{Interview/Giveaway} Daisy Whitney, WHEN YOU WERE HERE

Posted by on
Keep reading for your chance to win be 1 of 3 winners to receive your own personalized, autographed hardcover copy of Daisy Whitney's newest novel, WHEN YOU WERE HERE!

 Find out more about WHEN YOU WERE HERE by reading my review!

 Also check out reviews of Daisy Whitney's fantastic debut novel THE MOCKINGBIRDS and its sequel THE RIVALS!

~*~

An interview with 
Daisy Whitney

By day, Daisy Whitney is a reporter and ghostwriter. At night, she writes novels for teens and is the author of THE MOCKINGBIRDS and its sequel THE RIVALS (Little, Brown). Her third novel WHEN YOU WERE HERE released in June 2013 (Little, Brown), and her fourth novel STARRY NIGHTS (Bloomsbury) hits shelves in September 2013. When Daisy's not inventing fictional high school worlds, she can be found somewhere north of San Francisco walking her adorable dog, watching online TV with her fabulous husband or playing with her fantastic kids. A graduate of Brown University, she believes in shoes, chocolate chip cookies and karma. You can follow her writing blog and new media adventures at DaisyWhitney.com.
Visit Daisy on her website and Twitter!

In WHEN YOU WERE HERE, you'll meet Danny's dog Sandy Koufax and travel around Tokyo, Japan.
Today, sit down with Daisy Whitney to find out more about her love of both dogs and Japan!

The moment you announced that WHEN YOU WERE HERE was going to take place in Japan and be about loss, I immediately hoped to see you slip Hachiko the Dog into your novel. I was so pleased you did. Can you tell readers about why you chose to include Hachiko?
I'm so glad you liked the Hachiko references! He's such an integral part of Tokyo lore that it seemed wrong NOT to include the world's most loyal dog! The story about Hachiko - waiting for his master at the train station after his master died - is also such a lovely symbol about loyalty and love, but also the unconditional love between a dog and a person. When You Were Here is about all kinds of love, and Hachiko had to be a part of the story!
©Daisy Whitney

(Visit Daisy's awesome WHEN YOU WERE HERE playlist as she takes us around Tokyo to all the prominent scenes featured in WHEN YOU WERE HERE!)

Danny has a beautiful relationship with his dog Sandy Koufax. What made you decide to layer the element of a boy and his dog into WHEN YOU WERE HERE?

I love dogs. Plain and simple. I love my dogs, and I love writing about dogs, but I also think the relationship between a person and a dog can be so absolutely vital to one's health, sanity and happiness! Dogs are always happy to see you. Every day is an awesome day for a dog. Dogs require so little and give so much. There's a reason animals can help people through tough times - because they give so much.
Can you tell us a little bit about your dog Violet and the way she inspired you when writing?

She is four years old, a lab-border collie mix, and, much like Sandy Koufax, she is a total furniture dog. She cracks me up when she sleeps on her back on the couch with her legs sticking up!
©Daisy Whitney
Violet with Glasses!
What are your favorite memories of Violet?

So many! She was very sweet from the moment we adopted her, and always a loyal, protective dog. Violet is also the reason I write on a Mac. Shortly after we first adopted her, she chewed the cord on my PC and fried that computer. I switched to a Mac after that.
©Daisy Whitney
Violet as a puppy!
What are Danny's favorite memories of Sandy Koufax?

He likes it when she goes for a swim in the pool. He thinks she looks like a seal in the water.
What's your favorite place to visit in Japan?

Shibuya! I love the energy and neon and shopping there!

What's your favorite type of sushi?

I'm actually a vegetarian! But when I ate fish, I enjoyed tuna and rice.

What's your favorite Japanese drink?

Iced Green tea from a vending machine!
What's your favorite Japanese oddity?

Dog pick-up bags. They have the funniest little sayings like "Do the lid in the smell one!"
©Daisy Whitney
A Fancy Japanese Doggy Poo Bag!
What was your favorite thing about Japan to include in WHEN YOU WERE HERE?

Oh, that's hard to choose! But probably the Shoto Cafe. It's still my favorite cafe in the world!
©Daisy Whitney
Shoto Cafe Sponge Cake


Thank you so much, Daisy!
I always love working with you and am so in love with your books.
Today's interview was so much fun! I loved learning more about your dog Violet and all the Japanese things you love!

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title:  WHEN YOU WERE HERE
Author: Daisy Whitney
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown
Received: Purchased
SUMMARY:

Filled with humor, raw emotion, a strong voice, and a brilliant dog named Sandy Koufax, WHEN YOU WERE HERE explores the two most powerful forces known to man-death and love. Daisy Whitney brings her characters to life with a deft touch and resonating authenticity. 

Danny's mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see. 

Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn't know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore. 

When he gets a letter from his mom's property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother's memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

ENTER TO WIN 
1 OF 3 
PERSONALIZED, AUTOGRAPHED COPIES 
OF 
WHEN YOU WERE HERE!

Daisy Whitney would love your help spreading the word about WHEN YOU WERE HERE!
You get bonus entries every time you post one of the following images online on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. 
along with a caption such as,
"I can't wait to read WHEN YOU WERE HERE by Daisy Whitney!" 

These images all represent moments from WHEN YOU WERE HERE.
They make me miss Japan, too. 

Who wants to take a trip to Tokyo now after all this? ^.~

Harajuku crêpes
Dogs in matching sweaters in Tokyo
Harajuku
Imperial Gardens
Shoto Cafe Sponge Cake
Tea at Tea Ceremony
Enter now!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for taking the time to stop and comment! I appreciate it more than I can say. I try to respond to each one!