Rules of Attraction Blog Tour: Simone Elkeles Talks Getting Into Boys' Heads

Today I'm fortunate enough to take part in the Rules of Attraction Blog Tour! Simone has very kindly written a guest post about getting into male characters' heads and having her fans fall in love with them!

As a teen, I had a lot of guy friends. That meant that I got a lot of, “I could never date you Simone, you’re my best friend and know way too much about me” from guy friends who I developed crushes on. I guess the great thing now is that writing from the guys’ point of view is easy for me. Believe it or not, my female characters are a huge challenge for me! I guess I should say writing realistic and likeable girls is hard. Guy characters can be jerks and still be redeemable, but girls. . . not so much. When girls are bitches, readers have a hard time liking them in the end even if they redeem themselves. Why is that? I don’t know. . . maybe there should be a psychological study dedicated to that topic! Or I could be totally off my rocker and my theory could be completely wrong.

The number one thing I learned from being friends with so many guys was that they are not as complicated as girls like to think. HOWEVER, they are just a little bit more complicated than they let on. Also, contrary to what they will tell you, they DO have feelings. When they like a girl, they’ll go out of their way to impress her. Many just don’t want her to know how much they actually like her. Unless, of course, another guy is hitting on her. . . then, it’s on!

I love writing heroes who my female fans fall in love with – I have to fall in love with them as I’m writing them, too. I like my men to be witty, so most of my male characters are sarcastic and pretty quick with a comeback. Carlos from Rules of Attraction was so much fun because I could let him say almost anything he wanted – the more obnoxious the better. He definitely entertained me. But, I also like my characters to have a sweet side. I think Avi from the How to Ruin series is probably the sweetest guy I’ve written. He’s noble and honorable, but he’s still strong and manly. Luis is also going to be that way in Chain Reaction. That’s another tricky thing about writing boys. Most boys put on a show of being tough. When I write I want to reveal their vulnerable and emotional side, but I don’t want to make them weak. No one wants to fall in love with a pushover who won’t stand up for himself or you. Alex from Perfect Chemistry is a guy who has it all. . . although he gets himself in trouble when he thinks he knows all the answers. Nobody knows all the answers, so I make sure he gets knocked down a few pegs when he starts getting cocky. I wish I could do that in real life, ha ha! I have interviewed a lot of guys while I’ve been a writer. . . teen guys will actually share a lot of information when asked (and given a pizza dinner).

I think my favorite thing about writing from the male point of view is showing girls what they deserve. I get so many emails from teen girls telling me that my book made them realize that they deserve a guy who will treat them right. YES!!! You do!!!! Being treated right by a guy without compromising your integrity is so important. Don’t settle for less than what you deserve!

Thanks for the opportunity to reach all my fans in the UK!

Thank you so much, Simone, for writing such a great blog post! Rules of Attraction was released on 6th January 2011. Be sure to check out Simone's website, and you read my review of Rules of Attraction.

Tomorrow, Simone will be stopping by at The Book Girl, make sure you check it out!

Continue reading Rules of Attraction Blog Tour: Simone Elkeles Talks Getting Into Boys' Heads

News: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles Blog Tour

Keep your eyes peeled from 10th January to see some brilliant posts across several UK book blogs to celebrate the release of Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles!

Visit my blog on the 11th to see a guest post from Simone about how she gets into the minds of teenage boys so well! Check out the other blogs for some other brilliant posts!

Continue reading News: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles Blog Tour

News: Third Book in Perfect Chemistry Series by Simone Elkeles

Get ready to do a happy dance with me, ok? Be prepared to squee. Get your jaw ready to drop.

Ready?

Really? Are you sure?

Ok, ok, here it comes...




SIMONE ELKLES' THIRD PERFECT CHEMISTRY BOOK IS...

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles - Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn't live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he's never known, and just when he thinks he's got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?

