Thursday, June 26, 2014

Happy Book Birthday to One, Two, Three... by Elodie Nowodazkij!!! Fancast + Giveaway!

I am so excited to celebrate the release day of One, Two, Three... by my friend Elodie Nowodazkij!  I had the privilege of reading this story nearly two years ago now, and I fell in love with Nata and her friends.  Since then, the characters have all gotten even richer and more human, and I can't wait for you to meet them!  Congrats, Elodie!

Book & Author Details:

One, Two, Three… by Elodie Nowodazkij
Publication date: June 26th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:
When seventeen-year-old Natalya’s dreams of being a ballerina are killed in a car accident along with her father, she must choose: shut down—like her mother—or open up to love.

Last year, Natalya was attending the School of Performing Arts in New York City. Last year, she was well on her way to becoming a professional ballerina. Last year, her father was still alive.

But a car crash changed all that—and Natalya can’t stop blaming herself. Now, she goes to a regular high school in New Jersey; lives with her onetime prima ballerina, now alcoholic mother; and has no hope of a dance career.

At her new school, however, sexy soccer player Antonio sees a brighter future for Natalya, or at least a more pleasant present, and his patient charms eventually draw her out of her shell.

But when upsetting secrets come to light and Tonio’s own problems draw her in, Natalya shuts down again, this time turning to alcohol herself.

Can Natalya learn to trust Antonio before she loses him—and destroys herself?


Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20656288-one-two-three?ac=1
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AUTHOR BIO
Elodie Nowodazkij was raised in a tiny village in France, where she could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, she moved to the US, where she learned she'd never lose her French accent. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Modern Language & Linguistics, and later earned master's degrees in German Cultural Studies and European Studies. Unbeknownst to her professors, she sometimes drafted stories in class. Now she lives in Germany with her husband and their cat (who doesn't seem to realize he's not human), and uses her commuting time to write the stories swirling in her head. She's also a serial smiley user.

Author links:




To celebrate these awesome characters, I've decided to share the fancast that I've had stuck in my head as I've read:

Nata: Julia Goldani Telles

I first read One, Two, Three... the summer I started watching Bunheads on ABC Family.  It made sense that I'd picture one of the young dancers on the show as Nata, but I really think Sasha (Telles' character) and Nata have a lot in common.  And, once Nata gets her haircut and dye job, it's even a pretty good physical match.  Rather than a picture, here's the dance that made me fall in love with her:




Becca: Madison Burge

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 I know Madison Burge as Becky from Friday Night Lights--she has a combination of irrepressible cheerfulness and real sadness underneath that I think is hinted at in Becca (and someday, someday, Becca will get her own book and I can finally hear her whole story!)  Becca has been my favorite part of this book since before her name was even Becca, and once I pictures Madison there was no going back.

James: Beau Mirchoff

Source.


Beau Mirchoff plays the athletic, goofy Matty McKibben on Awkward.    I'm not sure he's quite what I had in mind for James (too much hair, for one!) but he's close.  Maybe add a dash more earnestness, a la Corey Monteith or one of the boys from Friday Night Lights.

Camilo: Francis Capra

Source
 Tough, but complicated.  And that's all I'll say because I don't want to ruin anything!

Nata's Dad: John Shea

Source


This is another one that popped into my head early: Blair Waldorf's father from the Gossip Girl TV show.  I love his sweetness and his troubled by loving relationship with his daughter--both of which fit perfectly here.

Nata's Mom: Kelly Rutherford



Because no show had more messed up parents than Gossip Girl.  Blonde, cold--and I have no doubt she could pull off drunk.  (I'm sure she did on Gossip Girl!)  At the same time, she can dig into her emotional side when needed.


So...you may have noticed an important omission.  Where's Tonio?  Well, to be honest...I haven't been able to think of an actor who would do Tonio justice!  So I'm turning it over to all of you.  Once you've read One, Two, Three..., leave your ideal Tonio in the comments!  I will pick an entry at random to win a $10 giftcard to Donors Choose, where you can put it toward projects that include school sports (for Tonio, James, and Camilo) or arts programs (for Becca, Nata, and little Karina!)

The contest will close in two weeks, on Thursday, July 10th--so get reading!