Creating Atmosphere: An Essential Component of A MILLION SUNS

The journey began in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and continues in A MILLION SUNS. If you thought being on a spaceship traveling for over 300 years from Earth to a new planet was claustrophobic before (and I did), Beth Revis really ups the ante in this second installment. There were times during the novel when I thought if I had been on the Godspeed, I might have clawed my fingernails against the steel walls in desperation.

That’s a real testament to Beth’s writing. She so excels at creating an atmosphere that makes staying on the Godspeed seem like someone’s last resort – if they had a choice. And she does it without a single terrifying killer alien attack!

We already know that Amy is not happy about being reanimated early. She fully expected to wake up on the new planet, and instead, she’s stuck in a strange society where she sticks out. I love this thought of Amy’s that comes early in Chapter 2 of A MILLION SUNS:

There are no more cars. No more endless highways.

Just this.

Two melting cryo chambers on a spaceship that grows smaller every day.


Oh Amy – it’s about to get so much worse.

As the new leader of the ship, Elder is faced with some difficult choices. Especially when he’s made painfully aware that the ship won’t sustain their current population as long as might be necessary. Via the drug Phydus, Eldest kept people compliant and working. Elder swore never to fall back on Phydus, but he also doesn’t have a workable strategy to control the chaos that erupts without it.

Because people are starting to realize that they can do whatever they want. No one is forcing them to work. No one is keeping them from attacking others if they feel like it. No one is preventing them from ripping the ship apart in senseless acts of violence.

Now, add to this the fact that Orion left Amy a trail of clues, warning her she’s running out of time – and tell me, how badly would you want to get off the Godspeed?

Explore the Godspeed, here.

Visit Beth's blog and website.

BUY YOUR COPY OF A MILLION SUNS!

Hardcover (Amazon, B&N, a signed copy at Beth's indie, Fireside Books)

Kindle

Nook

Visit the A MILLION SUNS page for more links, purchasing options, fan art and more!

Writing a sequel to a Bestseller -- Exclusive Beth Revis interview about A MILLION SUNS

I had the joyful opportunity to interview Beth Revis during her exciting launch week of A Million Suns. Her answers surprised me, gave insight into her writing process, and also gave me a chuckle.

Across the Universe has one of the most memorable and visceral beginnings in recent YA science fiction. How much did that weigh on you when writing A Million Suns? Were you trying to top it? Or were you not thinking about that at all?

Heh. I'm obsessive. I thought about that first chapter SO MUCH. And I wrote about six or seven completely different openers. Should it start with Amy or Elder? Should it I go for emotional or physical punches? Is it good enough?

I wrote far more Elder chapters than Amy chapters to open with. One of the first chapters was moved to the middle of the book--it's a flashback chapter, and I think it works better in the middle (when they actually talk about the flashback) but I also quite liked it as an opener. I also had another chapter where Elder remembers one of the first lessons he had with Eldest. There are remnants of that chapter throughout the book (look for the character Evie), but otherwise it was cut.

In the end, I opened with Elder--and I really love the chapter we settled on. It ends with a punch and a revelation, and it echoes the tone of the whole book.

I know that chapter one in Across the Universe was originally chapter four. Did you have any big changes in revisions like that for A Million Suns?

Ha! HAHAHAHA! HAAAAHAAAAHAAAA!!!!!! <--insert more maniacal laughter here-->

Dude. SO MUCH REVISION. I finished AMS in October. Sent to beta readers. Who hated it. Rewrote the entire manuscript in November. Sent to my editor. Who is too polite to tell me she hated it. Rewrote the entire manuscript in February. I estimate only 20% of the original manuscript made it to the final, and that I wrote approximately 300,000 words for a 90,000 word novel.

This was sold as a trilogy. How much of the entire story arc – if any -- did you have in your head when you finished Across the Universe?

Well. Here's the thing. I like to make things up as I go. Which is why I'm an author. Technically, I submitted a synopsis of Books 2 and 3 when I sold AtU. But...I didn't stick with them closely. In fact, the person who's the killer in Book 2 was supposed to be a key good guy or girl in Book 3. That's changed. I was a little worried that my editor would hate SHADES OF EARTH because it was SO different from the synopsis...