Continuing all the steamy romance of the first two books, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Simone Elkeles gives fans one more satisfying taste of the irresistible Fuentes boys. From Goodreads

Can you give me a OMG!? Hello shower! Is this YA? Really, is it? Because... wow. I guess they kind of got a bit... hot. EEE I LOVE IT! And I love the switch of roles with this book! Oooh, I am dyyyying to read it! But what is he holding in his hand?

The only thing that worries me about this cover is what those people who like to have fun by ruining our fun by banning books might think. This doesn't look like a cover that will go under their radar. And this worries me. But I loooove it! I am sooo excited!

Continue reading News: Third Book in Perfect Chemistry Series by Simone Elkeles

Review: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles (review copy) - Carlos Fuentes isn't happy about leaving Mexico to start the "new" life his older brother, Alex, has planned for him. Carlos liked his freedom; living life on the edge - just like Alex did. Kiara Westford doesn't talk much; instead preferring to shut out the world. And when Carlos bounds into her life she struggles to understand him. Carlos is sure that Kiara thinks she's too good for him, which is just fine because he's not interested anyway, right? But when they finally open up to each other, the connection they feel shocks them both. Can they overcome their fears and realise that sometimes opposites really do attract? From Amazon UK


Everyone who visits my blog often enough knows Perfect Chemistry, knows about the gorgeous Alex Fuentes, and knows he stole my heart earlier in the year. So you will all know how excited I was to receive the sequel Rules of Attraction thanks to Simon & Schuster UK and Sophie of So Many Books, So Little Time. I have put off reading it for whatever reason, but I am now kicking myself for not starting it as soon as it was in my hands. If Perfect Chemistry was good, Rules of Attraction is better!

This story is Carlos' story, Alex's younger brother. Where Perfect Chemistry was about there being more to people than what you think, Rules of Attraction is about there being more in the world if you just reach out and grab it, and it's such a sweet story!

In Alex's absence, Carlos followed in his older brother's and his father's footsteps; he became a member of a gang while in Mexico. His mother sends him to live with Alex in the hopes of keeping him safe, giving him a new life - which is the opposite of what Carlos wants. As far as he is concerned, this lifestyle is in his blood, and moving to Colorado isn't going to change that. Where Alex was the bad boy who wanted the better life, Carlos is happy to stay as he is. That is, until he meets Kiara.

Kiara is a quiet girl, a laughing stock to the popular girls at school because of a stutter she has trouble controlling when feeling extremes of emotion - quite the polar opposite to Brittany in Perfect Chemistry, who was the school's "It" girl. She'd rather be climbing mountains or fixing up her vintage car rather than bother with make-up and fashion. She has one friend, Tuck, and is quite happy to keep to herself. That is, until she meets Carlos.

They are both nothing like what the other is used to, initially not who they would normally go for, but after they are thrust together when Carlos gets set up for selling dryugs and is taken in by Kiara's father to try and help him, they get to know each other a little more and see glimmers that surprise them. You have no idea how many times I was "Aww"-ing at this book! They are just so sweet.

And, of course, Carlos is a Fuentes, so there is a lot to drool over. I know there are certain members of the blogosphere who might hate me for this (sorry!), but I think I prefer Carlos to Alex! The dangerous streak, the challenging flirting, the arrogance - it's ridiculously attractive. The guy is just smoking! I don't know how she does it, but Elkeles is a genius at getting into a guy's head and making him seem so real. This is another book that needs to be on screen! I think we should petition for both these books!

I can't really say much more without spoiling the plot, but it's just fantastic! I flew through it, and died at how hot and sweet it is. Really, fans of Perfect Chemistry need to read this book, and those who haven't read Perfect Chemistry need to get their hands on both pronto! The Fuentes brothers are ones to watch out for; you want them in your life. I really cannot wait to see what Elkeles gives us in Luis, the youngest brother's story!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the review copy.

