Blog Tour, Interview and Giveaway: Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes

Hi there gorgeous people!  Welcome to Reading with ABC's stop of the Olivia Twisted Blog Tour. This tour is hosted by Rockstar Blog Tours and you can find the rest of the tour here.

Title: OLIVIA TWISTED
Author: Vivi Barnes
Pub. Date: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Pages: 352
Find it: Amazon, Barnes& Noble, Goodreads

Olivia
He tilts my chin up so my eyes meet his, his thumb brushing lightly across my lips. I close my eyes. I know Z is trouble. I know that being with him is going to get me into trouble. I don’t care.

At least at this moment, I don’t care.

Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite—break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv…

Z

I can picture Liv’s face: wide-eyed, trusting. Her smooth lips that taste like strawberry Fanta.

It was just a kiss. That’s all. She’s just like any other girl.

Except that she’s not.

Thanks to Z, Olivia’s about to get twisted.

Author Interview

1.      How did you come up with the idea for Olivia Twisted?

I grew up watching the movie Oliver!, which I loved. A couple years ago I thought how cool it would be to reimagine the story as a contemporary story from a teen girl’s point of view, calling it OLIVIA TWISTED. Then I thought about the general premise and felt pickpocketers wouldn’t be much of an update, so I decided on hackers.

2.      Was it hard to adapt the Oliver Twist story from a girl’s perspective?
No, probably because I feel much more connected to Olivia than I did to Oliver. Oliver was a victim of society, and while Olivia was certainly strongly influenced by external forces, I wanted her to be able to make her own choices as a teen might today.

3.      The cover for Olivia Twisted is very eye-catching. How did that came about?  Do you like it? (I love it!)

Thank you – I love my cover, too! Kelley York (multi-talented author of Made Of Stars) designed it—and I think she did a phenomenal job! Soon after I sold the story, I received a welcome packet from Entangled, including a cover art form with several questions about what I did and didn’t want on my cover. The Entangled team is wonderful about taking into consideration what an author envisions for the cover, and I was extremely pleased with it!

4.      How would Z describe Olivia?

This is Z’s response to your question: “Liv’s pretty, yeah, but I’ve known lots of pretty girls. What got me was the spark underneath the softness—the snap in those dark eyes that tells me she knows far more than she’s letting on. She’s a smart one, and no matter what crap I try to pull, she turns it right back around on me. I never know where she’s coming from, and surprisingly, I like that.”

5.      Are there any YA books that you are anxiously waiting for?

There are a ton! I am part of the OneFour KidLit group for books being published in 2014 (and some in late 2013, like mine), and there are amazing books coming out within the next several months! I’m looking forward to GILDED by Christina Farley, BEHIND THE SCENES by Dahlia Adler, THE PROMISE OF AMAZING by Robin Constantine, SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY by Julie Murphy, and so on and so forth! There are too many to list, so check out our site at http://onefourkidlit.wordpress.com/ for a full list!

I’m also looking forward to IGNITE ME by Tahereh Mafi, as I really enjoy a good dystopian novel! And I have a stack of books I’ve purchased over the last several months that I am hoping to read at some point soon.

6.      Do you listen to music while you work? If so, what type?

Oh, yes! I can’t write without music. I have a playlist for every book I write. The one for Olivia Twisted has a strange mix of Korn, Three Days Grace, and Godsmack as well as Sleepthief and Josh Groban. Eclectic, but I have to have the right song for the right mood/scene.

7.      What’s your favorite comfort food?

Dark chocolate. Also Talenti Gelato—Caribbean Coconut or Salted Caramel. Yum!

8.      What’s your favorite drink?

Diet Coke or wine – dry whites or light reds.

9.      What’s next for you?

I’m writing away but also dealing with the craziness of life that happens when you have three kids and tons of school activities. Right now I’m just working on staying sane.

10.  Anything else that you would like to add?

Here’s a bit of trivia: Z’s real name is actually the real name of the Artful Dodger in OLIVER TWIST. I’ve dropped a few other hints to the original story, such as when Z tells Liv, “It’s not like we’re pickpocketers.” Those were fun to do!

Olivia Twisted Trailer

About Vivi

Originally from East Texas (the accent comes out more often than not), Vivi now lives in the magic and sunshine of Orlando, FL with her very understanding husband and three kids. She’s an extrovert with awkward blogging tendencies. Her debut novel, OLIVIA TWISTED, comes out November 5, 2013 from Entangled Teen!

You can connect with Vivi on Facebook,Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, Webiste. Or visit the official Olivia Twisted site at www.oliviatwisted.com.

She’s represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg of Foreword Literary. 

Giveaway

Grand Prize: Signed copy of Olivia Twisted and an Olivia Twisted T-shirt US Only

Second and Third Prizes: 2 $10 iTunes Gift Cards US Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Rest of the Tour

Week One:

10/28/2013- Fiktshun- Guest Post

10/29/2013- Book Briefs- Review

10/30/2013- The Cover Contessa- Guest Post

10/31/2013- Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews- Review

11/1/2013- Happy Booker- Interview

Week Two:

11/4/2013- Larissa's World- Review

11/5/2013- Kindle and Me- Guest Post

11/6/2013- A Bookish Escape- Review

11/7/2013- Reading with ABC- Interview

11/8/2013- Realm of the Sapphired Dragon- Guest Post

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Rockstar Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Rockstar Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*