The Secret Side of Empty by Maria Andreu
We'd like to welcome author Maria Andreu on her pre-release blog tour of The Secret Side of Empty. Check out a synopsis below. We are especially interested in such a controversial topic. With Obama's 2012 immigration law reform permitting illegal citizens to stay in the country if they'd been brought here as children and shows like The Fosters producing story lines that bring to light the plight of undocumented aliens, this story cannot come out at a more perfect time.
ABOUT The Secret Side of Empty
We asked Maria what music inspired the writing of this novel.
Playlist
Music played a big part in the writing of The Secret
Side of Empty, both from the way I envisioned certain scenes to songs that put
me in the right mood for writing. Since
the story is inspired by my own story, there are a few “oldies” mixed in. Here are my favorites:
The Smiths song “Here Comes Your Man” makes me think
of a certain mood that the main character has when she’s around her boyfriend,
like she wants to impress him and be more than she is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDzDm-KGCs4
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – M.T., the protagonist,
goes to visit a friend in college (even though she’s in high school) and goes
to see an a singing group. They do a
capella stuff. It’s so deeply unhip that
it’s cool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0iw89L6aFo I once saw an all-guys singing group do this
in a college I visited and the moment always stuck with me.
One Republic’s “Stop and Stare.” I love how this song builds. I bet M.T. and Nate, the couple in the love
story in The Secret Side of Empty, had this playing in the background while
they were kissing one day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwd6UHasXP4
M.T. likes to
ride her bike a lot. She listens to this
song while doing it. It’s moody and
vibey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l8PSdxy-_s
There is a character named Josh who decides he’s
going to take on M.T.’s “musical education” by sending her links to obscure
songs. (I think he has a bit of a crush
on her, but he’s got a girlfriend and she’s got a boyfriend). Here is one song he sends her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6etaa5hovA
This is another song Josh meant to send but which
didn’t make it into the book. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVd5RVukcs
M.T. goes through a lot of hard times through the
book. When she is really feeling down
she listens to songs like this one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqy7SnE-i1c
M.T. doesn’t particularly celebrate her Latina
heritage at the start of the book, but when she’s hanging out with her friends
she does get into this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zp1TbLFPp8
Giveaway Info
Maria is giving away two separate prizes on her tour, a $250
Amazon Gift Card AND a Kindle Fire.
1) For a chance
to win the$250 Amazon gift card, ORthe Kindle Fire leave a comment on her blog
post for that day. Winners will be randomly selected on September 30th.
Maria Andreu’s Bio:
Maria’s writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Washington Post
and the Star Ledger. Her debut novel,
The Secret Side of Empty, is the story of an “illegal” high school senior. It was inspired by Maria’s own experiences as
an undocumented teen. Since becoming a
citizen, Maria has run her own business and has become a soccer mom. She lives
with her 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son in northern New Jersey.
Links
Maria
Andreu on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritersideofM
Maria
Andreu on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.andreu.books
Thanks, Maria, for joining us. We wish you the best for the upcoming release of this novel!
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