One Two Three Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

One Two Three (One, Two, Three #1)
When seventeen-year-old Natalya’s dreams of being a ballerina are killed in a car accident along with her father, she must choose: shut down—like her mother—or open up to love. 

Last year,seventeen-year-old Natalya Pushkaya was attending the School of Performing Arts in New York City. Last year, she was well on her way to becoming a professional ballerina. Last year, her father was still alive.

But a car crash changed all that—and Natalya can’t stop blaming herself. Now, she goes to a regular high school in New Jersey; lives with her onetime prima ballerina, now alcoholic mother; and has no hope of a dance career.

At her new school, however, sexy soccer player Antonio sees a brighter future for Natalya, or at least a more pleasant present. Keeping him an arabesque away proves to be a challenge for Natalya and his patient charms eventually draw her out of her shell. 

When upsetting secrets come to light and Tonio’s own problems draw her in, Natalya shuts down again, this time turning to alcohol herself.

Can Natalya learn to trust Antonio before she loses him—and destroys herself?


Author Bio:
Elodie Nowodazkij was raised in a tiny village in France, where she could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, she moved to the US, where she learned she'd never lose her French accent. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Modern Language & Linguistics, and later earned master's degrees in German Cultural Studies and European Studies. Unbeknownst to her professors, she sometimes drafted stories in class. Now she lives in Germany with her husband and their cat (who doesn't seem to realize he's not human), and uses her commuting time to write the stories swirling in her head. She's also a serial smiley user.








Interview:
How do you plot a book? Do you wing it or outline it?
I have a broad plot, with major points I know will happen, and the I wing it. My first draft is usually very very different from the final novel. I tried to outline in details, but so far it doesn’t seem to work. However, my winging it is not only pouring the words on paper but also making sure I know what happens next. Whenever I stop writing, I jolt down some of the main elements of the next few pages. I am also learning to keep timelines, characters’ pages and so on. And…I am trying to outline the companion novel of ONE, TWO, THREE entitled ALWAYS SECOND BEST.

Are your characters based off of people you know?
Hmm. I think certain traits come from people I know (including me), but none of them is an exact replica of anyone I’ve ever encountered.

My husband did point out that, like Tonio, he also has a tiny scar above his eye J

What is the inspiration behind One Two Three?
I used to love dancing ballet as a kid, and I won a writing contest to go see the Opera de Paris. We saw the dancers train, it was magical. Those moments stayed with me.
Then, one day, I was talking about the movie Center Stage on Twitter and Natalya’s voice came into my head. At first, all I knew was that she was seventeen and an accident had killed her hope of becoming a professional ballerina…The accident turned into a car crash that also took her father’s life.
Natalya’s voice was sad and broken, but full of want.
From there on, it became her story.

When did you realize that you wanted to pursue writing for a living?
I started writing when I was very young. In the back of my mind, I always thought that maybe, maybe I could pursue writing for a living. But at the time, I also wanted to be a lawyer, an interpreter…and then I wanted to work for the European Union and in communications (which I ended up doing and am so happy about).

I realized I wanted to pursue writing for a living after finishing writing my second novel (One, Two, Three). I found the amazing and supporting writing community, I asked around, weighted my options and with the unwavering support of my husband, I decided to “go for it.”

Could you tell me more about your upcoming projects?
I have so many. At some point, I got scared that I would run out of ideas, but that’s the opposite. And I’m loving it J

I am finalizing a prequel novelette of One, Two, Three, entitled ONE DREAM ONLY. It’s the story of Natalya right around the car crash and it is available for pre-order on Amazon.

I am also working on the companion novel, ALWAYS SECOND BEST, which follows Emilia and Nick at the School of Performing Arts, and I’m revising DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL, a YA thriller. And I may or may not be jolting down some scenes of a NA sexy suspense novel.

This or That?
Coffee or soda? Coffee. I can’t function without coffee in the morning, and I always have coffee after lunch.

Skittles or M&Ms? M&Ms

Beach or mountains? This is a tough one. How about the beach where you can see the mountains in the backdrop. Like in Toscana, Italy J

Outside or inside? I am kind of a homebody. Inside with a good book and a cup of tea or hot chocolate, while the rain pours outside. Outside, by the beach, in the park, by the Rhine, jogging or strolling with my hubby, letting the sun wash away any pent-up stress.

Dogs or cats? Don’t make me choooooooose J We have a kitty named Peter who we adopted from the shelter two years ago, and we love him. As soon as we have a garden, we´ll also get a dog. I always had a dog and a cat growing up…
Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the rest of the tour:

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