Interview with Alexandra Monir for The Life Below
The Life Below (The Final Six #2)
by Alexandra MonirPublisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 18th 2020
Synopsis:
As Naomi lifts off into space and away from a rapidly deteriorating Earth, she watches the world fade away, and along with it Leo, a Final Six contestant she grew close to during training. Leaving Earth behind is hard, but what’s ahead, on Europa, could be worse. The International Space Training Camp continues to hide the truth about what happened to the last group of astronauts who attempted a similar colonization but failed mysteriously. With one shot—at this mission and to Europa—Naomi is determined to find out if there is alien life on Europa before she and her crew get there.
Leo, back on Earth, has been working with renegade scientist Dr. Greta Wagner, who promises to fly him to space where he can essentially latch on to Naomi’s ship. And if Wagner’s hypothesis is right, it isn’t a possibility of coming in contact with extraterrestrial life on Europa—it’s a definite. With Naomi unaware of what awaits, it’s up to Leo to find and warn her and the others.
With all the pieces of their journey finally clicking into place, everything else starts to fall apart. A storm threatens to interfere with Leo’s takeoff, a deadly entity makes itself known to the Final Six, and the questions the ISTC has been avoiding about the previous failed mission get answered in the worst way possible. If the dream was to establish a habitable domain on Europa… the Final Six are about to enter a nightmare.
Can you briefly describe THE FINAL SIX series, its characters and what’s going on in THE LIFE BELOW?
THE FINAL SIX is about a group of twenty-four teens from around the world, who have been handpicked by the United Nations and the international space agencies, to compete for six spots on a one-way mission to Jupiter’s moon, Europa—to find a new home for humanity after Earth is largely destroyed by climate change. THE FINAL SIX ends with the selection of the chosen crew, and their launch into space—while one finalist who didn’t make the cut embarks on a rogue mission of his or her own. Where Book 1 gave us all the fun and action of space training camp and the competition, Book 2 ramps up the stakes, thrusting our characters into the dangers of space as they make their way to a new world.
Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?
Definitely Naomi, the female protagonist. She is the character closest to me, and the Iranian-American heroine I was always looking for but never found in the books I read growing up. That's why it was so gratifying to create this character who is a kickass science & tech whiz, and the star of an epic adventure, who happens to share my heritage!
How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?
Coming up with this series was one of those magical moments in a writer’s life, where an idea just flies into your mind like a gift! I was listening to a radio interview with an aspiring astronaut who had applied for this experimental private mission, MarsOne, that was in the news at the time. She had a family and a full life on Earth, but was willing to leave it all behind for the chance to go to Mars. I was blown away by the idea that someone would choose to give up the only life they’d ever known for this risky colonization experiment—and then I had this lightbulb of an idea switch on in my mind. What if it wasn’t a choice? What if, due to climate change destroying much of Earth, people were drafted to space, just like people have been drafted into war? As soon as those pieces of the idea flew into my mind, I was off and running!
Which book in the series was the most difficult to write and why?
The sequel was definitely harder! Sequels are by nature a challenge, but with this book in particular, I was stretching new writing muscles by developing extraterrestrials that I hoped would feel as real and grounded as they were terrifying, and writing a brand new world with Europa.
If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?
The song I would choose is actually featured in THE LIFE BELOW! “Sail to the Moon” by Radiohead. J
If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?
I think we need to discover new talent to play Leo and Naomi, especially because it’s hugely important to me to have a young actress of Iranian heritage play Naomi, and an actor of Italian heritage play Leo. For the adult characters though, I’ve always pictured Meryl Streep as Greta Wagner. A lofty goal, I know! J
What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?
That’s a fun question! Perhaps Astronaut Ice Cream in the cafeteria at Johnson Space Center in Houston!
Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish THE LIFE BELOW?
There are so many! I consider Beth Revis’s ACROSS THE UNIVERSE trilogy the series that really kicked off the boom of YA set in space, and those books are brilliant page-turners.
What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?
I would say the midpoint of a book is the toughest, when you’re past the beginning rush of excitement that comes with starting something new, but you also feel sooo far from the victory of reaching the end. You just have to tell yourself that every day you keep working brings you a day closer to reaching that glorious moment of finishing what you started—and then being able to start revising and making the book shine!
What’s next for you?
I have a YA superhero novel currently slated for December! It hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s a major character, and I’m so honoured to be entrusted with writing a YA story for her. I can’t wait to announce that one very soon!!
Alexandra Monir, Iranian-American author and recording artist, has published five novels for young adults, including her popular debut, Timeless. A Barnes & Noble best-seller and one of Amazon’s “Best Books of the Month,” Timeless and its sequel, Timekeeper, have been featured in numerous media outlets and been published in different countries around the world. She followed the duology with Suspicion and The Girl in the Picture, both standalone YA thrillers. Her upcoming science fiction novel, THE FINAL SIX (March 6, 2018) was acquired by HarperCollins and Sony Pictures during the same week, in two major pre-emptive deals.
Alexandra is also a singer/songwriter who often integrates music into her books’ pages. She wrote and recorded three original songs to accompany Timeless and Timekeeper, which were released as the album “The Timeless EP” and distributed by Jimmy Buffett’s record label, Mailboat Records. She also recorded a song that was released with the publication of Suspicion, and is composing a stage musical geared toward Broadway. Her musical roots are deep, as she is the granddaughter of the late Monir Vakili, the foremost Iranian opera singer.
Alexandra Monir is a frequent speaker at middle schools and high schools across the country, and at major events including fan conventions, women’s leadership conferences, and book festivals. She is a member of the Iranian American Women Foundation, an organization near to her heart. Alexandra currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and newborn son. To learn more about Alexandra, visit her online at www.alexandramonir.com.
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