Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Paradox Lost Release Day!

Today I have a super special interview with Libby Drew for the release of her new book, Paradox Lost! I recently read this book and LOVED it so I hope you will check it out.

Time travel tour guide Reegan McNamara’s job—taking eager tourists whenever they want to go—is usually a breeze. A trip back to 2020 to watch a world-changing speech seems no different, until a woman runs away from his tour group before the jump home. Now her tycoon husband is demanding her safe return—or Reegan will lose more than just his job.

PI Saul Kildare’s business is running on borrowed time. Due to a messy break with the police, he can’t get a referral to save his life. When an enigmatic stranger bangs on his door one night and promises a windfall for a missing-person case, it seems too good to be true. But the two men have an immediate connection, and Saul can’t pass up the chance to spend more time with Reegan, even if he is clearly hiding something.

Saul knows he shouldn’t trust Reegan, and Reegan knows he can’t get involved with Saul. But as their attraction evolves into feelings neither can deny, will they have the strength to take a leap of faith – together?

My Thoughts on Paradox Lost

This book exceeded my expectations.  Lately, the main issue I have been having with M/M romance is that the books are too short and don't give me enough detail.  This book is not hugely long by any means but it is perfect.  I got to know the characters- and not just the main ones.  The characters were all well fleshed out.  The story had more to it than just two people coming together.  Saul's alcoholism was dealt with in a very honest and real manner.  It was not just a device for sympathy for his character as issues of that nature so often are.  Reegan and Saul do come together on a physical level but they also have a natural attraction that pulls them together on an emotional level.  They fit together and it is lovely to see it form over the course of the book.  The supporting characters Cammie and Sylvia were delightful.  I loved that Cammie was such a supportive figure for Saul and that she loved mysteries.  Such a fun gal!  This book is what M/M or F/F romantic fiction should be.  The fact that the characters are both male is not a focal point of the story.  The feelings developing between the characters and the plot are the stars.  Excellent read on so many levels!

Speedy Six Questions with Libby Drew!

M- How did you decide the rules of time travel for this book? I liked the change because so many times the idea of a paradox is so hampering to the plot of time travel.

LD- Exactly. And the paradox is so prevalent in time travel lore that people take it as science, when in fact, it’s speculation. It’s become a trope. I wanted to give readers something different. The Novikov Principle cited in the book exists, by the way. Yes, it too is only a theory, but a fascinating one. I simply extrapolated what that theory might mean for a society that has the ability to travel through time.

M- I loved seeing how Reegan reacted to being in the past. But it was even more interesting to know that he was in his time's history but our time's future. How did you choose a point in history for each portion of the story?

LD- I wanted part of the story to feel contemporary to readers, hence the choice of 2020, which I thought was just far enough in our future that a dark horse presidential candidate like Crank McAfee might exist. As for the choice of 2145, I wanted Reegan’s world to retain some of the trappings of our own. To be futuristic, but recognizable. So that despite the amazing technological advances and obvious changes to society, readers could still relate to it.


M- What are your favorite things about Reegan and Saul?

LD- That they’re flawed, and yet still strong and confident when it matters. The world hasn’t been kind to them, but they’ve balanced the resulting bitterness with a desire to survive. I love them because when it really counts, they choose the right path, not the easy one.


M- Cammie was a sweet little surprise throughout the book. What inspired you to create her character?

LD- I’m so glad you liked her! When I envisioned an assistant for Saul, I considered all manner of possibilities. Men. Women. Young. Old. Smart. Clueless. My mind kept circling back to Cammie. I think because she’s exactly who Saul needed to make it through his tragedies. Someone who saw into his heart and who wasn’t afraid to be stern with him. Plus the idea of her sitting in Saul’s Rover on a stakeout made me smile.


M- Time Travel can cause a lot of headaches when you are trying to keep the story and the time line straight as characters move through time. What made you choose to do a time travel story?

LD- I’m a time travel junkie. Always have been. The Grandfather Paradox, which I set aside for the sake of this book, used to keep me awake at night as a child because it had the potential to be so apocalyptic. I spent years writing little stories in my school notebooks about traveling to different times and places. I don’t think there’s a book or film on the subject I’ve missed. If I could choose a superpower to possess, time travel would win hands down.


M- Have you read anything recently that you absolutely loved?

LD- I’m both easy and hard to please. I can take pleasure in almost any book. But to really impress me, that takes some doing. The last book I read that took my breath away was 100 Years of Solitude, which I picked up again (after two decades) last year when my daughter brought it home from school. It went right to my core, which, if I recall, it didn’t do twenty years ago. Not even close. Which just goes to show you it’s important to give everyone and everything a second chance.

Awesome questions, Megan. Thanks so much for having me!

M- Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me, Libby! 

About Libby Drew

Libby glimpsed her true calling when her first story, an A.A. Milne/Shakespeare crossover, won the grand prize in her elementary school's fiction contest. Her parents explained that writers were quirky, poor, and often talked to themselves in supermarket checkout lines. They implored her to be practical, a request she took to heart for twenty years, earning two degrees, a white-collar job, and an ulcer, before realizing that practical was absolutely no fun.

Today she lives with her husband and four children in an old, impractical house and writes stories about redemption, the paranormal, and love at first sight, all of which do exist. She happens to know from experience.

After earning two bachelor degrees, one in Marketing and the other in International Business, Libby went on to head up a project management team at Cellular One in Washington, D.C., where she helped launch the very first cell phone service company in the country. Since then, she has held management positions in both the service and operations side of the telecommunications industry.

Libby’s State of Mind received rave reviews for being fast, clever, and relentless and was nominated for a Bookie Award for Best M/M Novel of 2011. 40 Souls to Keep, Libby’s third novel, has been described as intense and heart-poundingly good and was praised by Publishers Weekly for maintaining a high level of suspense.

An avid supporter of gay rights, Libby donates her time and writing talents to both the Trevor Project and organizations that work to support marriage equality. She also mentors at-risk LGBT youth and runs a workshop to encourage her community’s budding and aspiring authors.

You can click here to add Paradox Lost to your Goodreads.  Libby Drew can be found on her website, her LiveJournal, and on Twitter.  I give Paradox Lost 5 Fairies for a lovely book with action, mystery, romance and more!


Libby has been kind enough to offer a copy of Paradox Lost to one of you lucky readers!  Please leave a comment with a way to contact you and you are entered! Thanks so much for stopping by! 

2 comments:

Mary Preston said...

I like the sound of PARADOX LOST. I found your thoughts helpful thank you.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Anonymous said...

All you had to do was say "time travel," and I was already hooked into reading this one. When I see such an enthusiastic review of it, though, it makes me want to even more. Thanks so much for sharing with us!

Carolyn
caroaz [at] ymail [dot] com