If you love ballet fiction......
Series: Indigo Ballet Series
Author: Grier Cooper
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Release Date: 26th April 2016
BLURB from Goodreads
Perfection. Beauty. Pain. For Indigo Stevens there’s no such thing as weakness or privacy at the famed New York School of Ballet where every movement is scrutinized and judged. Indigo hopes she’ll be chosen for the company, but her ballet teachers aren’t talking and their silence is confusing.
When Indigo is singled out for a coveted solo she feels her dreams are finally within reach, until she discovers she’s dancing with Felipe Gonzalez, the school’s smolderingly hot rising star. In the days that follow, Indigo questions everything she thought was true and finds herself making surprising choices, including the decision to take control of her own future. Will she create the life she wants or lose everything?
Goodreads Link
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Could you tell us a little about your
Indigo Ballet Series?
Indigo Stevens wants nothing more than
to be a professional dancer. She dreams of dancing with Manhattan Ballet
Theater but having talent isn't enough. Indigo must dig deep and use her inner
resources to navigate the competitive, critical world of ballet. Her ultimate
challenge: How
do you live your dreams without losing yourself?
Could you tell us a little about Hope,
book 2 in the Indigo Ballet Series, and if you had to summarise it in less than
20 words what would you say?
Perfection.
Beauty. Pain. This is life for Indigo Stevens at the famed New York School
of Ballet, where there’s no such thing as weakness or privacy and every
movement is scrutinized and judged. Indigo hopes she’ll be chosen for the
company, but her ballet teachers aren’t talking and their silence is confusing.
When
Indigo is singled out for a coveted solo she feels her dreams are finally
within reach, until she discovers she’s dancing with Felipe Gonzalez, the
school’s smolderingly hot rising star. In the days that follow, Indigo
questions everything she thought was true and finds herself making surprising
choices. Will she create the life she wants? How do you live your dreams
without losing yourself?
If
you prefer, the 20-word summary goes like this: Dancer hopes she's chosen for
the company...paired with distractingly hot partner...makes surprising choices.
Are they the right ones?
Which of your books in the Indigo Ballet
Series were easier/harder to write than the others? And why?
Wish was
definitely the hardest book to write because it was the first in the series and
my first novel. Although I'd written other titles before, there was a learning
curve. While working on Wish I learned I'm a plan-ahead type of person,
especially with writing. I created outlining forms, character sketches,
collages and all the prep materials I continue to use for all of my books, and
I continue to learn new techniques all the time. That's the cool part about
writing: you get better with each passing day...and it's something you can do
the rest of your life (unlike ballet!)
How many books do you plan to write in
the Series?
The Indigo Ballet Series is a planned
trilogy, but an additional novella is in the works. I'm also working on audiobook
versions of the series, which will be available later in the spring, through
Audible. Audiobooks are a whole new way to share stories and lots of fun to put
together.
Do you have a favourite out of the
Indigo Ballet Series that you have written so far? And if so why is it your
favourite?
Hope is
my favorite so far....probably because it's set in New York City, the place
where I was born, and the place where I developed as a professional dancer.
It's been my experience that many people are infatuated with New York City, for
good reason. There's so much going on there, 24-7. There's a reason they call
it “the city that never sleeps”...because it's the truth! You can go out for a
meal anytime, day or night, you can have sushi delivered to your door (as
Indigo and her friends do in one scene), and there is a wealth of magical
places to explore, like Lincoln Center. I had a lot of fun revisiting these
memories and adding pieces of them to the story.
Do you have a favourite character from
the Indigo Ballet series? and why are they your favourite?
I
relate to Indigo the most; she has a lot of heart and isn't jaded like some of
the other characters. She's also talented enough to have a career with a good
ballet company but doesn't succumb to the competitive environment by becoming
cruel. That's not an easy thing to do and requires inner strength and
character.
Where do you get your book plot ideas
from? What/Who is your inspiration?
Even
though a lot of people dream about becoming ballet dancers, very few actually
get to do it. I wanted to share my experiences with readers so they could see
what life as a dancer is really like. I came to New York City when I was
fourteen, leaving my home, my family and my friends behind after I received an
invitation to become a full-time student at the School of American Ballet. New
York City has long been associated with glamour and all of the perks that come
with a big city lifestyle; it's also one of the most major hubs in the world
for the arts, which means anyone who's serious about a dance career knows they
need to be there. My years in New York were an incredible time of growth for
me, both as a dancer and as a human being, a pivotal period that shaped so much
of who I am today. There were fun discoveries, like finding the best breakfast
spots (especially the delicious super-sized muffins at the deli two blocks from
my apartment), trying coffee for the first time (hated it–although it's a very different
story now), and exploring the city with friends during rare free moments. It
was a glorious inspiration to walk past Lincoln Center most days and dream
about dancing with New York City Ballet some day. Occasionally I got to attend
performances of New York City Ballet when I worked at the gala events. Those
evenings, everything in life felt magical. Wealthy patrons shimmered in
exquisite gowns, the top dancers of New York City glittered like the stars they
were, and the Lincoln Center fountain sprayed liquid diamonds all night long.
When
I started writing the Indigo Ballet Series, I knew these were things I wanted
to share with readers. Even though it's been many years since I experienced
that part of my life, most of it lives on in my memory in crystal-clear detail.
How do you come up with the Title and
Cover Designs for your Indigo Ballet Series? Who designed the Cover of your
books?
I usually come up with titles after a
brainstorming session. Every now and then I draw a blank, so I use a working title
while I write. I keep asking myself, “What is the right title for this story
about _______” until the idea comes. It always does, sooner or later. I usually
double-check with friends and the teens in my life to make sure it's a good fit
and makes sense.
In terms of cover design, I got very
lucky when I found my cover designer, Fiona Jayde. She
makes amazing covers, and has a really great sense of color and design. I had
created a series of studio photographs of the cover model, Colette, because I
knew I wanted continuity on all of the covers...the same person appearing as
Indigo. Colette and I had a lot of fun in the studio, but it required tons of
costume changes since we created all of the images for the whole series that
day. One the photos were ready, Fiona worked her magic with those images. I'm
so pleased with the finished covers.
Is there anything in your Indigo
Ballet Series books you would change now if you could and what would it
be?
I wouldn't change anything! I'm having a
lot of fun creating this series and looking forward to finishing new books, new
audiobooks and other fun projects. HOPE is available now for pre-order and goes
on sale April 26, 2016th. Click here to read an
excerpt. Please stay tuned and stay in touch!
AUTHOR LINKS
Website
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Amazon
THE REST OF THE SERIES SO FAR
Series: Indigo Ballet Series
Author: Grier Cooper
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Release Date: 2nd December 2014
BLURB from Goodreads
For Indigo Stevens, ballet classes at Miss Roberta’s ballet studio offer the stability and structure that are missing from her crazy home life. At almost 16, she hopes this is the year she will be accepted into the New York School of Ballet so she can begin her ballet dance career. First she must prove she’s ready, and that means ignoring Jesse Sanders, the cute boy with dimples who is definitely at the top of Miss Roberta’s List of Forbidden Things for Dancers.
But Jesse is the least of Indigo’s concerns. When she discovers her mom is an alcoholic, it simultaneously explains everything and heaps more worry on Indigo’s shoulders. As her mom’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, Indigo fights to maintain balance, protect her younger brothers from abuse, and keep her mother from going over the edge. But life with an alcoholic parent is unpredictable. When the violence at home escalates, Indigo realizes she can no longer dance around the issue. At the risk of losing everything, she must take matters into her own hands before it’s too late.
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