Published: 6th January 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Pre-order from Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Simone Elkeles' Website

My review of Perfect Chemistry

Continue reading Review: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Interview with Simone Elkeles

Today we have YA author Simone Elkeles, who answered some questions about her novel Leaving Paradise.

How did you come up with the idea for Leaving Paradise?

It came right out of the headlines from my town. A girl stabbed a boy at the junior high by my house. He was injured, but survived. The girl went to juvenile jail and I wondered what would happen when she was released. Would she be allowed back in school? If so, how would her victim react when he saw her? How would her peers react to seeing her again? While Leaving Paradise has nothing to do with the real story, the idea snowballed into the idea for Leaving Paradise – a boy coming back after being released from juvie and facing his victim once again.

Maggie’s self-esteem was pretty low before the accident due to her relationship with her father. Did you intentionally set out to have Maggie not having a high opinion of herself, or did it just turn out that way?

I think it was Maggie’s limp that really set her self-esteem at an all-time low. Because of her limp, everything else that followed was a direct hit to her low opinion of herself. Knowing her father didn’t have a relationship with her made her feel worse about it than before the accident. Being made fun of by her peers was a constant blow to her self-esteem. All those things brought Maggie down. It was Caleb who taught her that she was worth so much more than she gave herself credit for. She needed to learn to accept herself and her body (even her limp) before she could move on with her life. Once she did that, she became a true heroine!

Caleb’s self-esteem once he is back in Paradise is knocked due to what others think of him. How important do you think it is to cover male self-esteem issues as well as females’ in YA novels?

Guys have self-esteem issues just as much as girls do. I think author John Green does a great job of covering male self-esteem issues naturally in his characters (Looking for Alaska is a great example). I think it’s important to portray characters realistically. Some people are comfortable in their skin, and some aren’t. I’m glad there’s a variety out there for readers.

Towards the end of the novel, Maggie has a realisation about herself that changes the way she thinks. Was it important to you to end the novel with a positive for Maggie’s self-esteem?

While I think a girl like Maggie will always have self-esteem issues (doesn’t everyone?), it’s so refreshing to see someone overcome the big hurdles and not worry and obsess constantly about how others are perceiving them. It was definitely important for Maggie to grow as a character, and be a little more confident than when she started out.

Did you write Leaving Paradise with the intent on sending out a message on body image and perception?

No. When I write a book, I don’t have a message or issue to address. Seriously, I write a book without an outline and however it comes out of my head, that’s what it is. If there’s a lesson or message that comes with the story I’ve written, then it’s naturally come out as part of the story. I have body issues/insecurities and don’t know anyone who doesn’t. It’s part of life, unfortunately. That’s probably why it comes out naturally in my novels...it’s part of my subconscious.

What is your opinion on how YA novels deal with body image and self-perception?

As long as it’s realistically done, I’m cool with it. Even the prettiest/model gorgeous girl in one of my novels (Brittany Ellis from Perfect Chemistry) is insecure about her body because that’s realistic.

Were there any books you found dealt well with this topic when you were a teen?

To be honest, I wasn’t a big reader when I was a teen. I remember loving Pippi Longstocking because she was happy even if her clothes didn’t match or she didn’t have any money. She was happy just being Pippi. Don’t we all wish we were like Pippi! (without the mismatched socks)

What is your opinion on how peer and media pressure on how we should look affects teenagers today?

Don’t get me started. I think the media is hypercritical about weight. If an actress or actor gains a few pounds and is actually in the “normal-healthy” range, the headlines announce it to the world that the actor or actress is fat. It’s really awful. I don’t remember it being so bad in the 80’s (when I was a teen). Being stick thin wasn’t “in” and the pressure to be super skinny wasn’t there.

Return to Paradise, the sequel to Leaving Paradise, is coming out in September this year. Can you tell us a little bit about it, please?

