Revealing Eden (Save the Pearls) - Hardcover

Victoria Foyt is well known for her work as a screenwriter, actress, producer of critically acclaimed independent films, including DAjA vu and Last Summer in the Hamptons. She has appeared on major television and radio outlets, at film festivals around the world, and in many magazines, including Vogue, O at Home, and Town and Country. Her debut novel, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond (HarperCollins), a young adult (YA) supernatural mystery, received critical acclaim, including a five-star review from TeensReadToo.com. She established Sand Dollar Press in 2011 to promote YA novels through film-quality, online campaigns. Save the Pearls Part One: Revealing Eden is her first release, tied to an interactive site: SaveThePearls.com, and a newsfeed.

Marianne Williamson: “A fascinating story... for lovers of all ages!”

The San Francisco Book Review: (5 Stars) “Victoria Foyt creates an original and thought-provoking concept of the future Earth and those who inhabit it. Once I started reading, I wasn’t able to stop, drawn into the story by the mysteries surrounding the characters.”

The Midwest Book Review: “Revealing Eden" has plenty to consider on the issues of race and romance, very much recommended reading from acclaimed writer of novel and screenplay Victoria Foyt.”

The Huffington Post: “Foyt covers interracial issues, what beauty means culturally, and environmental destruction, all while entertaining the reader with one twist after the next.”

Examiner: “2012 is shaping up to be the year of dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels. In Victoria Foyt’s novel, Revealing Eden, the author does well telling a story that will haunt readers, rendering them to ponder over the concept hours after they finish the novel. The plot itself is riveting, captivating readers from the first page.”

Fresh Fiction: “Revealing Eden is a captivating dystopian novel!”

Readers Favorite: “The story grabbed me and didn’t let go!”
“Wickedly clever and hard to put down! Victoria Foyt takes readers to a dark future where the tables are turned on racial struggles, and trust and love are fragile things... you won't want to miss this ride." -Jerrilyn Farmer, bestselling author.

"Revealing Eden is a heart-tugging Beauty and the Beast tale of true love and betrayal, a pulse quickening exotic fantasy adventure that takes the reader through ancient and future lands, all told in a faced-paced, thought provoking, yet elegant style..." -Richard Kletter, screenwriter of Odd Girl Out and Queen Sized.

"Foyt conjures up other worlds like J.K. Rowling does... no matter how the world changes, the difference between the sexes is eternal and the heat from solar radiation is no match for the heat between a man and a woman." -Martha Goldhirsh, author.

Review by Live to Read

Showcasing Victoria Foyt We had the chance to do a lovely interview with Victoria Foyt and get to know her a little. She's going to tell you about her book Revealing Eden and a little about herself....enjoy!!

For me, writing became a natural extension of my passion for reading, a way to join the club of authors I so deeply admired. In many ways, they saved me, offering a way to be entertained by the swirling chaos of life. By adolescence, I’d been swept away by Gone With The Wind, Great Expectations, and The Count of Monte Christo, and I dreamed of writing novels.
Now, I understand that the authors of those books must have fallen in love with their characters because that is exactly what happens to me. In my new Young Adult fantasy adventure romance, Revealing Eden (Save The Pearls Part One), I tapped into my deep fears about Global Warming and my lifelong questions about true love. I really wanted to know what would love and relationship and even, beauty, look like if an overheated earth turned social standards upside down.
This led me to create a post-apocalyptic world in which increased solar radiation has forced mankind to live in tunnels. Caucasians are an oppressed minority, the Pearls, while dark-skinned people are more able to withstand The Heat, and therefore rule. The contrast between this bleak, angry, overly tech-driven world in which love is dead and the interracial romance that flourishes, despite all odds, between Eden Newman, a downtrodden Pearl, and Ronson Bramford, a Coal titan, is unique and inspiring. I feel in love with them, just as they fell in love with each other.
Like Eden, I always hoped that someone would love me for my mind, the real me, and not judge me on appearance. It was such a thrill to write her story. Feisty and brave, she also lacks confidence, which often leads her to make poor decisions in relationship with men. Sadly, not unlike me.
I started writing Revealing Eden in first person, but my editor suggested I change to third person intimate, which feels like first person because we still see the story through one character’s eyes. She was right; the change helped create the wonderful romantic tension between Eden and Bramford, and made him seem really hot! Sometimes you simply want to shake Eden, which is how I once felt about Scarlett O’Hara!
Once I changed the tense, the writing of Revealing Eden just flowed; it took me about two and a half years. I was excited each day to get to my studio and see what would happen next. If I’m lucky, the characters act out the story for me, and Eden and Bramford were great actors! It was much easier to simply take dictation from them than slavishly follow my outline. I can’t listen to music or be distracted by the Internet or phone calls because watching and listening requires all of my concentration. I think it would be way too hard to write it by myself.
And while I may have been alone at my computer, talented actors surrounded me when we shot a dozen videos for SaveThePearls.com, an interactive site about Eden’s world. It was amazing to watch “Eden” come to life and act out scenes in the book. As a filmmaker and a novelist, the creation of her world online provided a fantastic opportunity for me to use all of my experience and skills.
I want to thank all of you who have uploaded your videos to the site, and who have contacted me at VictoriaFoyt.com or http://www.facebook.com/SaveThePearls. I love hearing from you!
And a huge thank you to all the bloggers who have requested a copy of the book and also written about it. The passionate community of readers you are creating both amazes and inspires me.

