Series: Letters to Nowhere #1
Pages: 288
Publisher: Long Walk Press
Pub. Date: August 1, 2013
Genre: YA/NA Contemporary
From the International Bestselling Author of the Tempest Series...Set in the tough world of Elite Gymnastics...I've gotten used to the dead parents face. I've gotten used to living with my gymnastics coach. I've even adjusted to sharing a bathroom with his way-too-hot son. Dealing with boys is not something that's made it onto my list of experiences as of yet. But here I am, doing it. And something about Jordan--being around him, talking to him, thinking about him--makes me feel like I can finally breathe again. That's something I haven't been able to do lately. He knows what it feels like to be me right now. He knows what it's like to wonder--what now? I think about it constantly. I need answers. I need to know how to get through this. In the gym, if you're struggling, you train harder, you do drills and conditioning. How do I work hard at moving on? At being on my own? And what happens if I might be...maybe...probably falling for Jordan? I mean we live together now. That can't happen, can it? But kissing him...well, let's just say it's not an easy activity to forget.
Hi Julie! Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed on my blog. It's lovely to have you here.
1. Tell me a little about yourself? What do you like doing for fun? (other than writing/reading)
I’m pretty into working out so I do a lot of running, usually every day. Lots of time at the pool in the summer with the kids. I like to watch lighthearted and even ridiculous television and movies. Anything in the realm of 30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Dance Moms.
2. Where or/and how did the idea for your book "Letters To Nowhere" come about?
I got the idea for Letters to Nowhere on flight home from NYC in January 2012 right after my debut novel, Tempest released. I sat there staring out the window, creating Karen’s character and her backstory.
3. Name one thing that you feel makes Letters to Nowhere special? How does it stand out among so many other coming of age books out there?
What I’ve heard from early reviews is that readers haven’t read a YA or NA with a gymnast for a main character. I have to agree with that being a stand-out element because if there were more books like this, I would have found them and devoured them instantly. My teenage self would have done the same.
4. Have you always wanted to be a writer? At what age where you when you decided to write your first book or attempted to begin one?
I didn’t begin writing until I was 29 and before that I hadn’t ever thought about it. My first book was a weird version of what became Tempest, but really it was just the one-line premise that continued one—Boy witnesses his girlfriend’s death, jumps back in time, re-meets her and tries to prevent her death. In my first version of this, my main character was an alien (half alien), the only time travel happened before the book opened and Holly was a gymnast pursing her gymnastics dreams. It was about 200 pages too long and pretty much horrible. Lol. I wrote six more novels after that and learned a ton before selling the Tempest series.
5. Since being published with your Time Travel series, Tempest what has been your greatest challenge or tell me something you've learned along the way?
Sometimes I miss that pre-published energy. That time when you’re writing just for yourself. It’s a different mindset, but at the same time, I thrive on feedback and almost never complete a novel without having input from readers throughout the process. The more you learn about publishing and the business side of it, the more you lose that wide-eyed virginal innocence and it’s easy to become jaded. I have to separate the creative side from the business side as much as possible.
6. Your lead female character Karen is a gymnast. Do you play any sports?
I played many sports growing up, gymnastics (obviously), lots of ballet, soccer, track and field, softball, swim team. But gymnastics has always been my greatest passion as far as sports go.
7. Can you tell me some of your favorite books or authors? (current or when you were a child)
Current favorites—Anything by Tammara Webber, Courtney Summers, David Levithan, John Green, Miranda Keneally. Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger is my current favorite on the supernatural/paranormal side. I feel like there’s so many I’m forgetting…I love Beth Revis’ Across the Universe series and all the Vamp Academy books and the Bloodlines series, Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, Altered by Jennifer Rush.
8. Thank you for being here, Julie Cross. Are there any final thoughts you'd care to share with my readers?
If you’re not typically into sports or sports books, don’t be intimidated by the gymnastics aspect in Letters to Nowhere. I may have tons of passion for the sport but I wrote it with readers who love contemporary YA/NA in mind. Check out the online reviews and you’ll see that many reviewers had th same worries going in and were very pleased to find themselves able to relate completely.
