Parallel and I appreciate the giveaway opportunity.
dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com
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I want to read this book so bad. I just can't wait to get my hands on it.
hootowl1978 at gmail dot com
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i don't know if I would be able to survive if everything in my life was completely opposite…
thanks for the giveaway!
katie_tp(at)yahoo(dot)com
My recent post Waiting On Wednesday (15)
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This book sounds great…what a flip!
melissaseclecticbookshelf at gmail dot com
♥ Melissa @ Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf
My recent post Wishlist Wednesday (2) – Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz
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Great interview! I like the Vampire Diaries,too. Thanks for the giveaways!
Email: osnapitzAngiex3(AT)aol(DOT)com
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