Caleb and Maggie are stuck on a summer trip together for teens who have been affected by reckless teen driving. They are still attracted to each other, but Maggie feels betrayed by Caleb because he left her and took the easy way out by leaving Paradise. This time, Maggie is a stronger person and challenges Caleb. She wants the secrets about the night of the accident to come out once and for all, but Caleb resists. If the secret comes out, he went to jail for nothing. There are some crazy characters who help Maggie and Caleb realize that if you don’t risk it all you have nothing to lose.

Anything else you would like to add?

I think it’s great that you’re addressing the idea of self-esteem/body image and self-perception. I was recently telling a successful author friend of mine that she needs to stop acting so self-conscious when she’s around other authors and stand up straight and tall and proud. Doing that doesn’t come naturally to her, but she’s working on it. I do a very good job at hiding my self-esteem issues in public, but be assured that every time someone takes a picture of me I’m dreading how chubby I look or if my bangs are straight or straggly. You’d never know it from the smile on my face! I’m working on my own body image issues, and talking with my friends about my insecurities helps a lot. Sharing with friends/people who love you no matter what you do is the key!

Thank you, Simone, for such great answers! And what great advice at the end there! What do you think about what Simone has said?

Continue reading Interview with Simone Elkeles

Review: Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles - Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad - her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares - has been cancelled. After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb's free ...if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers. Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It's a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other. From Amazon UK

I bought this book before I decided to host Body Image and Self-Perception Month. Having fallen in love with Perfect Chemistry, I was desperate to read more of Simone Elkeles’ novels. I’m now really glad I discovered Leaving Paradise would work for BI&SP Month, because having finished it, I feel I should be writing an essay on it rather than a review. I have so many sticky page markers in the book for things I want to discuss, it’s ridiculous. I absolutely loved this book!

Leaving Paradise is so much more than just your average, simple love story. There is so much more going on within these pages than romance, butterflies, and sexual tension. This whole book is pretty much all about perception; not just how the characters see themselves, but how others see them too. If I’m honest, I was a little disappointed with the actual romance; it started too abruptly too late in the book. Saying that, everything that happened before the romance was necessary, so maybe I just wanted the book to last longer to fill it out a bit more. But this really is outweighed by how amazing the rest of the book is.

I think I’ll have trouble articulating what it was like to read this book. In places, it was just so heart breaking, the way Maggie feels about herself, and at others I found myself relating to her far too easily. With her parents’ divorce a few years ago, and having very little contact with her dad since, Maggie’s self-esteem is drastically low even before the accident. Surely if her dad loved her, he wouldn’t have left her? Then the accident leaves her with permanent injuries, and ruins the one thing she was good at, the one thing she thought might make her dad proud and love her – her skill at playing tennis.

"I blink back tears as I try hard to forget. Because it hurts too much knowing his love for me wasn’t strong enough to make him stay. I wasn’t worth being loved enough.
Tennis was my saving grace, but even that didn’t work. I deserved to be admired on the court, because I was worth something when I played... I might not be worthy of my dad’s love, but I was worthy of that trophy." (p178)

But now she can’t play tennis, and to top it off, she has these awful scars on her legs. She’s stared and laughed at, and just wants to be normal. But strangely enough, she is; I find her criticisms of herself to be all too familiar.

"Ugh. I don’t want to think about Kendra Greene and her perfect blonde hair and her perfect, perky boobs or the perfect way she walks.
But I can’t help it.
Because I’m not perfect. " (p264)

"I look at myself in the bathroom mirror. Dull hazel eyes, hair that hasn’t decided if it wants to be dark or light, and a nose that’s too big for my face. On top of all those flaws, I have a limp.
How could I ever have thought I could compete with perfect Kendra Greene?" (p266)

What young girl doesn’t see flaws whenever they look in the mirror? What young girl doesn’t know a Kendra Greene? It’s all too familiar, but it’s incredibly sad. Fortunately, being a multiple point of view novel, we also get Caleb’s thoughts on Maggie’s so called flaws.

