I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for FLASHFALL by Jenny Moyer! I freaking adored this book! I have an interview with Jenny to share with you today! And make sure to enter the awesome giveaway for a finished copy of the book and other goodies!!
Haven't heard of FLASHFALL? Check it out!
Author: Jenny Moyer
Pub.
Date: November 15, 2016
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Pages: 352
Formats: Hardcover,
eBook
Orion is a Subpar, expected to mine the tunnels of Outpost Five, near the deadly flash curtain. For generations, her people have chased cirium—the only element that can shield humanity from the curtain’s radioactive particles. She and her caving partner, Dram work the most treacherous tunnel, fighting past flash bats and tunnel gulls, in hopes of mining enough cirium to earn their way into the protected city.
But when newcomers arrive at Outpost Five, Orion uncovers disturbing revelations that make her question everything she thought she knew about life on both sides of the cirium shield. As conditions at the outpost grow increasingly dangerous, it’s up to Orion to forge a way past the flashfall, beyond all boundaries, beyond the world as she knows it.
Now on to the interview!
Hi Jenny! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books! FLASHFALL was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! And am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!
For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about FLASHFALL and the characters?
FLASHFALL is about a teenage girl named Orion who is fighting to get herself and the people she loves out of a dangerous mining outpost, and into a city that is shielded from the deadly particles of the flashfall. She and her people are Subpars, able to endure exposure to the particles better than others, and so it falls to them to mine the dangerous tunnels near the flash curtain, in order to find the precious ore used to protect humanity. If they mine 400 grams of cirium ore, they can earn a place in the protected city. But just as Orion and her caving partner, Dram, are about to reach this goal, they discover the Subars have been betrayed, and that the only way to true freedom and safety is a path they’ll have to forge themselves.
Orion and Dram grew up together at Outpost Five as Subpars, miners who descend terrifying tunnels in search of an ore called cirium. They’ve been caving partners for years. Orion is the “Lead Ore Scout” of the outpost because she is the best at finding cirium, and Dram works as a “Marker”, marking their routes. They work tunnel nine, the deepest and most dangerous of the tunnels, and they’ve saved each other’s lives countless times. They’ve forged an incredibly close bond as caving partners, and the love that grows between them is powerful.
Is this a standalone or a series? And if it’s a series do you have a title for book 2 yet? And if it’s a standalone what are you working on next?
FLASHFALL is a duology. Currently, I’m hard at work on the sequel. The design team is putting together cover ideas, and my editor and I are still working out the title. We are working through revisions, and I’m swept up in the new adventures unfolding for Orion and Dram. Some very exciting things happen in Book Two!
Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
All of my characters are inspired by people I’ve encountered in real life—to one degree or another. Someone’s strength, or resiliancy. The commraderie between the Subpars is something I’ve witnessed among other groups of people. Applying real-life details to characters is what helps them seem more three dimmensional, so I try to do that as much as possible.
Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
I feel a lot of kinship with my main character, Orion. I wanted to write a story about a girl who got knocked down again and again, but kept getting back up. Orion’s character came to me when I was in the midst of a discouraging time, dealing with rejections from trying to publish my writing. The doors kept closing, and I found myself faced with a choice to make. Did I face my fears or quit? I started writing FLASHFALL as a response. Orion was who I aspired to be: brave, resilient, a dreamer who believed in a future beyond what she could see.
Some of the characters were harder to write, and they evolved as I revised the book. My editor asked me to rewrite one of my villains in Flashfall (the outpost director, Cranny.) She wanted him to have different motivations, and it’s one of her suggestions I’m most grateful for. An even harder character to revise was Commissary Jameson. He’s hiding a lot of secrets that unravel over the course of two books. It’s been a trick to “sew in” enough hints for readers that will make his backstory plausible when those reveals happen.
What is your favorite passage/scene in FLASHFALL
One of my favorite scenes in FLASHFALL is when Dram and Orion find sanctuary in the midst of their most dire circumstances. They sort of walk each other back from the ledge of despair and share this moment of beauty.
What kind of research did you have to do for the story?
I had a blast researching for FLASHFALL! There is a lot you can learn about caving and climbing online, but I decided to go and experience those things personally, so I could write about them from a more authentic place. I’m extremely claustrophobic, but I managed to squeeze through cavern tunnels and wade through cave water. I worked one-on-one with climbing experts, and learned to rappel and ascend. Scary and exhilarating moments—but I loved being able to layer real experiences over the make believe ones in the book.
Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?
Jamie Fraser (from Outlander) *me too swoons*
What inspired you to write YA?
The first novel I wrote was an adult historical fantasy, but even then my favorite characters in it were teenagers. My next two books were YA. I love reading and writing in this category because it’s such a pivotal time in peoples’ lives. YA is all about those moments that shape who a person becomes; the choices young people make that determine their future and the ways they want to impact their world. I also adore YA fans, as well as the YA writing community. So much passion and support.
Lightening Round Questions
What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
The Beauty of Darkness by Mary Pearson (Third book in the Remnant Chronicles Series)
What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
Gryffindor
Twitter or Facebook?
Both
Favorite Superhero?
Batman
Favorite TV show?
Stranger Things
Sweet or Salty?
Sweet
Any Phobias?
Claustrophobia
Song you can’t get enough of right now?
Brand New by Ben Rector
Winter/Spring Movie you’re most looking forward to?
