The plot is very different than anything I have ever read, it is very unique. It is set in a time where the darker your skin, the higher your social status. Eden is a "pearl" (Caucasian) and covers her skin with brown gunk to make herself appear darker, but she still doesn't get treated fairly by the "coals" (darker skinned people). It is an example of race inequality, and how some people still feel like they are superior to another race and that was sad to see. An interesting part of the story is that if Eden doesn't find a "mate" before her 18th birthday, she will be set out in the sun to die. How can people do that to someone? That's crazy.
The setting was completely different than anything I have read. The sun being a killer? I can't imagine a world without the sun, that would be so crazy! The world Eden lives in was very technologically advanced. Eden wore headgear, that allows you to mentally see any place and time, that would be so cool! It would also be a great escape for Eden and an entertaining tool. The whole setting was awesome, from the jungle and the compound where Eden lived, hidden from the sun and the way it was described was phenomenal.
The romance aspect was something I didn't exactly believe at first. I thought Bramford was a jerk, he was. But after a while I could see why Eden was attracted to him. The tension kept building between the two and it was like, why can't they just make out already? It is bound to happen. At the end of the book, I wanted more, and can't wait to see what happens next!
Revealing Eden was a exciting and original, I can't wait for Part 2!
Now for the interview!
Victoria Foyt is an author and filmmaker. Her debut novel,
The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, released in ’07 by HarperCollins, is a Young Adult coming-of-age mystery thriller. It achieved excellent critical reviews, including a five star, “must-read” rating from TeansReadToo.com, and was recommended by the Center for Children’s Books.
Save The Pearls Part One REVEALING EDEN is a Young Adult, post-apocalyptic, science-fiction romance novel that deals with beauty and race will be released late fall 2011.
During her film career, Victoria co-wrote and starred in four critically acclaimed feature films,
Going Shopping (2005), Déjà Vu (1997), Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995) and
Babyfever (1994), which were helmed by indie film director Henry Jaglom. She also co-wrote
Festival in Cannes (2001) and appeared in
Venice/Venice (2002). She also has written articles for
O At Home, Harper’s Bazaar, and Film & Video.
AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women awarded Victoria a place in its coveted program in 2002, which led her to write and direct a critically acclaimed short film,
The Sweet Spot, starring Jennifer Grant and Carl Weathers. Variety critic Scott Foundas called it “a deliciously funny satire,” and the film played on PBS on
Hollywood: Fine Cut, as well as at many major film festivals.
Victoria has appeared on
Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, E! Entertainment, HBO, CNN-TV, Showbiz Today, ABC Radio, Turner TV Entertainment Report, TNT Rough Cuts, and Westwood One Radio, and received extensive coverage on Siskel & Ebert. Local appearances have included
HTTV Good Day LA, The KTLA Morning News, OLA TV Canada, CJRT Radio NY, WOR-Radio NY, and NBC Weekend Today-New York.
Victoria has been featured in
Vogue Magazine, O at Home, Elle Magazine, Movieline, Venice Magazine, Avenue Magazine, Night Magazine, Moviemaker Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, La Opinion, Miami New Times, Dramalogue, and Backstage West, among others. She has hosted book signings and Q&A sessions around the country with forums up to 3000 people, as well as at many major film festivals, including Toronto, Jerusalem, London, Miami, New York and Los Angeles.
Raised in Coral Gables, Florida, Victoria attended the University of Miami and received her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and French with a double minor in German and business. Later, she studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, the Beverly Hills Playhouse in Los Angeles, private acting classes with Geraldine Baron and many UCLA Extension film courses. She cites her primary literary influence as Ernest Hemingway, and counts
Don Quixote and
Gone with the Wind as two of her favorite books. Victoria currently lives in Santa Monica, California with her two children and a lot of books.
Q and A:
What was your greatest childhood dream?
