Q&A with Rebecca Hamilton discussion

How long did it take to write The Forever Girl?

What research did you do for the book?

I just discovered this series. It looks incredible. The cover art is gorgeous. Did you have a say in the choices and how did you react when you first saw them?

Rebecca wrote: "Thank you :) I selected the models and photographer, so that was a good start to the process. The "font laying" I actually did myself. I really love book cover design :)"

That is amazing. You made great choices and they turned out beautiful. It is so cool you were so hands-on with the process. You should love your book design, I know we all do. Thank you so much for sharing :)

I agree with Diana, the cover is awesome =)

Rebecca, what are some of your favorite book covers?

Rebecca wrote: "Oh there are SO many...

Here are a few...

http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Steel-Cors...
http://www.amazon.com/Wither-Chemical...
h..."

I loved Wither, it is one of my favorites as well. I just started Girl in the Steel Corset, but I never read Hush Money before. It looks good, added to my Amazon wishlist :) I love book covers as well, it is so hard to choose just one favorite one. :)

Since this is the first of several (many?) books, how do you plan to structure the series?

Waiting till 4 for another Sophia? I hope I can last that long, haha. No matter what I'm looking forward to reading about new characters, especially Ophelia in the novella. I was intrigued by what her story might be when she was introduced in the first book.

It also is interesting that you'll have such a separated "trilogy" throughout a series. But I do like the idea. It'll hold the readers into the series more as they wait for that next installment while allowing the rest of the whole story to fall into place.

Hi Rebecca, Rob's question and your reply are quite pertinent to a situation I'm faced with regarding the serialization of a narrative that was not intended as such (by my publisher or me). May I ask a follow up for some advice after this is over (I don't want to intrude on your work or time).

Well, I'm looking forward to all them. I feel the first book is a great indicator of how the rest will be :)

Not at all. Take your time, get the stories to where you like them. Then we, as your faithful friend and fans, will read them and love them...even if it takes ten years. Haha

Rebecca wrote: "Ask away, Oliver :)

Great. So, I began this Wall Street roman a clef under a book deal with Grove Atlantic. It dealt with the economic turmoil at the time, as well as a retrospective of the years and causes leading up it. Then the housing and banking industries collapsed and you know the rest. I therefore began weaving the original narrative into new events as they unfolded (and are still unfolding). I've decided to release it as, essentially, a Wall Street Tragicomedy in III Acts (working-titled Screwed, Shafted, Burned Betrayed: Scum and Villainy on Wall).

Each Act will be the length of a short book, rich in and of itself, but there will be no 'conclusion' until the tale is told in full. Do you think this is problematic from either the reader's or the market's perspective (personally, I think it's the direction that digital publishing is going, but this is more of a traditional publisher (Cold Mountain, Blackhawk Down, Bret Easton Ellis, etc.). Your thoughts would be great. Thanks Rebecca.

No, I mean simply dividing the story along it's somewhat jagged dramatic arc (much of the pacing is set by a courtroom trial that unfolds) and releasing it as Act I, then Act II, and finally ACT III. (Part of the reason is I want to release a good portion of it while buying some time for ACT III to live itself out in the run up to the election, which I think will be like nothing we've seen before. Anyhow, thanks so much for your input, especially given this was your time and tome. I promise I will impact your sales.

Rebecca wrote: "So you mean it's one book, but sold in 3 parts? I guess it depends. If I think about the way blogs do the same thing successfully, they do it by having sort of a "closure" or "focal point" to each ..."

Precisely. One book, three parts. You're dead on with the blog analogy and the necessity that each part/act have it's own resolution of sorts, even if the underlying tension comes back. Thank you Rebecca. Very helpful.

What literary characters from other books would Sophia be good friends with, and why?

Oh... That's a good one!

If you could redo any part of the writing/publishing process with this book, what would it be? Why?

It's so hard to catch them all. But sounds like you put great effort into it!

Will Ivory show up in later books? She faded away after a while...

Can you tell us (if it's not a secret) which charters do you plan to follow in book 3 and 5?

And one more, do you have a plan in your head how the story will go (it's going to end) or you still don't know? Btw, don't tell us the end! :D