Celebrating Debutantes 2016: Saving Hamlet by Molly Booth (Author Interview + Giveaway)

Happy Monday everyone!

I’m so thrilled welcome author Molly Booth on the blog today! She is nice enough to answer few questions for me about her upcoming debut contemporary novel, Saving Hamlet. This quirky and fun time travel novel will send readers to Shakespeare’s era with an endearing lead character, Emma Allen.

To learn more about Saving Hamlet and the author, Molly Booth scroll down after the interview. And don’t forget to check the giveaway at the bottom for a chance to win an advance readers copy of the book.

Enjoy reading the interview.

Interview with Molly Booth

Can you tell us a bit about your journey with Saving Hamlet? When did you first come up with the idea and what were the timescales involved between the first draft and the novel being accepted for publication?

Saving Hamlet started when I was at Marlboro College, taking a fiction workshop along with a class on Shakespeare. I’d been writing romantic, new-adult kind of fiction, and I’d realized I really wanted to try writing YA. Right around that time, my professor introduced me to the history of Shakespeare’s theatres, and suddenly, I knew what I wanted to write about: Shakespeare and time travel! Saving Hamlet was supposed to be a short story, then became a novella, and when that got too long, I had to embrace that I was writing a full length novel. I wrote Saving Hamlet’s first scene fall 2012, my agent, Alex Slater of Trident Media Group, took me on fall 2014, and we made the deal with my editor Kieran Viola and Disney Hyperion spring 2015. So I’ve been hanging out with Emma (my main character) for about four years now!

You have background in managing community theaters. Do you think your experience from that form or affected your writing?

Absolutely! I worked in community theatres in high school and college, stage managing pretty much everything — from kids theatre, to full scale musicals, to smaller black box plays. Early in high school I used to perform, but the technical side of theatre pulled me in. I wanted to help orchestrate the theatre magic. Plus, I had a loud voice and liked being in charge xD. When I went to write about a teenage theatre kid, I didn’t think twice: I wanted Emma to be a techie. I got to draw on my own experiences a lot, and revisit some hilarious theatre incidents of my past. It made me fall in love with being part of theatre all over again.

If Emma could ask you one question about why you wrote her story the way you did, what would she want to know the most?

What a great question! I think Emma would have a lot to say to me. After we talked about Shakespeare for a few hours, I think she’d ask me about why I chose her as the character who time travels. Then she’d probably ask me about Lulu. And after that, she might ask about her first kiss too.

If you could be a character in a Shakespeare play, who would you be and why?

I haven’t acted in ages, but if we’re delving into fantasy life… I’d love to play Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. I totally relate to her brash outside and insecure inside, and her devotion to her family. (My love of Beatrice is a huge driving force in writing my next book, Nothing Happened.) Also I want to play Hamlet. Also Viola. Also Cleopatra. Also Tybalt.

If you could jump back in time and experience one significant event (real or fictional), which one would you choose to be a part of?

One! So hard! I’d probably want to see Antony and Cleopatra at the Globe. I wrote my undergrad thesis on that play, and I’m hardcore yearning to know what that show looked like back then.

Can you share some details about your next book, Nothing Happened. What we should expect from you after the release of Saving Hamlet?

Totally! I’m so excited about my next book. Nothing Happened comes out from Disney Hyperion spring 2018. It’s a YA retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, set at summer camp. There are more twists on the original story, but I can’t share too much yet! I’m having a blast translating these Shakespeare characters into teenagers and writing back stories for them. So after Saving Hamlet, you can expect more Shakespeare!! 😀

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Thank you so much Molly for taking time to answer all my questions above. I am really looking forward for the release of Saving Hamlet in November.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Molly Booth is a freelance writer and debut YA author of SAVING HAMLET, coming from Disney Hyperion 11/1/16. Her second book, Nothing Happened, is coming spring 2018. She holds a BA in writing and literature from Marlboro College, and now writes books about Shakespeare and feelings. She lives in Massachusetts and has almost too many pets. Almost.

Find Molly

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Youtube | Tumblr | Goodreads

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Book Details:

Title: Saving Hamlet
Author: Molly Booth
Publication Date: November 1, 2016
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover

Emma Allen couldn’t be more excited to start her sophomore year. Not only is she the assistant stage manager for the drama club’s production of Hamlet, but her crush Brandon is directing, and she’s rocking a new haircut that’s sure to get his attention. But soon after school starts, everything goes haywire. Emma’s promoted to stage manager with zero experience, her best friend Lulu stops talking to her, and Josh–the adorable soccer boy who’s cast as the lead–turns out to be a disaster. It’s up to Emma to fix it all, but she has no clue where to start.

One night after rehearsal, Emma stays behind to think through her life’s latest crises and distractedly falls through the stage’s trap door . . . landing in the basement of the Globe Theater.

It’s London, 1601, and with her awesome new pixie cut, everyone thinks Emma’s a boy–even Will Shakespeare himself. With no clue how to get home, Emma gamely plays her role as backstage assistant to the original production of Hamlet, learning a thing or two about the theater, and meeting an incredibly hot actor named Alex who finds Emma as intriguing as she finds him. But once Emma starts traveling back and forth through time, things get really confusing. Which boy is the one for her? In which reality does she belong? Will Lulu ever forgive her? And can she possibly save two disastrous productions of Hamlet before time runs out?

Book Links:

Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads | IndieBound

Giveaway:

What’s up for Grab?

• ARC of Saving Hamlet by Molly Booth
  

The Rules:

• Open US/CA residents only
• There will be one (1) winner
• Winner will be chosen and announced through rafflecopter
• Winner will be contacted thru email & should response within 48 hours
• Ends October 17th, 2016
• Prize will be sent by the author

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form

Good Luck!!!

Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2016 experience. Click the image below for the full list of schedule and links to each second wave feature post!