"Only able to check her out from the side, I study her face. She has high cheek bones and a straight nose. It’s not small; it has a little bump in the middle, almost as if God wanted to put it there so her nose wouldn’t be perfect. She wouldn’t be Maggie without that imperfection. She’s not in-your-face pretty like Kendra, but there’s something about her... that mix of insecurity and regal features that don’t fit. Every one of her features reflect who she is. Except her scars.
Those I wish I could take away with a touch of my fingers and transfer them to my own body." (p275)

I’ve focussed mainly on Maggie because of the body image issues, but there’s also the other aspects of perception; how Caleb is seen by others – an ex-con, scary, dangerous, a bad influence, when really he’s none of these. He’s no longer in prison, but he’s still not free from the label people have put on him, and what they expect from him. He’s still stuck in a cage, and it’s just awful. And there are also the insecurities of others; that of Mrs. Reynolds, who Maggie works for, and her story of when she was younger, and Maggie’s cousin Sabrina, who was a hanger on before, but is now one of the in-crowd. Each is dealt with in such an impacting way, that the reader cannot finish this book without thinking, and reflecting on themselves. It’s a truly amazing book, and I’m really looking forward to the sequel, Return to Paradise, which should be released later this year (see below).

I’m going to leave you with one final quote from Maggie, just because I saw it, and thought it was like reading my own thoughts, and I’m sure others would have felt this way at some point – yet I feel having it said like this makes us realise how sad it is.

"My dream is to find a guy who’ll love me despite my flaws and won’t turn away from me when a perfect girl walks by. Maybe a boy like that doesn’t even exist." (p124)

Published: Jan 2008
Publisher: Flux
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Simone Elkeles’ Website

Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles - Maggie and Caleb just went through the worst year of their lives. Hit by a car and starting life over with a limp, Maggie never thought she would forgive Caleb. But she did-and fell in love. What they shared was real. But Caleb wanted to be free from the past-and a terrible secret: he wasn't the one who hit Maggie. So he left Paradise-and Maggie-forever.

When Maggie and Caleb run into each other in a different town, they can't deny their true feelings. Will Maggie let Caleb get away again? Or will Caleb face the truth and return to Paradise? From Amazon US - coming out 1st September 2010.

Continue reading Review: Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Interview with Simone Elkeles

I am lucky enough that the lovely Simone Elkeles, author of Perfect Chemistry, took some time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions for me about her novel to celebrate it's UK release. Thanks so much, Simone!

Can you tell us what Perfect Chemistry is about, and how you came up with the idea for this story?

Perfect Chemistry is about Latino bad boy Alex Fuentes, a gang member, who makes a bet with his friends that he can lure his chemistry partner, the beautiful rich white girl Brittany Ellis, into his life. He thinks it will be a piece of cake, until he starts realizing that the girl who he once accused of being a rich bitch is actually a complex girl whose life is anything but perfect. The problem is that in order for these two teens to be together, they have to risk everything…even their lives.

In the sequel that just came out, Rules of Attraction, Alex’s brother Carlos is sent to Colorado to live with his big brother. Carlos lives his life on the edge and breaks rules whenever possible. When this bad boy is forced to live with good girl Kiara Westford’s family, he has finally met his match!

I base Perfect Chemistry off of Highland Park High School, which is near my house. It’s a high school that mirrors Fairfield. I wanted to explore what might happen when a boy and girl from different sides of town and a different socioeconomic status fall hard for each other. It’s a modern West Side Story/Romeo and Juliet (with a better ending).

Perfect Chemistry is a love story in its simplest terms, but it actually goes a whole lot deeper. It’s not your average lovely, fluffy YA romance. Why did you decide to go down this deeper path?