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Thanks so much Jenny for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read FLASHFALL!
Check out the Pinterest Boards! Character Inspiration, Creature Inspiration.
For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about FLASHFALL and the characters?
FLASHFALL is about a teenage girl named Orion who is fighting to get herself and the people she loves out of a dangerous mining outpost, and into a city that is shielded from the deadly particles of the flashfall. She and her people are Subpars, able to endure exposure to the particles better than others, and so it falls to them to mine the dangerous tunnels near the flash curtain, in order to find the precious ore used to protect humanity. If they mine 400 grams of cirium ore, they can earn a place in the protected city. But just as Orion and her caving partner, Dram, are about to reach this goal, they discover the Subars have been betrayed, and that the only way to true freedom and safety is a path they’ll have to forge themselves.
Orion and Dram grew up together at Outpost Five as Subpars, miners who descend terrifying tunnels in search of an ore called cirium. They’ve been caving partners for years. Orion is the “Lead Ore Scout” of the outpost because she is the best at finding cirium, and Dram works as a “Marker”, marking their routes. They work tunnel nine, the deepest and most dangerous of the tunnels, and they’ve saved each other’s lives countless times. They’ve forged an incredibly close bond as caving partners, and the love that grows between them is powerful.
Is this a standalone or a series? And if it’s a series do you have a title for book 2 yet? And if it’s a standalone what are you working on next?
FLASHFALL is a duology. Currently, I’m hard at work on the sequel. The design team is putting together cover ideas, and my editor and I are still working out the title. We are working through revisions, and I’m swept up in the new adventures unfolding for Orion and Dram. Some very exciting things happen in Book Two!
Were any of the characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
All of my characters are inspired by people I’ve encountered in real life—to one degree or another. Someone’s strength, or resiliancy. The commraderie between the Subpars is something I’ve witnessed among other groups of people. Applying real-life details to characters is what helps them seem more three dimmensional, so I try to do that as much as possible.
Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
I feel a lot of kinship with my main character, Orion. I wanted to write a story about a girl who got knocked down again and again, but kept getting back up. Orion’s character came to me when I was in the midst of a discouraging time, dealing with rejections from trying to publish my writing. The doors kept closing, and I found myself faced with a choice to make. Did I face my fears or quit? I started writing FLASHFALL as a response. Orion was who I aspired to be: brave, resilient, a dreamer who believed in a future beyond what she could see.
Some of the characters were harder to write, and they evolved as I revised the book. My editor asked me to rewrite one of my villains in Flashfall (the outpost director, Cranny.) She wanted him to have different motivations, and it’s one of her suggestions I’m most grateful for. An even harder character to revise was Commissary Jameson. He’s hiding a lot of secrets that unravel over the course of two books. It’s been a trick to “sew in” enough hints for readers that will make his backstory plausible when those reveals happen.
What is your favorite passage/scene in FLASHFALL
One of my favorite scenes in FLASHFALL is when Dram and Orion find sanctuary in the midst of their most dire circumstances. They sort of walk each other back from the ledge of despair and share this moment of beauty.
What kind of research did you have to do for the story?
I had a blast researching for FLASHFALL! There is a lot you can learn about caving and climbing online, but I decided to go and experience those things personally, so I could write about them from a more authentic place. I’m extremely claustrophobic, but I managed to squeeze through cavern tunnels and wade through cave water. I worked one-on-one with climbing experts, and learned to rappel and ascend. Scary and exhilarating moments—but I loved being able to layer real experiences over the make believe ones in the book.
Who is your ultimate book boyfriend?
Jamie Fraser (from Outlander) *me too swoons*
What inspired you to write YA?
The first novel I wrote was an adult historical fantasy, but even then my favorite characters in it were teenagers. My next two books were YA. I love reading and writing in this category because it’s such a pivotal time in peoples’ lives. YA is all about those moments that shape who a person becomes; the choices young people make that determine their future and the ways they want to impact their world. I also adore YA fans, as well as the YA writing community. So much passion and support.
Lightening Round Questions
What are you reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
The Beauty of Darkness by Mary Pearson (Third book in the Remnant Chronicles Series)
What Hogwarts House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
Gryffindor
Twitter or Facebook?
Both
Favorite Superhero?
Batman
Favorite TV show?
Stranger Things
Sweet or Salty?
Sweet
Any Phobias?
Claustrophobia
Song you can’t get enough of right now?
Brand New by Ben Rector
Winter/Spring Movie you’re most looking forward to?
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Thanks so much Jenny for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read FLASHFALL!
Check out the Pinterest Boards! Character Inspiration, Creature Inspiration.
About Jenny:
Jenny is
the author of YA sci-fi/fantasy FLASHFALL, coming from Macmillan/Holt 11-15-16.
She lives with her filmmaker husband and their three boys in Des Moines.
Find out
more at http://www.jennymoyer.com and connect with Jenny on Twitter and Facebook.
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
PRIZE: Win a signed hardcover of FLASHFALL by
Jenny Moyer, a Flashfall t-shirt, exclusive patches from the book trailer, a
pair of “Follow your dreams” socks, a carabiner and glow wristbands (US Only).
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Go here for the Tour Schedule
This sounds great, definitely original, even for sci-fi. I love YA in general, but especially those with a good female main character. And a duology is always a plus for me (much easier to keep up with than longer series). Thank for the chance!
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