Welcome to my stop on the BURN OUT blog tour. I'm especially excited to interview Author Kristi Helvig today because I loved BURN OUT so much, I blurbed it. See?
I was fascinated by Tora's story from page one. Imagine being the only person left on a dying, scorching Earth and knowing that if you don't somehow get off the planet, your days are numbered. That's what Tora is facing, and yet she doesn't give up hope. And she has the guts to protect her father's legacy at all costs.
The official summary (you might see something familiar...)
I think thanks to BURN OUT’s summary, the first question all of my blog readers are going to have is, in what way is BURN OUT like LEVEL 2 (aka THE MEMORY OF AFTER)? And who had the idea to use LEVEL 2 as a comp title?
I think both books are similar in that they imagine a world very different than the one we live in today, and though the settings of our books our quite different, both worlds are navigated by strong, female heroines. Our heroines both struggle with complicated feelings toward certain members of the opposite sex, while dealing with life and death issues at the same time. Neither world is easy and the main characters become stronger in some ways, yet more vulnerable in others. It was my editor’s idea to use LEVEL 2 as a comp title, so naturally, I read it that same night and loved it! I can’t wait for Chasing Before to come out this summer!
While I was reading BURN OUT, no joke, I was clutching a bottle of water the whole time. It just made me so thirsty! Were you the same way while writing? Did exploring the concept of the Earth heating up change anything about the way you live?
Ha, yes, I wrote the first draft of BURN OUT in the summer and remember how scorching hot it was on some of those days. Writing the book made me even more conscious about the value of our natural resources and though I’ve always tried to be eco-friendly, I’ve definitely stepped things up a notch. My seven-year-old just learned a song about “water-wasters” for Earth Day at school, so we’re trying to keep the faucet off while we brush our teeth, etc. Sometimes, I’ll get filtered water from the fridge tap and feel intense gratitude that I have clean water on demand. That’s sadly not the case for many parts of the world.
Your supporting characters are so complex and fleshed-out. Is there one of them you could see being the star of his/her own novel? Or maybe one of those eShorts that are so popular these days?
Thank you—they were so much fun to write. I just turned in the sequel to BURN OUT and Markus became my favorite character in the book, so I could see him him being the star of his own novel. He’d certainly think he deserved it and that it would be the best book ever!
Tora's father built a secret room to store all their weapons. If you had a secret room in your house, what would you store in there?
Books. I loved that whole secret book labyrinth in The Shadow of the Wind. Maybe some good bottles of wine too. That way, I can enjoy some great vintages with some great reads.
And just for fun, how do you think Tora would react if she landed in the world of FROZEN and met Elsa?
Thanks to my seven-year-old, I’ve seen the movie about fifty times already. I think Tora would be in absolute awe of the snow and ice, since it’s something she’s never experienced. She’d probably love Elsa and ask her to make snow cones for her on a daily basis, though Tora might ask her to stop singing after the fiftieth rendition of “Let it Go.” Or maybe that’s just me. ;)
Thanks again for having me! :)
________________________
Kristi Helvig is a Ph.D. clinical psychologist turned sci-fi/fantasy author. She muses about Star Trek, space monkeys, and other assorted topics on her blog and Twitter. Kristi resides in sunny Colorado with her hubby, two kiddos, and behaviorally-challenged dogs. Grab a copy of BURN OUT on Amazon, Indiebound, or Barnes & Noble.
Check out what the other Bookanistas are loving this week:
I was fascinated by Tora's story from page one. Imagine being the only person left on a dying, scorching Earth and knowing that if you don't somehow get off the planet, your days are numbered. That's what Tora is facing, and yet she doesn't give up hope. And she has the guts to protect her father's legacy at all costs.
The official summary (you might see something familiar...)
A futuristic blend of Beth Revis's Across the Universe and Lenore Appelhans's Level 2, Burn Out will satisfy the growing desire for science fiction with a thrilling story of survival, intrigue, and adventure.And now, please welcome Kristi!
Most people want to save the world; seventeen-year-old Tora Reynolds just wants to get the hell off of it. One of the last survivors in Earth's final years, Tora yearns to escape the wasteland her planet has become after the sun turns "red giant," but discovers her fellow survivors are even deadlier than the hostile environment.
I think thanks to BURN OUT’s summary, the first question all of my blog readers are going to have is, in what way is BURN OUT like LEVEL 2 (aka THE MEMORY OF AFTER)? And who had the idea to use LEVEL 2 as a comp title?
I think both books are similar in that they imagine a world very different than the one we live in today, and though the settings of our books our quite different, both worlds are navigated by strong, female heroines. Our heroines both struggle with complicated feelings toward certain members of the opposite sex, while dealing with life and death issues at the same time. Neither world is easy and the main characters become stronger in some ways, yet more vulnerable in others. It was my editor’s idea to use LEVEL 2 as a comp title, so naturally, I read it that same night and loved it! I can’t wait for Chasing Before to come out this summer!
While I was reading BURN OUT, no joke, I was clutching a bottle of water the whole time. It just made me so thirsty! Were you the same way while writing? Did exploring the concept of the Earth heating up change anything about the way you live?
Ha, yes, I wrote the first draft of BURN OUT in the summer and remember how scorching hot it was on some of those days. Writing the book made me even more conscious about the value of our natural resources and though I’ve always tried to be eco-friendly, I’ve definitely stepped things up a notch. My seven-year-old just learned a song about “water-wasters” for Earth Day at school, so we’re trying to keep the faucet off while we brush our teeth, etc. Sometimes, I’ll get filtered water from the fridge tap and feel intense gratitude that I have clean water on demand. That’s sadly not the case for many parts of the world.
Your supporting characters are so complex and fleshed-out. Is there one of them you could see being the star of his/her own novel? Or maybe one of those eShorts that are so popular these days?
Thank you—they were so much fun to write. I just turned in the sequel to BURN OUT and Markus became my favorite character in the book, so I could see him him being the star of his own novel. He’d certainly think he deserved it and that it would be the best book ever!
Tora's father built a secret room to store all their weapons. If you had a secret room in your house, what would you store in there?
Books. I loved that whole secret book labyrinth in The Shadow of the Wind. Maybe some good bottles of wine too. That way, I can enjoy some great vintages with some great reads.
And just for fun, how do you think Tora would react if she landed in the world of FROZEN and met Elsa?
Thanks to my seven-year-old, I’ve seen the movie about fifty times already. I think Tora would be in absolute awe of the snow and ice, since it’s something she’s never experienced. She’d probably love Elsa and ask her to make snow cones for her on a daily basis, though Tora might ask her to stop singing after the fiftieth rendition of “Let it Go.” Or maybe that’s just me. ;)
Thanks again for having me! :)
________________________
Kristi Helvig is a Ph.D. clinical psychologist turned sci-fi/fantasy author. She muses about Star Trek, space monkeys, and other assorted topics on her blog and Twitter. Kristi resides in sunny Colorado with her hubby, two kiddos, and behaviorally-challenged dogs. Grab a copy of BURN OUT on Amazon, Indiebound, or Barnes & Noble.
Check out what the other Bookanistas are loving this week:
Posts
1 comment:
Thanks so much for having me on the blog today--I'm such a fan of yours! :)
Post a Comment