“Wickedly clever and hard to put down! Victoria Foyt takes readers to a dark future where the tables are turned on racial struggles, and trust and love are fragile things. With a determined young woman to lead the way, this well imagined post-apocalyptic world contains all the elements of mystery and romance that make us turn pages faster and faster. You won’t want to miss this ride.” --Jerrilyn Farmer, bestselling author of 8 award-winning Madeline Bean mysteries
-Blood Magic Book

Victoria Foyt Interview
What inspires you to write? A burning question usually inspires me, what if? In Revealing Eden (Save The Pearls Part One): what would happen if global warming turned today’s prevailing beauty standards upside down? In the story, because Caucasians have less melanin in their skin to protect them from the sun’s burning rays, they are branded as inferior Pearls. Dark-skinned people, or Coals, have more resistance to the Heat, and therefore, now rule society. Eden Newman, a lithe blue-eyed blonde, would be considered gorgeous in our day, while in the future she has to beg for a mate or suffer an early death. The direction in which my “what if” question took me greatly surprised me, as it often does.
How old were you when your first novel was published? In my forties, that’s all I’ll say. Looking back, I see that the seemingly circuitous path I took from studying foreign languages and literature in college, to acting and screenwriting and directing afterwards, all provided key tools I would need as a novelist. Meanwhile, I was accumulating invaluable life experiences and insights, which gives a writer his or her unique “voice.” By the time I started my first novel in my thirties, my words flew onto the page, and I haven’t stopped since.
Which films did you co-wrote? Several indie films, all of which were directed by Henry Jaglom: Babyfever; Last Summer In the Hamptons, Festival In Cannes, Going Shopping and Déjà vu, which is my favorite, and has become somewhat of a cult classic. My work as a screenwriter definitely improved my sense of dialogue and place. It also added a distinctive visual orientation to my writing.
Which have you starred in? All of the above, except for Festival In Cannes. At the time it went into production, I was busy writing a novel and had to turn down the starring part. It was a tough decision, but finally, I needed to commit to my heart’s desire, which I’m glad I did.
What's your favorite Bath and Body Works scent? I love Warm Vanilla Sugar—both seductive and comforting. I discovered it years ago at their shop in the charming city of La Jolla and couldn’t resist it.
What is Revealing Eden about? REVEALING EDEN (Save The Pearls Part One) is a fantasy sci-fi adventure romance that, to my amazement, fulfills all of the requirements of each genre and yet, is a unique page-turner. I didn’t set out with such lofty goals, I simply had to tell Eden’s story, which in truth, is a pastiche of my own fears and dreams. Doomed unless she mates soon, Eden Newman, a white Pearl, hopes a Coal from the dark-skinned ruling class will save her. But when she unwittingly compromises her father’s secret biological experiment, perhaps mankind’s only hope, Eden is cast out—into the last patch of rainforest and also the arms of a powerful beast-man she believes is her enemy, despite her overwhelming attraction to him. To survive, Eden must change—but only if she can redefine her ideas of beauty—and of love.
Which was your favorite magazine to be in? I was thrilled when my publicist announced that I was going to be in Vogue! I immediately decided to lose 5 pounds, but I was in Italy at the time. Who can diet there? I fretted about what to wear and was very relieved when I learned that the magazine’s stylist would bring a selection ...

