Interview with HERE author Denise Grover Swank



A Backwards Story is happy to be a part of The {Teen} Book Scene's tour for HERE!  Check out the tour schedule to see the list of events.  Check back next week for my review of this book!

Priced at only $2.99, HERE is an e-book steal of a deal!








HERE, previously titled TORN, is Denise Grover Swank's fifth novel.  She is also the author of THE CHOSEN series and the ROSE GARDNER mysteries.  The sequel to HERE, titled THERE, is tentatively scheduled to come out in Fall 2012.


Check out her blog and follow her on Twitter!


Also be sure to check out HERE's fan-made book trailer to learn more about this book:











An interview with Denise Grover Swank

HERE sounds very mysterious. Can you tell us a little more about what sort of journey we're in for? (Mystery, paranormal, psychological, etc.)

HERE is a mix of paranormal, science fiction, dystopian and a thriller. That sounds a bit odd, but I’m known for my genre mixing with my two other adult series. (My humorous southern mystery series has a touch of paranormal and my urban fantasy is part thriller.) Most readers say that they don’t know where HERE is going until halfway through but it exceeds their expectations.

HERE was originally entitled TORN. What led to a title change so close to your novel's release?

I didn’t come up with a title for HERE until I was about three-fourths done with my first draft. I texted my critique partner and said “This is ridiculous. This book needs a title.” So we brain storm texted for about fifteen minutes until Trisha came up with TORN. It fit on so many levels. It was perfect. But months before release, I realized that TORN wasn’t going to work. Another YA novel had recently been released with the same title and even though the two books were very different, I didn’t want there to be any confusion. The problem was that I couldn’t come up with anything else. So another brain storm session was called, this time over the phone. Once again Trisha came through and not only came up with HERE but also the title of the second book, THERE. (Which will make total sense once you read HERE.)

How did you come up with the idea for HERE? It sounds quite unique!

I wrote HERE because my then thirteen-year-old daughter asked me to write a book she and her friends could read. I had written two adult novels, but I read a lot of YA so I figured, why not? However, I had no idea what to write. Usually the idea comes to me first, so HERE was different than how I was used to doing things. But I started thinking about books, TV shows and movies I love and why I love them. Ultimately, I went back to my all time favorite TV show, LOST, pulled a tiny piece and HERE was born. Once I had that idea, it grew from there. The biggest issue in the beginning was research. I researched for a month and a half while I finished the first draft of HUNTED, the second book my adult urban fantasy series.

Who was your favorite character to write and why?

Oh, hard one. Believe it or not, it’s a tossup between Evan and Reece. I love Evan because he’s really a straight forward guy who’s hopelessly in love with Julia. But by the end of the book, Julia and the reader see Evan differently than they did at the beginning. Evan didn’t change but their filter for viewing him shifted. Reece was fun because he has a hint of bad boy in him.

Is HERE part of a series or a stand-alone? What projects are you working on now?

HERE is the first book in the On the Otherside series. The next book, THERE, will be released in October 2012. I’m currently finishing up the first draft of TWENTY-NINE AND A HALF REASONS, the second book in my adult humorous southern mystery series. SACRIFICE, the third book in my adult urban fantasy series will be released in a few weeks.

Denise, thank you so much for stopping by and treating us to a behind-the-scenes look at what went into writing HERE.


Bookworms, stop back at A Backwards Story next week as I continue on with The {Teen} Book Scene's blog tour by reviewing HERE on Thursday the 23rd!

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