[Banner Image Credit: Amie Kaufman Facebook Page]
I was a huge fan of These Broken Stars when I read it a few months ago, and I’m really excited to have the blog tour for this second book stop by the blog today. I’ve got both authors over here talking about the inspiration behind Starbound! Here’s a bit of info on this book first:
This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman, Meagan Spooner
Published by Disney Hyperion on December 23rd 2014
Genres: Sci-Fi, YA
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The second installment in the epic Starbound trilogy introduces a new pair of star-crossed lovers on two sides of a bloody war.
Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.
Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.
Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.
Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.
Guest Post by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
What Inspires Us
The question “how do you come up with your ideas” is hands down the most frequent question we stumble across when talking to readers. As much as we’d love to say “from the corner mart,” the real answer is that inspiration comes from everywhere. It comes from the conversations we have with friends, from the stories we read in the news, from the advancements that scientific pioneers are making every day. It comes from everything we do and see, including art, music, television, movies, and, of course… other books!
Those who’ve been reading about These Broken Stars know that a lot of the inspiration for the story came from our joint love of space and shipwreck stories. This Shattered World comes from an entirely different fascination of ours: star-crossed friendships, the moral grey area issues involving loyalty and treachery in times of war, and how just one person—or two!—can make a difference.
So here are a few of our favorite inspirations for This Shattered World… some of them might surprise you!
Firefly/Serenity: Okay, this one’s not a surprise. Cowboys in space? There’s no question our fascination with the idea of newly developed planets full of abandoned and angry colonists aligns nicely with this show’s premise! Not to mention the fact that the character of Zoe Washburne would definitely, definitely, be pals with Jubilee Chase.
Pride & Prejudice: This was a great inspiration for all three of our books. We love friendships and romances that spring up in unlikely places, between unlikely people. Any time two people start off hating each other on principle but find that first impression changing as they grow… well, we’re sold.
Doctor Who: We’re both Whovians, and we’ve never tried to deny it. Sure, the show can get campy (really campy) but it’s got heart, and characters you love, and in the midst of the worst kinds of hardship the Doctor can find hope and humor. We try to do that in our books, as well—and in This Shattered World especially, they have to search and work hard to keep that hope alive.
Far and Away: There’s no doubt that a big inspiration for the culture and political situation on Avon comes from a mutual fascination with immigrant culture, particularly that of Irish immigrants to America—hence the fierce Fianna, our mostly-Irish band of rebels living in the swamps of Avon.
Star Trek: Space. The final frontier. Need we say more? (Okay, just one more thing: we love how often Star Trek episodes deal with philosophical and moral conundrums… it’s classic science fiction, and something we love to explore in our books as well!)
Romeo & Juliet: While the literary references in These Broken Stars are harder to spot because we didn’t want to spoil certain twists, it’s not hard to see that a big, big inspiration for This Shattered World came from the Bard himself. There’s a reason we named our planet Avon…
About the Authors
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner are longtime friends and sometime flatmates who have traveled the world (but not yet the galaxy), covering every continent between them. They are sure outer space is only a matter of time. Meagan, who is also the author of the Skylark trilogy, currently lives in Asheville, NC, while Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia. Although they currently live apart, they are united by their love of space opera, road trips, and second breakfasts.
Visit the These Broken Stars website for the latest news on the series and follow the authors on Twitter at @AmieKaufman and @MeaganSpooner. You may also sign up for their newsletter as well! These Broken Stars will be available in North America on December 10, 2013.
This post is part of the This Shattered World blog tour hosted by The Midnight Garden.
Monday, December 8 – The Midnight Garden
Tuesday, December 9 – The Book Smugglers
Wednesday, December 10 – Ivy Book Bindings
Thursday, December 11 – Cuddlebuggery
Friday, December 12 – Little Book Owl
Monday, December 15 – Mundie Moms
Tuesday, December 16 – Xpresso Reads
Wednesday, December 17 – A Book Utopia
Thursday, December 18 – Supernatural Snark
Friday, December 19 – Love is Not a Triangle
Giveaway
These wonderful authors and Disney-Hyperion have generously offered up some fab prizes during this blog tour! See what’s up for grabs:
— Autographed copies of These Broken Stars and This Shattered World
— Starbound swag
— A secret letter from Tarver to Lilac, which you may keep secret for yourself, or may be posted and shared with others
— Your choice of coffee with the authors at one of their upcoming U.S. tour stops (locations TBD) OR a Skype chat!
Use the Rafflecopter below to enter:
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