Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for ZENN DIAGRAM by Wendy Brant! I have an interview with Wendy to share with you today! And make sure to enter the giveaway below!
Haven't heard of ZENN DIAGRAM? Check it out!
Title: ZENN DIAGRAM
Author: Wendy Brant
Pub. Date: April 4, 2017
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Pages: 328
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Eva Walker is a seventeen-year-old math genius. And if that doesn’t do wonders for her popularity, there’s another thing that makes it even worse: when she touches another person or anything that belongs to them — from clothes to textbooks to cell phones — she sees a vision of their emotions. She can read a person’s fears and anxieties, their secrets and loves … and what they have yet to learn about calculus. This is helpful for her work as a math tutor, but it means she can never get close to people. Eva avoids touching anyone and everyone. People think it’s because she’s a clean freak — with the emphasis on freak — but it’s all she can do to protect herself from other people’s issues.
Then one day a new student walks into Eva’s life. His jacket gives off so much emotional trauma that she falls to the floor. Eva is instantly drawn to Zenn, a handsome and soulful artist who also has a troubled home life, and her feelings only grow when she realizes that she can touch Zenn’s skin without having visions. But when she discovers the history that links them, the truth threatens to tear the two apart.
Now on to the interview!
Hi Wendy! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books! ZENN
DIAGRAM was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait 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 ZENN DIAGRAM and the characters?
ZENN DIAGRAM is
the story of Eva Walker, a math nerd with the gift/curse of being able to sense
people’s struggles through touch. Knowing everyone’s burdens is a bit much to
take, so she has isolated herself from others, physically and emotionally.
Until she meets hard-working, artistic Zenn Bennett, who she presumes, based on
touching his jacket, has a lot going on. Despite her tendency to keep her
distance, Zenn is irresistible and they grow closer until a secret threatens to
tear them apart.
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?
At this point it’s
a standalone, though I suppose that could change if there were massive interest
in a sequel (hint hint)! Until then, I’m working on two different projects: the
dystopian story that I actually wrote before
ZENN DIAGRAM, and a new contemporary about a tech-savvy blogger and a tech-challenged
farm boy who get stranded together during an ice storm, and how the experience
changes both of them.
Were any of the
characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
Actually, not all
that much, though Charlotte is modelled physically after my daughter (tall,
thin, short hair, beautiful). My daughter even had a “Chillin’ with my Gnomies”
T-shirt when she was younger. But my daughter plays the bass, not the cello.
Who was your
favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
My favorite is
probably Eva, because when you write in first person, that is the character you
get to know and understand the most. My least favorite was probably Josh? I
didn’t want him to be a total stereotypical jock, and I struggled a bit with
how to develop his character to make him ultimately likable and believable.
What is your
favorite passage/scene in ZENN DIAGRAM?
Oh, gosh… hmmmmm… I guess my
favorite scene to write was the manicure scene. I enjoy flirty banter, and the
quiet intimacy of that scene always gives me butterflies.
What kind of
research did you have to do for the story?
I had to research ALL of the math stuff. I was
ok at math in school, but I never even took Calculus and I don’t remember
ANYthing.
Who is your
ultimate book boyfriend?
Probably Peeta from THE HUNGER GAMES. He was loyal,
sweet, self-deprecating and, while he was madly in love with Katniss, he wasn’t
not too stalker-y or intense. While a lot of women like that Christian
Grey/Edward Cullen style of romance, I find it a bit of a turn off.
What inspired you
to write YA?
When my daughter started wanting to read YA (in late
elementary school), I realized I should probably screen the books for her a bit
(you know – for sexy times and swear words). One of the books I
screened (and ultimately let her read because I loved it so much) was THE
HUNGER GAMES That book got me thinking about writing YA, because I loved that
you can tackle such complicated subjects and actually have an impact on the
kids who read it. Grown ups aren’t as malleable. Ironically, my editor (Kate
Egan) was the editor for THE HUNGER GAMES series! So that was amazing. I was
totally star struck.
Lightening Round
Questions
What are you
reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
I just finished
THE HATE U GIVE (like the rest of the world!), which was amazing. The next book
on my list is AFTERMATH by Clara Kenzie. Clara and I met at a YA author panel
and her book sounds intriguing.
What Hogwarts
House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
I’ve taken multiple quizzes and
I’ve been sorted into either Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. I feel like I could go
either way – I value intelligence and wit, but also dedication,
patience, and fair play. I know for sure I would not be Slytherin or Gryffindor.
