Every Breath Blog Tour

Welcome to the Every Breath Blog Tour hosted by Tundra Books!

This stop with the Paperback Princesses will feature an interview with Ellie Marney, author of Every Breath.  A huge thank you goes out to Tundra for including us in your blog tour as well as Ellie for taking the time out to answer a few questions.

Summary (by Goodreads)

When James Mycroft drags Rachel Watts off on a night mission to the Melbourne Zoo, the last thing she expects to find is the mutilated body of Homeless Dave, one of Mycroft's numerous eccentric friends. But Mycroft's passion for forensics leads him to realize that something about the scene isn't right--and he wants Watts to help him investigate the murder. 

     While Watts battles her attraction to bad-boy Mycroft, he's busy getting himself expelled and clashing with the police, becoming murder suspect number one. When Watts and Mycroft unknowingly reveal too much to the cold-blooded killer, they find themselves in the lion's den--literally. A trip to the zoo will never have quite the same meaning to Rachel Watts again...

Ellie is quite an interesting author. She resides in Australia but has lived all over the world. She currently lives in the country and has been working hard on the Every series. 

Hi Ellie, and welcome to The Paperback Princesses!

Hi Christina!

I have a few questions to pick your brain....

What book are you currently reading (or do you even have the time??)

Oh, I always find time to read!  Reading is probably my number one activity after writing – I think most authors would say the same.  You’ve got to keep reading, or your TBR pile falls over and smothers you! I sometimes go through a bit of a lull when I’m working on a book, because I have a terrible (or wonderful) tendency to get sucked into another world, and I spend all my time pondering the book I’m reading instead of thinking about the book I’m supposed to be writing…

At the moment, though, I’ve got a couple of books on the go, which is my usual way unless I come across something that really compels my total attention.  I’m deep in 18^th century Scotland right now with the third Outlander book, Voyager by Diane Gabaldon, and I’ve started Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.  I’m keenly waiting for the next book by Graeme Simsion (The Rosie Project) too – The Rosie Effect has just come out, and I’m a bit desperate for it!

I also dip in and out of books I’ve already read, usually when I’m keen for a comfort-read, or I want to recapture a feeling or a tone that inspires my own work.  I usually have a pile of books that I pick up and read a few pages of from time to time – the current pile on my desk is getting quite high, and holds books by Honey Brown (a fantastic Aussie author of psychological thrillers), Felicity Castagna (The Incredible Here and Now), Melina Marchetta (The Piper’s Son), Katie McGarry (Take Me On), Holly Black (Black Heart) and Helen Garner (who is an Australian writer of beautiful non-fiction and memoir).

Where do you write?  Do you have a particular spot where inspiration hits? 

I used to write in cafes, when my children were small.  For the last few years I’ve been writing in a little study room that’s squeezed into our shed – it’s pretty basic there, and unfortunately it also tends to be used as a place to store random junk.

You can see by the pic that my workspace is kind of a homage to mess…  In the summer it’s horribly hot, and there’s no heating either, so I freeze my fingers off in the winter.  But I love it – it’s my retreat from the world, and it’s where I’ve written all my books, so I guess it’s the place where my imagination feels happy J

Hey, there is no judgement where creativity is concerned!!  I used to use a Rubbermaid tote as my desk...and it doubled as my "closet" for stationary and my laptop!

Where did you come up with your character's names? The pair - Mycroft and Watts just rolls off your tongue.

Well thank you!  Mycroft’s name is fairly easy to understand – it’s the name of Sherlock Holmes’s older brother, who is described as being ‘much smarter’ than Sherlock but too lazy to put his skills to use in any investigatory capacity.

Mycroft’s full name is actually James Whelan Mycroft.   I really don’t know where Whelan came from – it just seemed to fit, and I imagined that it was a family name, the way some names are passed down through generations (my husband has something like that in his family).  James was a name that seemed to pair well with Mycroft – but interestingly enough, while researching Every Breath I discovered that actually it was Sherlock’s nemesis who owned that name: Dr James Moriarty.  So in some respects, Mycroft is his own worse enemy!

As for Rachel Watts…well, that is a funny one.  I think the name Rachel just came to me as her voice started speaking in my head – some characters seem to name themselves, in that way.  Her brother, Mike, sometimes calls her Rache for short – and again, in one of those weird kismet things, I remembered a long time later that ‘Rache’ is German for ‘revenge’, and was actually referenced as a clue in one of the Sherlock Holmes stories, A Study In Scarlet!

Watts was a name I had to really search for.  I wanted something that sounded like Watson, but wasn’t so excruciatingly obvious.  I was on a camping holiday and madly scribbling down names and crossing them off…I think Weston was one of the names that came up as a possibility.  Then I was sitting in the car on the way to the beach, and I remembered the character of Watts, from Some Kind of Wonderful (directed by John Hughes), and I thought that’s it!  If you haven’t seen that movie, btw, you should – it’s totally awesome, and there’s more than a little bit of drummer-girl Watts in Rachel, I think.

If you could meet any author, who would it be?

Well, if I was allowed to include dead writers, I would have to say William Shakespeare – he’s a bit like the writer’s god, and I went through a phase after high school when I read all his plays and poems, madly falling in love with each one in turn (although Romeo and Juliet is still my favourite).

Living authors only would be harder, there are so many I admire…  But actually I’d love to meet Stephen King.  He’s always been a bit of an idol of mine, and I would love to actually meet him one day (and hopefully I wouldn’t turn into a stammering idiot talking to him).

I know you like mangoes and avocados on toast but what are galahs?

I should clarify that statement about food – I love mangoes, and I love avocado on toast, but not mangoes and avocado on toast together!

Galahs are the loveliest birds we have here in Australia, in my opinion.  They’re a type of parrot, with gray feathers and this beautiful pink tummy, and they make a strong calling cry.  We have loads of them living on our property here, and have fostered a few baby galahs that we’ve rescued after they’ve fallen out of the nest. 

(They sound so nice!!  So glad to hear you aren't having galahs on toast now that I know what they are....)

What I love about them is that they’re family birds.  They have a distinct territory, and they mate for life, which I find gorgeous – they actually fly around together in married pairs.  And the parents look after the chicks with such devotion…  Whenever we’ve found and rescued chicks, the parents have always come to the house, responding to the call of their chick.  When that happens, we usually put the baby out on our back veranda and go hide, and the parents come down onto the veranda to feed the chick!  It’s amazing, and I love them for it, that they’re so protective and caring of their babies.  (Where can I find myself a Galah??)

One word...everyone say it with me now....awwwww!!!!!

Will you be doing an in-person book tour?  And if so, where will you be? Our followers are from all over the world.  Maybe there are some in your area!

I would love to do an in-person tour!  That would be a bit of a dream come true…  But I would have to talk to my publisher about it (*nudges Tundra Books*)!

I am actually thinking of coming to the US for BEA next year, when the second book Every Word is due for release, although that is still a wish and not a reality yet.  If it actually happens, I will most definitely let you know!  And hi to all your followers – if you’re living in Victoria, Australia (anywhere near Melbourne or Castlemaine), be sure to look me up next time I’m around!

Thank you!!

Thank you so much for taking the time out to chat with us!  Can't wait to dig into Every Breath!!  Really hoping that Tundra will bring you out for BEA 2015!  Would be wonderful to meet you!!  Congrats on Every Breath and best of luck!!

It’s been a total pleasure!  Thank you, for having me over for a chat on this amazing blog tour, and I hope you enjoy Every Breath.  Have a great week!

Xx Ellie

Follow Ellie on Twitter @elliemarney

Follow Tundra's blog tour @TundraBooks