I don’t know, exactly. I write what comes to me, and this story came to me and I had to write it. While I have a great appreciation for lovely, fluffy YA romance, Perfect Chemistry came out to be a gritty, edgy, and sexy story. It’s also a funny story. I have readers tell me they laugh, cry, and sigh in happiness while reading it. While writing a character like Alex, and speaking to Mexican-American teens, I realized their lives are very complex. I couldn’t ignore the struggles that some Mexican-American teens face, so writing this deep story that deals with accepting who you are and the people who are of a different socioeconomic status and race came naturally when writing the book.

I love how Alex’s life in the gang feels so real, how it’s scary and dangerous. What research did you have to do for this novel, for both the gang aspect, and in any other aspects of the novel? Was there anything you found that surprised you?

I heard that suburban gangs were on the rise, and wanted to explore how a gang member in the suburbs would deal with being interested in someone from “the other side of the tracks.” I interviewed suburban gang members as well as police officers who work in the tough neighborhoods in Chicago. When I have book discussions at juvenile detention centers, the boys always share tidbits of information with me that I’ve used in my books. Other stuff I just make up on my own. Since I don’t know Spanish I had to rely on other people to help me with it. That was really tough for me. What surprised me is that some Latino boys who live in tough neighborhoods have to sprint home for fear of getting beaten up by rival gang members. They have to stick together in numbers for protection, which is so sad. This isn’t everywhere and I hope it’s not common, but it did disturb me. I don’t want any teen to feel threatened because of their race.

One of my favourite elements of the book is how both Brittany and Alex make assumptions about each other at first that they discover are completely wrong, and that they’re both trying to be someone other than themselves. Did you write this book with the intention of sending out a message or getting a point across?

I think we all create a persona of who we want people to think we are. Sometimes we act like the stereotype because that’s what’s expected of us or who we think we should be. In Perfect Chemistry I wanted to give you two stereotypical characters, and break down those stereotypes throughout the novel to show you the complex, real Alex Fuentes and Brittany Ellis. I get a lot of email from teens who say they look at people differently after reading Perfect Chemistry, and don’t judge people as much as they used to.

Tell us about how you write; do you write in a particular place? Any particular time of day you write? Are you a plotter or a pantster? Do you have any music playing? Do you have any must-haves with you while writing?

I have to work where it’s quiet. I don’t listen to music while writing but certain songs remind me of the books I write or scenes from my books. I do not plot or outline so I’m surprised and excited to write the next scene because I never know what’s going to happen. I write wherever I feel inspired. I rent an office so I can get away and not deal with the phones or laundry or dogs, etc. I write when my kids are in school and when they’re sleeping when I’m not on deadline. When I’m on deadline, I write when my eyes are open. :)

Perfect Chemistry was released in the UK on 1st April 2010, where as Rules of Attraction, the sequel to Perfect Chemistry, was released in the US on 13th April 2010. Can you tell us a little about what readers can expect from Rules of Attraction?

In Rules of Attraction, Alex’s brother Carlos is sent to Colorado to live with his big brother. Carlos lives his life on the edge and breaks rules whenever possible. When he gets in trouble at school and is forced to live with good girl Kiara Westford’s family, Carlos has finally met his match in Kiara, a nature-loving geek who challenges Carlos’s bad boy ways.

It’s time to choose; who do you prefer, Alex or Carlos?

I can’t choose. I know you’ve seen the Rules of Attraction book trailer – could you choose between those two gorgeous boys? I mean seriously, I want to bottle them both up and carry them around in my pocket all day. (Or stick cardboard cut-outs of them in every room of my house, although it’s not just their looks that make them amazing. They’ve got the most awesome, fun personalities.) In Perfect Chemistry, Alex has a heart of gold and is so dedicated to his family and the ones he loves. I love him. On the other hand is Carlos, who loves to live his life on the edge and loves adventures and challenges. I’m sorry, I can’t pick. I’ll take them both.

The trailer for Rules of Attraction is just incredible! I was excited for the book beforehand, but that trailer just completely wowed me! Can you tell us how such hot young stars were recruited for the trailer?

