Book Birthday Blog with Tracy Bilen

 

 Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors and illustrators.

 

Congratulations to Tracy Bilen on the release of Whisper! 

 

Congratulations on the release of Whisper! What inspired this YA mystery thriller?

Thanks, Lauren! When I was a kid, I used to notice this high-pitched whining noise that the T.V. would make when the volume was turned down. It always drove me crazy, but it never seemed to bother anyone else. I got to thinking, what if that sound wasn’t mechanical, what if that was the sound of a thousand people talking at once…make that a thousand dead people…and they were all trying to talk to the one person that could hear them?
 

Both your most recent release and your previous book, What She Left Behind, have a strong sense of suspense and mystery. They also explore themes of grief and trauma. What is it that draws you to writing about these topics?

I have always loved FBI stories, which explains why I made Jacob’s mom an FBI agent. And I devour books that make you desperately need to figure out how all of the pieces fit together. As for the grief aspect, I lost both my biological father and stepfather unexpectedly when I was relatively young, so I find it easy to tap into those feelings and unresolved issues in my writing.
 

How has marketing and promotion gone for Whisper? Do you have any advice for newly published authors looking to promote?

I had a blast making the book trailer for Whisper with the software on Biteable. I also did a Goodreads giveaway, which helps build your book’s presence on “to-read” shelves and often leads to reviews. I used Xpresso Book Tours to organize a book blast (where bloggers sign up to feature your book on their site on a specific day or week). And I ordered bookmarks just because they’re fun (you can get one, while supplies last, by sending me your address through the contact form on my website or via my Goodreads mail).
 

When it comes to planning out your books, are you more of a pantser or a plotter?

A pantser all the way! Usually the first 50 pages come to me all in a rush and I also know what the last scene will be. Next, I write scenes that I know I want to include. I give them fun titles using the “Heading” designation in Word. That way I can drag them around to where they fit best using the navigation pane that shows up on the left of the screen when you hit “Find”.
 

Who are some authors that you look up to?

• Julia Walton for Words on Bathroom Walls
• Kathleen Glasgow for the beautiful prose in Girl in Pieces
• Harlan Coben for his character Myron Bolitar, basketball (almost) star turned sports agent / detective
• Susan Vaught for Trigger, about a boy with a devasting injury and no memory of how it happened
• Karin Slaughter because I adore Will Trent, who is deeply flawed but loves unconditionally
• Kelley Armstrong for her books about a place where victims and criminals hide from the world in the Canadian wilderness
• James Patterson for his short chapters and awesome plotting.
• Jennifer Niven because of the voice in All the Bright Places
• And of course, Shutta Crum, my former SCBWI Michigan novel mentor, for all that she taught me!

 

What’s next for you? Any fun ideas or projects in the works?

I’m working on a YA romantic thriller about the daughter of an American actress and the son of the president of France.

 

A little bit about the book:

Stop him.
After her friend Samantha is murdered, seventeen-year-old Olivia is the only one who still hears her voice.
Years ago, Jacob closed his eyes. In a park. Playing hide-and-seek. His little brother is still missing. And Jacob’s mom is the FBI agent who couldn’t find him.
Now Jacob has dreams he can’t explain. And draws faces of those about to die.
In a town terrorized by a serial killer, Jacob meets Olivia. Sparks ignite.
Until the voice in Olivia’s head echoes the warning in Jacob’s dream…
You’re next.

 

Find it on Goodreads

 

 

A little bit about the author: 
Tracy Bilen is the author of What She Left Behind (Simon Pulse) and Whisper (Mirette). She is a high school French teacher in Michigan where she lives with her husband and children. Tracy studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and taught Spanish at a high school ski academy. She loves biking, traveling, and red velvet cake.