Friday, August 12, 2011

Giveaway and Interview with David Nicholls, Author of One Day


If you are anything like me and enjoy a realistic love story with broken characters, ONE DAY is for you! It will make you laugh and cry, so be prepared with a box of kleenex.  If you haven't read my review, you can check it out here.

I recently had the chance, along with a few other bloggers, to chat with David Nicholls . It was the chance of a lifetime as I absolutely loved One Day! Not only did David write the book, he also wrote the screenplay. I've already set a 'date' with my BF, Jackie, to see this movie which comes out next week (August 19th).

For the movie, I thought finding the right chemistry between the actors would be critical. This is a love story after all, that takes place over twenty years. Also, Dexter's character growth is phenomenal. He isn't the nicest guy for a while and yet somehow in the story you still fall for him and are able to overlook his faults. Here's David's reponse:

We had to find two people who could age up and age down convincingly, two people who seemed to complement each other, two people who seemed to have a kind of spark and an attraction. Often with movies, there's a constant question through the whole writing process, which is are they sympathetic, are they likeable. Dexter in particular does some pretty harsh things and behaves quite badly in the course of the film. And I think in casting Dexter, we wanted someone who wouldn't kind of compromise on that bad behavior, but who would be comprehensible and forgivable and redeemable, who had a kind of a charm even at the lowest points. And I think Jim (Sturgess) gets that really beautifully.

Since the story takes place over twenty years, I was curious about how to show that in the movie. I am not normally one to love many pop culture references but it seemed that maybe this was the way to do it? The first day we meet Em & Dex is July 15, 1988 , but when reading the book, I felt it was more a timeless story and we just see the characters grow over the twenty years. Here's what David had to say:

There are a few of those. Definitely fashion. Weirdly, I have much stronger memories of the late '80s than I do of the early '90s, I think because I was at University. And at University, you are particularly aware of your cultural tastes and your image and that you were very keen to make a statement. So, I found '88 much easier to conjure up than '93. It took me a while to track down when I got my first mobile phone and in exactly what year.

I definitely wanted to get some of the fashion in and also some of the politics and the critical issues of the day. But, the two things that I made a conscious decision not to include were the death of Princess Diana, which obviously was a huge landmark in British culture, and 9/11, which there's a fleeting reference to a bomb attack in London. But, I couldn't find a plausible, useful way to make that part of the narrative. So, I wanted the politics and the cultural background to be correct, but I also wanted it to be the background, for it to be just the stage on which the characters perform rather than the prime subject matter.
Well David, you sure did a great job on achieving this in the book, now I can't wait to see ONE DAY on the big screen.

 Thanks so much to Big Honcho Media and Focus Features for making this possible.
One of my readers will win a great One Day prize pack, courtesy of Focus Features....

One (1) winner will receive:
·         Copy of the movie-tie in edition paperback book
·         Clear cosmetic case
·         Necklace
·         Moleskin Journal



Prizing value: $30.95
Giveaway provided by Focus Features



To enter leave a comment telling me your favorite fictional couple and fill in the ONE DAY contest form below.




In Theatres August 19



Official website          http://experienceoneday.com
Facebook                    http://www.facebook.com/OneDayMovie

Download the One Day Reader’s Guide

Enter the GoodReads “One Day Summer Reads” Sweepstakes

23 comments:

  1. I have so many different reads I don't even know where to start. But I think I will pick the whole VA series by Richelle Mead and the whole Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls series) by Maggie Stiefvater. Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  2. I could go classic (which I usually do) and say Eliza Bennet and Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, but I'm also partial to Isabel and Cole in The Shiver series. Not that they were ever official, but if they could've gotten their acts together, they might have been formidable :)

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  3. My first comment was for the blogiversary post I believe...not sure how it got over here!

    As for fav fictional couple...I have so many of those too! I think I would pick Kate & Leopold from the same named movie. :)

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  4. Great Question, so many fabulous choices - Love Bone and Cat in Jeanienne Frost's series

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  5. My favorite couple would have to be Grace and Daniel from the Dark Divine.

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  6. Anna and Etienne from Stephanie Perkins' Anna and the French Kiss!

    Angel C
    angelidgcruz[at]gmail[dot]com

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  7. Poppy and Rye from the YA/children's book series by Avi. There's something about fictional mice that I can't resist.

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  9. For classic literature, I adore Ms. Bennett and Mr. Darcy. They just have this unresolved tension that ends up working so well and then the lovely ending together.
    nvanapel[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  10. Would it be wrong to say Dex and Emma from One Day? I don't read very many novels with romance at the heart of them, but One Day is the most recent romance I've read and I thought it was just wonderful. Dex and Em seemed so real and it was so interesting to see their relationship unfold over two decades.

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  11. My favourite fictional couple is Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from the Anne of Green Gables books. I have loved them since I was Grade 1. I am always secretly looking for my Gilbert Blythe. :) I've heard so many good things about ONE DAY, but have not had the chance to discover it. I would love the opportunity to! Thanks for running this contest!

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  12. My favorite fictional couple is Eve Dallas and Roarke from J.D. Robb's In Death series.
    mittens0831 at aol dot com

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  13. I'm all about the Black Dagger Brotherhood these days, so my favourite couple would be Rhage & Mary from Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

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  14. My favourite fictional couple is Buttercup and Wesley from the Princess Bride.

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  15. My favorite fictional couple is Eve Dallas and Roarke-In Death Series J.D. Robb

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  16. I would have to say Rhett Butler and Scarlett O' Hara. I love their crazy and complicated relationship!

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  17. Hmmmm... tough one. I'm going to go with Henry and Clare from "The Time Traveler's Wife". Sad, and not entirely well cast in the movie version, but still one of my favourite pairs!

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  18. I'm going obvious this time around . . . Anna and Etienne & Mia and Adam. :))

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  19. My favorite fictional couple? Marc Darcy and Bridget Jones. Love it. She's a spaz and he doesn't care and loves her "just as she is" *swoon*

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  20. Favorite fictional couple... not reading related but I love them...

    Harry & Sally lol


    sharn3960 @ comcast . net

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  21. I loved Shutter Island and Losing Michael Malone. Great stories very different but both fantastic and hard to put down. Thanks lisapeters at yahoo dot com

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  22. My favorite fictional couple would have to be Ethan and lena from Beautiful creatures.
    taylorzebrowski at yahoo dot com

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  23. Thanks for the great contest! :)

    I think one of my favorite fictional couples ever is Henry and Clare from 'The Time Traveler's Wife', or Anne and Etienne from 'Anna and the French Kiss'.

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