Timekeeper Blog Tour: Alexandra Monir on Central Park + giveaway!

I'm pleased to welcome Alexandra Monir to Tynga's Reviews today! She's visiting us as part of the blog tour celebrating the release of TIMEKEEPER, the second book in her Timeless YA time travel romance series.

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“I’m in Central Park, she realized as she passed the rippling lake and took in the verdant greenery on either side. But how did I get here? Where are all the people?

A drop of water hit her fleece pants, and Michele looked down to see that she was in her sleepwear, with soft slippers in place of shoes. What in the world?

A drizzle had begun to fall, and she quickened her pace until she found herself standing in front of an old merry-go-round. The creaky carousel moved in slow motion while droplets of rain hit the colorful carved horses.” –TIMEKEEPER, pg 46

Photo of Central Park, present-day. Photo credit: Ed Yourdon

Central Park plays a significant role in both books, from Michele and Philip’s epic turn-of-the-century date in Timeless to this far creepier scene from Timekeeper. I consider Central Park to be the crown jewel of New York, so it was important to me to feature it in not just the first book, but the second as well! I also liked having such a contrast between the two Central Park scenes.

I spent a lot of time researching the park and its history for both books, including taking Big Onion’s super-informative and entertaining historical walking tour. Fun fact: I filmed an author interview video for Timeless in the section of the park where Michele and Philip spend their date in 1910!

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Thanks for visiting us, Alexandra, and giving us some insight into one of the settings in your novels!

Want more Alexandra? You can find her online on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.

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Here's the scoop on TIMELESS:

When tragedy strikes Michele Windsor’s world, she is forced to uproot her life and move across the country to New York City, to live with the wealthy, aristocratic grandparents she’s never met. In their old Fifth Avenue mansion filled with a century’s worth of family secrets, Michele discovers a diary that hurtles her back in time to the year 1910. There, in the midst of the glamorous Gilded Age, Michele meets the young man with striking blue eyes who has haunted her dreams all her life – a man she always wished was real, but never imagined could actually exist. And she finds herself falling for him, into an otherworldly, time-crossed romance.

Michele is soon leading a double life, struggling to balance her contemporary high school world with her escapes into the past. But when she stumbles upon a terrible discovery, she is propelled on a race through history to save the boy she loves – a quest that will determine the fate of both of their lives.

Jenn's thoughts

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

More about TIMEKEEPER:

This sequel to Timeless combines breathtaking romance with a tale of complex magic in a story that will have every reader believing in the transcendent power of love.

When Philip Walker appears as a new student in Michele Windsor's high school class, she is floored. He is the love she thought she lost forever when they said goodbye during her time travels last century. Overjoyed that they can resume the relationship they had a lifetime ago, Michele eagerly approaches him and discovers the unthinkable: he doesn't remember her. In fact, he doesn't seem to remember anything about the Philip Walker of 1910.

Michele then finds her father's journals, which tell stories of his time-traveling past. As she digs deeper, she learns about his entanglement with a mysterious and powerful organization called the Time Society and his dealings with a vengeful Windsor ancestor. Michele soon finds herself at the center of a rift over 120 years in the making, one whose resolution will have life-or-death consequences.

Jenn's thoughts

Read an excerpt

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

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We have one (1) set of TIMELESS and TIMEKEEPER for a lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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At the age of 25, author and recording artist Alexandra Monir released her debut young adult novel, Timeless. The book caught on quickly, with Amazon.com naming it one of the "Best Books of the Month" and Barnes & Noble featuring the title in their "Top Teen Picks". The book went on to hit the Barnes & Noble Teen Bestsellers chart, and has been featured in a variety of media, from popular teen websites to The Huffington Post. Alexandra wrote a companion short story eBook, Secrets of the Time Society, to set up the sequel, Timekeeper. The sequel publishes on January 8, 2013.

Alexandra also integrated original music into the novels' pages, writing two songs for Timeless, which she recorded with producer Michael Bearden (musical director of Michael Jackson's last concert, This Is It). The songs were released on iTunes as a supplement to the book. A new song for Timekeeper will be released on January 8, 2013, produced by Heather Holley and Rob Hoffman.

Alexandra currently resides in Los Angeles, California, where she is writing her next young adult novel for Random House.

Posted by jenn at 06:00

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Born and raised in the Toronto area, Jenn moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, eight years ago for school. She's still in school (thankfully on another degree!), now trapped in her dissertation. When she's not dissertating, which happens more often than it should, Jenn spends her time reading, watching movies, playing volleyball, travelling, and enjoying the local music scene. Her latest addictions: yoga and Almond Crunch cereal.