Author Interview & Giveaway with Marie Marquardt (Dream Things True Blog Tour)

Today we have Marie Marquardt here for an author interview! This interview is part of the blog tour for Dream Things True. 

1. Without spoiling anything, could you tell us what was your favorite scene to write in Dream Things True?

I loved writing one of the earliest scenes, when my protagonist, Alma, meets her love interest, Evan. They fall for each other almost immediately, which is one reason the story is compared to Romeo and Juliet. It was a really fun set of emotions to write. They feel instantly connected, but they also realize how complicated it will be for them to relate, on many levels. Alma knows it will be almost impossible to get permission from her strict dad to hang out with Evan. This is sort-of baffling for Evan, whose family has very different rules and expectations.

2. If you had to pair up your main character Alma from Dream Things True with any other character from any other YA book (either romantically or as a friend), who would it be and why?

Oh, it would break my heart into a thousand tiny pieces if I had to put Alma with another boy, romantically! But I think she’d have a great time hanging out (just as friends) with Étienne St. Clair, from Anna and the French Kiss. Alma dreams of exploring the world, and is drawn to people who have big life experiences. I’m not sure how well Evan and St. Clair would get along, but Evan is full of surprises.

3. What comes easier for you - dialogue or description?

Dialogue, for sure. I often have to revise and re-write dialogue many times, but when I’m writing the first draft of a story, the dialogue pours right out of me. Then I go back and add the descriptive elements.

4. How do you go about naming your characters?

Haphazardly! I tend to steal the names from people I know, or from people I barely know, but just happen to be hanging around when a new character pops into my mind. Alma is an exception – It’s an old fashioned name, but I love that it means “soul”. I also chose the name for Alma’s aunt (Tia Pera) because “Pera” is short for “Esperanza”, which means “hope”. I love that name.

5. For any aspiring writers out there - what's the best writing advice you've ever received?

If you love to write, keep writing! If you want to be a traditionally published author, you’ll have to keep writing through the rejections. They will come. The best way to deal with them is to absorb any good advice they may offer and then sit back down at the keyboard and put words on the page.

Make sure to check out all the other stops of the blog tour, and keep your eye out for Dream Things True, which came out September 1st! This is what the book is all about:

Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt

Evan, a soccer star and the nephew of a conservative Southern Senator, has never wanted for much -- except a functional family. Alma has lived in Georgia since she was two-years-old, excels in school, and has a large, warm Mexican family. Never mind their differences, the two fall in love, and they fall hard. But when ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) begins raids on their town, Alma knows that she needs to tell Evan her secret. There's too much at stake. But how to tell her country-club boyfriend that she’s an undocumented immigrant? That her whole family and most of her friends live in the country without permission. What follows is a beautiful, nuanced, well-paced exploration of the complications of immigration, young love, defying one’s family, and facing a tangled bureaucracy that threatens to completely upend two young lives.

St. Martin's Griffin is giving away one finished copy of Dream Things True!

Giveaway rules:
- Must be 13 or older to enter.

- Open to US and Canada only.

- Open for one week; giveaway ends September 23rd at midnight. The winner will be contacted by e-mail. They will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.
- I am not responsible for items lost or damaged in the mail.

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway