Blog Tour: Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi (Interview!)

Happy Friday and welcome to my stop on the Rebel Spy blog tour!! I am so excited to be a part of this tour, and I’m even more excited for you to discover what Veronica would do if she spent the day with Frannie! Read on to find out more about the book and author and follow the rest of the tour!

Rebellious Frannie Tasker knows little about the war between England and its thirteen colonies in 1776, until a shipwreck off her home in Grand Bahama Island presents an unthinkable opportunity. The body of a young woman floating in the sea gives Frannie the chance to escape her brutal stepfather--and she takes it.
Assuming the identity of the drowned Emmeline Coates, Frannie is rescued by a British merchant ship and sails with the crew to New York. For the next three years, Frannie lives a lie as Miss Coates, swept up in a courtship by a dashing British lieutenant. But after witnessing the darker side of the war, she realizes that her position gives her power. Soon she finds herself eavesdropping on British officers, risking everything to pass information on to George Washington's Culper spy ring as agent 355. Frannie believes in the fight for American liberty--but what will it cost her? Inspired by the true "355" and rich in historical detail and intrigue, this is the story of an unlikely New York society girl turned an even unlikelier spy.

If you could trade lives with any YA character for a day, who would it be and why? What about a week? A month, year, or forever?

This is such a great question—and not one I’ve ever been asked! I think I would want to be Katsa in Graceling. I’d want to be her – for any length of time – because she is so competent, so capable, smart, and independent. I just adore that character. She’s really this ferocious thing—she fights, loves, and protects with everything in her. 

What would you do if you spent the day with Frannie? Where would you go to eat, hang out, relax, etc.?

Oh, this one’s easy. Definitely I’d want to spend the day at the beach with her! We have a shared love of the ocean. 

If Frannie were to hang out with characters from other YA books, who would they be and why?

I think Frannie and Lyra from THE GOLDEN COMPASS would be thick as thieves, as they say, though Lyra’s a little younger. They both have incredible wit, cleverness, and bravery. Together, I think they could take over the world!

What was your favorite bit of research you ended up not using?

There was so much, honestly. I got really into nautical terminology, period-appropriate slang, and music—and I feel like only about 5-10% of that made it into the novel!

What is your favorite quote, scene, or moment from Rebel Spy?

I have a great fondness for the relationship that develops between Frannie and Tom Hackett. I don’t want to get too detailed, in case people haven’t read it. But it really touched me.

Can you share some things that we might not know about your characters?

Again—there’s so much here! I wrote sooo many scenes that didn’t make it into the novel. But one thing comes to mind, and it’s that Frannie likes to pretend she’s other people. I had quite a lot written that was edited out where she’s imitating ship’s captains and copying people’s gestures and such. She’s really a quite an actress—which obviously helps her a lot when she needs to lie and spy ☺

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