About the Author: Julie Cross
Find Julie @
Julie Cross is the International Bestselling author of the Tempest series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest, Vortex, and the final installment, Timestorm (St. Martin's Press). She's also the author of Letters to Nowhere (8/13), a mature young adult romance set in the world of elite gymnastics, as well as several forthcoming young adult and new adult novels with publishers like Entangled, Sourcebooks, HarperCollins, and St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books.
Julie lives in Central Illinois with her husband and three children. She's a former gymnast, longtime gymnastics fan, coach, and former Gymnastics Program Director with the YMCA. She's a lover of books, devouring several novels a week, especially in the young adult and new adult genres. Outside of her reading and writing credibility's, Julie Cross is a committed--but not talented--long distance runner, creator of imaginary beach vacations, Midwest bipolar weather survivor, expired CPR certification card holder, as well as a ponytail and gym shoe addict. You can find her online via twitter, her personal website, email, facebook, Goodreads, or co-moderating the YAwriters section of reddit.
There are two tour-wide giveaways.
--GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE GIVEAWAY to ONE Winner.
--An eBook of LETTERS TO NOWHERE to FIVE Winners.
The Grand Prize giveaway is open internationally, however international winners can only select five of the books listed due to shipping costs.
GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY
AUTOGRAPHED FINISHED COPIES of...
- All 3 of Simone Elkeles' HOW TO RUIN series
- TEETH by Hannah Moskowitz
- GONE GONE GONE by Hannah Moskowitz
- LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger
- BITTERSWEET by Sara Zarr
ARCs of OCTOBER 2013 YA RELEASES
- UNBREAKABLE by Kami Garcia
- ANYWHERE BUT HERE by
- BANG by Lisa McMann
- REALITY BOY by A.S. King
- NEVER FADE by Alexandra Bracken
- SIX MONTHS LATER by Natalie D. Richards
ARCs of NOV 2013 - FEB 2014 YA RELEASES
- ALIENATED by Melissa Landers (Feb 2014)
- ROOMIES by Sara Zarr & Tara Altebrando (Dec 2013)
- AFTER EDEN by Helen Douglas (Nov 2013)
OTHER BOOK PRIZES
- Personalized signed copies of TEMPEST + VORTEX (a foreign edition if available can be swapped for the U.S. edition)
- E-copy of LETTERS TO NOWHERE by Julie Cross (if print is available at time of shipping, a print copy will be sent, too)
WINNER'S CHOICE (ONE of Following BIG prizes)
- Basic US Kindle (valued at $69.00 USD) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007HCCNJU/ref=sa_menu_kdptq
OR
- $50 US Amazon Gift card
OR
- $50 US Barnes and Noble gift card
*As some prizes may not be redeemable by international participants, alternative suggestions are welcome but not guaranteed.
To enter the giveaway please use the rafflecopter form below.
Also to see the 2nd giveaway, click on the gray small arrows next to the image on the rafflecopter form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also to see the 2nd giveaway, click on the gray small arrows next to the image on the rafflecopter form.
Come check out the rest of the tour stops:
Week One -
Sept. 3rd - The Book Cellar - Review & Guest Post
Sept. 3rd - Reading In Twilight - Guest Post
Sept. 4th - A Backwards Story - Review
Sept. 4th - The Irish Banana - Review
Sept. 5th - Bittersweet Enchantment - Interview
Sept. 5th - Book Breather - Review
Sept. 5th - Never Too Fond of Books - Review
Sept. 6th - Curling Up With A Good Book - Guest Post
Sept. 6th - Oops! I Read A Book Again - Review
Week Two -
Sept. 9th - Page Turners - Review & Guest Post
Sept. 9th - Gobs and Gobs of Books - Interview
Sept. 10th - Crawling Over The Pages - Guest Post
Sept. 10th - Musings From An Addicted Reader - Review
Sept. 10th - Sweet Southern Home - Guest Post
Sept. 11th - Mom With A Kindle - Interview
Sept. 11th - Reading with ABC - Review
Sept. 12th - Gone with the Words - Review & Guest Post
Sept. 12th - About to Read - Review
Sept. 12th - Blackplume - Interview
Sept. 13th - Every Free Chance Book Reviews - Guest Post
Sept. 13th - Literary Meanderings - Review
Posts
The novel sounds like a satisfying read. Want to read more about the relationship that is developing.
ReplyDeleteI love movies and Tv shows about Gymnastics so it would be interesting to read a book about it!
