Publication date: January 25th 2013
Genres: Science Fiction, Time-Travel, Young Adult
She’s sixteen. He’s seventeen. They don’t know each other…at least not yet.
She has a secret and her whole life revolves around keeping it. Every few months and with little warning, she simply disappears, pulled into the past for hours or even days. She’s terrified it will happen in front of someone, changing her life forever. So far, the only witnesses have been her parents, and that didn’t end well. She has no control over it and no idea why it happens to her.
She wants answers.
He has answers—at least he understands what’s going on. He has a secret, too. He’s part of an organization that goes back in time to rewrite reality. But he also has a problem. He broke the organization’s number-one rule by altering his own timeline. As punishment, he’s been blocked from time travel, which is most unfortunate. Because the changes he made to his timeline, accidentally resulted in disaster for his family. A disaster he’s now prevented from repairing. No one can travel beneath the organization’s radar except a Shadow. But they’re rare, so rare he’s never even met one.
Then he moves to her town.
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Author Interview
Can you tell us a little about Rewrite Redemption?
There’s a girl with a screwed-up life and a secret she doesn’t understand. At any moment, she could disappear into the past for hours or even days. She’s terrified someone will see this happen, and she’ll spend the rest of her life in a glass cage in a government facility. So she tries to be invisible. The last thing she thinks will happen in her messed-up life is that she’ll meet a guy. She considers that a luxury that’s not in the cards for her.
There’s a guy who has a secret, too, but he knows about going to the past to rewrite reality. He’s tormented by a mistake he made that resulted in disaster for his family and a sanction on his ability to travel through time. He desperately wants to repair that mistake and find redemption. He doesn’t expect to meet a girl who could maybe help him. And he doesn’t expect that that girl will ignite a passion in him that consumes his every thought.
But when he moves to her town…
What inspired you to write it?
I grew up in an extremely strict environment. Self-expression was not something encouraged in my house. Conformity and absolute adherence to a rigid ideology were the rules of the day. (The main reason I never wrote early in life. In this kind of environment, you learn to hide what you really think. Ergo, you don’t become a writer. Why leave damning evidence?) Since I lived in Central America, I wasn’t part of the mainstream American culture. I knew nothing about the real world and was totally unprepared to deal with it when I left home at eighteen. I’ve always wished I could go back in time and give my younger self the benefit of the wisdom that begins to come with age. I’ve always been fascinated with time travel for that very reason. It was only natural that my first novel would have that element.
If it was made into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?
I wish, ha. But why not dream? Seventeen-year-old Abigail Breslin would make a great A.J. She recently played Valentine in the movie, “Ender’s Game.” When I first saw Ian Somerhalder on “Vampire Diaries” I remarked to my husband, “he looks just like Constantine…that wiry build, that dark hair, those arched eyebrows, and those piercing blue eyes.” But I just Googled him and he’s way too freaking old. (Constantine is about ready to turn 18.) I think I’ll have to go with Austin Butler as he has Constantine’s smile. We’ll just have to darken his hair. Or maybe Carter Jenkins. Amanda Seyfried would make a great Lex. She’s got that great sassy smile. And Justin Chon would be a very sweet Ipod.
Why do you write YA?
I was a great pretender as a child. My God-fearing household valued conformity. Right and wrong were absolute. Freethinking was wrong, and not allowed. On the outside, I conformed. I had no choice. But inside my head, I created very different worlds and those worlds saved me. I believe this was the foundation for my over-active imagination and the basis of my creativity.
As for the YA angle, I’ve always loved stories that go beyond the bounds of reality. YA is far more accepting of make believe than the adult market. Besides, everything is so much more intense in the young adult world…the euphoria of a first love…the sorrow of a first heartbreak. It all entails so much more passion. I love that.
What made you want to become an author?
I’m a life-long student of human behavior. I’ve studied it incessantly since I was in my twenties—at university, around the country with mentors, and on my own. Much of my education has been in alternative studies in innovative techniques separate from mainstream institutions. (Mainstream is highly resistant to change.) One of the areas of interest to me is creativity itself. Who has it and how do we enhance it? Where does it come from? How do we foster it in children? Creativity is as necessary to me as breathing. My last decade was spent making art. Writing is just another form of creativity I’m exploring.
Name one of your all-time favourite YA books?
