Out Today: Remember by Eileen Cook!
Eileen is thrilled to announce that her book REMEMBER hits shelves February 24, 2015.
About the Book: A thrilling tale about what a girl will do to get back a memory she lostā¦or remove what she wants to forget. Harper is used to her family being hounded by protestors. Her father runs the company that trademarked the āMemtexā procedure to wipe away sad memories, and plenty of people think it shouldnāt be legal. Then a new demonstrator crosses her path, Neil, whoās as persistent as he is hot. Not that Harperās noticing, since she already has a boyfriend. When Harper suffers a loss, sheās shocked her father wonāt allow her to get the treatment, so she finds a way to get it without his approval. Soon afterward, sheās plagued with strange symptoms, including hallucinations of a woman who is somehow both a stranger, yet incredibly familiar. Harper begins to wonder if she is delusional, or if these are somehow memories. Together with Neil, who insists he has his own reasons for needing answers about the real dangers of Memtex, Harper begins her search for the truth. What she finds could uproot all sheās ever believed about her lifeā¦
āCompelling combination of twisty mystery and realistic romance." (Cat Patrick, author of FORGOTTEN and JUST LIKE FATE)
Where did the idea for Remember come from?
Iād read an article about some scientific experiments being done with memory. The scientists were looking for a way to reduce the difficulty war veterans have with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It occurred to me if people could get rid of very traumatic memories, there would also be a market for people who wanted to get rid of all sorts of memories. I began to wonder what types of things might go wrong once you begin messing around with someoneās memory. It can be relatively easy to confuse what is a real memory from what someone might tell you happened. What if something you were sure was true, suddenly seemed to be uncertain, possibly a lie? Once all these questions were swirling around in my head I knew I had a book- all I had to do is write it!
If the Memtex procedure existed is there any memory you would like to forget?
I think everyone has some memories they would like to forget, but even the difficult ones have shaped who I am so Iād have to hang on to them.
Tell us a behind the scenes story about writing the book.
I decided that I wanted the main character to ride horses competitively- a subject I know nothing about. I was lucky enough to have two close friends who grew up riding and were able to share all sorts of details and were willing to read early drafts to make sure I had things correct. Now I know more about saddles than I ever expected.
What are you working on now?
Itās a thriller that involves Italy, a possible murder and two best friends who may be enemies. Thereās nothing better than writing a book that includes a research trip to Rome, Venice and Tuscany. I ate my weight in pasta, took thousands of pictures and wrote pages and pages of notes.
Link to contest info: http://www.eileencook.com/blog/?p=4590
