Thursday, February 07, 2013

Quantum Drop Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

Dropping by Xpresso Reads today is the Quantum Drop blog tour hosted by Hachette Children's UK. I have Saci Lloyd over for an interview and you can win this pretty! Not heard of Quantum Drop


Quantum Drop
Saci Lloyd
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Publication date: February 7th 2013
by Hodder Children's Books

Anthony Griffin is an ordinary kid caught up in a dangerous world. The boundaries between real and virtual are more and more blurred, and when Anthony’s girlfriend is taken out in a gang hit, he has to venture into the underground world of the Drop to flush out her killer and bring him to justice.

This is the story of a boy whose girl is worth more than money.



Interview with Saci Lloyd


Q. What can you tell us about your book in tweet-size? (140 characters or less)

A bunch of kids trapped in the Debtbelt take their power back by bringing down a corrupt mafia banker

Q. What were the challenges in writing a book with a male protagonist?

I kind of love writing male protagonists, but Anthony has been a particular joy because he’s so quirky and cool and messed up. I always do a ton of research before I start writing and I interviewed loads of young men to get the details right. I was particularly influenced by one boy who was very fond of his little sister. He was quite a tough kid – and it wasn’t so much what he said about her – it was more the way his face lit up when she came up in conversation.

Q. What did you enjoy writing the most in Quantum Drop, the action or dialogue?

The two are inextricably linked, really and for me it keeps it interesting when I change pace all the time. I don’t know how people write those novels with thirty-two page chase sequences – how much punching and kicking and leaping and squirming can you do? I get verb exhaustion pretty fast. So I like to write introspective and character driven sections that have the potential to explode at any point. Having said that, I really enjoyed writing the dialogue in Quantum Drop because Anthony and Stella have some very interesting things to say.

Q. What are some of your writing quirks/habits?

I used to write in cafés a lot but I can’t seem to do it anymore. I need complete silence. I often covered in animals when I write – my dog, Lola sneaks behind my back and my cat, Zuzu sort of wraps herself around my neck.

Q. Is there anything about you that would surprise your readers?

I am a black belt in procrastination.
I can pronounce the longest place name in the world.
My favourite animal is a potto, which is a strepsirrhine primate from the Lorisidae family. In some parts of Africa, it is also called a "softly-softly".

Q. What are you reading right now?

I’ve always got a bunch of books on the go. Right now in my book pile is something on urban foxes, a novel about leaving London, Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, New Scientist and The Summer Book by Tove Jansson.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Saci! Procrastination is also my best friend! :D


About the Author




Saci Lloyd was born in Manchester, but raised in Anglesey where she spent a lot of time lost in nature or down by the shore.

Saci returned to Manchester as an undergraduate, but soon quit University for a life of glamour. At various points in the glitz she has worked as a very bad cartoonist, toured the States in a straightedge band, run an interactive media team at an advertising agency, co-founded a film company and finally wound up as head of media at NewVIc. She’s now stepped down from that post, but continues her association with the college.

Her first novels, The Carbon Diaries series came out September 2010 to critical acclaim and have been optioned by Company Pictures. They have been translated into fifteen languages.

Her new book, Momentum was released on June 2nd and is already doing really well. Everything Starts Right Here, Right Now!

Saci has just finished her latest book, Quantum Drop, a thriller set against the backdrop of the financial crash, which will be released in February of next year.



Giveaway
Hachette Children's UK has generously offered up one finished copy of Quantum Drop for giveaway.

Open internationally
Giveaway ends February 18th, 2013
Use the Rafflecopter below to enter
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