#Giveaway What is ALEXANDRA MONIR’S Secret? #Win THE FINAL SIX by @TimelessAlex @HarperTeen Ends 3.30

Synopsis 

When Leo, an Italian championship swimmer, and Naomi, a science genius from California, are two of the twenty-four teens drafted into the International Space Training Camp, their lives are forever altered. After erratic climate change has made Earth a dangerous place to live, the fate of the population rests on the shoulders of the final six who will be scouting a new planet. Intense training, global scrutiny, and cutthroat opponents are only a few of the hurdles the contestants must endure in this competition.

For Leo, the prospect of traveling to Europa—Jupiter’s moon—to help resettle humankind is just the sense of purpose he’s been yearning for since losing his entire family in the flooding of Rome. Naomi, after learning of a similar space mission that mysteriously failed, suspects the ISTC isn’t being up front with them about what’s at risk.

As the race to the final six advances, the tests get more challenging—even deadly. With pressure mounting, Naomi finds an unexpected friend in Leo, and the two grow closer with each mind-boggling experience they encounter. But it’s only when the finalists become fewer and their destinies grow nearer that the two can fathom the full weight of everything at stake: the world, the stars, and their lives.

Praise for THE FINAL SIX

“A breathtakingly real look at love, loss, and the dangers of space, THE FINAL SIX skyrockets into twists and turns I never saw coming!” ―Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of Across the Universe series

“I sat down to read a bit before bed and then it was two a.m. and the book was half gone. This is a space competition of epic proportions, loaded with disturbing hidden secrets and intense action. Your eyes will be glued to the page.” ―Kendare Blake, #1 NYT bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns

“Compelling, cinematic, and fascinating. I can’t wait to read what happens next in the mission to Europa!” ―Romina Russell, New York Times bestselling author of the Zodiac series 

Iranian-American author and recording artist Alexandra Monir has published five novels for young adults, including her popular debut, Timeless. A Barnes & Noble bestseller and one of Amazon’s “Best Books of the Month,” Timeless and its sequel, Timekeeper, have been featured in numerous media outlets and been published in different countries around the world. She followed the duology with Suspicion and The Girl in the Picture, both standalone YA thrillers. Her upcoming science fiction novel, THE FINAL SIX (March 6, 2018) was acquired by HarperCollins and Sony Pictures on the same week, in two major pre-emptive deals.

Alexandra is also a singer/songwriter who often integrates music into her books’ pages. She wrote and recorded three original songs to accompany Timeless and Timekeeper, which were released as the album The Timeless EP and distributed by Jimmy Buffett’s record label, Mailboat Records. She also recorded a song that was released with the publication of Suspicion, and is composing a stage musical geared toward Broadway. Her musical roots are deep, as she is the granddaughter of the late Monir Vakili, the foremost Iranian opera singer.

Alexandra Monir is a frequent speaker at middle schools and high schools across the country and at major events including fan conventions, women’s leadership conferences, and book festivals. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and newborn son. To learn more about Alexandra, visit her online at www.alexandramonir.com.

What’s one thing readers would be surprised to know about you?

The other night, I was signing 400 bookplates while chatting with my brother and sister-in-law about the upcoming Comic-Cons I’m attending this year, when suddenly I put down my Sharpie and said, “You guys—can we take a moment to reflect on how wild it is that I used to be a teen pop singer, and now I’m writing sci-fi novels?”

It’s true—when I was the same age as my lead characters, I had bleached-blond hair, a catalogue of pop songs, and four backup dancers. I spent the summer before senior year of high school opening for O-Town, a boy band that was huge at the time, and the following summer I opened for Aaron Carter in the midst of his Hilary Duff-Lindsay Lohan love triangle. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, consider yourself much younger than me! J) It was exciting, it was scary, it was fun—but the truth is, the “pop star in the making” persona was never a perfect fit.

I loved singing and writing music, and both of those things will always be a huge part of me, but as I grew up, I grew out of the teen-pop sound. Instead, I fell in love with retro jazz, with icons from the past like Billie Holiday and George Gershwin. Meanwhile, my oldest love, even before singing, was reading. I often brought books into the recording studio, and I’d been scribbling my own stories since I was in elementary school. So when my love of vintage music got me thinking more and more about the past, I came up with the idea for my debut novel, the time-travel romance Timeless. And the rest is history—pun intended! J

Sometimes your path can take many winding turns before you settle on the perfect route. In my case, it took me trying on the role of teen pop singer to find what I’m really meant to be: a full-time writer, who incorporates original music into my work. J