Q&A with Eileen Cook, author of Unraveling Isobel

Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.

But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn’t only her life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’s seeing ghosts. Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.


1. Night or day? 
Used to be night, but lately creepy stuff keeps happening, so I prefer day.

2. Watercolor or oil paint?
Watercolor. You only have one chance with watercolor. Oil paint is more forgiving. I like the risk that comes with watercolor, but oil is fun too.

3. Nice boy or bad boy? 
Bad boy, with a nice boy heart.

4. Rock music or pop music? 
I like both, but I likely lean towards rock music. My dad loves jazz and I think that is fun too.

5. Girly-girl or tomboy? 
I’m not remotely athletic so tomboy is out, but I wouldn’t describe myself as girly-girl either. I need a third option.

6. Realist or optimist? 
Realist. You don’t have your dad go crazy on you, and have your mom yank you out of school to move to the middle of nowhere, without being a realist.

7. Fate is predetermined or you're in control of destiny? 

I want there to be a choice somewhere in the middle. Overall, I feel in control of my destiny. I’m not the kind of person who would sit back and just see what happens. However, there are things that happen that seem destined. I never would have chosen to move to this island, but now I think I was meant to be here.

8. Rose or Daisy? 
My favorite flower is a calla lily. Roses are too mainstream, daisies are too happy.

9. Mac or PC? 
Mac has the best art programs. Art is sort of my thing. I’m hoping to get into an art program in college, assuming that my mom doesn’t freak out about it.

10. Land or sea? 
Sea.

11. Sylvia Plath or Sarah Dessen? 
I like a wide range books depending on my mood, so I would like both of these depending on how I was feeling. If I could choose anything it would be a book I bought at a used book store years ago that has pictures of a bunch of the paintings that hang in the National Gallery in London.

Thanks, Eileen! For more info on Eileen and Unraveling Isobel, visit: http://www.eileencook.com/

Image credit: Eileen Cook