ReplyDeleteI love the autor, and a new book for her,will be amazing n-n
ReplyDeleteI haven't read a main character that's a gymnast either. I think what most interests me is the fact that she's living with the boy she's crushing on. Sounds like a story with some great run-ins and (hopefully) romance scenes!
ReplyDelete-Jenna
The author being in the International Bestseller List and that the guy's name in the novel is Jordan. I love that name. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not very athletic or talented, but as a child, my dream was always to be a great dancer or gymnast. I watch all the movies about dance and music, Stick It being one of my favorite movies of all time (although I can never find it in the stores to buy. Julie Cross actually favors the main character in the movie.) There are not many books out that allows you to live out a character's passion, so I'm interested in actually being involved in Karen's passion for gymnastics. If I wrote a story about my interests/hobbies, it would be about a girl who likes to fish and camp haha. Also, I bought Tempest through Audible and listened to it and really enjoyed it so that's another reason I am really looking forward to reading this book. I'm always a sucker for a great love story too and Jordan sounds dreamy.
ReplyDeletewendyrailey(at)yahoo(dot)com
I think I'd really like this book. A few of my friends on GR already read this and they all rated it 4 or 5 stars. It sounds like a very emotional book and I love that the main character is a gymnast.
ReplyDeleteI love the book cover. I have always wanted to be in the Olympic for equestrian or ice skating. My mom is quite too protective and won't let me out of her sight. That dream has sailed but I can read about it.
ReplyDeleteI've never read anything that centered around gymnastics! That sport, along with ballet, is always portrayed as being very cutthroat and intense, so I'd love to try something about this.
ReplyDeleteI love YA and NA, so a book that seems to be a blend of both sounds awesome. Plus I've always loved gymnastics (I was a gymnast when I was younger until the only gym near me closed), so this sounds like a perfect read for me!! :D
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it has the makings of an emotionally intense read with great romantic elements.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that it is by Julie Cross is what initially drew me to it but the synopsis sealed the deal. I am becoming a HUGE fan of contemporary and this is the kind that is right up my ally!
ReplyDeleteWell, off the bat I saw that it was written by Julie Cross, and I wanted to read it. Then, I read the synopsis, and the original plot line made me want to read it even more! I've never read a book about gymnastics, so this would be a nice change for me!
ReplyDeleteNA is still a pretty new genre to me, as is YA contemporary cause I'm more a paranormal/UF fan, but I do read the occasional NA and enjoy them. I've never read a book about ballet or gymnastics before, so yeah I'm intrigued! :)
ReplyDeletegymnastics!!! thanks for the giveaway
ReplyDeleteI think the inner gymnast in me would love it. I am totally uncoordinated and not bendy so I need to live vicariously through these characters. Haha.
ReplyDeleteThis book definitely sounds like the type of book I'd enjoy. I like that it has Gymnastics in it, which is different from most books I've read. I'm super keen to check this one out :)
ReplyDeleteIt certainly sounds fairly unique! I don't think I've ever read a book about gymnastics before!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds like a good read because it looks like the plot is fresh and fun. :)
ReplyDeleteI like that it's about gymnastics, well, that's not all it's about, but you know, lol. I love gymnastics. =)
ReplyDeleteI love books about any type of athletes in it. I even made a shelf on my GR profile for it.
ReplyDeleteI also had no idea Julie Cross wrote a contemp.novel. Need to check it out.
It sounds different that what has been out lately.
ReplyDeleteI'm mostly interested in the gymnastics side of the book, how it affects the heroines life and love interest, and how it's different from other lifestyles.
ReplyDeleteSo many romances in contemporary fics seem to be either with the new kid or the best friend, so the fact that she's falling for the guy she lives with makes it seem like a really different prospect :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a great romance with a lot of emotions. Sounds like fun living with a hot guy! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to all the romantic interactions! ;)
ReplyDeleteRomance and gymnastics, what's not to love?
ReplyDeleteThe title is a big factor to why I want to read it. And, gymnastics. That's a massive plus.
ReplyDeleteI've heard such great things about this book and I adore YA contemps.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of things that interest me about LETTERS TO NOWHERE. One being I loved Tempest by Julie Cross, another being I heard great things about it, and that it is a YA contemporary novel that includes gymnastics.
ReplyDelete