Blog Tour: The Secret Side of Empty- Playlist and Giveaway

The Secret Side of Empty by Maria Andreu

We'd like to welcome author Maria Andreu on her pre-release blog tour of The Secret Side of Empty. Check out a synopsis below. We are especially interested in such a controversial topic. With Obama's 2012 immigration law reform permitting illegal citizens to stay in the country if they'd been brought here as children and shows like The Fosters producing story lines that bring to light the plight of undocumented aliens, this story cannot come out at a more perfect time.

ABOUT The Secret Side of Empty

It's the story of a teen girl that is American in every way except for in one very important way: on paper. She was brought to the U.S. as a baby without proper documentation, so she's "illegal." As the end of the safe haven of her high school days draw near, she faces an uncertain future. Full of humor and frustration and love, The Secret Side of Emptyspeaks to the part in all of us that has felt excluded or has had a secret too scary to share. What M.T., the main character, finally discovers is the strength of the human spirit and the power that's unleashed when you finally live the truth.
We asked Maria what music inspired the writing of this novel.

Playlist

Music played a big part in the writing of The Secret Side of Empty, both from the way I envisioned certain scenes to songs that put me in the right mood for writing.  Since the story is inspired by my own story, there are a few “oldies” mixed in.  Here are my favorites:

The Smiths song “Here Comes Your Man” makes me think of a certain mood that the main character has when she’s around her boyfriend, like she wants to impress him and be more than she is.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDzDm-KGCs4

“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” – M.T., the protagonist, goes to visit a friend in college (even though she’s in high school) and goes to see an a singing group.  They do a capella stuff.  It’s so deeply unhip that it’s cool:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0iw89L6aFo  I once saw an all-guys singing group do this in a college I visited and the moment always stuck with me.

One Republic’s “Stop and Stare.”  I love how this song builds.  I bet M.T. and Nate, the couple in the love story in The Secret Side of Empty, had this playing in the background while they were kissing one day:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwd6UHasXP4

  

M.T. likes to ride her bike a lot.  She listens to this song while doing it.  It’s moody and vibey:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l8PSdxy-_s

There is a character named Josh who decides he’s going to take on M.T.’s “musical education” by sending her links to obscure songs.  (I think he has a bit of a crush on her, but he’s got a girlfriend and she’s got a boyfriend).  Here is one song he sends her:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6etaa5hovA

This is another song Josh meant to send but which didn’t make it into the book. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVd5RVukcs

M.T. goes through a lot of hard times through the book.  When she is really feeling down she listens to songs like this one.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqy7SnE-i1c

M.T. doesn’t particularly celebrate her Latina heritage at the start of the book, but when she’s hanging out with her friends she does get into this song:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zp1TbLFPp8

Giveaway Info

Maria is giving away two separate prizes on her tour, a $250 Amazon Gift Card AND a Kindle Fire.

1)      For a chance to win the$250 Amazon gift card, ORthe Kindle Fire leave a comment on her blog post for that day. Winners will be randomly selected on September 30th.

Maria Andreu’s Bio:

Maria’s writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Washington Post and the Star Ledger.  Her debut novel, The Secret Side of Empty, is the story of an “illegal” high school senior.  It was inspired by Maria’s own experiences as an undocumented teen.  Since becoming a citizen, Maria has run her own business and has become a soccer mom. She lives with her 13-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son in northern New Jersey.

Links

Maria Andreu’s website- http://mariaeandreu.com/

Maria Andreu on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritersideofM

Maria Andreu on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maria.andreu.books

Thanks, Maria, for joining us. We wish you the best for the upcoming release of this novel!