Dark Days Tour: Interview with Veronica Rossi

I'm beyond excited to welcome young adult author Veronica Rossi to the blog today to answer a few questions about her amazing novel, Under the Never Sky, as part of HarperTeen's The Dark Days of Supernatural tour. This book just blew me away, and I couldn't be any more in love with Aria and Perry if I tried (you can read my full review here). For those of you who don't know about all the events planned for this tour and the fabulous authors scheduled to appear on it, I've got links and details at the bottom of this post. Thanks so much for stopping by Veronica!

If Aria could choose one thing about the world outside of Reverie that’s more beautiful, interesting, or just plain different from the same thing as represented in the Realms, what would it be and why?

The Realms are larger than life, and full of splash and fanfare, so the smaller things are what she would appreciate in real life for their intricacy and uniqueness, such as a rock, a sliver of bark, the sound of the wind.

There are so many quietly stunning moments between Aria and Perry as their relationship grows and changes; is there one moment, conversation, or interaction in particular that brought the biggest smile to your face or gave you a sense of supreme satisfaction?

Thank you! And yes, one of my favorite scenes between them occurs on a rooftop, in which Aria and Perry are talking, and then she sings to him. It’s a quiet scene, but I feel like it’s completely theirs. When I wrote it, I felt like I’d found the heart of the book.

Let’s say you’re cast out of Reverie as Aria is and are left alone in a completely unfamiliar environment. What’s the very first thing you would do?

Try to recall all the survival research I did for this book :-) Seriously, though. I’d try to stay calm and then cover the basic survival necessities: shelter, water and food.

Aria is musically gifted and has a breathtaking voice; do you have any musical talents yourself? I find I often send my dogs running from the room when I attempt to open my mouth to sing, it’s almost as though they sense it coming and take off as a preemptive measure to spare themselves the pain :-)

I’m so sorry your dogs do that, although it’s rather hysterical. I don’t have any musical talent whatsoever, but I do love music.

Both Perry and Aria seem to adapt really well to new situations and environments, taking things in stride and learning how to survive quickly. If they could choose to explore the world of another young adult novel, which one might they most like to experience?

I think Aria might like Prague, as seen in Laini Taylor’s DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. And I could picture Perry falling in easily into C.S. Lewis’ Narnia, though it’s a not a YA Novel.

The relationship between Aria and Perry is a joy to read, and one that is exceedingly memorable long after we’ve put the book down. Is there one romantic moment from either a book or movie that stands out in your mind as completely unforgettable?

One of my favorite romantic scenes is from the classic movie, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. It’s between Paul Newman’s character, Butch, and his best friend’s girlfriend, Etta, played by Katherine Ross. There’s a where they take off on a bicycle and spend an afternoon together, joking and having fun. It’s obvious they adore each other, but they’re both utterly loyal to Sundance, who is the common link between them. It’s such an honest and nuanced relationship. I absolutely love that scene.

What were the first words that popped into your head when the final finished copies of Under The Never Sky showed up at your door?

This is really happening.

Looking forward to the next two books in the series and the continuation of Aria and Perry’s journey, what color do you think best represents the emotions and events in store for us?

:-) I like this question. There’s going to be searing red anger, icy blue fear, and everything in between!

RAPID-FIRE QUESTIONS
Since this Dark Days of Supernatural Tour is HarperTeen's biggest one yet,
I've asked Veronica a few quick-response "biggest" questions!

Biggest guilty pleasure?

Pasta. Cheese. Chocolate… Wait. Did you say one?

Biggest fear when first starting to write Under The Never Sky?

That I couldn’t effectively portray two distinctive separate worlds.

Biggest clothing/food/entertainment addiction?

Shoes!

Biggest writing-related dream?

To write purely, that is, solely for myself. And to improve. Always to improve!

Biggest author crush?

MT Anderson

Thank you so much for having me!

THE DARK DAY OF SUPERNATURAL

This tour is going to be an absolute blast, so in addition to following the blog tour (see below schedule), you'll also want to stay connected to all things Dark Days on the Pitch Dark Facebook page, including exclusive content features every Wednesday! You can also get tons of information, including a schedule, excerpts and fun quizzes and polls, on the Dark Days Central page.

There's currently a fun survival quiz for Under The Never Sky up HERE, be sure and hop over to see how you'd fair!

DARK DAYS LEG ONE BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

January 4th and 9th - Melina of Reading Vacation will be posting on Tahereh Mafi
January 5th and 10th - Jen of I Read Banned Books will be posting on Ellen Schreiber
January 6th and 11th - I will be posting on Veronica Rossi

DARK DAYS FACEBOOK SCHEDULE

Jan 4th - Veronica Rossi, Under the Never Sky
Jan 17th - Ellen Schreiber, Magic of the Moonlight
Jan 25th - Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me

Feb 1st - Cynitha Hand, Hallowed
Feb 8th - Jodi Meadows, Incarnate
Feb 22nd - Courtney Allison Moulton, Wings of the Wicked
Feb 29th - Brodi Ashton, Everneath

March14th - Lauren Oliver, Pandemonium
March 21st - Claudia Gray, Balthazar
March 28th - Alex Flinn, Bewitching

April 4th - Jill Hathaway, Slide
April 11th - Kimberly Derting, The Last Echo