Lisa: We’re so pleased to have author Teodora Kostova joining us today on the tour for her latest book, Ten Mile Bottom. Welcome to The Novel Approach, Teodora, it’s great to have you here with us today.

Let’s get right to business. Tell us about your favorite scene in the book and what makes it a fave?

Teodora: I’m a sucker for first kiss scenes! I love reading them, I love writing them as well. Here’s a little excerpt from Finn and Ben’s first kiss scene:

The Excerpt: When we reached an alcove between two residential buildings, Ben took my hand and pulled me through it, leading us to a courtyard between the buildings. There was a fountain in the middle of the yard with a stone statue of a mermaid on top of it. A vintage red bicycle was parked behind it, and pots with blooming flowers hung from the first floor balcony over it. The whole scene was like a postcard. When I took out my phone to take a couple of photos, Ben pulled me closer and we took a selfie in front of the running fountain, with the bicycle and the flowers in the background. We were both grinning like teenagers on a first date. My heart skipped a beat as I studied the photo, and felt Ben’s hand on the small of my back. He peered at the screen and said,

“We look cute.”

Our shoulders were touching, his hand was on my back, the heat from his palm seeping through the thin t-shirt I wore. I couldn’t breathe. My hands shook as I turned the screen off and put the phone in my pocket. Ben didn’t move away. He turned his head, his nose touching my cheek, and he nuzzled my skin ever so slightly.

“Finn,” he murmured against my cheek, his breath tickling my skin. “I really want to kiss you.”

Turning my head to look into his eyes, our lips nearly touched.

“What’s stopping you?” I asked.

Lisa: If you could spend some real-life time with one of the characters in the book, who would you choose and why?

Teodora: Probably Fenix and Jared from Dance. I love musical theatre and they’re both actors in a popular musicals, so I’d love to hang out with them and get all the behind the scenes gossip. Plus, they’re so much fun!

Lisa: On the flipside, which character would you probably least get along with? Why?

Teodora: Finn, from Ten Mile Bottom, because he’s so much like me.

Lisa: Have you ever created a character so evil-awful that even you hated them and can’t believe you made them up? If so, who was it and what made them so awful?

Teodora: I don’t think I have, no. I don’t believe in pure evil and pure good. I think every character carries a bit of both in them.

Lisa: Let’s take off your author cap and put on your reader cap for a moment: what do you look for in a book, what sort of protagonists do you love, and do you have a favorite genre/sub-genre?

Teodora: The genres I read the most are contemporary romance and YA/YA Fantasy. What I look for in a book is simple prose that makes me feel things. I don’t usually go for overly embellished styles of writing, it distracts me from the story. My favourite kind of protagonist is someone who looks tough and maybe kinda mean on the outside, but has a good and noble heart.

Lisa: What are your least and most favorite things about being an author?

Teodora: The writing, and… the writing LOL I have a pretty intense love/hate relationship with my writing, but I can’t live without it. I tried. Last year I gave myself a bit of a break and stepped away from writing and publishing, but I had to go back to it. It gets too noisy in my head otherwise.

Lisa: What’s the one genre/sub-genre you haven’t written yet, but would love to? What’s kept you from it so far?

Teodora: Paranormal. I’d love to dip my toes into it because there are so many opportunities there, but I’m a little afraid.

Lisa: If you could choose one of your books to be adapted for the silver screen, which would you choose? Why do you think it would translate well to film?

Teodora: Dance. I think it’d look absolutely amazing on film because it’s set in the musical theatre world in London and there are a few scenes from the show the MCs are taking part in, and it’d look so good! The MCs are very passionate about each other as well, so it’d be a very sexy film, and who doesn’t love those.

Lisa: If you won the lottery, what’s the first completely self-indulgent thing you’d do?

Teodora: Book a luxury holiday somewhere exotic!

Lisa: If you could sit down to dinner with any author, past or present, who would you choose, and why? What are some things you’d want to chat about?

Teodora: Probably Maggie Stiefvater. I’ve admired her for years, and she’s such an interesting person! I’d love to sit down for a chat with her.

Lisa: What book that you’ve read and loved would you most like to be a character in? Who would you be, and why?

Teodora: I’d like to be Marek in Cameron Dane’s Dreaming in Color. The guy lives in Fiji, and as if his life couldn’t get any more perfect, fate brings a handsome hunk into his life. Who wouldn’t want that?

Lisa: If you were stranded on a desert island, what are three things you’d absolutely have to have?

Teodora: I’m going to go the practical road here, in case I’m there for a while and have to survive, so I’d say bottled water, flashlight and warm blanket.

Lisa: If you had to choose between becoming a superhero or supervillain, which would you choose and why?

Teodora: I have a thing for villains so I’ll go for supervillain. They always have so much more fun!

Lisa: And what would your superpower be?

Teodora: Telekinesis

Lisa: If James Corden invited you to Carpool Karaoke, what song(s) would you sing with him?

Teodora: I have a very eclectic taste in music, so we’ll probably swing between Taylor Swift, Green Day, Camila Cabello, 30 Seconds to Mars and Fall Out Boy.

Lisa: If you could be any animal in the world, what would you choose? Why?

Teodora: I’d love to be a tiger. They’re so beautiful and majestic! But also quite lazy LOL I don’t want to put too much effort into my life.

Lisa: If you could travel back in time, with all your years of experience and wisdom intact, what advice would you give to your teenage self?

Teodora: Don’t get a full fringe. Ever.

Lisa: Thanks so much for dropping in today, Teodora, it’s been a pleasure!

About the Book

Hitting rock bottom is just the beginning…

I’m a son, a brother, a friend.
A writer.
An addict.
Dead.

Cardiac arrest isn’t enough to keep me dead, though. The doctors brought me back, but for what?

At twenty four I’ve already achieved what most people do in a life time. I’m a successful author, own a flat in the heart of London and drive my dream sports car.

Or at least that’s what people see.

Once the spotlight fades, I’m left alone with my overactive mind, alcohol and drugs the only way to quiet down the noise.

Until an overdose nearly kills me and drags everyone I love down with me.

With the help of my best friend, I leave London and its toxic influence behind, moving to a small town in the outskirts of Cambridge to try and put my life back together again.

If only it were that easy.

[zilla_button url=”http://authl.it/B07BJBJFXY?d” style=”blue” size=”large” type=”round” target=”_blank”] Available at Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited [/zilla_button]

Author Bio

Hi, my name is Teodora and I live in London with my husband and my son. I’ve been writing ever since I can remember, but it became my full time job a few years ago when I decided that everything else I’ve tried bores me to death and I have to do what I’ve always wanted to do, but never had the guts to fully embrace. I’ve been a journalist, an editor, a personal assistant and an interior designer among other things, but as soon as the novelty of the new, exciting job wears off, I always go back to writing. Being twitchy, impatient, loud and hasty are not qualities that help a writer, because I have to sit alone, preferably still, and write for most of the day, but I absolutely love it. It’s the only time that I’m truly at peace and the only thing I can do for more than ten minutes at a time – my son has a bigger attention span than me.

When I’m procrastinating, I like to go to the gym, cook Italian meals (and eat them), read, listen to rock music, watch indie movies and True Blood re-runs. Or, in the worst case scenario, get beaten at every Nintendo Wii game by a very inventive kid.

Social Links: Blog || Twitter || Facebook || Facebook Group || Instagram || Newsletter

The Giveaway

Teodora is offering an eBook from Her Backlist as the prize, winner’s choice

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js