Blog Tour- INTO THE DIM by Janet B. Taylor An Interview and Giveaway!

I am so excited to be hosting a spot on blog tour for INTO THE DIM by Janet B. Taylor! I freaking LOVED this book and I already know it will make my top 10 of 2016 list! It's an amazing sci-fi, time travel, historical story in the vein of the movie Timeline that starred Gerard Butler and Paul Walker (if you haven't seen it do so now!)!!! I have an interview with Janet to share with you today! And make sure to enter the awesome giveaway for a finished copy of the book! 

Haven't heard of INTO THE DIM? Check it out!

Title: INTO THE DIM

Author: Janet B. Taylor

Release Date: March 1, 2016

Pages: 432

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

When fragile, sixteen-year-old Hope Walton loses her mom to an earthquake overseas, her secluded world crumbles. Agreeing to spend the summer in Scotland, Hope discovers that her mother was more than a brilliant academic, but also a member of a secret society of time travelers. Trapped in the twelfth century in the age of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Hope has seventy-two hours to rescue her mother and get back to their own time. Along the way, her path collides with that of a mysterious boy who could be vital to her mission . . . or the key to Hope’s undoing.      

Addictive, romantic, and rich with historical detail, Into the Dim is an Outlander for teens. 

Now on to the interview!

Hi Janet! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books! I freaking LOVED INTO THE DIM and I know my readers will as well and am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!

Well thank YOU for having me, Jaime!! And thanks SOO much for hosting the ITD tour on the one and only, UBER-MEGA-Fabulous ROCK STAR BOOK TOURS!! *holds for roar of applause*!! I think it goes without saying that I simply ADORE you!!!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about INTO THE DIM and the characters?

Hmm, the short version is: Into The Dim is a story about a modern girl who time-travels to the twelfth century. Totally on purpose and stuff.

The long version adds in all the whys, hows and what-happens-when…but at its core, Into The Dim is a tale about love, sacrifice, and what you can overcome to save those you love. I just mixed in a little fantasy, a pinch of sci-fi, and a big old heaping helping of my greatest love, historical fiction! Oh!! And hot guys…and a little smooching. Gotta have the smooching! ;)

Into The Dim’s main character, Hope Walton, is no badass, butt-kicking heroine. The only way she might knock someone down is if she happened to trip over her own feet. But she’s whip-crack smart, and possesses an eidetic memory, which is her only claim to anything resembling a superpower.

At her aunt’s house in Scotland, Hope meets the rest of her mom’s family and begins to unravel the secrets of her mother’s murky past. After learning the truth, Hope joins up with siblings Phoebe and Collum MacPherson, a pair of ‘Young Indiana Jones-type’ siblings who escort Hope on her journey to the medieval world.

The other ‘significant’ in Hope’s world is Bran Cameron, a British guy she meets soon after her arrival in Scotland. But as the story progresses, we come to see that Bran’s intentions could be more than a little murky. 

So…. What about book 2? Do we have a title yet?

Weeel, we’re getting pretty close, but since it’s not quite 100%, I can’t reveal. Not just yet anyway!

Why did you pick the time period you did for the characters to time travel to? Also not really a question but who knew Eleanor of Aquitaine was such a badass?!

*Waves hand in air like teacher’s pet* I did! I did! ;)

I’ve been a huge Eleanor of Aquitaine fan for years, since my mom and I watched the movie, “The Lion In Winter,” when I was in Jr. High. She’s truly one of the most impressive historical figures ever. Without spoiling anything, there’s a line in the book where Eleanor wonders whether her legacy will even matter. If she—like so many queens before her—will be forgotten, like grains of sand washed away on a beach.

I think the answer is fairly obvious. It’s almost a thousand years later, and we’re still talking about this incredible, incomparable woman.

The medieval era because...come on…Knights and Castles, corrupt Bishops and royals with unlimited power? What’s not to love?

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

Oh, Hope, without a doubt. Because I got to know her so, so well and so many of her traits are similar to my own. Also, I LOVED writing Sister Hectare. It was weird, because I had not planned that character whatsoever. I was just writing this scene with Eleanor and BAM! She just showed up out of nowhere, this fully fleshed-out character. (It was almost spooky!) Dum dum daaaaa…..

My least favorite? Hmm…probably Collum, just because I had to dig deep to find that manly, surly gentleness of his. (Side note: I’m also crazy about Doug. And btw…you’ll be seeing a lot more of him in Book 2!)

What is your favorite passage/scene in INTO THE DIM?

Wow, hard question! I guess I’d have to say I really liked the jailbreak scene. I love how they all work together. And I love ‘watching’ the way Hope’s mind works as she comes up with solutions to these seemingly impossible situations. Also, the scene in the glade, because it was so emotionally exhausting.

What kind of research did you have to do for the story?

So, so, SO much reading. On every resource and book and article I could find on the High Middle Ages. Henry and Eleanor’s reign. London in the twelfth century. I spent WAY too much money on books, ya’ll! But the best part was travelling all over Great Britain and Europe, visiting the places where Eleanor had lived and died. That part was incredibly surreal and just fascinating!

What are you reading right now?

OMG, I just started the audiobook of “Morning Star,” third book in Pierce Brown’s “Red Rising” trilogy. (Holy. Freaking. COW!) I just finished Alexandra Bracken’s “Passenger” (Incredible!), and I’m also currently reading several of my fellow Sweet 16s debuts all at the same time!

Who is your ultimate Book Boyfriend?

Easy. So easy. Two words…. Jamie. Fraser.

via GIPHY

Me too Janet!!! Sorry had to add the Gif couldn't help myself lol

What inspired you to write YA?

You know, it’s like this. No one…NO ONE…feels as strongly or as deeply as a sixteen year old girl. Everything is emotion and drama and life or death. Also, teens are old enough to deal with adult issues, and yet at their core, they’re still malleable enough to change in the most fundamental ways.

The other reason I love to write about teens is….You can just beat the holy crap out of a teen in fiction, and they just bounce right back. It’s wonderful! Throw them down a flight of stairs, dump them in an icy river? Teens just shake it off. You can’t do that with a forty-something year old woman!

Lightening Round Questions

Twitter or Facebook?

Twitter! I like the gogogo pace!

If the sorting hat were to place you into a house at Hogwarts which house would you be put in?

It already did! I am a proud member of House Ravenclaw, thank you very much!!

Yay me too Janet!!

Favorite Superhero?

THOR….And do I have to explain why? *purr*

Yeah had to go with a shirtless one here too lol

Favorite TV show?

Outlander, Game of Thrones, New Girl, Agents of Shield, Downton Abbey,

Sweet or Salty?

Sweet

Any Phobias?

Umm….Once you read Into The Dim, I think you’ll be able to tell the answer to that question!

Song you can’t get enough of right now?

I’m going through a retro period right now. And TRUST ME…If you want to see true magic visited upon the stage, watch the YouTube video of a VERY young Stevie Nicks singing “Rhiannon” onstage for the first time. You won’t be able to look away!

Upcoming Movie you’re most looking forward to?

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Cause…I mean… Jane Austen. And ZOMBIES!!! It’s a perfect combination!!!

Thanks so much Janet for answering my questions! 

You betcha, Jamie! And again, I just want to thank you SO much for inviting me to take part on Rock Star Tours AND “Two Chicks” which is one of my VERY fave YA book sites!

Plus…You are simply marvelous and I love you to pieces!!! Xoxoxoxoxo!

About Janet:

The 2013 winner of the coveted #PitchWars, Janet B Taylor, has four years' experience writing web content for a major television network fan site (CBS) that garners over a hundred thousand hits a day. Janet travels extensively to those places where her novels are set, often roaming around at night to commune with the famous historical figures about which she loves to write. She is a member of several writing organizations, including the SCBWI and the Historical Novel Society, and lives in a tiny town in Arkansas with her family.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr | Pinterest

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of INTO THE DIM, US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/22/2016- Bookish Lifestyle- Interview

2/23/2016- A Perfection Called Books- Review

2/24/2016- Princessica of Books - Guest Post

2/25/2016- Ex Libris- Review

2/26/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

Week Two:

2/29/2016- Owl Always Be Reading- Review

3/1/2016- Such a Novel Idea- Guest Post

3/2/2016- A Backwards Story- Review

3/3/2016- Brittany's Book Rambles- Interview

3/4/2016- Book Munchies- Review