When the World was Flat (and we were in love) Blog Tour: interview and giveaway
We bring a special blog tour to Reader Girls today. When the World Was Flat (and we were in love) is the YA debut novel by published author Ingrid Jonach. I am reading this contemporary romance now and it's unlike any other I've read. We were able to interview the author and she is also hosting a big giveaway. See the details below. Thanks for spending time with us.
When the World was Flat (and we were in love) by Ingrid Jonach
YA Sci-fi romance
Paperback/eBook, 312 pages
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Release Date: 3 September 2013 in the US and Canada, and 5 September 2013 in the UK, as well as worldwide as ebook and audio.
Looking back, I wonder if I had an inkling that my life was about to go from ordinary to extraordinary.
When sixteen-year-old Lillie Hart meets the gorgeous and mysterious Tom Windsor-Smith for the first time, it’s like fireworks — for her, anyway. Tom looks as if he would be more interested in watching paint dry; as if he is bored by her and by her small Nebraskan town in general.
But as Lillie begins to break down the walls of his seemingly impenetrable exterior, she starts to suspect that he holds the answers to her reoccurring nightmares and to the impossible memories which keep bubbling to the surface of her mind — memories of the two of them, together and in love.
When she at last learns the truth about their connection, Lillie discovers that Tom has been hiding an earth-shattering secret; a secret that is bigger — and much more terrifying and beautiful — than the both of them. She also discovers that once you finally understand that the world is round, there is no way to make it flat again.
An epic and deeply original sci-fi romance, taking inspiration from Albert Einstein’s theories and the world-bending wonder of true love itself.
My young adult novel was definitely the hardest. For one, it is longer (about 80,000 words compared with 20,000 words for the chapter books and a couple of hundred words for the picture book). When the World was Flat (and we were in love) is also much more complex than my children’s books, which are quite light and humorous.
I decided to write a young adult novel because I wanted to write a romance. I thought I had a story after the first draft, but it was not until my second draft, which was when I wove the science fiction into the novel, that I was absolutely convinced.
I would describe it as unexpected. There are elements in When the World was Flat (and we were in love) that will be familiar to readers of romance novels, but it goes in a different direction due to the science fiction, which brings in the theories of Albert Einstein and String Theory.
I hope that readers walk away with a sense of wonder about love and about the world in general.
I hope that readers walk away with a sense of wonder about love and about the world in general.
3) When the World Was Flat (and we were in love). Did you create the title or the publisher? Is there a story behind it?
I came up with the title about a year into writing it. It came from a quote from Christopher Columbus: Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World. I thought this really summed up the transition from the known to the unknown in When the World was Flat (and we were in love).
I was relieved when first my agent and then my publisher said they loved the title, as I thought they might make me change it due to its length.
4) Are you a pantser or plotter?
I am naturally a pantser, but I have become a plotter due to necessity.
Writing is not only a passion, but also a job. To me, plotting is like project planning and reduces the risk of spending months working on a dead-end manuscript.
I am not an extensive plotter though (my pantser nature will not allow it!). I just make sure I at least have the key scenes plotted, i.e. the climax and the ending.
5) How long did it take to finish the first draft?
I think the first draft was only about seven months. At that stage, it was a contemporary romance novel and when I decided to add the science fiction it added about another eight months to the timeline.
It has now been over four years from concept to publication.
6) Can you share your path to publication?
I started writing When the World was Flat (and we were in love) in April 2009. After a couple of drafts and feedback from friends I started submitting to agents in late July 2010. In September 2010, I got an offer from my now agent Meredith Kaffel from DeFiore and Co (previously from Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency).
I came up with the title about a year into writing it. It came from a quote from Christopher Columbus: Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World. I thought this really summed up the transition from the known to the unknown in When the World was Flat (and we were in love).
I was relieved when first my agent and then my publisher said they loved the title, as I thought they might make me change it due to its length.
4) Are you a pantser or plotter?
I am naturally a pantser, but I have become a plotter due to necessity.
Writing is not only a passion, but also a job. To me, plotting is like project planning and reduces the risk of spending months working on a dead-end manuscript.
I am not an extensive plotter though (my pantser nature will not allow it!). I just make sure I at least have the key scenes plotted, i.e. the climax and the ending.
5) How long did it take to finish the first draft?
I think the first draft was only about seven months. At that stage, it was a contemporary romance novel and when I decided to add the science fiction it added about another eight months to the timeline.
It has now been over four years from concept to publication.
6) Can you share your path to publication?
I started writing When the World was Flat (and we were in love) in April 2009. After a couple of drafts and feedback from friends I started submitting to agents in late July 2010. In September 2010, I got an offer from my now agent Meredith Kaffel from DeFiore and Co (previously from Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency).
My agent started submitting to publishers in February 2011, but it was still a long road to my book deal with Strange Chemistry, which was in July 2012. During that time, I made a number of further revisions based on feedback from my agent and publishers.
I think one of the reasons it took a while to find a home for When the World was Flat (and we were in love) was because of its combination of the contemporary romance and science fiction genres. Thankfully, Strange Chemistry is an imprint of Angry Robot Books, who are famous for publishing SF, F and WTF? This means their readers have come to expect books that are outside of the box like When the World was Flat (and we were in love).
7) If there was one thing you could share with your readers about Lillie and Tom's story, what would it be?
Hmmm… How can I put this without including spoilers? I would say that the science fiction in the novel is the reason for the romance between Lillie and Tom.
I think that was definitely vague enough to avoid spoilers!
I think one of the reasons it took a while to find a home for When the World was Flat (and we were in love) was because of its combination of the contemporary romance and science fiction genres. Thankfully, Strange Chemistry is an imprint of Angry Robot Books, who are famous for publishing SF, F and WTF? This means their readers have come to expect books that are outside of the box like When the World was Flat (and we were in love).
7) If there was one thing you could share with your readers about Lillie and Tom's story, what would it be?
Hmmm… How can I put this without including spoilers? I would say that the science fiction in the novel is the reason for the romance between Lillie and Tom.
I think that was definitely vague enough to avoid spoilers!
Author Bio
Ingrid Jonach writes books for children and young adults, including the chapter books The Frank Frankie and Frankie goes to France published by Pan Macmillan, and When the World was Flat (and we were in love) published by Strange Chemistry.
Since graduating from university with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing (Hons) in 2005, Ingrid has worked as a journalist and in public relations, as well as for the Australian Government.
Ingrid loves to promote reading and writing, and has been a guest speaker at a number of schools and literary festivals across Australia, where she lives with her husband Craig and their pug dog Mooshi.
Despite her best efforts, neither Craig nor Mooshi read fiction.
Find out more at www.ingridjonach.com
Giveaway
Enter below for your chance to win one of two awesome prize packages as part of the Around the World in 80 Days Blog Tour for When the World was Flat (and we were in love) by Ingrid Jonach.
There will be two winners worldwide. Each prize package includes:
- a signed copy of When the World was Flat (and we were in love)
- a pair of silver plated key-shaped earrings in a When the World was Flat (and we were in love) gift box
- a When the World was Flat (and we were in love) bookmark.
The competition will run until 21 October 2013 and the winners will be announced on this page and via www.ingridjonach.com
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I'm looking forward to reading an awesome love and life story xD
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway and the chance to win S2