Interview and Giveaway: Elsie Chapman + Divided

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming author Elsie Chapman to the blog to answer a few questions about Divided, the sequel to last year's young adult dystopian novel Dualed. The team at Random House has also generously offered up a giveaway to accompany today's interview, so be sure and check the bottom of the post for those details. Thanks so much for stopping by Elsie!

If West was going to train others as assassins as she herself has trained, what would be the first and most important lesson she would teach them?

To distance themselves from their kills and think of them solely as targets and not people. Emotional baggage would make being an assassin that much more difficult.

The Board is keeping secrets from West; secrets she obviously wants to uncover. What’s one book that, in your opinion, has an absolutely spectacular twist or secret reveal?

I just read We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. That one definitely caught me by surprise. I had to flip back after I was done and see how I missed it.

If those who know you best found themselves looking at both you and your Alt, what’s one quirk or habit you have that might tip them off as to which was the “real” you?

Maybe the fact that I pretty much live with headphones on. Or earbuds. Silence is hard for me. It makes me antsy.

Let’s say you find yourself in West’s world training to eventually kill your Alt. What aspect of training (endurance, hand to hand combat, weapons, etc) do you think you would excel at? Struggle with?

Oh, I’d excel at none and struggle with all. I’m definitely lacking in the physical coordination department. Though if I could pick a skill I'd like to excel at, it’d probably be something long-range, like being a sniper. The farther away from my Alt the better.

What’s one aspect of West’s character or personality that you wish you yourself possessed?

I like how she’s a bit hotheaded. Sure, she doesn't always think things through (and considering she’s fifteen, I’m letting her roll with it), but there’s something to be said about just diving in sometimes.

There are a number of young adult fictional worlds that would be absolutely terrifying to live in and will hopefully never come to pass. What’s one YA world you would be happy to spend time in if right this minute a portal opened up to take you there?

I (also) just finished reading Gayle Forman’s Where She Went, and I love how she filled Mia and Adam’s world with music. I’d love to attend a Shooting Star rock concert and see Adam rock out.

Is there something the process of writing a sequel has taught you about yourself as an author that writing the first book in a series didn’t?

I wrote Dualed as a standalone, so when it came to coming up with a plot for Divided, I really had no clue where to start. So I’m really happy that I was able to reach into Dualed and flesh out a whole other book from aspects of one I considered done.

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DIVIDED

The hunter becomes the hunted. . . .

West Grayer is done killing. She defeated her Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and proved she’s worthy of a future. She’s ready to move on with her life.

The Board has other plans. They want her to kill one last time, and offer her a deal worth killing for. But when West recognizes her target as a ghost from her past, she realizes she’s in over her head. The Board is lying, and West will have to uncover the truth of the past to secure her future.

How far will the Board go to keep their secrets safe? And how far will West go to save those she loves? With nonstop action and surprising twists, Elsie Chapman’s intoxicating sequel to Dualed reveals everything.

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ELSIE CHAPMAN

Photo Credit: Michael Meskin

I grew up in Prince George, BC, before graduating from the University of British Columbia with a BA in English Literature. I currently live in Tokyo, Japan with my husband and two kids, where I write to either movies on a loop or music turned up way too loud (and sometimes both at the same time).

I’m repped by The Chudney Agency. My debut novel, DUALED and its sequel, DIVIDED are both available now. Published by Random House Children’s Books.

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GIVEAWAY

Thanks to the awesome folks at Random House, I have one copy of Divided to give away on the blog today! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

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