Blog tour: Interview with Amy McCulloch

Today is my stop on the Jinxed blog tour and I have an exclusive interview with Amy to share with you today, I hope you enjoy it. I was also given the chance to read it early and trust me, It’s amazing!

Hello Amy, thank you for taking the time for this interview. I know a couple of these questions were answered in the letter that went out with the proofs, I thought it would be nice to include them for those who didn’t get one. I hope that’s okay.

Where did the inspiration/idea for Jinxed come from, and why animals?

The inspiration for Jinxed came from moaning about all the time I spend on my smartphone! It feels like a necessary evil at the moment – I love to stay connected, but I also hate how reliant I’ve become on it. So I wondered what would happen if a smartphone were to become more interactive… and the baku was born.

What is your average working day like?

It does depend on how close to a deadline I am! But on an average working day, I aim to achieve 1,000 words. If I’ve done that, then I am very happy!

If you could have your own Baku, what would you choose?

I would have a tiger baku (if I could afford one!) Tigers have always had a special association with me – I collect tiger figurines since I am a Year of the Tiger in Chinese horoscope, but also a day of the tiger in the Burmese horoscope! It feels meant to be.

What was your writing process for Jinxed like, did it differ from The Potion Diaries process?

Jinxed was a bit different – I was a bit more diligent about plotting JINXED, so when it came to writing it, it was much faster. Having it set in a city I know very well (Toronto) as opposed to a fantasy world also made the writing flow much easier, as I didn’t have to worry as much about world building.

In a world where everyone has a Baku as a companion and smartphone, does anyone still have real animals as companions/pets?

Oh yes, absolutely! The bakus aren’t a substitute for real pets, but in the future I’ve imagined in JINXED, not as many people are able to take care of a pet – especially as there is a shift toward more apartment/high-rise living.

Hogwarts sorting invariably finds a way into interviews so I thought I’d change it a little this time. What Bakus do you think the Harry Potter characters would have?

Oh wow, what a great question! I think Harry would have a black dog baku – maybe to remind him of Sirius? (*tear*). Hermione might have an owl baku, since she already has one cranky cat companion in Crookshanks! And Ron would be stuck with a level one – maybe a dung beetle as a joke from his brothers? – because that’s what he could afford.

Now for some fan casting. If you could, who would you choose to play the lead roles in a movie adaptation of Jinxed?

Oooh, I love a bit of fan casting! In my head, I think Lacey would be played by Kelsey Chow (from Teen Wolf), Tobias would be a young Shad Moss (aka Bow Wow) and my perfect Zora would be Storm Reid (from A Wrinkle in Time).

 
What are you currently reading?

I’m reading the awesome and fun Slay by Kim Curran and White Rabbit, Red Wolf by Tom Pollock – which is twisty and amazing!

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

My advice is to read widely and to not give up! All those quotes about writing being 90% persistence are absolutely true – getting to the end of a book is a huge accomplishment and just by finishing you are well ahead of the majority of people!

 
Can you tell us anything about the next book?

No spoilers! But the next book delves even deeper into the secrets at the heart of Moncha Corp and Lacey will require all of her ingenuity and skill to overcome the obstacles ahead…

 

About the author:

Amy McCulloch is the author of The Potion Diaries series (under the name Amy Alward) which has sold in eight languages around the world and was a Zoella Book Club pick in 2016. Her current sci-fi series, JINXED, is out from Simon & Schuster UK in August 2018.

 

Before becoming a full-time writer and freelance editor, Amy was editorial director for Penguin Random House Children’s Books, where she worked with many YA and MG authors and published the #1 international bestseller GIRL ONLINE by Youtube sensation Zoe Sugg, and its follow-ups GIRL ONLINE: ON TOUR & GIRL ONLINE: GOING SOLO. Previously she was also commissioning editor for HarperVoyager, where she worked with some of the top SF&F authors in the world. In 2013, she was named one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars of publishing.

 

An adrenaline junkie with a love of adventure travel, she’s never in the same place for long. Other addictions include coffee, ramen and really great books.