[Cover Reveal] The Empress Chronicles by Suzy Vitello + Q&A!

Hello everyone! Today, I have for you the cover reveal for THE EMPRESS CHRONICLES by Suzy Vitello! It's so beautiful! Here's the synopsis of the book!

When city girl Liz is banished to a rural goat farm on the outskirts of Portland, the 15-year-old feels her life spiraling out of control. She can’t connect to her father or his young girlfriend, and past trauma adds to her sense of upheaval. The only person who seems to keep her sane is a troubled boy who is fighting his own demons. But all of this changes in one historical instant.

One-hundred fifty years earlier, Elisabeth of Bavaria has troubles of her own. Her childhood is coming to a crashing end, and her destiny is written in the form of a soothsaying locket that has the ability to predict true love. But evil is afoot in the form of a wicked enchantress who connives to wield the power of the locket for her own destructive ends.

When Liz finds a timeworn diary, and within it a locket, she discovers the secrets and desires of the young Bavarian princess who will one day grow up to be the legendary Empress of Austria.

It is in the pages of the diary that these two heroines will meet, and it is through their interwoven story that Liz will discover she has the power to rewrite history—including her own...

I also had a chance to interview the author, Suzy Vitello, which you can find after the cover! Scroll down to see the cover!

















Isn't it so pretty?? Anyways, here's the interview with Suzy Vitello!

The Interview

Ri: What inspired you to write THE EMPRESS CHRONICLES?

Suzy: I’ve always been fascinated by Empress Elisabeth of Austria, and in researching her life, I realized that not much has been written about her childhood, and it was so ripe for fiction. I wanted to add a bit of whimsy to the narrative – a bit of magical realism – and that’s where the idea for the modern-day element came in. And a vehicle to allow some communication between the two time periods.

Ri: Do you listen to any music while you write? If you do, what do you listen to? I don’t.

Suzy: Many writers get inspired by music when they write. For me, music is completely immersive, and distracts the part of my brain that needs to hear voice.

Ri: What are some interesting things you learned through researching for this book? 

Suzy: The number one thing is a bit of a spoiler; it’s that Sisi was never intended as the bride for Franz Joseph. She was considered too young and tomboyish. Her sister, Helene (three years older) was the target bride. There are many accounts of how the engagement went down – many of them super romantic love-at-first-sight sorts of anecdotes. In THE EMPRESS CHRONICLES, I smerged a few details, and then added my little magical encounter to the mix. Other things I learned during research, I cataloged on my blog, also called The Empress Chronicles.

Ri: What was different about the writing experience for THE EMPRESS CHRONICLES, compared to your previous novel, THE MOMENT BEFORE?

Suzy: Empress took FOREVER to write. Many, many drafts. There was a lot of massaging the dual arcs, and working with two different time periods, whereas Moment came rushing out like the flu. There were so many more factors to consider with Empress – what historical details to weave in and which ones to fabricate. I never had a problem distinguishing the voices of the girls, but my boys, Connor and Cory, share some personality traits, and I needed to work Cory a bit deeper to give him some unique characteristics so he wouldn’t seem like Connor’s twin.

Ri: What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

Suzy: I am a proud 20-year soccer mom! Seriously, my kids are a huge part of my life. My youngest is 15, and my older kids are in their 20s. I also have two wonderful stepchildren. My husband is a teacher, so summers are full of travel (right now we’re in San Diego with my son’s soccer team). From June to September we hike and camp and take our Rottweiler to the park. I work in a home office in Portland, and we have a big garden, chickens and other critters, so the daily chores are somewhat farm-like. In the winter, I do lots of reading and sneaking off to matinees.

Ri: If you were stuck on a deserted island, what is the one book that you would want with you? 

Suzy: Probably something super voice-driven and full of authority. Maybe Junot Diaz’s THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER.

Ri: Is there anything you're currently reading? 

Suzy: Yes! I just picked up THE GIRLS FROM CORONA DEL MAR by Rufi Thorpe and I’m absolutely enthralled.



Thank you so much Suzy for taking the time to answer my questions!

You can pre-order her book by clicking on the banner below! The Empress Chronicles releases September 2nd!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suzy Vitello is a proud founding member of a critique group recently dubbed The Hottest Writing Group in Portland, and her short stories have won fellowships and prizes (including the Atlantic Monthly Student Writing Award, and an Oregon Literary Arts Fellowship).

Suzy's debut novel, THE MOMENT BEFORE, was published by Diversion Books in January, 2014.

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Happy Reading!