I wanted a fabulous collection of clothes for my Barbie doll! I begged my mother to sew things for her. I still have tucked away in the closet Barbie and Ken, and the shiny black carrying case. Barbie was very important to me in a house full of brothers.
Did you know you always wanted to be a writer?
I recall how stunned I was the day I finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo in my early teens. How could a book enthrall me to the point where I could barely put it down? Since that moment, I have wanted to be a writer. In college, I studied foreign languages, which deepened my love of words and prose. Later, I had the opportunity to write screenplays, which helped hone my use of dialogue, location and story structure. As an actress, my understanding of character grew by leaps and bounds. For me, writing novels is a chance to bring together all that I’ve learned and fulfill my heart’s desire.
What is your favorite book?
Yikes, one favorite book? What an impossible task. The themes of romance and loss have attracted me as a reader, though I never realized it until now. Margaret Mitchell’s
Gone With The Wind greatly influenced me at an early age, and perhaps, is my favorite novel. I also can see how it influenced
Revealing Eden. Scarlett and Eden, cast out of their familiar worlds, must learn to survive in an unfamiliar, dangerous place. And they both misunderstand the tragic heroes they love, respectively, Rhett Butler and Ronson Bramford. In
Save The Pearls Part Two and Three, we come to realize the destructiveness of war, which is, of course, a big theme in
Gone With The Wind.
What inspired you to write this book? Or where did you get the idea for it?
I can only describe from where some of the pieces sprang. The source of the overall idea for Revealing Eden (Save The Pearls Part One) is a mystery to me, and I hope it stays that way.
The post-apocalyptic scenario grew from my deep concern about the loss of our natural environment. I wondered what would happen if global warming turned today’s prevailing beauty standards upside down? In the story, because Caucasians have less melanin in their skin to protect them from the sun’s burning rays, they are branded as inferior Pearls. Dark-skinned people, or Coals, have more resistance to the Heat, and therefore, now rule society. Eden Newman, a lithe blue-eyed blonde, would be considered gorgeous in our day, while in the future she has to beg for a mate or suffer an early death. The direction in which my wonderings took me greatly surprised me, as it often does.
Like Eden, I wasn’t sure if love existed. I’d been burned and decided that true love was a hoax invented by greeting card companies. I suppose I was trying to work out my feelings in this book. Luckily, just as my protagonist learns to open her heart and fall in love, so did I!
What do you do when you are not writing?
In contrast to the quietude of writing, I’m a whirling dervish of activity the rest of my day. I try to exercise frequently in order to combat the long hours of sitting at my desk. And then, the management of family and household occupies a lot of time. I meditate each morning before I begin writing, which really helps me forget about my day-to-day cares and enter the dream world of my story. My biggest luxury: once a month I have a massage at home. Ahhh!
Who is your favorite character in your book?
I love Eden Newman’s courage in the face of oppression. Her willingness to open her heart when she’s been raised to believe that love is dead and all that matters is evolutionary climbing inspired me, too. I journey with her as she overcomes her fears and learns self-acceptance, and even, love.
Are any of the characters in your book based on people in real life?
All the time, though they might not recognize themselves! Often, I don’t see the resemblance, either, until the book is done. Writers draw from everything and everyone in their lives. The trick is to artfully weave the fabric of your life into the story so that the seams don’t show. Sometimes, I’m also base characters on public figures. In Revealing Eden, Sir Richard Branson, the head of Virgin, inspired the romantic hero Ronson Bramford. If extreme solar radiation killed off most of the white race, I bet Branson would develop cutting technology to solve the problem, just as Bramford does.
Giveaway!
Thanks to The publisher and author, I have a signed and personalized copy of Revealing Eden to give away to one lucky US Winner!
Rules:
- Leave a Comment with e-mail address and tell me why you want to read Revealing Eden!
- US Only
- Extra Entry if you follow my blog, please leave GFC name.
- Ends 3/15
That's it!
Winner will be revealed on this post at the end of the giveaway!
Winner is Krista!