I am not particularly brave or cunning.
Twitter or
Facebook?
I’m old school and still like Facebook, but Twitter (and Instagram for
that matter) are growing on me.
Favorite
Superhero?
Elastigirl! She
captures exactly what it means to be a mom – bending over
backwards, stretching, literally being the parachute for your kids at times. (I
don’t really know my superheroes very well. Shame on me.)
Favorite TV show?
Oh, gosh! I’ve had
many over the years. Right now it would have to be This Is Us. Breaks me wide open every week. But the show I was
perhaps the most obsessed with for several years was The Office. I was a serious Jim-and-Pam shipper. Also, I’ll watch a
How I Met Your Mother rerun any day.
Sweet or Salty?
Sweet all the way.
I may or may not (but definitely do) have a serious sugar addiction.
Any Phobias?
I never thought I
was afraid of heights but I can barely watch videos of people walking on top of
sky scrapers. And I have a small phobia of spiders. OH! And these weird camel
crickets (we call them jumpy bugs) that sometimes appear in our dungeon
basement.
Song you can’t get
enough of right now?
Just because I can’t help myself lately, I’ve been
listening to a lot of NPR and not nearly enough music. But one song that I will
listen to any time it’s on is “Mess is Mine” by Vance Joy. And I’m a pretty
dedicated Mumford & Sons fan.
2017 Movie you’re
most looking forward to?
I miss movies! I hardly ever see them anymore! It’s
not a fall movie, but I’m looking forward to seeing Before I Fall. The book haunted
me for days after I finished it. And I want to see Beauty and the Beast, of course!
Thanks so much Wendy for answering my questions! I can’t wait for
everyone to read ZENN DIAGRAM!
Thank you for hosting me!!! Such a fun interview!
❤ Wendy
About Wendy:
So my name alone should give you a clue that I graduated from
high school when bangs were big and clothes were baggy. I went to Northwestern
University and majored in journalism even though I had no desire to be a
journalist. I've been married to a great guy for a whole drinking-aged person's
life. I've got two amazing and yet very different (and very tall) teenage kids.
I like crappy food, pinning inspirational quotes on Pinterest, have a tendency
to start paragraphs with "anyway", and I wish I were funnier. I would
love to be one of those really, REALLY funny bloggers (like Insane in the Mom-Brain) that
makes you pee yourself a little bit. I am only moderately funny. I admit
that. It's one of my great sadnesses in life.
I started writing fiction when I was 10, but tried to be practical with the whole journalism thing. Didn't take. Shortly after college, the fiction-writing desire reared its non-practical head and I've been writing ever since.
Anyway, I'm probably just like you. We'd probably be friends if we met in real life. (Well, let's be honest. It's likely that only my friends are actually reading this blog, so we probably ARE friends in real life.) But whether we are friends in real life, or just virtual friends through cyberspace, I hope you will enjoy your time here.
I started writing fiction when I was 10, but tried to be practical with the whole journalism thing. Didn't take. Shortly after college, the fiction-writing desire reared its non-practical head and I've been writing ever since.
Anyway, I'm probably just like you. We'd probably be friends if we met in real life. (Well, let's be honest. It's likely that only my friends are actually reading this blog, so we probably ARE friends in real life.) But whether we are friends in real life, or just virtual friends through cyberspace, I hope you will enjoy your time here.
Check out my debut YA novel, ZENN DIAGRAM (KCP Loft 4/4/17),
available for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Target!
Giveaway Details:
Tour Schedule:
Week
One:
3/27/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview
3/28/2017- Here's to Happy
Endings- Review
3/29/2017- BookHounds YA- Guest
Post
3/30/2017- Just Commonly- Review
3/31/2017- Happily Ever
Chapter- Excerpt
Week
Two:
4/3/2017- Eli to the nth- Review
4/4/2017- Literary Dust- Interview
4/5/2017- Book Briefs- Review
4/6/2017- Pretty Deadly Reviews- Guest
Post
4/7/2017- Savings in Seconds- Review
As a person who had to take lots of math in high school and college, I'm loving the idea of this book. I can't wait to read it and find out what the secret is!
ReplyDeleteLooks like an interesting book! Thank you for the contest!
ReplyDeleteI love the premise and it's great to have a YA character who is good at math.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really awesome! Can't wait to read it!
ReplyDelete