Title: R.I.P.
ELIZA HART
Author: Alyssa
B. Sheinmel
Pub. Date: November
28, 2017
Publisher: Scholastic
Press
Pages: 336
Formats: Hardcover,
eBook
When Eliza Hart, the most popular girl
at Ventana Ranch boarding school, is found dead on the cliffs outside her
dormitory, Ellie Sokoloff is determined to figure out what happened to her.
After all, Eliza was Ellie’s childhood best friend.
Never mind that ever since Ellie arrived at school Eliza has spread terrible rumors about her, calling her a liar and a stalker, when all Ellie wanted to do was rekindle their old friendship. Or that Ellie’s claustrophobia limits where she can go and what she can do. Or that Ellie’s suitemate, Sam, is the only one who will help her . . . because to everyone else, Ellie looks like the top suspect.
Can Ellie clear her name and solve the mystery behind Eliza’s death? Her hunt for the truth will uncover secrets she never imagined, sending her deep into her own memories of her childhood with Eliza Hart.
New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Sheinmel delivers a gripping mystery and a sensitive and moving examination of the secrets that can hold us back—and even destroy us.
1. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or did you
want to be something else?
I always hoped my career would center around books—whether
editing or marketing them or writing them myself. I was that kid who kept notebooks full of stories, whose favorite
subject was creative writing, who re-read her favorite books over and over
again (something I still do), who took every writing class her college offered
and every literature class she could.
Before I began writing full-time, I worked in publishing—first as an
editorial assistant and then in the marketing department at Random House
Children’s Books.
2. How long does it take you to write a book from start to
finish?
There’s really no hard and fast rule for me—for my last few
books, I wrote the first few chapters without an outline and after a while, I
realized I needed to stop and work out where the story was going. Once I have an outline written, I aim
for writing a chapter a day—but I don’t even count those chapters as a first
draft until I’ve gone over them and over them. Plus, there are stops and starts if I’m also working on
other projects along the way, which I usually am. Then I get reads from others—my writing group, my agent, my
editor, sometimes a friend or two—and gets notes from them. It’s honestly different every time.
3. How do you come up with themes for your stories?
I have to admit, I find myself revisiting some of the same
themes again and again in my different books—characters who feel just a bit (if
not a lot!) out of place, friendships, self-acceptance. I don’t think I consciously choose to
keep writing about these themes—but the stories I come up with inevitably touch
on them.
4. Do you have a schedule of when you write?
I’m generally a morning-writer—I get most of my writing done
between nine and noon.
5. How are you able to balance other aspects of your life
with your writing?
When my first few books were published, I was still working
full-time in the marketing department at Random House Children’s Books. (A job I loved!) At the time, I fit writing in on
evenings and weekends and vacation days.
Today, I’m lucky enough to get to write full-time, but I structure my
days as if I still have an office job—I try to be sitting at my desk by about
nine in the morning, and I work until it’s time for my lunch break, and then
get back to my desk in the afternoon.
6. What elements do you think make a great story line?
Oh, this is such a hard question—if only I knew the
answer! I honestly don’t know—for
me, I just love my characters, and I keep writing until I see their stories
through.
7. What was the hardest thing about writing a book?
I honestly think every book I’ve written comes with a new
set of challenges. With R.I.P. Eliza Hart in particular—as I
wrote, it got more and more difficult to write Eliza’s chapters. How could I convey her hopelessness
without actually conveying hopelessness?
I just wanted to tell Ellie and Eliza’s stories in the way that felt the
most true.
8. How many books have you written so far? Do you have a
favorite?
Including R.I.P. Eliza
Hart, I’ve written six books, and co-authored two more. Honestly, my favorite is whichever one
I’m currently working on—so at the moment, one that is far from finished (and
might never be!).
9. Do you have a favorite character?
Maisie, the main character in Faceless, definitely has a special place in my heart. And I really love Eliza, the title
character of R.I.P. Eliza Hart. And I love Sam, Ellie’s roommate in R.I.P. Eliza Hart. And Serena, Maisie’s best friend in Faceless. Okay, so I guess this is a long way of saying that I can’t
pick one favorite character!
10. Where do you write?
I’m so dull—I just write at my desk every day.
11. When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to
the route you took?
I took a very traditional route—I wrote a draft, queried
agents, signed with an agent, who then took my book out to editors. By the time I had a draft ready to go
on submission, I’d worked in publishing for a few years, not just in the
marketing department at Random House Children’s Books, but also as an editorial
assistant at a literary agency before that. I think because I’d worked in the industry, I wanted to go
about getting published in the most traditional way.
12. Have you gotten feedback from family about your book(s)?
What do they think?
I think my mom and sister have most of my books, and I know
my dad read Faceless.
13. What kinds of things do you like to do outside of
writing?
Does reading count?
Well, in addition to reading and writing, I love anything that allows me
to spend time with my dog, plus hiking, yoga, and cooking.
14. What kinds of advice would you give to someone who wants
to start writing?
Read. I know
it’s not the most original piece of advice but I truly believe that everything
I’ve ever read—every novel, essay, article, textbook—has taught me something
about how to tell a story.
15. What is your favorite book? favorite author? Do you have
an author that inspired/inspires you to write?
There are so many authors who inspire me to write! Joan Didion, Alice Hoffman, Ann
Patchett, Rainbow Rowell, Jandy Nelson, Markus Zusak....I really meant it when
I said that I believe that I learn something about how to tell a story from
everything I read. These writers
(and many, many others) inspire me too try to do better work because they’re doing better work—they have
skills that I don’t and tell stories that I couldn’t. And that pushes me to try to do better.
16. Do you have any go to people when writing a book that
help you with your story lines as well as editing, beta reading and such?
I’m lucky enough to have a wonderful writing group—we meet about
every other week, and we discuss everything going on with our work. Sometimes we brainstorm ideas together,
sometimes we share excerpts from what we’re working on, and sometimes we just
update each other with where we are on our works-in-progress. I’m so grateful to have a group of
writers to talk to!
17. Are you working on anything now?
Whenever I’m not on deadline, I’m usually working on a
couple of new ideas at once, trying to figure out if any of them will turn into
a novel. When I’m on deadline, I
try to just work on one thing at a time.
18. Tell us 5 things that make you
smile
Dogs. (As long as they’re happy and well-cared for.)
Harry Potter.
Voting.
Thanksgiving.
More dogs.
19. If you
could travel anywhere in the world to visit a place so you could use it as a
background for a book, where would it be?
Actually, I’ve already set a story in my very favorite
place—R.I.P. Eliza Hart is set in Big
Sur, California. But I’d love to (and
I plan to) write more stories that take place there—and not only because it
would give me an excuse to visit again for research! I really think it’s such a magical, atmospheric setting.
About Alyssa B. Sheinmel
I was born in Stanford, California, and even though I moved across the country to New York when I was six years old, I still think of myself as a California girl.
Like so many writers, I grew up loving books. I loved stories so much that when there was nothing to read, I wrote my own stories just to give myself something to read. And when there was no pen and paper to be had, I made up stories and acted them out by myself. I played all the parts, and I was never bored.
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Tour Schedule:
Week One:
11/20/2017- The Cover Contessa- Interview
11/21/2017- Hauntedbybooks13- Review
11/22/2017- A Gingerly Review- Excerpt
11/23/2017- Here's to Happy Endings- Review
11/24/2017- BookHounds YA- Interview
Week Two:
11/27/2017- Bibliobakes- Review
11/28/2017- Savings in Seconds- Review
11/29/2017- Book-Keeping- Review
11/30/2017- Books at Dawn- Excerpt
12/1/2017- Owl always be reading- Review
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