Hamlet is one of my favorite plays by Shakespeare, so I was pretty much in just from the title and cover of Saving Hamlet by Molly Booth. Then I read the synopsis and I was sold. So when it came time to sign up for the tour, I couldn’t sign up fast enough.
Before we get to Molly’s interview, let’s check out the book!
Title: Saving Hamlet
Author: Molly Booth
Pub Date: 11/1/16
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Pages: 352
Find it: IndieBound | Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
Emma Allen couldn’t be more excited to start her sophomore year. Not only is she the assistant stage manager for the drama club’s production of Hamlet, but her crush Brandon is directing, and she’s rocking a new haircut that’s sure to get his attention. But soon after school starts, everything goes haywire. Emma’s promoted to stage manager with zero experience, her best friend Lulu stops talking to her, and Josh–the adorable soccer boy who’s cast as the lead–turns out to be a disaster. It’s up to Emma to fix it all, but she has no clue where to start.One night after rehearsal, Emma stays behind to think through her life’s latest crises and distractedly falls through the stage’s trap door . . . landing in the basement of the Globe Theater.
It’s London, 1601, and with her awesome new pixie cut, everyone thinks Emma’s a boy–even Will Shakespeare himself. With no clue how to get home, Emma gamely plays her role as backstage assistant to the original production of Hamlet, learning a thing or two about the theater, and meeting an incredibly hot actor named Alex who finds Emma as intriguing as she finds him. But once Emma starts traveling back and forth through time, things get really confusing. Which boy is the one for her? In which reality does she belong? Will Lulu ever forgive her? And can she possibly save two disastrous productions of Hamlet before time runs out?
Sounds good, right?
1. Please give the elevator pitch for Saving Hamlet.
A teenage girl works on her high school’s production of Hamlet, and falls through the stage’s trapdoor — she lands in the basement of the Globe, Shakespeare’s theatre, in London, 1601, during the original production of Hamlet!
2. Where did the idea come from?
I first had the idea for Saving Hamlet in college, while taking a fiction workshop at the same time I was taking a Shakespeare course that included history of the Globe and Shakespeare’s company, the Chamberlain’s Men. As a former theatre techie myself, it was thrilling to read about such a fast-paced, passionate backstage! I realized I wanted to be there, and, in lieu of that, send a character there.
3. Why do you love Emma and why should we root for her?
Emma is driven, anxious, sarcastic, and caring. I love her because she tries — whether it’s learning to stage manage or supporting her friends. I root for her on her journey to be a better friend and understand the people and world around her, both in her own, modern time and in Elizabethan England. I hope readers do too!
4. Without spoilers, were there any scenes you had to cut you wish could have stayed?
For pacing, I cut most of the very first read-through of Hamlet at Emma’s high school. It’s described briefly in the chapter after, but the original scene had some hilarious moments for Lulu, Emma’s best friend.
5. What was the weirdest thing you googled while researching?
Countless weird searches about London in the 1600s — and I remember distinctly reading and watching videos on how to load a cannon.
Speed [ish] round:
1. You get the call/email/letter that says you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.
March 2015: I was sitting in a parking lot, visiting my sibling and some friends at my alma mater, Marlboro College, in Vermont (where I wrote SAVING HAMLET). My agent called, told me the news, and I said politely:
“Hold on, Alex. I need to scream. You might want to put the phone down.”
I then screamed with my friend Rosie and my sibling Nellie. Then I called my parents. Then I ate some coconut ice cream and fell asleep. It was a lot of excitement.
2. What three things would you take to a desert island?
Solar powered laptop, the complete works of William Shakespeare, and maybe my old trumpet I used to play in high school. I could practice, loudly and terribly, all I wanted, and no one would have to listen to it.
3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?
If a play counts, it would be Hamlet! If not, Which Witch? by Eva Ibbotson.
4. What book character would you want to date and who would you want to be your BFF?
I’m a little in love with Prince Char from Bridget Hodder’s The Rat Prince. Kind, dashing, used to be a rat… what more could you want?
As for my best friend, I’ll go with a classic that I’m re-reading: Lizzie Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.
5. What is the one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?
I’d tell my past, pre-literary agent self that I need to make sure I take care of myself. Sometimes that means being a squeaky wheel, and sometimes it means incredible amounts of tea.
6. You wake up and discover you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently? {Huge thanks to Bookish Broads for letting me use this question}
Stay away from any guy who tells me he’s dangerous. Read a bunch, get to know my dad better, seek out friends I connect with, and, lastly, take a lot of vitamin D. :P
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Molly Booth grew up homeschooled in Massachusetts with her four boisterous siblings. She stage managed for three different community theatres in high school. Her first college was Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown, MA; she then went on to study writing, literature, and Elizabethan history on a very cold hill at Marlboro College in Vermont. There, she wrote the first drafts of Saving Hamlet, her debut novel, coming 11/1/16 from Disney Hyperion. Her second book, Nothing Happened, will be coming spring 2018.
Molly also writes for The Mary Sue, and sometimes other sites like The Tempest, and McSweeney’s. She spends most of her time snuggling her adorable dog Suzie, pet rats Meg and Marigold, and Harriet the queen cat.
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Huge thanks to Irish Banana Tours for the invite and to Molly for taking the time. Make sure you’re checking out her website, following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, and adding her books to your Goodreads TBR.
Definitely check out the rest of the tour stops for extra goodies and keep scrolling for a giveaway!!
Tour Schedule:
Week 1:
10/24: Fiery Reads – Review
10/25: That Artsy Reader Girl – Guest Post
10/26: The Young Folks – Review
10/27: No BS Book Reviews – Q&A
10/28: The Book Cellar – Review
Week 2:
10/31: The Irish Banana Review – Top 10
11/1: The Plot Bunny – Review
11/2: Adventures of a Book Junkie – Q&A
11/3: Betwixt the Pages – Review
11/4: Princessica of Books – Guest Post
**Good Luck!!**
Great interview. I loved the politecalm before the scream! That’s how I imagine myself reacting to this dream come true phone call.
This book sounds really, really intriguing! Thanks for putting it on my radar!
This book sounds amazing. Will take me back to my days of being in plays ( not college ) but I still loved it all through school :)
Umm this book sounds amazing haha. I need to go look into this. Loved your questions, too!
I love her Three Things list. Ha ha. Great interview. :)
I have never read or seen or anything about Hamlet, ack :) But this do sound like an interesting book :D Gorgeous interview Stacee. <3 Thank you for sharing :)