Blurb:
Confessions
of a naïve fashion model. It takes three mistakes to be swallowed up and spat
out by the fashion industry. You trust the wrong people. You think you know
everything there is to know about life. You take drugs. Maja started off as a
regular seventeen-year-old high-school kid, fighting her inner insecurities
while dreaming of becoming an actress like Marilyn Monroe.
At a
party her boyfriend Klemen introduces her to a renowned modeling agent. He sees
a special X Factor hidden inside her. And a great business opportunity for
himself... Fast forward a few weeks later. Maja’s charm and talent land her a
modeling contract in the trendy and exciting fashion capital of Milan. She’s
completely enchanted and determined to make it in the fashion world. But things
don’t turn out the way she planned. Exhausting long photo shoots, stressful
fashion shows, strict dieting, and wild parties take their toll.
In a desperate
search for help Maja reaches out to her agent and other false friends from the
fashion industry who exploit her emotionally and physically, turning ‘Maja the
Great’ into a shadow of her former self. Her battle with drug addiction ends tragically.
Maja has been finally swallowed up and spit out by the fashion industry with
its endless traps. What price will the girl with the X Factor have to pay for
her naiveté? The young adult novel The X Factor by the bestselling Slovenian
author Ivan Sivec is based on a true story and takes the reader on a
frightening journey into the world of drug addiction among teenage fashion
models.
About the Author:
Ivan
Sivec is a bestselling Slovenian writer, poet, publicist and passionate
traveler. To this date he published over 125 books, some also translated into
English and German. According to the National Librarian Statistics he is one of
the top five read authors in Slovenia. He graduated from Slavic Studies at the
Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana and successfully completed his master’s degree at
the Department of Ethnology. Up to his retirement he worked as a journalist and
editor for Radio Slovenia, the national radio station, creating many
spectacular commentaries on the interesting people, customs and places he got
to know through his work. During his prolific career he has been producing
different fiction and non-fiction genres: biographies and memoirs, historical,
sports and adventure novels, travelogues, humorous stories and many more.
Mr.
Sivec’s passion is writing fiction for younger, teen and adolescent readers
(such as fairy tale novels, picture and children books, young adult novels).
His particular interest goes to psychological novels on issues teens face
today, especially deeper topics like teenage suicide, drug addiction, adoption,
AIDS... Many of his novels were dramatised and several also reprinted. Some of
his youth novels were adapted as film or TV series, for the viewing pleasure of
both young and mature audiences. He has received numerous prizes and awards for
his work.
Mr.
Sivec also wrote about the phenomenon of Slavko Avsenik’s music: the book Brata
Avsenik (Brothers Avsenik, published in Slovene and German) is dedicated to the
life-story of the famous brothers, which are said to be the beginners of ethnic
popular music (Oberkrainer music) in Europe. In a number of ways, the renowned
music group is considered to be a world sensation.
The
multifaceted Slovenian writer is not only a well-known novelist, but also a
poet and songwriter. During his career he produced over 2,500 lyrics for
different folk-pop bands. His lyrics have been adapted by famous Slovenian
ensembles and musicians.
In 2015
Ivan Sivec is ready to present himself to the English speaking reader with his
young adult novel The X Factor: Confessions of a Naïvé Model, portraying the
glamorous fashion world behind its less glamorous scenes. The book is based on
a true story and takes the reader on a frightening journey into the world of
drug addiction amongst teenage fashion models. For more information please
visit http://ivan.sivec.net/en/ and https://www.facebook.com/ivan.sivec.en
Review by Rochelle:
Even
allowing for the fact that English is not Mr. Sivec’s first language, I still
was not able to read The X-Factor. The book was full of info dumps (long
passages of narrative where nothing happens), head-hops (changes of
point-of-view in the middle of a scene), and definitions.
Yes,
every few paragraphs, Mr. Sivec stopped the action to define a word. These were
not esoteric words that one would need to look up in the Oxford English
Dictionary, either. Here’s an example. “Top?
The best in a given moment.” Really? I think I could have figured that out
myself. Not to mention the fact that the definition wasn’t even a full sentence—it’s
a sentence fragment. There were quite a few of those.
By the
time I was nineteen percent of the way through the book, I just couldn’t go on
anymore.
It’s a
shame. It sounds as though The X-Factor is a cautionary tale that could
possibly help aspiring models avoid a few pitfalls—if they can get through it.
Rule one: don’t fake your age; let your parents be involved in your career. They
probably want what’s best for you.
Author Website: http://ivan.sivec.net/en/
Heat Rating:
PG-13
Length: 246 Pages
Prices:
Print: $14.90
Digital:
$4.99
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