Contemporary Authors

RT: What inspired you to write this book?
AM: History is one of my biggest passions, and I've always wished I could go back in time myself- so writing about time-travel was a bit of wish-fulfillment for me! I also loved the concept of two people from different centuries finding each other and falling in love, and that was an idea I really wanted to explore.

RT: I loved Michele Windsor, did someone inspire you as you developed her character?
AM: Thank you! As I developed Michele's character, I knew that I really wanted her to be someone that readers could both relate to and look up to. Since she goes through so much in the story, it was important to me that she be a strong and inspiring person, to have a solid sense of self, and to maintain her sense of humor and optimism. So rather than basing her on someone specific, it was more about me creating a character that I really liked and wanted to spend time writing.

RT: Who was your favorite character in this book?
AM: I love Michele and Philip, but my favorite character has to be Lily- she was just so much fun to write!

RT: You and Phillip Walker share a passion for music, would you like to expand on that?
AM: Music is my first love! I've been a singer/songwriter since I was a teenager. I love combining music with storytelling, such as writing and recording the original songs for Timeless.

RT: Will Timeless be a stand alone or have a sequel?
AM: I'm currently writing the sequel! It's called THE TIMEKEEPER and it publishes next year.

RT: What ritual did you have while writing Timeless?
AM: I always listen to music in my headphones when I write. I had a special TIMELESS playlist, with certain songs corresponding to particular scenes I was writing, which helped me get extra immersed in the story.

RT: Did you have a favorite snack while writing?
AM: Candy! I think I did a pretty solid amount of typing while munching on Swedish Fish.

RT: If you could go back in time, where would you go and why?
AM: I have a whole list of places I'd love to go! Definitely the eras I wrote about in Timeless, especially the Gilded Age and the 1920s. But I'd also really want to go back to the 1950s and meet my grandmother, who passed away before I was born.

RT: What did you do in celebration when you finished writing Timeless?
AM: That was such an exciting time! I remember treating myself to a couple hot stone massages and pedicures.

RT: Can you tell us a snippet/teaser from your favorite part of this book?
AM: My favorite part is definitely when Michele sees Philip in person for the first time. After all these years of dreaming about this mysterious handsome stranger, to discover that he was real was such a huge moment and I loved writing it.

RT: The girl on the cover is a perfect Michele, did you have a part in the design?
AM: I wasn't involved in the cover design, other than giving a worshipful "Thank you!!" to the Random House team who put it together. I absolutely love it!

RT: I know you sang some songs for the book, which came first the music or the book?
AM: The book came first. While I was working on the scenes where Michele & Philip write music together, that's when I wrote their songs.

Alexandra Monir has been a literary lady to watch since her early twenties. In 2012, she released her debut YA novel, the time-travel romance "Timeless," (Delacorte Press/Random House). A hit with the young adult audience, Monir penned the sequel, "Timekeeper," published in 2013.

Alexandra's latest book, "The Girl in the Picture," is a classic "whodunit" murder mystery. In alternating points of view—that of suspect Nicole Morgan and that of Lana Rivera—and weaving between present-day, flashbacks, and the characters' surreal subconscious, "The Girl in the Picture," is a unique tale of teen friendship, romance, and deadly secrets.

"The Girl in the Picture"just came out on November 15th. Nonetheless, Alexandra's already made major moves for the next. Seriously. Her next book "The Final Six" has been optioned by Sony and landed her a six-figure deal with Harper Collins. Here's 5 things to know about Alexandra Monir:

1. Alexandra wrote songs before books.
"I started my career as a recording artist/songwriter, and fell into my publishing career at age twenty-three, when I came up with the idea for 'Timeless.' Writing novels quickly became my No. 1 passion, but I still sing and write music, and I recorded songs to accompany my first three novels."

2. It started with an idea about murder.
"'The Girl in the Picture,' my brand-new release, was born of my desire to write a romance I hadn't seen before—so I came up with an idea where the romantic lead is found dead in the opening pages, and the novel tells the tragic love story in reverse. At the same time, the book also takes readers into the thick of a murder investigation. It was both challenging and incredibly fun to write!"

3. Relationship milestones are reflected in her work.
"Every romantic lead I write is in some way inspired by my husband. I wrote 'Timeless,' while we were dating, its sequel after we moved in together, 'The Girl in the Picture,' while gearing up for our wedding, and so on!"

4. Her characters are with her every day.
"My first published novel was 'Timeless,' a time-travel romance that changed my life. Five years later, I'm still blown away by the continued response from readers who fell in love with Philip & Michele and their story. I still think about those characters too, and I just might revisit them one day!"

5. She's taking her talents to the silver screen.
"My upcoming novel for early 2018 is in development for film with Sony Pictures. It's a space thriller called 'The Final Six,' and I've spent the majority of this year living in this sci-fi world that I'm building in my mind!"

THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE is a mystery novel by Alexandra Monir that discusses the intricacies of teenage life and how they can affect a murder trial. Chace Porter has just been found dead in the woods. Murder. Who did it? And why? He was the school heartthrob, the soccer star. Maybe it was his girlfriend, the gorgeous, popular Lana Rivera? Or maybe it was the girl in the pictures he was carrying when he died? The girl who, in those pictures, Chace appears to be in love with. That girl, Nicole Morgan, happened to be one of Lana’s best friends. Nobody even knew Chace and Nicole were close. That seems suspicious and Nicole is prime suspect in the murder trial. What happened? What happened between Lana and Chance? What happened between Nicole and Chace? What happened the night of Chace’s murder?

"THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE is a quick fun thriller….I would recommend it to anyone who likes suspense, drama and romance."
Monir creates a world of characters with stereotypes --- and destroys them. The nerdy violin girl is friends with the popular kids. The popular girl’s boyfriend dies and she doesn’t just move on to the next guy. The golden boy who everyone wants or wants to be isn’t perfect. Monir also does an excellent job of showing that everyone has their secrets they want to keep hidden. Everybody in this book has something they don’t want to come out.

Monir uses foreshadowing in THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE to lead readers to the ending, without them realizing. Every little detail might be important later. I’ll admit, the ending was NOT what I was expecting. At first, I felt like the ending was abrupt and didn’t make sense considering the rest of the book. But as I kept thinking about it, I realized that all the pieces fit and it all made sense. The foreshadowing was subtle, but once you reach the ending you understand.

Before I picked up this book, I expected it to focus on who killed Chace, and was surprised (if not sad) that it appeared to focus on the story behind the Nicole x Chace x Lana love triangle. But then I could not put the book down. I needed to know what happened next. The alternating viewpoints between Lana and Nicole, and past and present made the storytelling more interesting, and proved that Lana and Nicole weren’t as different as they believed.

While the characters were believable and relatable, there was one situation in the book that was not. Throughout the book (no spoilers), Chace comes back as a spirit. He provides some advice to the characters, but he isn’t a necessary plot point. Even without Chace coming back, the book would’ve progressed the same. Ghost Chace felt unnecessary, and almost like a comic relief spot. I’m not opposed to the supernatural in stories, or ghosts helping with murder trials, but I felt like in this book it didn’t work, and Monir’s story would’ve been just as good without that element.

Alexandra Monir’s THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE is a quick fun thriller. Although I wouldn’t categorize the book as a “mystery” book, and instead more of a “suspenseful romance,” I would recommend it to anyone who likes suspense, drama and romance.

I decided to read THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE because I was in the mood to read a young adult mystery. I'd read some adult mystery/thrillers and a lot of YA contemporary/adult contemporary with very similar themes recently and I wanted something different. THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE gave me just what I was looking for - mystery and suspense and some additional drama between friends.

I liked the method of story telling with multiple narrators and alternating story lines from the past and the present because I got to know Nicole and Lana from their own thoughts and actions. And I was able to understand the dynamics of the friendship and their individual motivations.

THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE is a thrilling read. I questioned everything. Were Nicole and Lana reliable narrators? And everyone was a suspect. There were times, in the beginning of the book, that I was trying to figure everything out. I had to tell myself to stop playing detective and let the story reveal itself.

I was caught up in the story and only did I figure out the "great reveal" right before I read it. There were enough questionable actions to make everyone a likely suspect. My only complaint is that resolution was abrupt. The suspense could have been drawn out more for a greater shock value.

Favorite Quote:

"The world can take nearly everything away from me -- my face, my friends, my love -- but as long as I have my music, I have something worth living and fighting for. I have a purpose." - Nicole (pg. 103)

I enjoyed THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE and would recommend it to readers who like YA mysteries and thrillers.

Nicole Morgan and Lana Rivera are polar opposites, but end up rooming with one another at their elite boarding school called Oyster Bay. Nicole is a very talented musician and is at Oyster Bay on scholarship. Lana, on the other hand, is just your average student with no special "talents" other than the fact that her mother is a Congresswoman. Enter Chase Porter a gorgeous soccer player that's new to Oyster Bay. Lana's mother has encouraged her daughter to get close to him as his father is in politics as well. Of course they hit it off and Lana realizes she actually likes him. Tragedy strikes when Chase is found dead in the woods and he has a picture on him that may provide the police with some leads. Who is in the picture? Nicole, Lana's nerdy roommate, and no one can figure out why he would have that picture. Now Nicole is a suspect in Chase's murder, but there's no way she did it. Right? Who was out to get Chase? Alexandra Monir's The Girl in the Picture is an interesting YA mystery that held my attention despite my issues with it.

