Book Birthday Blog with Tracy Bilen

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

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

 

Congratulations to Tracy Bilen on the release of Thirty Seconds at a Time

 

 

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I remember reading an article about a murder via car explosion in small-town Michigan and how the victim was involved in something no one expected. I no longer have a car explosion in this book, but I kept the idea of a murder victim being caught up in something no one would have imagined. And then I set it both in Michigan and at a boarding school in Vermont. 

What inspires you to write? 

I love books and TV shows with cliff-hangers (like James Paterson books or the TV show Prison Break). So I like to write that sort of breathless what’s-going-to-happen-next type of books. And then once I feel like I know my characters, I love losing myself in their world. 

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book? 

This early reviewer on Goodreads summed it up perfectly: "The story starts with heartache but slowly, it makes it's way through healing, resilience, friendship, love and most importantly, closure."

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

I made a book trailer, used Book Sweeps to build my Amazon followers and e-mail list, and plan to try a Book Bub ad. Thirty Seconds at a Time can be found at most online retailers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop, Books-A-Million) in hardcover, paperback, and ebook.

What's next for you? 

I'm currently working on a romantic thriller for teens set in Paris.

More about the book . . . 

Kate’s dad was a cop. And now he’s dead. Killed in a random shooting in the quiet suburb of Maplewood, where random shootings never happen.
 
Before he died, he gave Kate a piece of paper and left very explicit instructions: Don’t read it. Don’t show anyone. Burn it.
 
But when Kate discovers a quarter of a million dollars her dad hid inside her guitar case, she discovers his secret. Her dad wasn’t just a cop. He was also a thief.
 
The last thing Kate ever promised her dad was that she wouldn’t tell. Not her mom. Not the cops. No one. So when her mom takes a job at a ski academy in Vermont, Kate hides the money and tries to forget.
 
Kate is more than out of her league at this mecca for competitive skiing—she doesn’t even know how to ski. That is until Ryan, the school’s shining star, takes her onto the ski slopes and skis off with her heart.
 
Just as things are heating up on the slopes, the past hits Kate like an avalanche. Random accidents are becoming commonplace and the people she cares about are being hurt. When a mysterious package arrives with a reminder to stay quiet, Kate and Ryan are forced to search for answers with the only clue Kate has left: everything she promised her dad she would forget.

Publisher: BHC Press 

More about the author . . . 

Tracy Bilen writes romantic thrillers for young adults. She is the author of What She Left Behind (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster) which VOYA called “truly a remarkable story of resilience.” Her second novel, Whisper (Mirette), was named a Notable 100 Book in the 2021 Shelf Unbound Best Indie Book Competition. Tracy’s new release, Thirty Seconds at a Time (BHC Press) hits shelves on October 8.
 
Tracy is a high school French teacher in Michigan where she lives with her husband, children, and mini Bernedoodle. She studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and loves biking, traveling, and red velvet cake.

Website: https://tracybilen.com/

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