For Rules of Attraction I wanted to take my book trailer to the next level. I wanted my book trailer to look exactly like a real movie trailer – with actors acting out snippets of scenes from my book. I called Pete Jones, a friend and writer/director whose screenplay Hall Pass is currently being filmed with Owen Wilson and Bill Murray and being directed by the Farrelly Brothers. I told Pete I wanted him to direct a “movie trailer/book trailer” and he said he’d do it. Pete hooked me up with producers Pat Peach and Ron Rothstein with Spotlight Films in California, who did an amazing job of auditioning actors, scouting locations, helping me write the script, editing the trailer…they did it all and more! Each audition was emailed to me, so I was a part of the audition process even though I live in Chicago.

After hiring actor Giancarlo Vidrio to play the lead high school bad boy Carlos Fuentes (I knew my fans would LOVE him – when he winked at the camera at one point in the audition and I needed a fan to cool myself off after watching him I knew I’d found my “Carlos”) and Catesby Bernstein to play the lead heroine Kiara Westford, I still needed to find “my Alex.” It was a cameo role –Alex is the sexy and hot hero in Perfect Chemistry and Carlos’s brother. I knew I couldn’t settle for anyone less than “perfect.” My fans are obsessed with my Latino hero Alejandro “Alex” Fuentes. I needed to give my readers an Alex Fuentes that fed the fantasy of who Alex is in the book.

As I was watching the auditions and the filming date grew closer, I told Pat Peach that nobody who’d auditioned filled the bill to play Alex. He said if I could have any actor in the world to play Alex, who would it be? That was easy – Alexander F. Rodriguez from Katy Perry’s Hot N Cold music video. Talk about perfection! Both Pete and Pat told me it was a long shot. I got Alexander’s email address and emailed him. To make a long story short, I told him I couldn’t imagine anyone else making my character Alex come alive for the book trailer.

To my complete and utter shock (yes, my jaw actually dropped) Alexander emailed me back and said it sounded like fun and he was on board for the cameo role. I flew out to California for the filming, and I felt like a teenager again seeing the heroes I created come to life. To see my characters exactly how I imagined them was surreal and wonderful and crazy and...and I got so emotional when it was over and Pete Jones called “that’s a wrap!” I started crying. Of course when Pete looked over at me and saw tears running down my cheeks, he laughed and said, “Stop it, Simone. There is no crying in Hollywood.” I couldn’t help it...it’s no accident I write romance novels! You can watch it here…or download it for free from my website at simoneelkeles.net

Anything else you would like to add / talk about?

I do have some great news! I’m writing the third novel in the Perfect Chemistry trilogy. The third novel in the Perfect Chemistry series will be about Luis Fuentes, the youngest Fuentes brother. He’s such a good guy who doesn’t live with the angst that his big brothers have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams. When he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he’s never known to try and save her from herself. Just when he thinks he’s got life all figured out, Luis learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?

Thank you Simone for such a brilliant interview! Be sure to visit Simone's website. If you haven't read it already, check out my review of Perfect Chemistry.

Buy the books:
Amazon UK: Buy Perfect Chemistry / Buy Rules of Attraction
Amazon US: Buy Perfect Chemistry / Buy Rules of Attraction

Continue reading Interview with Simone Elkeles

NEWS: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles Book Trailer

Simone Elkeles now has a trailer for Rules of Attraction, the sequel to Perfect Chemistry! For those of you who haven't heard of Rules of Attraction, read below.

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now. From SimoneElkeles.net

Now the trailer! I have no words for how good this is... just LOOK!



Is that hot or what? I need this book, it's going to have bucket loads of sexual tension! I think I'll have to pre-order the US one, I don't think I can wait for the UK edition.

Giancarlo Vidrio plays Carlos Fuentes. That guy is just... wow. Hot doesn't seem a strong enough word. Alex is played by Alexander F. Rodrigues, and Catesby Bernstein plays Kiara Westford. I think this book - and Perfect Chemistry - should be made into a movie, and they should play the characters, even though I've not read the book.

