Spotlight & Giveaway: Unraveling Eleven by Jerri Chisholm

Posted November 26th, 2021 by in Blog, Spotlight / 48 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Jerri Chisholm to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Jerri and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Unraveling Eleven!

 
Greetings!
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

Unraveling Eleven is a heart-pounding descent into darkness, a test of love, and a dangerous battle to discover the secrets of a tyrannical regime.
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

“Eve. Don’t move.”
The voice is low and hoarse in my ear.
A moment ago, my fingertips grazed the back of his neck as we kissed. My other hand curved over his large shoulder and pressed firmly into muscle. It was the first time we had stopped walking since escaping Compound Eleven, the first time we had even acknowledged each other, because for the past hour we have been too preoccupied and too overwhelmed.
Too mesmerized.

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

  • It’s the second book in the Eleven Trilogy
  • It’s a YA book with crossover appeal into the adult market
  • We learn more about Wren’s past in this book
  • We are introduced to more of the compound leadership in this book
  • The book is full of twists!

 

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

I think both Eve and Wren were first attracted to each other because of their physical strength, and mental strength. In Unraveling Eleven, they maintain that mutual respect, and yet their relationship is put under considerable strain. And, as Eve is swallowed up by her demons, she risks losing Wren forever.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe Hero and Heroine’s love affair?

Intense, sweet, hot, forbidden, conflicted.
 

The First Kiss…

The first kiss actually happened in the first book of the Eleven Trilogy, Escaping Eleven. It was a really special moment, because Eve had never kissed a boy before, and, as Wren said…even though he really wanted to kiss her, he knew how hard she could punch. In this book, Unraveling Eleven, we see Eve and Wren share their first kiss aboveground, in total (yet short-lived) happiness.
 

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

The fight scene between Eve and her enemy Landry is pretty epic.It’s also a pivotal moment in the story. Here’s a snippet:

“When I say so, you fight,” Nkrumah announces. “You don’t stop till I say stop. And nobody interferes unless I order them to. Clear?”
My pulse accelerates and I jump up and down with more vigor, but I’m still not warmed up. Adrenaline hasn’t taken me, not without the roar of the crowd or the blinding lights of the Bowl. The will to fight doesn’t burn as it should.
But then Landry’s gaze meets mine, and he smirks, and I see in his cold gray eyes that he isn’t scared of me after all. He knows I can fight—he has seen it on plenty of occasions. But he has also hurt me in the past. He thinks he can do it again. I can see it glowing under his skin. He thinks he can smash my head into concrete. Again. He thinks he can touch my bare stomach. Again. I hear his hurtful words hissing through my brain and, just like a switch has been flicked, I see red.
The hunger that woke me this morning returns with full force, and this time I know it isn’t food that I crave or even blood. It’s the opportunity to flip the script, to find my voice. The past couple of weeks, life has happened to me. I’ve been frustrated and ridiculed. Others have made my decisions.
Now it is my turn to take control.

 

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

One scene that would definitely be critical to include in a movie is the discovery of the incinerator on the top floor. It has huge implications, plus, there’s a lot of action that takes place right after this discovery. Here’s a short snippet from that scene:

Just to be sure, I pull the gun from my jeans. One can never be too careful in Compound Eleven, and I almost laugh at the thought. Because all along I assumed my fellow civilians presented the biggest threat of a most violent death. That or the guards. It turns out it’s the well-dressed Premes in charge.

 

Readers should read this book …

Readers should read Unraveling Eleven because it’s fast-paced and highly entertaining. It’s full of high stakes, big problems, and all the feelings. Not only that, but a lot of important discoveries are made in this book, too. I’m talking bombshell-level secrets pertaining to the compound, to the world aboveground—even to Wren. And, just like in the first book of the Eleven Trilogy…enemies, conflict and heartache abound.

 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I am currently working on the third and final book in the Eleven Trilogy. It’s called Ending Eleven, and it’s due out in Fall 2022. It’s going to have a pretty explosive conclusion to all things Eleven, and I’m thrilled!

 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: A $15 Amazon gift card!

