Pink Polka Dot Books: Welcome to the FFBC: A Void the Size of the World by Rachele Alpine & GIVEAWAY!

A Void the Size of the World

by Rachele Alpine
Release Date: June 20th 2017

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Synopsis:

A haunting novel about a girl who must face the consequences after her actions indirectly lead to her sister’s disappearance.

Rhylee didn’t mean to kiss her sister’s boyfriend. At least, not the first time. But it doesn’t matter, because her sister, Abby, caught them together, ran into the dark woods behind their house…and never came home.

As evidence mounts that something terrible has happened to Abby, no one wants to face the truth. Rhylee can’t bring herself to admit what she’s done: that she is the reason her sister ran away. Now Tommy, Abby’s boyfriend, is the prime suspect in her disappearance, and Rhylee’s world has been turned upside down. Slowly, Rhylee’s family is breaking—their lives center on the hope that Abby will return. Rhylee knows they need to face the truth and begin healing—but how can they, when moving on feels like a betrayal? And how do you face the guilt of wishing a person gone…when they actually disappear?

Hello Rachele! We are super excited for A VOID THE SIZE OF THE WORLD and to have you in our FFBC tours.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Favorite Book?

I can only pick one? That’s too hard; I love too many! But the book that really made me fall in love with reading was Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White.

Favorite TV show?

Does The Today Show count? When I was home on maternity leave, I spent a ton of time with all of the anchors and my son calls them Mommy’s friends now!

Favorite movie?

Moonrise Kingdom (I love Wes Anderson!)

Favorite Song?

“Mr. Blindside” by The Killers. Whenever that song comes on, I pretty much drop everything and dance to it!

Favorite Food?

Sushi with gummy peaches as a close runner up!

Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.

Hogwarts
The land where the wild things are
One of Jay Gatsby’s parties

What were your favorite books growing up? (I was a Fear Street girl!)

I loved Fear Street too and anything by Christopher Pike! I couldn’t put his stuff down! I also loved Judy Blume, Sweet Valley High, and The Babysitter’s Club.

Favorite Quote?

I love the last line of The Great Gatsby. I always say that if I wasn’t terrified of needles, I’d get it tattooed on me:

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

What are your fandoms?

Harry Potter, always Harry Potter!

Who is your favorite fictional boyfriend or girlfriend?

If he could get over Daisy, Jay Gatsby for sure. He throws great parties and his loyalty and dedication to the woman he loves is something to be admired! And it wouldn’t hurt if he looked like Leonardo DiCaprio either!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about A VOID THE SIZE OF THE WORLD?

Sure! The book is about a girl named Rhylee who kisses her sister Abby’s boyfriend. Her sister sees it happen, and runs into the woods behind their house and never comes home. Evidence mounts that something terrible happened to Abby and that her boyfriend might have done it. Rhylee has to deal with the fear that her sister might never return and the guilt that it would be from something that she did.

Besides reading, writing, and blogging, I love fashion!! What would Rhylee wear on a typical school day (before tragedy came into her life)?

Rhylee is pretty low-key and dresses more conservative than anything. I could see her in some skinny jeans, a pair of flats, and maybe a long sleeve shirt (I’m thinking a black v-neck). She usually pulls her hair back into a low ponytail.

How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?

This book started as a short story that I did in my MFA program. I worked on it for a long time and thought I was done with it, but the character just wouldn’t leave my mind. The story would come back to me at the oddest times, the characters pestering me to spend more time with them. I finally realized that there was more to their story to be told, so I sat down and started to draft new scenes. The book grew out of that!

Tell us your favorite quote from A VOID THE SIZE OF THE WORLD.

“Maybe in her world you could feel love, but in mine, the love I felt was an impossible curse.”

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write? Or which part was the most difficult to get through?

I really liked the scenes where Rhylee and Tommy were together at the beginning. The reader quickly learns that there is a back story to the two of them and they should be together. While they don’t get together in the most honest way, I did like making it happen. But on the other hand, the scene when they were together and Abby caught them was one of the hardest. It broke her heart, and as an author, I hate doing bad things to my characters.

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for A VOID THE SIZE OF THE WORLD– Which one would you pick?

“Back to the Start” by Coldplay, no question about it. I pretty much had this song on repeat while I wrote the entire book. I actually had it titled that before it ended up being A Void the Size of the World. This song was the book’s entire inspiration and fueled most of the words.

Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read A VOID THE SIZE OF THE WORLD (specific music, snacks…)?

There’s a supernatural feel to this book. After Abby disappears, strange things start to happen and Rhylee doesn’t know if they are signs from her sister or her looking for signs from her sister. So, I would recommend reading this at night with maybe some candles lit and the lights down low. Curl up in a cozy blanket and play “Back to the Start” by Coldplay too! Put it on repeat and turn it down low. I’d also say to throw in some gummy candy to snack on, because every occasion is a good occasion for gummy candy!

What’s next for you?

I just turned in a proposal to my agent for what I’m hoping is my next YA novel. It’s a little different for me, because it’s told in dual POVs and has both a male and female narrator. I’m pretty excited about it, so I’m hoping my agent and editor love it to!

I also have a middle grade novel coming out on August 15 called BEST. NIGHT. EVER. I can’t wait for this book, because it was written by six other authors! It is told by seven characters, and we all wrote it together using Google Hangout and Google Docs. I’ve never even met the other six authors in person, which is a bit crazy to think about. It really is a testament to how awesome the internet is!

Thank you so much for everything, Rachele! BEST. NIGHT. EVER. sounds so cool!! I'm totally into middle grade books right now, so I will definitely have to check it out. I love that you wrote it with people you've never met!! The internet is a crazy thing.

Also, YES to your favorite childhood books!! We totally could've been bookshelf friends growing up!

Rachele Alpine is a lover of binge watching reality TV, dogs, knitting, gummy peaches, and lots and lots of coffee!

One of her first jobs was at a library, but it didn't last long, because all she did was hide in the third-floor stacks and read. Now she's a little more careful about when and where she indulges her reading habit.

By day she's a high school English teacher, by night she's a mom and wife, and she writes during any time she can find in between!

Rachele lives with her husband and son in Cleveland, Ohio, but dreams of moving back to Boston, the city she fell in love with while attending graduate school there.