We’re happy to have the talented author, Monique Roy of the children’s novel Once Upon a Time in Venice and the historical fiction book Across Great Divides here to take our test! So please give Monique a warm welcome and read her fun answers below to get to know a little bit about her.
What is your favorite book, movie and/or TV Show?
We are not lacking in great books, television shows, movies, etc., so I will pinpoint a few of my favorites. One of my favorite books is The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger, and I equally enjoyed the movie. The book was well-written and quite humorous. It was a fun read. I also really enjoyed The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, as well as the movie. I have probably seen that movie 10 times! It definitely captured my heart and my romantic side. I enjoy reading historical fiction. I love being taken to somewhere in the past and learning how life was in another point in time. I liked The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer. I could talk books for hours, so I will dive into TV shows. Two words…Downton Abbey. I love it! I always look forward to the next episode. It is fabulously British, and the characters and their stories pull you in. It is like a great tragedy and love affair at the same time.
What movie/TV Show or book character turns you on?
Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient…He is an awesome actor and very handsome!
What character turns you off?
A chilling character we all know who is highly intelligent and extremely dangerous—Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs. He is hard to get out of your head.
Is there any kind of music or any songs that inspire you?
Katy Perry – Roar
Adele – Skyfall theme song
I’ve started to get into Classical music, and listen while at work and when I write. I like Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi.
Is there any movie or TV couple past or present you absolutely love?
Allie and Noah in The Notebook. Both are likeable characters and they had the kind of love we all admire.
If you could be or live as any character (book/movie/TV Show), who would you choose?
Definitely a Bond girl…the bombshell, of course, rather than the bomb. It would be cool to be a glamorous, enigmatic spy. How about a Bond girl in the Sean Connery or Roger Moore eras?
What are you reading and/or watching right now?
I am very interested in Nazi looted art and I am doing research for my next book. I just finished Daniel Silva’s The English Assassin (great read) and I am about to begin The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel.
Any guilty pleasures?
Chocolate…I love dark chocolate (hey, it’s heart-healthy), and I also like chocolate cakes and pudding.
If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
Snow Leopards are super quick and agile. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to run at speeds of 40-50 mph? Or, jump up to 50 feet would be cool.
I also think giraffes are great. Imagine being that tall? I also like their bobbing walk.
If you could see one book adapted into a movie or TV show what would it be?
When we go to the movie theaters, movies like The Hunger Games and Twilight films overtake the screens. Many people love these movies, but I think it would be refreshing if we saw maybe a classic novel come to life on the screen. Maybe a novel by Ernest Hemingway, “The Sun Also Rises” or J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye.”
ABOUT Monique Roy
“Monique loves writing that twitches her smiling muscles or transports her to another time or place. Her passion for writing began as a young girl while penning stories in a journal. Now she looks forward to deepening her passion by creating many unique stories that do nothing less than intrigue her readers.
Monique holds a degree in journalism from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and is the author of a middle-grade book Once Upon a Time in Venice. Monique loves to travel, play tennis, pursue her passion for writing, and read historical fiction. In 2008, she was chosen by the American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS program to travel to Berlin, Germany, on the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, to explore German and Israeli relations along with 20 other Jewish professionals from across the U.S.
Monique was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and her grandparents were European Jews who fled their home as Hitler rose to power. It’s their story that inspired her to write Across Great Divides, her newest novel.”
Learn more about Monique and her books here:
www.monique-roy.com
ABOUT Across Great Divides
Across Great Divides is a timeless story of the upheavals of war, the power of family, and the resiliency of human spirit. When Hitler came to power in 1933, one Jewish family refused to be destroyed and defied the Nazis only to come up against another struggle—confronting apartheid in South Africa.
Buy the book: