LUCKY Friday The 13th Brings Amy Tintera & A Giveaway!!

You guys … I don’t know if I’ve properly conveyed my love for Reboot since it’s come out… I mean, I flailed around a lot when I heard about it… I flailed even more when I was reading it…. and I flailed even more when I got the chance to meet Amy. But since then I haven’t had a lot of opportunity but I had to include it in our end of the year celebration – Because this book is everything I love in a Dystopian YA. There is a ton of action, a kick-ass heroine, a lovely boy and some kissing. I mean… perfection. The thing that caught my attention first about this book was the tagline “The perfect soldier is done taking orders.” And once I read Reboot… I realized how perfect it was.

And while I’m here telling you how amazing this book was, you should also know that Amy is one of the sweetest, most lovely people I’ve met. We had the chance to chat a bit when she was in Milwaukee for a tour, but then we hung out a bit at BEA and imagine my surprise when she remembered me! Not to brag or anything but I totally gave her one of my pink bags. (LOL) Seriously, she’s lovely and if you have the chance to meet her in person you must – plus she has the prettiest dresses! Okay… enough of my fangirling – On to THE BOOK & Interview!

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

ABOUT AMY

Hi! I’m Amy Tintera, and I write novels for young adults. I grew up in Austin, Texas and graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in journalism. After receiving a masters in film at Emerson College I moved to Los Angeles, where I promptly discovered I didn’t enjoy working in the film industry, and went back to my first love, writing.

My debut, REBOOT, is out now from HarperCollins/HarperTeen, with the sequel to follow in 2014. Film rights have been optioned by Fox 2000.

TWITTER / FACEBOOK / GOODREADS / WEBSITE

Add Book Two REBEL to your To Read List – I AM DYING FOR THIS BOOK!!

Reboot was amazing and is one of our favorite reads this year. What was your inspiration for the story?

Thank you! Part of the inspiration for REBOOT just came from the character of Wren. I’d been wanting to write a character who didn’t really see herself as the “good guy,” and one day I heard Wren in my head, saying she’d been dead for 178 minutes.

I was also inspired by zombie movies and TV shows. I kept watching humans kill zombies or turn into zombies, but they never explored just how much of a person was left in there after they died. I decided to put a different spin on the zombie story, and explore what it would be like if the zombies actually still had a lot of their humanity left when they came back.

Rebel, book 2 comes out in 2014, what can we look forward to?

You can look forward to more action and romance! Wren and Callum’s relationship is a very big part of REBOOT, and it’s equally important in REBEL. And one of my favorite parts of REBEL is a friendship that develops between Wren and another girl. I love writing female friendship, so I went into REBEL wanting to make that a strong subplot.

Book 2 is told from both Wren & Callum’s pov, was one perspective easier to write than another?

Wren’s was easier, because I’d already spent a whole book in her head. But I think Callum’s perspective was often more fun to write, because he looks at the world differently than Wren. He’s funnier, so it was a relief to jump into his head sometimes.

What authors have influenced you?

My answer is always changing and growing! For me, it’s mostly YA authors who have published recently, because I feel like they really brought me back to reading and writing after a long break. Marie Lu, Gayle Forman, Katie McGarry, J.K. Rowling, and Marissa Meyer, just to name a few.

What is the last book that you recommended to someone?

THESE BROKEN STARS by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner! It’s a YA sci-fi about a boy and a girl who end up on a strange planet after their spaceliner crashes. It is so romantic and suspenseful and definitely one of my favorite books of the year!

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Keep writing! REBOOT was the 9^th book I ever wrote. I spent years just writing for fun as a teenager, and I don’t regret not trying to publish back then. I was still learning and writing for myself, which I think is important. And I think it’s important to remember that all of us struggle with writing, even after we’re published. REBEL is my 12^thbook, and it’s likely that #10 and #11 will never see the light of day (they were YA sci-fi novels not related to REBOOT). I just keep writing new books until something works!

If you could have written any book out in the world today, what would you pick and why?

I have to go with THE LUNAR CHRONICLES by Marissa Meyer. It’s such a spectacular idea, mixing sci-fi with classical fairy tales.

Speed Questions

Coffee or Tea – Coffee

Cake or Pie – Cake

Chocolate or Vanilla – Chocolate

Morning or Night – Morning

Twitter or Facebook – Twitter

Sweet or Salty – Both!

Fantasy or Romance – Both! (I’m cheating)

Comedy or Horror – Comedy

Real book or E-book – Real book