I'm going to shh now and stop boring you with the gushing. But... just... wow.

Continue reading NEWS: Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles Book Trailer

Review: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (review copy) - When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created "perfect" life is about to unravel before her eyes. Forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, Brittany finds herself having to protect everything she's worked so hard for - her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend and, most importantly, the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But the closer Alex and Brittany get to each other the more they realise that sometimes appearances can be deceptive and that you have to look beneath the surface to discover the truth. From Amazon UK

When I received Perfect Chemistry for review, I was pretty pleased. I heard a lot of people had good things to say about it, and so was intrigued, though I was particularly wowed by the blurb, but I thought I’d give it a go. I cannot tell you how amazing Perfect Chemistry is! I am not the fastest reader going, and Perfect Chemistry isn’t exactly a skinny book, but it was so good, I couldn’t put it down, and read the whole thing yesterday. I loved it!

This book is about so much more than just a love story. It’s also about accepting yourself for who you are, being yourself, and not living by the social rules of your environment. It was fantastic to see how these two very different people – Brittany, who is little miss popular and Queen Bee of high school, and Alex, dangerous gang member who strikes fear into just about everyone – were so similar. How they are seen by the outside world is nothing compared to who they are inside, but a front they put on for reasons far more serious than social acceptance.

I love the way the story was structured, with mostly alternating chapters from both Brittany and Alex’s points of view in first person. It was brilliant to really get inside their heads, to see what they were hiding, yet see their misconceptions of the other. It’s not completely original, but it was brilliant.

It was great to see them struggle with their individual lives, having pretty much no-one to confide in about their issues, and then seeing them thrust together to, little by little, learn to trust, open up, and let the other in. They are both so much more complicated than the other thought; Brittany is a nice, good person, rather have superficial and arrogant, and Alex is fiercely loyal and protective of his family, and does what he must to keep them safe. Watching them fall in love as they realise they may have actually found someone who understands is just beautiful.

As I said before, Alex is a gang member, but the fact that this is a romance doesn’t mean that Simone shies away from what that means to Alex. Everyone knows gangs are dangerous, but it was shocking to see just how much. Alex’s pretence is not only for what others think of him, but for what his friends and his fellow gang members think of him. If the guys on top got even a whiff that he is anything but fiercely dedicated to the gang, not only his life would be at risk. There is violence, drugs, and extreme fear running throughout this book; it’s dark and gritty, and there’s no lack of suspense. It’s hard not to admire Alex for what he has to live through, day in and day out, knowing if he takes his eye off the ball for one second, that could be it. It’s thrilling for a book, but deeply disturbing to considering this is life for some people.

The issue of living with a disabled relative is also covered in this book. Brittany is carrying around so much guilt that she was born “normal” while her older sister wasn’t, and is also having to deal with a mother who is perpetually on the edge of breaking down at the possibility of the slightest scandal – what would the neighbours think? Brittany has to deal with so much pressure, from in and outside school, it’s admirable, though unfair, that she plays the worry free pampered princess so well.

This book is just incredible, and I finished it with the urge to cry at just how beautiful it is. Perfect Chemistry is far from a simple love story; it’s complicated, it’s dangerous, but it’s completely wonderful. There really is no way for me to express how much I have been touched by this book, and I really look forward to reading more of Simone's novels. If you don’t read this book, you’re missing out on something completely unforgettable.

ETA: I've been made aware that we can expect a sequel to Perfect Chemistry! Rules of Attraction, which follows Carlos, Alex's younger brother, comes out in America 13th April 2010! I just hope it'll be released in the UK too!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster UK for the review copy.

Published: 1st April 2010
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US
Simone Elkeles’ Website

Other reviews of Perfect Chemistry:
Wondrous Reads
Reading in Color
Sarah's Book Reviews
Emily and Her Little Pink Slips

Continue reading Review: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles