Today I’m excited to share an interview with Amy S. Foster, author of The Rift Uprising – the first book in the Rift Uprising trilogy. We talk about her writing process, the research that goes into creating such a science based world, and more:
Honestly, I’m a huge science nerd. The Science Friday Podcast from NPR is my favorite. Once I understood the Multiverse theory it just stayed with me. We all wonder where we would be if we had made different choices along the way. It just tripped me out to think there were infinite versions of myself living that life somewhere on another Earth. It’s such a compelling idea.
Do you consider yourself a pantser, plotter, or something in between? What was your process while writing The Rift Uprising?
I am a plotter big time! All the magic happens in the outline- all the aha! moments. After that, it’s kind of just bringing it to life, like coloring in a coloring book.
The Rift Uprising has a lot of sci-fi elements. Did you do any research to make them believable? What did you find most challenging in creating the world of The Rift Uprising?
I did yes. I consulted with a physicist and a military advisor. I used sound and sound wave particles as a “way in” to the science because sound is so much more visceral than light. I think ultimately, though, it was much harder to create a believable soldier than the multiverse construct. How would she think? Hold her rifle? Deploy her team? So I had help with that and I think I got it right, or at least I’ve been told I did!
Going off of that, what did you enjoy the most in writing about this world?
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My main character Ryn. She is so awesome. She’s a little like me (way cooler though) bookish, a little nerdy but brash. I love that she understands that what’s happened to her isn’t fair but she does her job anyways. She doesn’t complain. I wish I could be more like her in that way! She’s so efficient. She just gets stuff done.
If you could spend a day with a character from The Rift Uprising, who would it be and why?
Well like I said, Ryn is so cool. But, I might want to be Violet? She gets all the badassery of a Citadel but she’s a dancer on top of everything else! I so wish I could dance. I’m in awe when I watch people dancing beautifully.
The Rift Uprising is the first book in a trilogy. Can you give us a hint about what we can expect from the next book?
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Well, it takes place inside the Multiverse so expect to see many different versions of Earth. Also, Ryn has to spend some time with Levi. Which is…problematic to say the least.
What were your favorite books when you were a young adult? Did that influence your own writing at all?
All Judy Blume all the time. I loved Forever and Deanie. Blume’s voice is so completely authentic so I think in that way I tried to emulate her ability to really sound and act like young adults.
About the book:
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Normal seventeen-year-old girls go to high school, binge watch TV shows all weekend, and flirt with everyone on the face of the Earth. But Ryn Whitaker is trying to save it.
Ryn is a Citadel. A soldier. A liar. Ryn and her fellow Citadels were specially chosen and trained to guard a Rift—one of fourteen unpredictable tears in the fabric of the universe that serve as doorways to alternate Earths. Unbeknownst to her family, Ryn leaves for school each day and then reports for duty as an elite, cybernetically-altered soldier who can run faster, jump farther, and fight better than a Navy SEAL—which comes in handy when she’s not sure if axe-wielding Vikings or any number of other terrified and often dangerous beings come through the Rift. A fine-tuned weapon, Ryn is a picture-perfect Citadel. But that’s all about to change.
When a young man named Ezra is pulled through the Rift, Ryn finds herself immediately drawn to him, despite her training. What starts as a physical attraction quickly grows deeper, and Ezra’s curiosity throws Ryn off balance when he starts questioning the Rifts, the mysterious organization that oversees them, and the Citadels themselves—questions that lead Ryn to wonder if the lies she’s been telling her family are just the surface of a much bigger lie told to her. As Ryn and Ezra desperately try to get to that truth, they discover that each revelation blurs the line between the villains and the heroes even more.
About Amy S. Foster:
Amy S. Foster is a celebrated songwriter, best known as Michael Bublé’s writing partner. You might recognize her work in his four hit singles, including “Home” and “Haven’t Met You Yet.” She has also collaborated with Destiny’s Child, Diana Krall, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and a host of other artists. She is also the author of the novel When Autumn Leaves. When she’s not in a studio in Nashville, Amy lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. Amy is the daughter of singer B.J. Cook and the legendary music producer, David Foster. Fun fact about Amy: Her extended family tree includes Bella and Gigi Hadid, Sara and Erin Foster and Brody and Brandon Jenner, and Clay Aiken! The Rift Uprising, her YA debut, was released on October 4, 2016.
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