Interview With Elle Marr, Author of THE ALONE TIME

 

 

1.      What inspired you to write your newest book, THE ALONE TIME? Can you top your last book, an Amazon best-seller?  Like every author out there, I hope the world falls in love with my book – but I wrote The Alone Time for a specific niche of people: Thriller lovers; the kind of readers that love a good scare and savor the anticipation of imminent danger for characters they’ve become invested in. I always write for me, first and foremost, because I know that if I’m not entranced by a story, other readers will have a hard time spending hundreds of pages with it, too. And that’s why I’m hopeful The Alone Time will be well received—because I was inspired by my own experience with a plane crash when I wrote the initial chapters.

 

2.      What exactly is it about and who is it written for?  This story is about two sisters who survived a plane crash that killed their parents twenty-five years ago. They must face the secrets they left buried in the woods when a true crime documentary filmmaker begins digging into the past. It’s for anyone who has ever been on a plane and wondered what might happen if they crash-landed somewhere remote—then lived to return to society and recount their version of the truth.

 

3.      What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?  The Alone Time is about confronting ourselves and our actions, no matter how many years have passed—and then accepting the consequences. I hope readers walk away from this book questioning the choices they would have made in the same impossible situations that Fiona and Violet endure. And if they do, I hope readers are honest with themselves. After all, the truth always comes out in the end. 

 

4.      How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?  The title is a phrase I actually use with my kid, to describe whenever he needs space to collect himself (and calm down); “Maybe you should take some alone time.” As I was brainstorming titles for this story, I thought of that phrase, and also how ominous it would sound if the alone time were forced upon someone, particularly a young child. The more I sat with that idea, the more “The Alone Time” seemed like a perfect fit. The cover design is the brilliant work of my publisher, Thomas & Mercer, and I absolutely love what they came up with. The book cover image is evocative of the suspense, the unknown, and the anxiety my characters endure while they are stranded in the wild—as well as when they reach adulthood while back in society, and must wrestle with their residual feelings of isolation. 

 

5.      What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?  Don’t undertake this writing thing lightly; come to the table with your ideas prepared—and at least well considered, if you’re not into outlining. I think everyone’s process is valid (lots of writers I know are pantsers); but for anyone struggling with time management, mentally preparing yourself in advance to write a story is so key. Most of us write because we love it, right? Lean into that and don’t forget it. Especially on the hard days when the words are stubborn. 

 

6.      What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  I’m certainly no expert, but I’m noticing more Romantasy trends in fiction—seeing it everywhere, really. Regarding where the industry is headed as a whole, you’ll have to ask AI for me. J 

 

7.      Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? Yes, as I shared above, I was in a plane crash when I was a kid. My dad was piloting a small passenger plane when the gas cap came unscrewed and all our fuel leaked out over the clouds. We crash-landed safely in a mountain range in Southern California, but it was easily the most harrowing experience of my life. I drew on those memories when I was writing the opening chapters of The Alone Time, and I hope readers get the benefit of experiencing the adrenaline without living through it themselves.

 

8.      How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?  My writing style is sharp and emotion-driven. I try to create vivid scenes that pique a reader’s senses, while also steeping a reader in heightened emotions, depending on the environment a character enters. I deal heavily in family relationships—which are the basis for so many of our quirks as adults and in our romantic relationships. My writing might be similar to the styles of Lucy Foley or Riley Sager.

 

9.      What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?  I didn’t know the ending when I began writing this story. Rather, I thought I did. But by the time I reached the final chapters, the characters were telling me someone new and surprising was the antagonist. I could have stuck to the original plan, but my gut told me this change was too good to pass by. I’m glad I remained flexible enough to lean into what my story was telling me.

 

10.  If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?  The Alone Time is immersive, escapism thriller fiction that checks all the boxes for suspense readers: Secrets hidden in the past? Check; Dueling, estranged sisters? Check; True crime documentary? Check; Revelations from the wild returning to upend the carefully constructed lives of the adult sisters in the present? Oh, yes. Double check.

ABOUT ELLE MARR:

Elle Marr is the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Family Bones, Strangers We Know, Lies We Bury, and The Missing Sister. Originally from Sacramento, Elle graduated from UC San Diego before moving to France, where she earned a master’s degree from the

Sorbonne University in Paris. She now lives and writes in Oregon with her family.  For more information, check out Elle Marr on Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: ellemarrauthor Twitter: ellemarr_ and on her website:  www.ellemarr.com.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.9 million pageviews. With 4,900+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.