* Jacquelyn Frank: Author Override | UTC Reviews
* Skye Warren: Author Override
* Narrator Lorelei King: Interview
* Stephanie Tyler: Interview
* Carolyn Crane: Author Override | UTC Review
* J.T. Geissinger: Interview | UTC Review
* Men and Women of the Military Giveaway Hop
* Keri Arthur: Interview | UTC Reviews

Monday 24 September 2012

Interview and Giveaway with Gena Showalter

You might've figured this out, but we are HUGE Gena Showalter fans!  And everytime she has a new release out we get giddy with excitement and just jump up and down.  This time she's taking on the theme of Alice in Wonderland and throwing in some zombies for good measure.   She delivers a story that is true Gena Showalter full of action and lots of fun.  Now lets welcome Gena back to UTC for a little pre-release celebration.

Hi Gena and welcome back to Under the Covers. As you know you are one of our all time favorite authors and we love having you here!

Thank you so much for having me!

We are extremely excited about the release of ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND, the first in the White Rabbit Chronicles series. Tell us a bit about the White Rabbit Chronicles.

The White Rabbit Chronicles features a sixteen-year-old girl who loses her entire family in a car crash, only to discover her father was right. Monsters stalk the night. She has to learn to navigate this dark, new world—and with the help of bad boy Cole Holland, she just might survive. Or not. ßI just had to throw that in.

How did you include the elements of Alice in Wonderland in your zombie remake of the fairytale?

I tried to use shades of Lewis Carroll’s beloved characters and give them a twist, patterning a certain girl off the Mad Hatter and a certain boy after the Cheshire Cat. I then tried to pull from the essence of his scenes. While his Alice falls down a rabbit hole, my Alice falls down a pit of despair when she loses her family in the crash. Just things like that.

Is there something you have to have when writing YA or adult to get you in the right mood for each style of writing?

I try to remain aware of my audience. And it’s actually easier to do than I thought it would be, because my teen characters aren’t ready to experience the things my adult characters experience. As long as I stay true to the characters, their pasts, their mindsets, their hopes and dreams, I don’t think it will ever be a problem.

Demons and aliens and zombies, oh my! You've written about just about anything paranormal, even a paranormal dating guide. What's your favorite creature to write about?

I very much enjoy writing about my Sent Ones (the Angels of the Dark), and the redemption of a tortured soul.

Speaking of the paranormal dating guide.... Will you publish another issue of Dating the Undead? It was so much fun! 

I wish! We had an absolute blast with it, but that baby was actually very expensive to make (because of all those photos) and quite labor intensive. There just isn’t time in the schedule.

Impatient minds want to know... Do you have any idea when you will take Dallas off the back burner and write his story?

He shows up in Last Kiss Goodnight (briefly), and will have a bigger part in the next Otherworld Assassins novel (I think), but his book isn’t actually under contract so it’s difficult to say.

Who is the heroine you most identify with?

Probably Alice. No matter how many times she’s kicked down, she gets back up to continue the fight for those she loves. I adore that about her, and hope to always do the same.

I'm not sure how you managed this, but I'm crushing on a YA hero. What are your favorite things about Cole Holland?

Cole is big and bad and dangerous, but he’s also amazingly loyal to those he loves. He will die for his friends. He will protect those weaker than himself with every ounce of his strength. And, okay, he's sexy.

I know this is early, but thinking about zombies makes me think about Halloween. Do you have a Halloween tradition?

I don’t. Well, other than staying in, wearing fuzzy pj’s, and relaxing. Three of my favorite things!


She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

ARC copy of ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND + SWAG US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

33 comments:

Myth said...

Great Interview ladies, and Gena is deff one of my fav authors!!!

Carti cu Colti said...

Gena is a sweetheart and I love her books!

Lori T said...

Gena is definitely one of my favorites! Great interview and I am really looking forward to reading this!!

Maria D. said...

Fun interview! I like the idea of Alice in Zombieland. I always like getting the background on a story too. Thanks for the giveaway!

Chrisbails said...

Great interview. Gena is a new author for me. I love the title and cover of this book. Love authors using the fairy tales/stories and making them into newer versions. The book looks great and definatley a must read for me. Thanks for the chance to win.
christinebails at yahoo dot com

biochemguy said...

Fantastic interview, I would love to win Alice in Zombieland! :)

Tome Tender said...

Can't wait my hands on a copy of Alice in Zombieland. Love Showalter's work!

erin said...

Thanks for a great post and congrats to Gena on the new release! I've had major book lust for this title ever since I saw the awesome cover :)

Jeremy said...

Great interview! I can't wait to read Alice in Zombieland but I'll have to admit I've never read a zombie novel before but Gena is the best so I'm trusting her with my zombie virginity. hehe

romancebookjunkiesdanielleATyahooDOTcom

Carin said...

I love Gina's books, I can't wait to read this one. Carin

Unknown said...

I have been waiting for this book for months! Can't wait to get my hands on it! Gena is so down to earth.

Mina said...

Love everything about this AIZL...from the video clip, to the cover artwork, to the story. A delicious package!
minadecaro at hotmail dot com

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love Gena's writing so I can't wait to read this one! Thank you for the interview and giveaway.

Annwitch said...

Great looking cover I can't wait to get my hands on a copy

Allison W said...

Gena's my Favorite!! Can't wait for this one!!

Lindsay Avalon said...

Fantastic interview! Gena is one of my all time favorite authors!

sheryl said...

I love Gena's books and she is always on my buy list!

cutiephinphin said...

I've only read a couple of Gena's books to date. There are just too many authors to catch up on. I really like the idea in this story. Great interview and I'm looking forward to reading this book.

SdyLion said...

One of my favorite authors and I just cannot wait to read the new series! sdylion(at)gmail(dot)com

Book Savvy Babe said...

Thanks for the interview, and I am very intrigued by this story, and Alice. I love that she gets up after being knocked down. I'm excited to read this one! Book Savvy Babe

Amethyst said...

Awesome interview! I can't wait to read this book :)

Addicted2Heroines said...

Great interview! Looking forward to meeting Alice and Cole ;-) Thanks for the giveaway!

Barbara E. said...

Loved the interview. I like Gena's Halloween tradition, it sounds perfect except I'd add handing out treats to the trick or treaters, I love seeing the little ones dressed in their costumes, they're so cute!

Unknown said...

As usual, another fantastic interview, I love Gena Showalter!
Thanks for the chance :)

Lady D said...

I so can't wait to read this book! I've wanted to ever since I heard about it!

Cassandra said...

I absolutely love Gena and everything she writes :)
Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com

Texas Book Lover said...

I love all things Gena! This sounds like it is going to be another great series! I only have a couple years left of my little one dressing up. My oldest is already out of that stage. So sad!

Thanks so much!

June M. said...

ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND sounds great! This was a great interview and I am looking forward to reading this book.

Unknown said...

I'm so glad I visited from the CMN Bookish Blog Hop! This book sounds awesome and I'm definitely going to be checking out Dating the Undead!

wanda f said...

Gena I love your books I ve read allyou other books and each one was fantastic.Alice In Zombieland is a must read for me will be picking it up asap.Thank you for sharing with us today and for giving us the chance to win .Have an amazing week.

Reading said...

Great interview. I love everything she writes. Alice in Zombieland looks awesome.

Drmgrl99 - Dawn said...

GREAT interview and I SOOO want to read this! Thanks for the chance to win it :)

Maureen said...

Alice sounds like a tough character who has had a lot to deal with.