Blog tour: Saved by Music by Selene Castrovilla

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Book summary:

The last place fifteen-year-old Willow wants to spend her summer is on a run-down former coffee barge, which her aunt is converting into a floating concert hall. In Saved by the Music, Willow thinks she’s alone until she meets Axel, an older teen who lives isolated from the world on the sailboat docked nearby. An unlikely romance sparks as the two grapple with their darkest secrets and bond through shared pain and laughter. It is a summer where music must do more than just soothe the soul.

Character Interview - Axel

Hi Axel it's great to have you here today. Welcome to Ja čitam, a ti? Well as this is a blog about books do you like reading? Who is your favourite author?

Thank you for having me! I do read, incidentally. My boat has a large book collection. Shakespeare is by far my favorite, but I have read most of the classics. I went to a snobby boarding school, but the good thing about it was that the teachers introduced me to many great authors.

First thing that I've noticed about you is music. So can you tell me more about it. What music means to you and how did you start playing?

Music and books mean more to me than anything (okay, now that I have Willow that is not so true.) Growing up, I felt isolated. I didn't make friends easily, my mom was gone, and my dad and brothers didn't spend time with me. I started taking cello lessons in first grade because that's what was done in my home. My dad insisted that each son take a musical instrument. He was not a good dad, but in that one case he did me a huge favor. Playing the cello saved my life. My cello became a friend who let out my sorrows through its sound. I never cried once I hit puberty – my dad wanted his sons to behave like men – but my cello did my crying for me. Playing music also forced me to get out of my head and focus on my task. It's very difficult and time-consuming, so I had less time to think about my problems. That is, until they built up to the point that I couldn't ignore them anymore. That's when I moved to the boat, trying to concentrate only on music and reading. I gave up on everything else. 

Also you can share some of your favorite songs with us...

All my favorites are classical. They include Chopin's Cello Sonata Op. 65, Shubert's Arpeggione Sonata and Bach's Cello Suite No. 1.

Back to present. How's it to live on a boat? You also live alone. Did you get lonely or it's for the best? (I'm trying not to spoil things for the future readers)

Living on a boat suits me fine because I don't need a lot of space – just enough for my cello and my books. I like the water more than the land. I don't really feel like talking about why. I never get lonely because people have always let me down, so how can you miss people who have never been there for you? I thought I'd never trust anyone – until I met Willow.

What were your first thoughts after seeing Willow?

My first thought was, Why is someone with such a bright spirit in this dingy boatyard? My second thought was, Why is she running away? My third thought was, Wow, she's clumsy! Because she banged right into something on the barge.

Can you pick a song to describe her? 

Hmmm...She loves The Doors and she's touched my heart, so I'd have to say Touch Me.

What were your thoughts after seeing her in not so comfortable situation with someone else? 

At first my heart hurt because I was jealous – I thought she wanted to be with him. But when I found out she didn't want to be with him, my heart hurt because she was hurt and I couldn't stop the pain. And I felt rage against the guy.

You opened up to her. Why? You felt that you could trust her?

I couldn't help myself. Have you ever been drawn to someone like a magnet? It's like the universe brought this kindred spirit to save me – from myself. I have no firm reason to know that I could trust her. I just knew. It was instinctive, and undeniable.

What are your plans for the future?

If I share them I will ruin the book for the reader, I fear. If you read the book, know that I am still in the frame of mind it ended with, and on that same path.

Well it was nice to have you here. Thank you and feel free to stop anytime you want.

Thanks for inviting me! It was great visiting. I need to get out every so often.

Bye!

About the author

Selene Castrovilla is an award-winning teen and children’s author who believes that through all trends, humanity remains at the core of literature. She is the author of Saved By the Music and The Girl Next Door, teen novels originally published by WestSide Books and now available digitally through ASD Publishing. Her third children’s book with Calkins Creek Books, Revolutionary Friends, was released in April. Selene holds an MFA in creative writing from New School University and a BA in English from New York University. She lives on Long Island with her two sons. Visit her website www.SeleneCastrovilla.com for book excerpts and more information!

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Until the next time,