See an exclusive first look at its cover.
If this sounds complicated, were with you.
Can you explain it in your words?
Credit: Charles Grantham
You dont need to reference the other story in order for it to have a complete meaning.
Basically, it tells a third story thats much larger.
Thats an interesting question.
Yes, and no.
On the one hand, they will have absorbed the same amount of information over time.
The chapters have been arranged so that theyre speaking to each other, in a way.
So youd lose the speaking-to-each-other chapters [if you read one full story, then the other].
How did you come up with this idea?
Well I dont really remember!
I kept saying, Why did I decide to do this?
I will never do this again.
And I still might do that, so nobody else steal my idea!
Itwas,but it almost killed me.
What part almost killed you?
First of all, moving the characters through time the same way.
The reader cant have to move back and forth in time when theyre alternating, so that was difficult.
But also, just pacing out the information so that all three ways of reading it are viable.
But when youre doing it in three ways, its even harder.
It was really difficult.
And not every single chapter speaks directly to the other, although they do pretty much.
Do Gemma and Lyra exist in the same time?
They meet at one point.
So will we see their meeting from both perspectives?
How long did it take you to write?
Two and a half, maybe?
Yeah, I mean, its a little over double what it usually takes me to write a book.
How did you keep things organized?
Im picturing you have a serial killer wall with notecards and pieces of string.
I really should have done that.
I didnt, and I think that was also partly why I took a lot of time.
Im writing the sequel now, and Im way more careful from the beginning.
There were things I didnt fully understand when I was writing it.
I mean, first of all, I outlined it tremendously.
If you move forward, you have to move forward for both characters.
I hadnt fully realized that.
Are you worried that people will be intimidated, or pre-confused by the book?
Pre-confused, thats great.
Can we make that a word?
I havent been [worried] until you asked me!
I mean, maybe.
Whats the sequel,Simulation,going to be about?
It still follows the same two girls and is told from their perspectives.
I dont want to give away any spoilers, but there are evenmoremix-ups that occur.
Did you have any input into the jacket?
I didnt, and they did such an amazing job.
Erin Fitzsimmons is a genius, and she has done so many of my covers.
We just love her.
