Interview & Giveaway- Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Wild Cards (Wild Cards #1) by Simone Elkeles

Release date: October 1, 2013

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

Purchase Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound

Synopsis:
After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek's counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else's family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain-people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek-someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Author Interview

What inspired you to write Wild Cards?

I always wanted to be on the football team in high school. I was a sporty girl and I’m also super competitive but none of my friends who were girls would try out with me so I didn't do it, but I kind of always regretted that and so this is my way of being able to be on the football team but not.

Do you have a favorite scene from Wild Cards?

The pitchfork scene, where they meet. Also when Ashtyn tries to teach Derek to throw a football.

What made you choose Victor for the second book?

I've just gotten off of writing the Fuentes brothers and the Fuentes family so for me I love the Hispanic community and the sense of family and what it means and so I really wanted to write Victor in as the Hispanic guy on the team. I also wanted to make this whole series diverse. I like writing about diverse people.

How many books will be in the series?

For sure there will be four but I can always extend it if there is character that people are like I need to know what happens I may continue the series. I would like to do that.  And also because I did the reality show my fans are really excited about the actual actors that played the characters, so and kinda want to know what’s going on with those characters.

Do you have a favorite of all the books you have written?

No they are like my babies, like I can’t pick. My favorite right now is Wild Cards because it just came out, it’s my new baby, I’m so excited about it. I do love football even though the book isn't about football its about the players, its like a family. I also love that even though Ashtyn is a girl she is totally accepted on the team, instead of being ostracized.

Do you have a favorite character from all of your series?

Ashtyn because she is so kick butt! But the character that is most like me is Amy from How to Ruin a Summer Vacation. For me that character is very much like me even though she is kind of a brat, she is funny and I like to make fun of life.

What character was the most difficult for you to write?

The hardest female to write was Maggie from Leaving Paradise because she is like oh woe is me, I’m so depressed, and that is so not me. It was very difficult to write her.

What do you want your fans to know about this series?

What I want people to take out from the book in general is to have a good time. I want you to escape your life for right now. I want you to be immersed in this story, fall in love with the characters and have fun. I want you to laugh and I want you to cry.

If you could be a character from one of your favorite books, who would you be and why?

I would either be Britney from Perfect Chemistry because Alex would protect me, and love me forever. There is no better love than Alex’s love for Britney. He was going to die for her, he’ll die for anyone he loves,  that is just amazing. And she is so pretty who doesn't want to be pretty. But I do love that Ashtyn is so respected by the boys and that boys are her buddies and her friends. She protects them just as much as they protect her, and I love her for that. I also like that Derek and her are partners they are more like equals

Would you consider changing genres?

I've thought about it, I've thought about time travel but I don’t know if I could pull it off, but I think I will probably try at some point, but I don’t know when.

Now for the fun part of the post, we have a pretty signed ARC of Wild Cards and we want to give it away to one of you, Swooners. So just go ahead and have fun with the Rafflecopter.

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About the Author
Simone Elkeles is a New York Times and USA Today best selling author of novels for teens. Simone's books have won many awards including being YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, being named to the YALSA Popular Paperbacks and Teens Top Ten lists, and added to the Illinois "Read for a Lifetime" Reading List. Simone also won the coveted RITA award from the Romance Writers of America for her book Perfect Chemistry. Simone is especially proud of the fact that the Illinois Association of Teachers of English named her Author of the Year.

Author Links: Website / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook / YouTube

I want to take a moment to thank Simone Elkeles for taking the time to do this interview with us. For more information about the Wild Cards Series go to Wildcards.com