Rebecca Hanover
Author Interview - Rebecca Hanover
Author of THE LAST APPLICANT
Audrey Singer revels in her position as the admissions director of an exclusive Manhattan private school. Parents cater to her whims and desires, desperate to give their children an edge. Audrey’s power is undeniable; privilege comes with the territory. Her perfect marriage completes the glossy picture of her life.
Until the arrival of the neurotic, vulnerable Sarah Price. Determined to get her son into the city’s most coveted kindergarten class, Sarah inserts herself into Audrey’s world, testing boundaries at every turn. For Sarah, everything Audrey has is a potential target: her job, her friends…even her marriage.
But what seems to be another ploy by an overachieving mother takes a dark and ominous turn. Sarah seems to be hiding secrets of her own. Are her designs on Audrey’s life purely about getting what she wants for her son?
Or is there something more sinister at play in this cutthroat game?
Author Interview - Rebecca Hanover
Author I draw inspiration from:
Suzanne Collins and Ruth Ware. Both authors create the kinds of propulsive stories that I strive for, myself. I think they're both beyond talented, and HUNGER GAMES / THE OVERLANDER SERIES are both re-reads for me, as well as all of Ware's thrillers. THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 is my top favorite, followed closely by ONE BY ONE and THE TURN OF THE KEY.
Author Interview - Rebecca Hanover | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Curled up in bed. But let's face it, if I'm hooked on a book, I'll read literally anywhere! Eating... I've even attempted to read while showering... Not driving, though. Never driving!
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Gregor from GREGOR THE OVERLANDER by Suzanne Collins. It is hands-down my favorite middle grade series. My husband read it to my oldest kiddo when he was 8, and now he's reading it to our second. (I secretly listen in because I'm jealous and want to relive it!) Actually, maybe I'd like to be stuck in the elevator with Luxa, because she could describe the Underland to me in even more detail... And I'd want to get a peek at her lavender eyes up close.
Author Interview - Rebecca Hanover | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
Wandering the Barnes and Noble at Astor Place in New York City when I was 22 and had just moved to New York. I knew then that I wanted to write for a living (or attempt to, anyway!). I had caught the writing bug back in college when I wrote and performed my own one woman show, SUBURBAN REVENGE. (I was 21, don't judge it).
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardcover: what author doesn't adore a delicious hardback?! They're works of art, and our TBR stacks are like expressions of ourselves! With that said, hardcovers are heavy and expensive, and I love that there are many different options for readers of all types, which leads me to paperbacks. I almost wish every young adult book came out right away in paperback, because they're so much more affordable for teens. Paperbacks make me nostalgic for the box of Judy Blume and Sweet Valley High books I mined from our attic growing up. My copy of ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET that was my older sister's was so tattered by the time it got to me. Still, I read it about fifty times. Ebook's are my go-to's these days. I love the economy of them, and I love that they save paper. They're so efficient for folks who read book after book after book! I haven't had a chance to fully appreciate audiobooks simply because of daily life (it's easier for me to curl up quietly with a book after my kids are in bed), but I love the new dimension that the actors bring to every story, and I'm so excited that THE LAST APPLICANT has an audiobook.
The last book I read:
ZERO DAYS by Ruth Ware. She's my auto-buy author; I read her books within a week of publication! Needless to say, I love everything she writes. She manages to craft such compelling main characters you truly see yourself in—so when they're facing a crisis, it puts you right into their shoes.
Author Interview - Rebecca Hanover | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
100 percent laptop, because my handwriting is so bad these days, I can't even read it later! I put together pretty extensive outlines on Google Docs that I work off of. Once that outline is solid, I start drafting in Word. I don't need a lot of elaborate equipment. Sometimes I even write while lying in my bed! (Why does that feel embarrassing to admit??)
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte. It was the first "classic" I read that kept me up all night, reading way past the assigned pages, and I've probably read it 100 times since. Jane is just so fierce, so smart, so fiery. Who knows what she'd actually think of me, were we to meet, but she's just one of those characters who feels wholly real to me, like she really did/does exist somewhere in the world. Or maybe I just want her to.
Author Interview - Rebecca Hanover | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
TV writer! I wrote for the soap opera GUIDING LIGHT in my twenties. It was a dream job, before it went off the air.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The 80's because I just can't believe we WORE those things—though I should be careful because it's sort of back, isn't it?? One of my favorite photos of myself as a toddler is me wearing my "Madonna / Cyndi Lauper" outfit, which included leg warmers, an entire arm full of colorful plastic bangles, hot pink sunglasses and a side ponytail on top of my head held in place by a scrunchie... I still have a pair of pink, high-top Converse in my closet that I'll never give up.
Place I’d most like to travel:
London! It's the most writerly place on earth, and on top of that, the weather suits me perfectly. I live in San Francisco, where it's perpetually 60 degrees. A rainy, chilly day makes me so happy. I'd love to spend a week wandering Notting Hill and hopping in a sconery. And then I'd see as many West End shows as I could squeeze in.
My signature drink:
Daytime: a matcha latte with almond milk, unsweetened. Night: a rye poured over one of those oversized ice cubes.
Favorite artist:
It's always been COLDPLAY.
Number one on my bucket list:
Camping with my kids.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Thank you so much for hosting me here!
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/rebeccahanover/
https://twitter.com/rebeccahanover
https://rebeccahanover.com/
https://www.pinterest.com/rebeccahanover/
