{Author Interview/Giveaway} DEAD UPON A TIME by Elizabeth Paulson

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Week One:

8/17/2015- Bookhounds ya- Interview

8/18/2015- a GREAT read- Review

8/19/2015- Chapter by Chapter- Guest Post

8/20/2015- Book Briefs- Review

8/21/2015- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

Week Two:

8/24/2015- Pandora's Books- Interview

8/25/2015- Books à la Mode- Review

8/26/2015- A Backwards Story- Interview

8/27/2015- The Best Books Ever- Review

8/28/2015- Fiktshun- Guest Post

An Interview With

Elizabeth Paulson

AUTHOR BIO:

Elizabeth Paulson lives on the edge of the woods somewhere in America.

What inspired you to write DEAD UPON A TIME?

I’ve always appreciated the built-in mythology of fairytales. I think they are a fantastic mix of suspense and romance and sometimes horror. I’d never written fantasy before, but most of us have grown up imagining the world of fairy tales, so it felt like the setting had already been partly created for me.

How did you choose which fairy tales to twist into the mystery?

I tried to pick familiar ones that all readers would recognize. And Kate had to be the Red Riding Hood figure because she’s so brave and independent.

Are you planning to write more books featuring Kate? (Or maybe one from Jack's POV??)

I would love to write a sequel. Even more so, I’d love to write the prequel and tell Jack’s story of his confrontation with the giant. I had fun building allusions to that conflict into DEAD UPON A TIME, but kept them deliberately vague in hopes of having the opportunity to explore them in more detail. I think he’s a really fascinating character in his own right. Tackling that adventure would be so much fun.

I thought the concept on Uncommons was very interesting and unique. How did you go about developing and fleshing out these abilities and they way they differ from Commonfolk?

Thank you! I researched the psychology behind the Salem witch trials and thought about how isolated women were particularly vulnerable to those accusations. That history and the folklore attached to it definitely inspired that piece of the novel. I aimed for the Uncommon to have powers that shouldn’t really be so threatening to neighbors, but could be warped through the lens of social aggression. As I wrote more about the villain of the story, the concept of the Uncommons became more vital and detailed. I really enjoyed exploring that part.

So much in DEAD UPON A TIME revolves around family and the lengths we'll go to for one another. What motivated you to focus so heavily on familial connections?

Oh, wow. I’m not sure that was deliberate, but it’s a really astute observation. Honestly? My marriage ended, right when I started this book. At the time, my twins were three months old. Suddenly, the family I’d had pictured for them dissolved and I had to create something new and better for them. So the importance of resilience and resourcefulness for the sake of those you love was right at the forefront of my mind. It seems to have seeped into DEAD UPON A TIME.

Jack had the most creative living quarters! If you were stranded in the wild, what kind of home would you build for yourself?

Jack’s little underground bunker is awesome to imagine, but I couldn’t live there—claustrophobia would kick in! I’d prefer a tree house, especially one with a hammock and a slide to return to ground level. And a zip line system! You could go all out with a tree house.

What are your favorite fairy tales?

My favorites are Rapunzel—so sad and creepy—and the story of Snow White and Rose Red.

~*~

Title: DEAD UPON A TIME
Author: Elizabeth Paulson

Release Date: August 25, 2015

Publisher: Scholastic Press

SUMMARY:

It's a fairy-tale nightmare . . .

One girl is kept in a room where every day the only food she's given is a poisoned apple. Another is kept in a room covered in needles -- and if she pricks her finger, she'll die. Then there are the brother and sister kept in a cell that keeps getting hotter and hotter. . .

A sinister kidnapper is on the loose in Kate's world. She's not involved until one day she heads to her grandmother's house in the woods -- and finds her grandmother has also been taken. Already an outcast, Kate can't get any help from the villagers who hate her. Only Jack, another outsider, will listen to what's happened.

Then a princess is taken, and suddenly the king is paying attention -- even though the girl's stepmother would rather he didn't. It's up to Kate and Jack to track down the victims before an ever after arrives that's far from happy.

~*~