Interview With Beth Revis

Ever since I read the first chapter of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE sometime last fall, I've been anxiously waiting to get my hands on this book. And on the author. But in a totally appropriate way, of course. So, when I said something on Twitter in January and Beth Revis replied to me, I was momentarily stunned.

Um, Beth followed me? And wanted to talk to me? (I, of course, did NOT begin the conversation by saying I wanted to get my hands on her. I was far less suave and sophisticated. I believe I went so far as to try to bribe her with my hubby's pimp coat. She accepted.) To prove her mettle, she went right for the Were-llama as her interviewer. Brave soul.

Of course, this is the woman who writes about murder in space. Perhaps the Were-llama has met his match? Here's a peek at ACROSS THE UNIVERSE:

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.


Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awake on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into a brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Beth is giving away a signed copy of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE to one lucky commenter. Yay! But I'm not giving any of you the pimp coat. You'll have to get your own. Before I reveal how you could win ATU, let me introduce today's guests.

Were-llama

Beth Revis

Beth asked for a koi fish cupcake since koi fish are an important symbol in the book. My hubby, apparently feeling his zombie chops haven't been challenged enough recently, suggested he make a zombie koi fish instead, but I nixed that idea only to come home from work to find an email from Beth saying "GO FOR IT." It was, however, too late. A non-zombified koi fish cupcake had already been created. But you may feel free to photoshop decay and putrescence onto it if you wish. Without further ado, I give you the cupcake and Beth's interview with the Were-llama!

Koi Fish Cupcake, Pre-Zombification

1. So, you’re a writer. I’m a super-scary shape-shifter who can command obedience with the awesome power of my glowing red eyes. What do we have in common?

We are both excellent spitters.

2. I do admire a woman who can expectorate with skill. I like to spit at my enemies from whichever end is closest to them. Do any of your characters have cool abilities like that?

Well, my characters live on a space ship, and one of them has the ability to throw his enemies out of the hatch and then watch them, you know, implode in the vacuum of space. So there’s that.

3. May I suggest, if he wants to be truly evil, he ought to spit at them as they implode? It could become his signature move. If I had a nickname, it would be The Awesome. You?

The Awesomer.

4. *is momentarily silenced by the sheer gall of that statement* Utter such blasphemy once more, and I shall be forced to raise my tail and deal with you as nature intended. I hang around this blog because I love stories. What’s your story about? Bonus points if it includes a llama.

Amy is cryogenically frozen in order to be with her family on an interstellar space mission. When she’s woken up fifty years too early, she has to figure out who’s pulling the plug on the frozens…before he unplugs her parents. Meanwhile, the crew of the ship has changed and evolved. INTO LLAMAS. Murderous llamas.

5. Excellent story. Though the phrase "murderous llamas" may be a tad redundant. You’re making me a cake worthy of my awesome Were-llama status and decorating it to represent your story. What does it look like?

You know that movie, THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE? Of course you do, it’s about llamas. So, I’d make you a cupcake that looks like Emperor Kuzco’s summer home, complete with water slide.

6. I graciously accept your offering as a sign of your undying fealty to ME. Any Were-llamas in your book?

SHHHH!!!! That’s who the killer is!!!!

7. Again with the redundancy. Anyone else who might be a Were-llama and you just haven’t figured it out yet?

If I told you that, then you’d know the end of the book.

8. You do realize I can command you to tell me the ending with the incredible power of my awesome red eyes, right? *LOOK, FRAIL HUMAN SPITTER, AND SPEAK* Llamas or camels and why? Think carefully.

Have you seen that show, AN IDIOT ABROAD? In it, the guy rides a camel in the desert…and the camel breaks down. They have get a pick-up truck to tow it away. Seriously. And that’s LAME. Obviously, no llama would ever break down and require a tow truck, so I’m going with llama ftw.

9. Lame is a common euphemism for camels, it's true. I give you a baby Were-llama as a companion. What do you name her?

The Awesomest.

10. Quite fitting. Except, of course, for the fact that THAT title is already taken. By moi. My favorite word is “awesome” because, yanno, look at me. What’s yours?

Aphasia

11. As a young Were-llama, I dreamt of taking over the eastern seaboard one face full of spit at a time. What did you dream of doing when you were young?

I wanted to be a writer, which is cool, because that’s what I am. I also wanted to have control over time, which is even cooler, because that’s what I do. Wait, did I say that part aloud? Ignore that. *hides timeturner*

12. You can keep your paltry control over time. I have control over YOU. Cake or cookies?

CUPCAKES ALL THE WAY. Unless it’s those peanut butter and chocolate Girl Scout Cookies.
13. Cupcakes are cruel in the same way mini candy bars are cruel. Do you share chocolate?

NEVER.

14. Unless I command you to do so. WHICH I HAVE. *takes your chocolate and eats it in one bite* The Zombie Goat invasion is upon us. How will you fight them off?

With an army of were-llamas.

Smart move. You will clearly be the winner. *wipes lips* Except in matters pertaining to chocolate.

Thank you, Beth, for such an entertaining interview! To learn more about Beth, visit her site. To purchase ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, go here.

Of course, the fun isn't over yet! Beth is giving away a signed copy of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE! Here's how to enter: (Giveaway is North America only)


1. Earn entries:

*Comment on this post = 1 entry

*Be a follower of this blog = 2 entries
*Tweet the link to this interview = 3 entries (Use @cjredwine or leave url to tweet in your comment so I can see it.)

*Post the contest on your blog or facebook= 3 entries (Include link in your comment.)

2. Tally it up:

Please tally up your entries and leave the total in your comment.

3. Check back:

The contest is open until 8 p.m. (central time) Sunday, March 20th. Please check back to see if you've won and to claim your prize!

Good luck to all, and happy reading!