Welcome to our weekly special feature post, Author Of The Week!!

Each week we will be interviewing a different YA author and highlighting their upcoming release!

We will also be hosting a giveaway of the book we are highlighting!!

Introducing Elle Cosimano, YABC's Author of the Week!!

Elle Cosimano's debut thriller, Nearly Gone, was an Edgar Award finalist, won the International Thriller Award for Best Young Adult Novel, and was awarded the Mathical Book Award recognizing mathematics in children’s literature. Her novel Holding Smoke was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award and the International Thriller Award. Her books for young adults have appeared on several statewide school and library reading lists. You can learn more about her at www.ellecosimano.com [ellecosimano.com].

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Meet Seasons Of The Storm!

   

One cold, crisp night, Jack Sommers was faced with a choice—live forever according to the ancient, magical rules of Gaia, or die.

Jack chose to live, and in exchange, he became a Winter—an immortal physical embodiment of the season on Earth. Every year, he must hunt the Season who comes before him. Summer kills Spring. Autumn kills Summer. Winter kills Autumn. And Spring kills Winter.

Jack and Fleur, a Winter and a Spring, fall for each other against all odds. To be together, they’ll have to escape the cycle that’s been forcing them apart. But their creator won’t let them go without a fight.

Which came first, the title or the novel?

The novel was based on a piece of flash fiction I wrote for a short story blog back in 2016. The original short was called "The Thaw". The brief tragic love story about a Winter and Spring who fell in love, even when one was destined to kill the other each year, resonated with my readers, so I decided to try to develop it into a full length novel. The working title of that manuscript was WHEN WE WAKE when it sold to HarperTeen. Soon after, as my editor and I were all struggling to find a title with a little more punch, the team at Harper proposed SEASONS OF THE STORM, and it stuck. I love it!

What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

This is hard to answer without spoiling! My very favorite scene in the book is the first time all four Seasons truly work together, drawing from the others' strengths, trusting each other as a unit to survive. Up until this point, they've had plenty of reasons to be distrustful of each other, and even themselves. They've all been committed to an end goal, but not necessarily yet to each other. This scene marks a critical change in their relationship, when they realize what's possible when they work together.

Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?

Oh, wow. So many things. Every book has come with its own set of lessons and valuable failures. But if I had to choose one, it's that there is very little an author can actually control in this business, and the only sure-fire thing we can do to ensure our own longevity and success is to keep writing. I've learned that there's little satisfaction in waiting for an email or clicking a refresh button, hoping for good news to land in my inbox. The best thing I can do for myself is to take what I've learned from the last project and focus on the next book--on making it the very best it can be.

What do you like most about the cover of the book?

ALL THE THINGS! I love everything about this cover. Mostly, I love how the designer and artist took all the imagery and themes from the book and so carefully wove them into the jacket. I love the color gradients--warm to cool, silver to gold--how they meet in the middle. I love the broken circle in the branches, reflecting the Seasons's desire to break the cycle of violence between them. I love the falling snow and the bronzed flowers, representing Jack and Fleur--a Winter and a Spring, star-crossed and tragically in love. And I love the crow, representing the embodiment of the Seasons' magic. Jenna Stempel-Lobell (the designer) and Pauline Boiteux (artist) won my heart with this incredible cover.

What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2020, and what was your favorite book in 2019?

Same answer to both questions! At the end of 2019, I was incredibly fortunate to read a manuscript for an upcoming 2020 release by a debut author--Throwaway Girls by Andrea Contos. It's a gorgeously written, tightly plotted, perfectly paced contemporary thriller. It comes out this fall, and if you are a fan of psychological suspense, you should definitely put this one on your TBR. Andrea is a huge talent, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

What’s up next for you?

Right now, I'm working on the sequel to Seasons of the Storm. I love these characters so much, and I'm really pumped about where this next book will take them. But I'm also very excited about another new character I'm writing. FINLAY DONOVAN IS KILLING IT is my first novel for adult readers, coming on February 2, 2021 from Minotaur Books. It's a fast-paced, darkly comedic crime thriller, the first in a new mystery series. Fans of Nearly Gone will find a lot to love in Finlay, and I can't wait for these books to make their way into the world.

Which part of the writing process do you enjoy more: Drafting or Revising?

This is a tough one. I love them (and hate them) for different reasons. I love the freedom and promise of the drafting stage. There's something enchanting about opening a document no one has ever seen or critiqued before. It's fun to discover new characters and places (even if I'm still fumbling my way through them) before the outside world casts its own shadows and light on various elements in the work. But I've also come to realize that the real magic happens during revision. That's when deep motivations and connections are unearthed. When themes become clear. When loose ends come together. This stage takes discovery to a deeper level, and there's something equally rewarding and exhilarating about that.

What would you say is your superpower?

I am a multi-tasking goddess. Right now, in the throes of COVID, most working parents are forced to be, at least to some degree. I've been a full-time self-employed, homeschooling mom to two teenage sons for several years now. I educate them in the mornings, do my mom-stuff in the afternoons/evenings, and I write under multiple deadlines to the dim glow of a burning midnight oil. I don't sleep as much as I would like, but somehow it all gets done. I'm very fortunate to have a loving partner who supports me and shares the load.

   

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