What would happen if global warming continued to the point where resistance to deadly solar radiation determined class and beauty? This is the future we encounter in Victoria Foyt's captivating new novel, (Save The Pearls Part One) Revealing Eden (Sand Dollar Press, Inc.).

In this world, the darkest skinned people (the Coals) are prized and can survive much better than the fair-skinned (Pearls). Pearls are considered undesirable and go to great lengths to be more acceptable by covering their white skin with dark make-up.

Our heroine, Eden Newman, is 17 and running out of time. She is a Pearl and if no one picks up her mating option by her 18th birthday, she will be sent outside to die. Her father is a scientist working for a wealthy, charismatic Coal named Ronson Bramford. Bramford believes that Dr. Newman has developed the technology to save mankind by producing a super-being who can withstand the deadly environment and thrive.

Eden is working in the lab when we meet her. Her mother has died and she is not very close to her father as he is consumed with his work. She desperately hopes a Coal, named Jamal, who seems to be very interested in her, will pick up her mating option before it is too late.

What happens next is page-turning suspense when Eden unwittingly compromises her father's experiment and is forced to escape with Bramford and her father to the last patch of rainforest. There, the love story between Eden and Bramford turns unexpectedly as each is surprised by the other's true character, neither living up to built-in prejudices, even about their own kind.

Eden is smart, funny, feisty and fearless. Ronson Bramford is her Rhett Butler and we watch them fight and fall in love all while they deal with "The Heat," humanity's probable demise, and the experiment that may allow humans to adapt. While reading this I felt like I was watching an Avatar type film. It's very visual and futuristic with a tender love story at its core.

Foyt covers interracial issues, what beauty means culturally, and environmental destruction, all while entertaining the reader with one twist after the next. Although the book is young adult/fantasy/sci-fi/romance, I, as an adult who mostly reads non-fiction, loved it!
-Huffington Post
Irene Rubaum-Keller
Book Review: Save the Pear;s (Part One) Revealing Eden
November 11, 2011

Revealing Eden was a very interesting read. It is different than anything else I have read. I love apocalyptic stories and this novel has a great visual feel of underground tunnels and people having their entire lives influenced by computers and holographic images.

The people in this book is divided into two groups. The group that was the minority in the old world is now the ruling majority. Coals vs Pearls. At first this aspect gave me pause. Because pearls and coals are just synonyms for whites and blacks. In this story black people (Coals) rule the world and white people (Pearls) are becoming extinct because no one wants to mate with the lowest class citizens. It is a very interesting idea but to me there is so much racial prejudice today that it seemed strange to base a futuristic novel on this same premise.

However, as the story progressed and a shift occurred from the community life to the more secluded jungle life. It became possible for the different races to push boundaries and develop connections. This was my favorite part of the novel. It became less about hate and more about accepting who you are and appreciating the unexpected beauty in others.

Revealing Eden is a very unique novel and I believe that anyone who reads it would be captivated and drawn into this new world that is similar yet strangely different from ours.

I am very excited that Save the Pearls is a series and there is more to come from author Victoria Foyt. The website that accompanies the books is amazing! It is so detailed with blog/vlog entries from the main character, FAQ, group forums and more. I have never seen a book website that was so all encompassing and expansive. You have to check it out! www.savethepearls.com

I can't wait for Save the Pearls Part Two ADAPTING EDEN to come out. It also sounds great.
-New Mummy Love

In a post-apocalyptic world, everyone must live underground to protect themselves from the extreme heat on Earth. People with white skin, called Pearls, are the most susceptible to die from The Heat, and most have already perished. Eden, a Pearl herself, has managed to s...