WISH - A Virtual Backpacking Tour

Every once in a while, a book takes place in your home town or one that you live near. It's kind of cool when that happens because you can relate to the sights and sounds. Most of the time, though, we have to rely on images or our imagination to visualize what's going on throughout a story. I've created here a virtual backpacking tour of the people, places and things you'll find within WISH by Alexandra Bullen.

As we start our day, we head out with backpack in hand and head to the corner store to pick up maps. We'll need one for cable car routes as well as for the landmarks of the city. And we're off..!

The Locale:

WISH takes place in San Francisco and if you're anything like me it's on the list of places to visit. Here's why:

With places like the Golden Gate Bridge, The Haight, The Presidio and Alcatraz, this won't be a dull day. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without a ride on the famous cable cars!

The Fashion:

The story really begins to take root when Olivia takes her sister's vintage Pucci dress to have it repaired. That's when things get interesting...

So since we don't have our own dress, we head out looking for awesome boutiques. If available, we could leave the backpack behind and hop in a limo, cause the "magical" dresses we're looking for have high end prices tags! Feast your eyes on these:

It wouldn't be right if we didn't include a few Pucci's for your viewing pleasure:

The Music:

After a full day of site-seeing and shopping, we hit a cafe featuring live music. We grab a chai latte and our favourite organic snack, sit back and prepare for auditory relaxation. In fact, there's a band featured in the book that gets compared to some of the hottest bands around right now, so for your listening/viewing pleasure, check this out:

We hope you enjoyed your tour!

Cross-posted at: He Followed Me Home...Can I Keep Him on 15 January 2010.

Alexandra Bullen's Wishin' Upon A Star

Today, I am excited to share with you an interview with Alexandra Bullen. Her debut novel, WISH was just released this week. Click here for a chance to win 1 of 3 copies!

The main characters in WISH are twins. Why did you choose twins over siblings or best friends?
I have always been fascinated by the special relationship all of the twins I’ve known have seemed to share. I grew up with brothers, and, though I can’t imagine life without them, often fantasized about having a sister. Having a twin sister just seemed like the ultimate—you had somebody going through absolutely everything with you at exactly the same time.

So when I was thinking about characters, and about a girl who had lost somebody she was very close to, my thoughts immediately turned to twins. It just seemed like the most devastating hole to even begin to try and fill.

I am a huge Happily Ever After fan & love fairytales, what was your favorite growing up & do you see a trace of it appear in WISH?
I was always really afraid of fairy tales growing up. I remember watching Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and being absolutely terrified. I don’t really remember why, probably the evil queens. And something about being put to sleep for eternity. Now that I think about it, there’s a lot to be afraid of!

I did really love The Princess Bride, mostly because I was fairly certain I would grow up to marry Wesley. Not sure how that helped with WISH, but…what was it that Wesley said to Buttercup all the time? Wasn’t it “As you wish…”?

Do you have any advice that you'd like to pass along to other aspiring writers?
I think the best advice I’ve gotten is to pay attention to what inspires you, and seek it out when you’re feeling stuck. For me, reading certain passages or poems always get me thinking in a way that leads to wanting to write. For some other writers I know, it’s listening to a certain type of music, or going to a favorite museum, or even just going out for a walk. Whatever it is, I think it’s really important to know what works for you, and to take the time to do it.

Thanks Alex for taking the time to stop by!

Cross-posted at: He Followed Me Home... Can I Keep Him? on 14 January 2010.

Contest: WISH by Alexandra Bullen

Nothing can change the fact that Olivia Larsen's twin sister, Violet, is gone . . . until a mysterious, beautiful gown arrives on her doorstep. The dress doesn't just look magical—it is magical. It has the power to grant her one wish, and the only thing Olivia wants is her sister back.

Olivia's wish will be granted.

With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses and two more wishes left.

Are you as excited to read WISH as we are? Thanks to the awesome people at Scholastic Canada, we have 3 copies to share with our lucky readers! Open only to CANADIAN mailing addresses.




Cross-posted at: He Followed Me Home...Can I Keep Him? on 13 January 2010.

What would you WISH for?

Happy Book Birthday!

In Wish by Alexandra Bullen, Olivia discovers a dressmaker who specializes in...well magical dresses! With each dress comes one wish.

Of course, there are rules that Olivia must follow & so should you:

• no wishing for ridiculously unattainable and universal things, like world peace or and end to hunger and poverty
• no wishing for the same thing twice
• no wishing for more wishes

If you were fortunate enough to be granted three wishes, what would you wish for?


Want to know more about the story? Check out this interview with Alexandra Bullen as she talks about her debut novel Wish:





You may also want to visit whatwouldyouwishfor.com for a chance to win $1,000 towards making your dream come true! How cool is that??!!

Cross-posted at: He Followed Me Home...Can I Keep Him on 12 January 2010.

Spotlight: WISH by Alexandra Bullen

This week's debut author spotlight is Alexandra Bullen, author of Wish.

Release Date: January 12, 2010
Publisher: Point
Hardcover: 336 pages

Where to buy:
Amazon.com
Chapters.ca
The Book Depository.com

The story . . .
Nothing can change the fact that Olivia Larsen's twin sister, Violet, is gone . . . until a mysterious, beautiful gown arrives on her doorstep. The dress doesn't just look magical—it is magical. It has the power to grant her one wish, and the only thing Olivia wants is her sister back.

Olivia's wish will be granted.

With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses and two more wishes left.

About the author...
Alexandra Bullen has been a playwright, waitress, barista, gardener, script reader, yoga instructor and personal assistant. She grew up in Massachusetts, went to college in New York City, and lives most of the year on Martha’s Vineyard (except when she’s visiting San Francisco.) WISH is her first novel for young adults.

Book Trailer


Cross-posted at: He Followed Me Home... Can I Keep Him? on 11 January 2010.