Some of you already know beautiful Samantha Sotto, but from August 2nd her name will be worldwide known since that's when her novel BEFORE EVER AFTER will be published by famousRandom House. The book got wonderful praises from some amazing writers including Anne Fortier, New York Times bestselling author of "Juliet". Since Sam is my dear friend, she agreed to chat a bit with me on the upcoming book!DEZZ: SINCE BEFORE EVER AFTER SEEMS TO HAVE A COMPLEX PLOT, LOTS OF HISTORICAL ELEMENTS AND A VERY WIDE SETTING, HOW DID YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH AND WHERE DID YOU FIND THE INSPIRATION?
SAM: I did a lot of desk and online research, but the real inspiration for the book came from the backpacking trip I took around Europe with a good friend. We desperately needed a break from our jobs. I sold my car and stuffed my backpack with two pairs of jeans, a Euro Rail pass and a secondhand guidebook. The only thing that was set in our itinerary was that we needed to be in Athens on a certain date to catch our plane home.
I cannot even count how many times I got lost during the trip. I’m so good at losing my way that it’s almost a super power. While I still haven’t figured out how to use it to end poverty or to achieveworld peace, it did have its use when I was writing the book. Getting lost allowed me to find old cobbled streets and tucked away corners that whispered stories and secrets. I just wrote them down.
DEZZ: AH, I KNEW WE COULD EXPECT SUCH CHARMING MAGIC FROM YOU :) BEFORE EVER AFTER DOES SEEM LIKE IT COULD BE EASILY MADE INTO A GOOD MOVIE, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT A POSSIBLE FILM ADAPTATION?
SAM: Truth? I’m not sure if the structure of the book lends itself to a film adaptation. But if we’re talking about a MINISERIES… :D (HBO, are you listening? ;-) )
DEZZ:WOW, A MINISERIES SOUNDS MARVELOUS! WHICH ACTORS, ACTRESSES AND DIRECTORS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN IT OR IN THE FILM VERSION OF BEFORE EVER AFTER?
SAM: Oh, man. I’m afraid I’m going to have to bite my tongue (Ow). I don’t want to influence how readers will imagine the characters in the book, but I will say that a book club that was discussing BEFORE EVER AFTER had a spirited debate about casting Max. Gerard Butler, Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackmanwere just a few of the names that were brought up. You won’t hear any argument from me.
DEZZ: THAT'S A LIST OF ACTORS I'D EXPECT FROM YOU, SAM :) DO YOU THINK THAT WRITERS CAN FIND INSPIRATION AND IMPORTANT LESSONS IN FILMS AND TV SHOWS?
SAM: Absolutely! Watching film and TV shows taught me a lot about pacing, story arcs and mystery boxes. The best shows know how to keep you guessing what’s inside the mystery box until the end of the season.
The two shows that inspired me the most while I was writing the book was season three of Doctor Who (I LOVE YOU, DAVID TENNANT.) and HBO’s Rome. I think readers will see a lot of The Doctor in my main character Max. Rome helped me visualize the time period I was writing about. The fact that James Purefoy was ridiculously hot as Marc Antony was a bonus.
DEZZ: YOUR BOOK SEEMS LIKE ONE OF THOSE ENCHANTING BESTSELLERS WHICH QUICKLY SEDUCE THE READERS AROUND THE WORLD, SO THE PRESSURE OF WRITING THE SECOND BOOK IS BIG, WHAT IS YOUR NEXT MOVE? WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON CURRENTLY?
SAM: Oh, Dezzy…can we bottle your optimism and sell it? We can split the profits. How does 60:40 sound? I’m finishing up my second book now. It’s set in Amsterdam and it is about a love triangle between two people. No, that is not a typo! :)
THAT SOUNDS EQUALLY WONDERFUL AS BEFORE EVER AFTER! SAM, THANKS FOR THE LOVELY CHAT AND YOU KNOW HOLLYWOOD SPY IS KEEPING HIS FINGERS CROSSED FOR YOU AND THE BOOK! I SMELL A HUGE BESTSELLER ;)
BEFORE EVER AFTER
Three years after her husband Max’s death, Shelley feels no more adjusted to being a widow than she did that first terrible day. That is, until the doorbell rings. Standing on her front step is a young man who looks so much like Max–same smile, same eyes, same age,
same adorable bump in his nose–he could be Max’s long-lost relation. He introduces himself as Paolo, an Italian editor of American coffee table books, and shows Shelley some childhood photos. Paolo tells her that the man in the photos, the bearded man who Paolo says is his grandfather though he never seems to age, is Max. Her Max. And he is alive and well.
Three years after her husband Max’s death, Shelley feels no more adjusted to being a widow than she did that first terrible day. That is, until the doorbell rings. Standing on her front step is a young man who looks so much like Max–same smile, same eyes, same age,
As outrageous as Paolo’s claims seem–how could her husband be alive? And if he is, why hasn’t he looked her up? – Shelley desperately wants to know the truth. She and Paolo jet across the globe to track Max down–if it is really Max– and along the way, Shelley recounts the European package tour where they had met. As she relives Max’s stories of bloody Parisian barricades, medieval Austrian kitchens, and buried Roman boathouses, Shelley begins to piece together the story of who her husband was and what these new revelations mean for her “happily ever after”. And as she and Paolo get closer to the truth, Shelley discovers that not all stories end where they are supposed to.