Wednesday, December 03, 2014

Interview with Amy K. Nichols + a Giveaway!

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Compulsion
The Now That You’re Here tour stops by the blog today for a convo with Amy K. Nichols and a giveaway! In case you haven’t seen this book around yet, here’s a bit of info on the book first:

Interview with Amy K. Nichols + a Giveaway!Now That You're Here by Amy K. Nichols
Series: Duplexity #1
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on December 9th 2014
Genres: Sci-Fi, YA
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

In a parallel universe, the classic bad boy falls for the class science geek.

One minute Danny was running from the cops, and the next, he jolted awake in an unfamiliar body--his own, but different. Somehow, he's crossed into a parallel universe. Now his friends are his enemies, his parents are long dead, and studious Eevee is not the mysterious femme fatale he once kissed back home. Then again, this Eevee--a girl who'd rather land an internship at NASA than a date to the prom--may be his only hope of getting home.

Eevee tells herself she's only helping him in the name of quantum physics, but there's something undeniably fascinating about this boy from another dimension . . . a boy who makes her question who she is, and who she might be in another place and time.

And, coming soon, Duplexity, Part II: While You Were Gone flips this story on its head and tells the tale of the alternate Danny and the alternate Eevee, living in Danny's parallel world.



Interview with Amy K. Nichols

Hi Amy,
Thanks so much for dropping by the blog today! I’ve heard great things about your book and I’m happy to have you stop by and chat about it! šŸ™‚

Thank you for having me!

What made you want to write about parallel universes?

I didnā€™t set out to write about parallel universes, though I should say that time travel and parallel universe stories have been my faves since I was a kid. Early on when I started writing, I wrote a really awful manuscript about a girl and her troubled relationship with her older sister. That story will never see the light of day. However, I did like the main character and her best friend, Warren. So I set out to write them into a different story. I wrote a scene where Eevee is sitting in class, and suddenly the boy next to her wakes up and doesnā€™t know where he is or how he got there. He did recognize Eevee, though. I continued writing and exploring the story, and quickly realized he was from a parallel universe, and knew an alternate version of Eevee there. From that point it was a matter of figuring out how he jumped to this world and whether or not heā€™d be returning to his own. A few months later, Iā€™d written the manuscript that became NOW THAT YOUā€™RE HERE.

What was the biggest challenge in writing on parallel universes? Is it hard to keep track of the science aspect of it all?

The biggest challenge was the science. In the early drafts, I treated the science a little bit like magic. ā€œAnd the, poof! He jumped!ā€ My editor, the wickedly-smart Katherine Harrison at Knopf, asked me to dig deeper with the science and we agreed it would be great to write a book where the science doesnā€™t fall apart under scrutiny. It took a lot of research, reading books on string theory and searching out valid scientific websites, to put together the mechanics of Dannyā€™s jump. While there is still a leap from science into fiction, Iā€™m really pleased with how all the various scientific aspects fit together in the book. And how the science of the first book fits the science of the second book. That was tricky, figuring out how whatā€™s happening in the two worlds comes together to create the scenario that allows Danny to jump. I should probably leave it at that, or Iā€™ll be getting into spoiler territory. The overall process, though challenging, was hugely rewarding.

What do you love to most about your main characters?

I love that Eevee is unapologetically smart. She doesnā€™t try to fit in or dumb herself down for the sake of fitting in. She doesnā€™t play the usual high school popularity games. She is who she is and thatā€™s that. As for Danny, I love that heā€™s daring, confident, cocky even, but not a jerk. He has a good heart.

In the parallel universe where you did not choose to become a writer, what do you think you’d be doing?

What a great question. Well, one of the theories of parallel universes states that for every decision point, the universe splits and both outcomes of the decision exist. If thatā€™s true, then thereā€™s a universe where Iā€™m a concert flutist in a major metropolitan orchestra (preferably the London Philharmonic); thereā€™s a universe where Iā€™m a doctor. Thereā€™s a universe where Iā€™m an artist. One where Iā€™m a professor of medieval literature. The list goes on and on. I have to say, though, for all those decision points, Iā€™m really glad to be in this universe, being this version of me.

What are some of your favorite quotes from Now That You’re Here?

One of my favorite scenes is this quiet moment between Danny and Eeeve, where theyā€™re doing (or supposed to be doing) homework together at the kitchen table. Eevee is thinking about how strange it is that Danny knows Eevee from his world, and just happened to end up next to her in class the day he jumped. Hereā€™s their exchange, told from Eeveeā€™s POV:

***
ā€œWhat if youā€™re a nonlinear complication in our deterministic system?ā€

He looks up. ā€œAre you even speaking English?ā€

ā€œIf youā€™re nonlinear here, are you nonlinear in every parallel system? But if youā€™re consistently nonlinear, then that would make you linear.ā€ My brain starts to cramp.

He puts his pencil down and stretches. ā€œI have no idea what youā€™re saying.ā€

ā€œWhat if Eevee and Danny meet in every universe?ā€

He grins. ā€œSounds perfect.ā€
***

That scene sort of encapsulates who Danny and Eevee are, what their personalities are like, and why they click. It also hints at one of the main questions of the book: do Danny and Eevee end up together in every universe? And if so, is it always a good thing?

Bonus question: Which Big Bang Theory character are you? šŸ™‚

Hmmmā€¦ This might be cheating, but Iā€™m going to go with a Leonard/Bernadette hybrid. Comfortably nerdy, with enough social awareness to get by, but also the tendency to be a bit of a ditz.

 


About the Author


Amy K. Nichols lives on the edge of the Phoenix desert with her husband and children. In the evenings, she enjoys sitting outside, counting bats and naming stars. Sometimes she names the bats. NOW THAT YOUā€™RE HERE is her first novel. Visit her online at amyknichols.com.






This post is part of the Now That You’re Here blog tour.
Click on the banner for the full tour schedule!

 


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Giveaway

Thanks to Amy and Rockstar Book Tours, you can enter to win one of 10 finished copies of Now That You’re Here!

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter:

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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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24 Responses to “Interview with Amy K. Nichols + a Giveaway!”

  3. Lindsay Galloway

    This book sounds AMAZING! I love that the sequel will be the flip side, so it would be interesting to see how Danny and Eevee have changed and how they will interact. šŸ˜€

  5. Chelsea

    This book really does sound super amazing! And not something you read every day! I’m definitely looking forward to reading it.

  17. Sofia Li

    I haven’t heard of this book before, but it looks positively intriguing and I would be so thankful if I won the giveaway! Plus, the cover is so gorgeous I would practically buy it just for that šŸ™‚

  22. Kelly

    I was immediately drawn in by the parallel universe idea. And the bad boy falls in love with nerd idea. I love reading about nerds.