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: How much conflict do you like between the hero and heroine, after the start of their relationship?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Unraveling Eleven:

“Wow,” I say, eyeing her. “Maggie Krauss doesn’t want to discuss boys? Did I really just hear that?”
She elbows me as I pull open the door to Floor Two. Immediately I go still. Because a group of people stand on the other side, all of them peering in the direction of the sculpture that stands in the lobby, that jagged and wretched rendering of a tree. It doesn’t take long to figure out why.
A body hangs from it, strung up by an artillery vest.
I glance at Maggie, then push my way through the crowd,people chatting easily to one another. Laughter ripples here and there. Dead bodies aren’t an uncommon sight in Compound Eleven, at least not down here on the second floor, so typically they aren’t met with grief. Usually they aren’t met with such jubilation, either. Of course, it isn’t often that a guard is killed.
When I get closer, my heart thumps loudly with recognition: Dennis.
The guard with the black bead eyes. The one who shot at me, whose nose I broke. The one with the wife, the mother—
No, Eve. He doesn’t deserve my sympathy, and he won’t get it.
“Number five,” Maggie says quietly. She stands behind my shoulder, but still I can see her shudder.
I don’t blame her. It’s a gruesome sight, what with his throat so obviously slashed. Blood, a deep red, pools alongside the bronze roots below. It makes the knife in my boot grow hot against my skin. It makes my insides pinch and pull in a way I don’t really understand.
“We should go,” I say darkly. Then I grab Maggie by the wrist and pull her through the crowd in the direction of our cells. Their delight is sickening. And yet my own stomach flutters in a peculiar way.
One fewer enemy I must watch out for.

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Book Info:

In Compound Eleven, freedom from tyranny is impossible.

My name is Eve Hamilton, and I’ve managed the impossible.

I am free.

Until just like that, it is wrenched from my grasp. And this time, the corridors of the dark underground city are even more dangerous than ever before. But my brief taste of freedom has left me with something useful, something powerful, something that terrifies the leaders of Compound Eleven.

And now I have a monster inside.

One I’ll need to learn to control, and fast, or I’ll lose everything and everyone I hold dear. Starting with Wren Edelman. The one boy who has taught me that anything is possible if we stick together.

But will that matter if I become the very thing he fears the most?
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Jerri Chisholm is a YA author, a distance runner, and a chocolate addict. Her childhood was spent largely in solitude with only her imagination and a pet parrot for company. Following that she completed a master’s degree in public policy and then became a lawyer, but ultimately decided to leave the profession to focus exclusively on the more imaginative and avian-friendly pursuit of writing. She lives with her husband and three children, but, alas, no parrot.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | | Instagram |

 
 
 

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48 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: Unraveling Eleven by Jerri Chisholm”

  1. Mary Preston

    It depends upon what you mean by conflict. I do like some tension in the air.

  3. EC

    So long as it doesn’t ruin the relationship in important ways, certain conflicts are okay.

  4. Jeanna Massman

    I’m not a big fan of conflict of any form but it’s often a necessary vehicle for the plot. The relationship between the characters determines whether it adds to the story or detracts.

  8. Pamela Conway

    Some conflict is good but not too much when it makes you frustrated to read it.

  9. Karina Angeles

    A big problem. Something they must overcome together to get the happily ever after.

  14. Marcy Meyer

    I don’t mind a little drama and angst, but too much gives me anxiety. lol

    • Kim

      Not a lot. I definitely like there to be conflict, but nothing too over the top.

  15. clickclickmycat

    I enjoy a firery start of the hero and the heroine. (Audrey Stewart)

  20. Diana Tidlund

    Little things daily. My parents bicker daily even after 50 years
    Hubby and I bicker daily even after 30 years. And yes we all love each other and wouldn’t give. Each other up

  22. Eva Millien

    I enjoyed the excerpt and the cover is unique and cool! I enjoyed quite a bit of conflict, with lots of sparks flying and heated passions stirring as they discover just how attracted to each other they are!

  29. Joy Avery

    Enough to keep it interesting but not if they’ve already been through a lot

  32. Amber

    A little can be fun but I cant say I’m super into enemies to lovers but like rivalry can be fun.

  33. Linda Rorex

    I like some fighting between the hero and heroine then romantically make-up afterwards.

  35. Diana Hardt

    Some is alright just to keep it interesting, but it also depends on the story.

  36. Anita H

    A little bit of conflict is always good to help the characters grow in their relationship but not too much where it seems like they wouldn’t be able to move forward together

  40. Susan Smith

    I like some conflict after the hero and heroine are together, just like in real life no relationship is perfect.

  41. Bonnie

    I like some conflict between the hero and heroine. Conflict makes the story more interesting and realistic.

  43. Janie McGaugh

    It really depends on the story, but I generally prefer there not to be too much conflict.

  45. Amy R

    How much conflict do you like between the hero and heroine, after the start of their relationship? I prefer low/mid angst in stories.