I really loved White Oleander by Janet Finch. It’s intense, poignant, and beautifully written.
Who, or what, inspires you?
I’ve never had to look outward for inspiration. Time has always been my problem—probably another reason I was drawn to time travel—lack of time to just wander. I’m the kind of person to whom creativity is as necessary as breathing. I’ve engaged in all kinds of creative endeavors and have found immense satisfaction from all of them. There’s just something about that act of creation in itself that brings joy like nothing else. Over the years, I’ve had ideas for books and characters that danced in my head, and I figured that someday I’d write books. I’m finally finding the time and space to bring that desire to fruition. That being said, there’s inspiration everywhere…in the beauty of a fall leaf on my pear tree, in a piece of art I find surfing the net, in the small act of kindness from a complete stranger. Inspiration is ubiquitous. You just have to be open to it.
Where is your favourite place to write?
I do all my writing at my desk in my study. I have a picture window across from my desk that looks out on a beautiful meadow bounded by red-rock cliffs. It’s quiet and peaceful.
What is your favourite movie that was based on a book?
To Kill a Mockingbird with the late, great, Gregory Peck. Yes, I know it’s ancient, but that story changed me. It laid the foundation of my political activism and desire to see us move towards a more egalitarian society. That’s what great stories do. As far as contemporary dystopian YA, The Hunger Games was pretty spectacular, and I absolutely loved Hugo.
If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?
World War 1 had a devastating impact on the world with over 37 million lives lost. After the war, many writers felt disillusioned and lost. The generation that came of age during this time became known as the Lost Generation, a name coined by writer, Gertrude Stein. They were skeptical of authority and rebelled, giving rise to the roaring twenties. (Their parents wanted prohibition.) A group of Lost Generation writers flocked to Paris and created a literary culture that captured the spirit of a generation. The group included Gertrude Stein, Henry Miller, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Realistic and rebellious, they bucked authority and wrote what they wanted, fighting censorship all the way. They were true progressives. They pushed the envelope and had an impact in the world. Stein had salons in her home that included these writers and artists like Pablo Picasso. I bet those were some kick-ass parties. I’d love to sit in on a few. They’d all be drinking me under the table, ha. Still…it would be fun and incredibly stimulating.
Tell us a random fact about yourself.
There was a time in my life when I was connected to the rock and roll music world. I was working as a governess to the children of a really rich guy. I lived in a house on his estate in a plush suburb of Chicago. My then boyfriend owned a company that did lighting for bands, including some big names. I had back-stage passes to all kinds of venues. I met a lot of interesting people and had some wild times. But I have to say, it’s a life that burns you out if you let it. Luckily, I realized that and moved on for that very reason. It sounds glamorous and some of it is. But a lot of it is, shall we say, not very healthy both mentally and physically. I have some fond memories. But I’m way happier living a more quiet life.
Who would play you in the movie about your life?
Well, I doubt she’d take the part, but my choice would be Jodi Foster. I’m a fan. They’d have to add a little gray in her hair and maybe a few more wrinkles, ha. But hey, it’s Hollywood. They can do anything. We’re both fairly petite and have similar coloring. Foster is an amazing actor and an even more impressive person. I’d be more than honored to have her bring my life to light.
Tell us something interesting about the area where you live.
I lived in Boulder for 23 years and will always consider it my hometown. It’s one of the coolest little cities in the country—high tech, progressive, healthy, and filled with cultural activities. But it grew over the years as cool towns tend to do, and my husband and I wanted a little more privacy and quiet. We didn’t want to leave the area, as we love it. So we found the perfect compromise, a place in the foothills about 35 minutes from the northern border of Boulder.
We bought the land about 15 years ago while it was still cheap and held on to it for a decade. We built a house on it a few years back. Because of the land formations (gullies, rock cliffs, hills, and meadows) we have a lot of privacy. The views out our living room windows show nothing but nature. We can see for miles out over the valley. We watch the raptors soar off the red rock cliffs and down into the meadow. Because we’re not in a town, the stars are brilliant against the dark night sky. It’s wonderful. We love living here.
AUTHOR BIO
Author Links:
-Website: http://www.jhwalkerbooks.com/
-Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6907642.J_H_Walker
-Twitter: https://twitter.com/@jhwalkerbooks
-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jhwalkerbooks
Hi Suzy: Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog. The interview was fun. You had great questions.
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