What discovery -- about your characters, or about yourself -- surprised you the most in the writing of A Million Suns?

That I will actually be happy to rewrite the same novel four #$%! times, because it matters that much to me that the words are right.

Your first book made the best-seller list. When did that happen and what was that experience like?

It happened the first three weeks the book came out (I made the list the first and third week of the debut; apparently that second week was killer, lol!).

The experience was INSANE. I found out while sitting at my kitchen table, paying bills. A friend got the list early and congratulated me...and I had no idea why. Then I got the email from my editor. Then I flipped out.

What would the published Beth say to the pre-pubbed Beth?

Told you so.

An "Oh My Heck!" and A MILLION SUNS

First off, it doesn't feel real that Beth now has two books out! Can you believe we've been here this long?

Well, we have. And today I'm going to be reviewing Beth's sophomore novel, A MILLION SUNS.

I hope she doesn't hate me after this, but *ducks* I loved A MILLION SUNS about a million times more than her first book (which was FANTASTIC and you should all read it if you haven't).

I think that's a high compliment. It's not like I didn't like her first so I was grudgingly giving AMS a "second chance." Not at all.

But I think it's a very hard thing to write a second book that's as good as the first. As someone who's had to do so, I *know* it's hard. We usually take years on our first books, getting feedback, editing, tweaking, etc. And we usually only get a few months to work on the second.

So yeah. I think that's a high compliment.

There were many things I loved about A MILLION SUNS. I even sent Beth an email with the subject of OH MY HECK!!! at one point and everything inside the email was also in capital letters.

If a book can spark that kind of reaction, you know you need to read it. But let's be a bit more specific.

About A MILLION SUNS: Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

Trust me, you'll feel the same anxiety, the same, "I will die if I don't get off this ship!" It's that intense.

I've already gushed about the writing of this book here on my own blog. The verbs are fabulous, and it's exactly the kind of fast-paced action that I like. There were a couple more things that I loved:

1. The romance. It's broken and messy. And this is exactly the kind of romantic relationship I like. It's complicated. People in real life are complicated. I want my books to match that, and A MILLION SUNS is a great authentic read.

2. The characters. I thought I loved Amy and Elder before. I was wrong. They have to go through some hard(er) things here, and it makes them come even more alive. There's one particular scene I'm thinking of that I can't say for fear of spoilage. But dude. I so did not want Amy/Elder to die!

And that's worth a lot.

Explore the ship, Godspeed, here.
Visit Beth's blog and website.
BUY YOUR COPY OF A MILLION SUNS!

• Hardcover (Amazon, B&N, a signed copy at Beth's indie, Fireside Books -- plus if you do this (click here for even more info, like their phone number and facebook page), then you get extra swag from Beth!)
• Kindle
• Nook

Visit the A MILLION SUNS page for more links, purchasing options, fan art and more!

A Million Suns Week!

Let it be known Across the Universe that tomorrow Beth Revis's sequel to her bestselling novel hits bookstores everywhere!

To get pumped up for A Million Suns, I decided to post a million ways to prepare to get back on the Godspeed.  Then I realized that might be a tad ... ambitious.  I thought 5 might be more reasonable, so here they are:

Five Ways to Get Ready for A Million Suns 

1. Read and/or review Across the Universe 
A spaceship fueled by lies, a girl awakened to a life she never wanted, a boy groomed to become a leader, and a murderer waiting to strike again. Across the Universe revealed the secret of the stars, but how Amy and Elder come to terms with their new roles onboard the Godspeed, and their feelings for one another, are issues that having me eagerly awaiting the release of A Million Suns on Tuesday.

2. Check out the trailers
You can watch the absolutely stunning official trailer from Penguin here, and while you are on youtube check out fan-made trailers for both books.

3. Go aboard the Godspeed to discover its secrets 
The official website for the books features a working diagram of the ship and snag one of the gorgeous backgrounds for your computer.

4. Listen to the song 
One of the Beatles' loveliest songs, Across the Universe inspired the trilogy's titles.

5. Leave a comment sharing your favorite Across the Universe scenes, your predictions for A Million Suns, or just a little book launch love for Beth. 

And don't forget to check out Beth's virtual launch party, which you can not only attend in your jam jams, but also includes cool prizes!