#BIR2011 Day 2: Hourglass by Myra McEntire

By Myra McEntire

Published by Egmont USA

Released on June 14th, 2011

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

You know those times when you pick up a book and find that everything else melts away as you suddenly find yourself immersed with book, it's characters and it's world? Yeah that's what happened to both Sophie & I when we received the manuscript for Hourglass months before it was a book. Let me tell you, we haven't stopped talking about HOURGLASS or Michael & Kaleb for that matter, since. I'm so excited to be able to feature on of our favorite person's ever, and her book on the blog today! If you haven't already, I highly recommend jumping into Myra's HOURGLASS world.

You know we're a team divided, Sophie's team Michael and I'm team Kaleb. What's one thing you admire about each of the guys?

I love Michael for his loyalty. He knows a lot he can't share, and it's not always easy to be the responsible one. I love Kaleb for his hidden side. He's sexy and snarky, but there are a lot of layers under all that.

I was sold at sexy and snarky & I'm sure Sophie as sold at loyal and responsible. haha

We adore Emerson. Has Emerson surprised you at all, in terms how she's grown as a character from the 1st draft to the published book?

YES. So much. She came back stronger in each version of the second half I wrote. (There were three.) I love who she is now.

If you could take one of your favorite fictional characters and write them into the Hourglass story, who would you pick and why?

Sophie from Hex Hall. Em, Lily, and Sophie would make a Fearsome Threesome.

What's one YA book you've read as an adult, that you wish you had read as a teen?

Any of them. All of them. I didn't really have "YA" as a teen, and I could've used it!

What's one piece of advice you would share with an aspiring author?

Read. Write. Read. Read some more. Write again. And then read.

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THANK YOU Myra for joining us today! Myra will be back with us next week when we kick off our 2011 Mundie Moms Favorites. We're hoping she brings Kaleb and Michael with her.

Be sure to visit Myra's blog/website, follow her on Twitter & Tumblr, and like her Hourglass Books Facebook Page.

Buy Hourglass from: IndieBound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

You can read my 5 star review for Hourglass here.

Get a sneak peak at Hourglass's sequel, Timepiece here.

THANK YOU to Myra & Egmont, we have a HOURGLASS poster we're giving away. To enter to win, please fill out the form below:

- US Residents only (no PO Boxes)

- You must be 13 yrs & older to enter (or have a parent/guardian's permission to enter)

- 1 entry per person

- This giveaway ends on 12/17/11

One of other favorites from this year is Veronica Roth's DIVERGENT! Be sure & head over to the Best I've Read blog to read the BIR interview with her and enter to win a copy of DIVERGENT!