A great escape with Juliette Sobanet...plus a book giveaway

We're excited to have Juliette Sobanet back at CLC today. Her latest novel, Story Island, sounds like so much fun! The cover is gorgeous too. She's here to tell us more about it and she has one print copy and one ebook to give away!

Juliette Sobanet is the award-winning author of sixteen books, including the bestselling Midnight Train to Paris and All the Beautiful Bodies. A French professor and writing coach, she holds a B.A. from Georgetown University and an M.A. from New York University in Paris. Juliette has lived all over the U.S. and France, so she is hesitant to commit to a location in this bio, knowing it will likely change. Wherever she resides, she lives there with her adorable cats.

Visit Juliette online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram * X

Synopsis:

What if every book ever written created a world of its own? And what if an author could travel into that world and write the story from the inside out?

When celebrated New York City-based author, Katerina Joyce, finds herself facing a brutal, love-induced case of writer’s block with only three weeks to turn in her next book, she flees Manhattan in search of inspiration on the Big Island of Hawaii. A series of mystical encounters on her first night transports her somewhere entirely unexpected: straight into the world of her own book.

All Kat knows about her story is that her main character, British veterinarian Evie Willcox, wakes up on a magical and (nearly) deserted island with no memory of getting there. Oh, and at the end of the book, Evie Willcox will die. But when Kat wakes up on the same deserted beach in the body of Evie, the journey she faces is much more harrowing than a simple, blank page: Kat must now write her story from the inside out, facing her heart-wrenching past and all her worst fears along the way—not least a blood-thirsty great white shark and that treacherous love triangle she can’t seem to escape.

Can Kat rewrite Evie’s destiny, and perhaps her own as well, as she struggles to uncover the island’s secrets? More importantly, can she find a way to survive the mysterious and perilous world of her own imagining? Or will her own writer’s pen be the killer she ultimately fears?

Story Island explores LGBTQ themes while diving into the emotional depths of life-long friendships and soulmates, the complexities of grief and loss, and the ever-complicated and timeless love of mother-daughter relationships—all interwoven with a splash of island magic and the mysterious currents of time travel. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What is a favorite compliment you received on your writing?
I love when readers tell me that they lost sleep because they couldn't put my book down at night. Not that I want anyone to be sleep-deprived, but if it's because they're enjoying my writing, that does make me really happy (and it means I'm doing my job!).

What is one thing you would tell the debut novelist version of yourself?
I would tell her that this writing journey is going to be a long, unexpected journey that will take you places you never would have imagined, and that it will humble you in many ways, too! I would tell her not to worry so much about how the books sell--but instead to focus on the passion you have for your stories, and to keep the focus there. That is where the gold lies.

If Story Island were made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Such a fun question! I would cast Alexandra Daddario as Kat, our main character. I can totally picture her leading us on this wild, island adventure. I would cast Zachary Levi as Ian, the doctor, and Kat's best friend from long ago. Ever since I saw Zachary Levi play a doctor in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I knew he'd make the perfect Ian. 

If you could escape into the world of any book, what would it be and why?
I'd have to go with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I have always adored this magical story, and Story Island is a modern-day take on Narnia. I love the idea of normal people tripping through time and space, and somehow entering into magical realms. Sign me up!

What is the most memorable Valentine's Day experience you've ever had?

This Valentine's memory goes all the way back to junior high! My boyfriend in eighth grade gave me one of those red heart-shaped boxes that is typically filled with chocolates. But when I opened up the box, I found that he had counted out the number of days we had been "going together" at that point, and he had filled the box with one Hershey's Kiss for every day we had been together. He had written a note on the inside of the box explaining the gesture--it was absolutely adorable and it has always stuck with me.

If your life was a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it? 
I always love a British narrator (I just love that sophisticated accent), so I would want Emma Thompson to narrate. I love her voice!

Thanks to Juliette for chatting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends February 18th at midnight EST.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!