*Although we are a speaking-Spanish blog, this is a full english post, part of the Cinder & Ella blog tour. Hope you enjoy it*
*Este es un post completamente en idioma inglés, parte del blog tour de Cinder & Ella. Si desean leer la entrevista en español, pueden pasar por aquí*
About The Book
It’s been almost a year since eighteen-year-old
Ella Rodriguez was in a car accident that left her crippled, scarred, and
without a mother. After a very difficult recovery, she’s been uprooted across
the country and forced into the custody of a father that abandoned her when she
was a young child. If Ella wants to escape her father’s home and her awful new
stepfamily, she must convince her doctors that she’s capable, both physically
and emotionally, of living on her own. The problem is, she’s not ready yet. The
only way she can think of to start healing is by reconnecting with the one
person left in the world who’s ever meant anything to her—her anonymous
Internet best friend, Cinder.
…
Hollywood
sensation Brian Oliver has a reputation for being trouble. There’s major buzz
around his performance in his upcoming film The Druid Prince, but his management
team says he won’t make the transition from teen heartthrob to serious A-list
actor unless he can prove he’s left his wild days behind and become a mature
adult. In order to douse the flames on Brian’s bad-boy reputation, his
management stages a fake engagement for him to his co-star Kaylee. Brian isn’t
thrilled with the arrangement—or his fake fiancée—but decides he’ll suffer
through it if it means he’ll get an Oscar nomination. Then a surprise email
from an old Internet friend changes everything.
Interview with the Characters
Mar & Mel: We’re so excited to have the stars of Cinder
& Ella here with us today! Thank you guys for stopping by to chat with us.
Brian: No, thank you
for having us. We’ve been having a lot of fun with this blog tour thingie.
Ella: Blog tour thingie?
Is that a technical term?
Brian: It is now. I just coined it. I can do that, you know. I’m
a trendsetter.
Mel & Mar: Yes you are! Brian, we’re really big fans of both
you and the books in The Cinder Chronicles series. We were very excited when
you were cast to play Cinder for the movie. What was it like to play your
favorite character of all time?
Brian: It was a dream come true. I’ve never had more fun on a
project, or worked so hard to really bring a character to life.
Mar & Mel: Being such a big fan yourself, were you a
headache (pain in the ass) to the writers/director/other people involved in
making the film?
Brian: Hell yes I was. I’m not even ashamed to admit it. But I
wasn’t difficult like the way Kaylee was. I’m not a diva or anything. I just
had a vision for this film and I couldn’t stand to see anyone screwing it up. I
swear my dad was ready to kill me so many times because I kept trying to take
over his job. But it was The Druid
Prince! I had to.
Mar & Mel: What's the best part about Ella being half Latin?
Brian: Obviously there’s her looks. The combination of her skin
tone and her eyes makes her so gorgeous she’s literally painful to look at. But
between you and me, I love it when she talks dirty to me in Spanish. Okay,
knowing Ella she’s more likely insulting me than talking dirty to me, but the
way the words roll off her tongue…it’s so
hot. I can’t ever learn the language, because knowing what she’s saying might
take away some of the magic.
Mar & Mel: Aw, that’s so romantic! You guys make such a
great couple. Tell us more about how you met, and what was the best part about
having done it online?
Brian: I wouldn’t give back the way I met Ella for anything. As
you said, we met online. I came across a blog post about the books that really
resonated with me and felt compelled to write the blogger a fan letter.
Ella: *snorts* A fan
letter? Is that what you call it?
Brian: *grins at Ella* You liked it enough to respond with a
love letter. The rest is history.
Ella: Don’t mind him, he’s delusional. He wrote a “letter to the
editor” to tell me how crazy I was and I wrote him back and told him where he
could stick his letter to the editor.
Brian: *laughs* And like I said, the rest is history. The best
part about our relationship was that it was anonymous. I was able to just be
myself with her for the first time in my life and not worry if she only liked
me because I was rich, famous, and gorgeous. Plus, she never held back her real
opinions with me. No one else in the world will ever defend themselves against
me. Why do you think I fell in love with her after I red her reply to my
letter?
Ella: It’s true. The boy lives for a good argument. Forget
acting, he should have been a politician. I loved the honesty of our
relationship too, but I didn’t have his fame problem, and I always wished we
could have known each other in person. Though, if we had met in person, I
probably would have never gotten to know the real him. He hides himself to most
people. Which is a shame, because who he is on the inside is even better than
who he is on the outside.
Brian: Aw, thanks babe. But I gotta say, I appreciate what’s on
your outside just as much as the inner you. *grins wickedly* Especially certain
parts of the outer you.
Ella: Brian!
Brian: I’m talking about your eyes,
Ella. Your eyes are beautiful. Geez, woman, and you say I have a dirty mind…
Mar & Mel: Wow, okay, um, so Ella, we have lots of Chilean
readers, which is where your mom born, would you like to visit the country? Or
any other part of Latin America?
Ella: Of course! I want to see all of the world, but especially
Chile. My mom’s family is from Concepcion, Chile. My grandparents came to the
States when my mom was twelve, so she remembered a lot from her home country.
She told me all about it and showed me tons of pictures, so it sort of feels
like this magical place from a fairy tale as well as an old friend. I
definitely have to visit there someday.
Mar & Mel: As a fellow blogger, any advice you could give
us?
Ella: Get a famous movie star to pimp your blog. Kidding.
Though, that does help. ;) Seriously though, the best thing is to be yourself
in your posts. Let your personality shine through. If the readers feel like
they know you personally, that’s what’s going to set you apart from all the
other blogs they read.
Mar & Mel: Thanks. And can we just say that you are amazing
at that? You are so funny on your blog! Especially now that you’ve gone public
with your relationship. You and Brian are hilarious together. How does it feel
dating this guy? Being famous and all. It must be hard but incredibly awesome
at the same time. ;)
Ella: I’m not sure I can put it into words. The fame is really,
really strange and a huge hassle, but I think knowing that he’s the guy I
chatted online with for so many years overwhelms me more than the movie star
thing. I mean Cinder was just Cinder for so long. Sometimes I’ll look at Brian
and the truth that he’s the guy who’s always been my best friend will hit me
all over again.
Mel & Mar: And would you like to do something/reach out/help
other people that go through by all you went through?
Ella: I’ve actually already sort of started doing this. I’ve
made a couple of motivational public speaking appearances, talking about my
experiences, and I’ve got more scheduled for the future. It started when The
Kenneth Long Show invited Brian and I to do a follow up interview after The
Druid Prince Premiere. After telling my story on TV I got so many calls from
all kinds of different organizations from people who wanted me to come and
speak. What surprised me is how much I enjoy it. I thought I would be nervous
to be in front of an audience, but Brian convinced me it wasn’t much different
than posting my thoughts on my blog. He was right.
Brian: Of course I was. She rocked it. She had the whole
audience bawling like babies. She’s truly an amazing woman.
Ella: *blushes* I just like that, if sharing my story helps
others learn to cope with the troubles in their life, then at least something
good came from all my tragedy. Well, something other than Brian, of course.
Mel & Mar: That’s great! I’m sure you’ll be able to help so
many people. We were certainly inspired by your story. Thank you both so much
for stopping by today. It’s been so fun. We wish you all the best with the new
book and the new relationship!
Giveaway
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About the Author
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen—a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat named Mr. Darcy.
