Fragments of Life: June Wrap Up: Interview wih Gina Linko + Giveaway: Signed Copy of Flutter

Hi guys! It's time for another Time Travel wrap-up. This time, Dianne and I will have two different giveaways for you. I invited Gina Linko to Fragments of Life for an interview. (Stick around for the international giveaway later!) You can also go to Dianne's blog to check out her interview with Deborah Noyes and her giveaway of Plague in the Mirror!

What is your general idea of time travel before writing Flutter?
I didn't know a lot. I did a lot of research on time travel, the idea of wormholes, the grandfather paradox, other theories concerning time travel. It really is fascinating, and there is so much there, in terms of opportunity for life-changing experiences, do-overs, things like that, so it is a writer's dream come true! We have a lot of way of introducing drama and mystery with time travel.

How did the idea for Flutter come to you?
The idea of Flutter came to me when thinking about seizures, and sort of, the "What if?" idea that they were more/different than the current accepted definition.

Will there be a sequel to Flutter?
There is no sequel to Flutter planned. I think that I have ended Emery's journey, although I love that the ending is ambiguous, in that you can sort of choose how you interpret what happens to Emery, where she goes, what she does, whether she comes back to this loop, whether there is finality in it or not. For me, my favorite part of the book is the ending. And I hope you like it too!

How do you balance the romance element and the time travel element? / How do you manage to sustain the romantic element in Flutter through time?
I really liked the idea of having this boy become part of Emery's home loop, as she calls it, and then also part of her time travels. To me, that was what it was all about, figuring out how these two different worlds fit together, and how Asher could possibly be involved, and, of course, why.

Do you read reviews of your book?
Why or why not? Oh, I try not to. For me, the book and the characters are finished, in a way, and I am usually on to a new book, writing a new story, so I try to stay active with that and not read reviews, because I am a people-pleaser at heart, and it would hurt too much! I'm too sensitive!

What are your thoughts about negative reviews?
People are entitled to their opinions, and I love the whole atmosphere of online book blogging/reviewing. It is a really supportive environment on the whole. I have found bloggers to be just so friendly and to really want to help authors out in spreading the word about their books. It's been such a fun experience to "meet" all these people online.

What is next for Gina Linko?
My next book Indigo, comes out in October. The summary is below. It's another sci-fi mystery/romance, much like Flutter! Also, you can check it out at my web site: ginalinko.com.

A gift?

A curse?

A moment that changes everything. . . .

Caught in an unexpected spring squall, Corrine's first instinct is to protect her little sister Sophie after a nasty fall. But when Corrine reaches out to comfort her sister, the exact opposite occurs. Her touch--charged with an otherworldly force and bursting with blinding indigo color--surges violently from Corrine to her sister. In an instant, Sophie is dead. From that moment on, Corrine convinces herself that everyone would be better off if she simply withdrew from life.

When her family abruptly moves to New Orleans, Corrine's withdrawal is made all the easier. No friends. No connections. No chance of hurting anyone. But strange things continue to happen around her in this haunting, mystical city. And she realizes that her power cannot be ignored, especially when Rennick, a talented local artist with a bad-boy past, suggests another possibility: Corrine might have the touch. An ability to heal those around her. But knowing what happened to her sister, can Corrine trust her gift?

What is your writing style - how do you write a novel?
I become absolutely obsessed. Once I have an idea, I take a long time brainstorming and thinking about it, for weeks. I do research and take notes, all day long, even when I'm supposed to be doing other things. And when I finally am ready to write, I do so in a fugue. I just write the first draft very quickly, pulling all-nighters, and just trying to get it all on paper. Then I go back and revise, slowly, over and over, making it "good" as I like to say.

About the Author:

Gina Linko has a graduate degree in creative writing from DePaul University and lives outside Chicago with her husband and three children. Gina teaches college English part-time, but her real passion is sitting down at a blank computer screen and asking herself the question, "What if...?"

Follow Gina: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Description:

Hardcover, 352 pages
October 23rd 2012, Random House Books for Young Readers

All Emery Land wants is to be like any other 17-year-old—to go to school, hang out with her friends, and just be normal. But for as long as she can remember, she’s suffered from seizures. And in recent years they’ve consumed her life. To Emery they’re much more than seizures, she calls them loops—moments when she travels through wormholes back and forth in time and to a mysterious town. The loops are taking their toll on her physically. So she practically lives in the hospital where her scientist father and an ever-growing team of doctors monitor her every move. They’re extremely interested in the data they collect when Emery seizes. It appears that she’s tapping into parts of the brain typically left untouched by normal human beings.

Escaping from the hospital, Emery travels to Esperanza, the town from her loops on the upper peninsula of Michigan, where she meets Asher Clarke. Ash’s life is governed by his single-minded pursuit of performing good Samaritan acts to atone for the death of a loved one. His journey is very much entwined with Emery’s loops.

Drawn together they must unravel their complicated connection before it’s too late.