I can't say I was overly invested in either Nicole or Lana in The Girl in the Picture. They both got on my nerves, especially Lana. She is your typical privileged mean girl who probably only got into the school thanks to her mother's connections and/or donations. Nicole is your typical quiet girl "from the other side of the tracks." She is always in Lana's shadow and she does makes some poor choices that put her in many unfavorable circumstances. Both Lana and Nicole feel like caricatures at times and they aren't really fleshed out. Nonetheless, I wanted to understand Nicole's connection to Chase and how their relationship formed.

In The Girl in the Picture alternates the points of view each chapter, which gives the readers various characters' perspectives. This definitely provided me with a more complete story as its unfolded and I became more invested in finding out who killed Chase and why. It's hard to come by an engaging YA mystery and this one definitely held my attention despite its flaws. The mystery surrounding Chase was definitely my favorite aspect of the story.

My one major issue with The Girl in the Picture were some paranormal elements that Monir threw into the story unexpectedly. I am not sure these elements were necessarily needed and at times they were confusing.

So, if you are a fan of YA mysteries that will keep you guessing and enjoy murder who-dun-it tales with a touch of paranormal, check out The Girl in the Picture this fall.

After really like the author's stand alone book Suspicion last year, it was about time I picked something else of her's up and when I saw that her latest was going to be a YA mystery with just a touch of paranormal mixed in, I knew it was going to be the next read for me.

This was an enjoyable read and the paranormal mixed in very nicely with the mystery aspect and truly created an imaginative story that was easily read in one sitting.

Told in alternating point of view of both Lana and Nicole and spanned over the space of a year, this was nicely done and plotted out. I loved the added bonus of our glimpses of Chace as well. It added an extra depth and layer to the story that both brought on an air of mystery as well and a paranormal element that was a nice touch.

This ended up being a fun read that I'm glad I took the time for.

I loved every single bit of this book. To the storyline, the characters, the names - maybe because Lana and I share the same last name. I could not put this book down. However, I had to because I work and I had homework. But I did devour this book in 2 sittings! Just 2! I didn't want the book to end but sadly it did. I'm hoping Alexandra can streamline a book two. I'd love to see how Nicole is doing and what she's done with her life. Are her and Lana still friends? Is Ryan included in this circle of friends now? Gahhh! Please make my dreams come true! First, let's talk about this cover. It's awesome, isn't it? It's mysterious and captivating. The plot was strong, the characters were likable, and the writing was steady. This book follows the lives of teenagers who attend Oyster Bay Prep School. Everything seems to be going great for the students until Chace Porter is murdered. Who did it? Why did they do it? And who is this girl in the picture that was found on his dead body? All fingers point to someone until secrets are revealed. I enjoyed this storyline. It was one unlike I've read. It gives you a little glimpse of politics and what they'll do to keep their image clean. You'll get to read about teen love and everything that comes with it. Alexandra, you did an amazing job with this book. It was full of twists and turns which I absolutely loved! Just when you think you know who the murderer is, another suspect is thrown in the mix to boggle your mind and throw you off track. I know I say this about most of my books but this could be a great TV series. So many side stories can come out of this one book. And I have faith in Alexandra that she can make this possible. Overall, I'd say this book was a success. If you haven't already read it, then you're missing out. I give this book 5/5 stars!

The Girl in the Picture by Alexandra Monir is a standalone YA mystery suspense novel. This story is told in two pov’s, Nicole and Lana; with some from the boy in the middle, Chace, which will cover a year. The story actually begins in current time, with the news of Chace’s murder. A picture is revealed, with Nicole and Chace together, and everyone is on Lana’s side as she was the one they felt was betrayed. Hence the title, The Girl in the Picture.

In various snippets, where we go back and forth between the past and the present, we get to meet Nicole, the new girl at school, who is training to be an elite violinist and meets her roommate, Lana, who is Miss Popularity. Nicole is quiet and sweet, while Lana is her opposite. Lana, because of Nicole’s bright future, decides to accept her as a friend.

It is Lana, who will meet the new boy, Chace, and flirt with him to start a relationship. Nicole helps Lana, and is supportive of her dating Chace. Along the way, Chace, who loves Nicole’s music, begins to fall hard for her. Nicole, at first has no intention of getting in the middle, for fear of losing her friend. Chace is persistent and Nicole finds herself falling for him.

In current time, Nicole is the main suspect, as everyone is willing to condemn her, including her now fierce enemy, Lana. We also learn along the way, who was responsible for the terrible scar Nicole suffered. This is a real murder mystery, which has us concentrating on any clues that will tell us who killed Chace. We know Nicole is not the real culprit, but who is? I felt sorry for Nicole, as she truly did not want to fall for Chace, and wanted to tell Lana the truth. In a major twist, the answers will be discovered that was a surprise, not to mention who was able to discover the truth.

To tell too much more would be spoilers. What follows is a very nicely done mystery revolving around the two narrators of the story, with the unusual voice of Chace in the background. Everything in the past, is laid out nicely, which leads to the present and the resolution. It was very well written by Monir. If you enjoy a YA themed background, with a murder mystery, you need to read this book.