by Kristi Helvig
Publisher: Egmont USA
About the book:
A futuristic blend of Beth Revis's Across the Universe and Lenore Appelhans's Level 2, Burn Out will satisfy the growing desire for science fiction with a thrilling story of survival, intrigue, and adventure.
Most people want to save the world; seventeen-year-old Tora Reynolds just wants to get the hell off of it. One of the last survivors in Earth's final years, Tora yearns to escape the wasteland her planet has become after the sun turns "red giant," but discovers her fellow survivors are even deadlier than the hostile environment.
Holed up in an underground shelter, Tora is alone--her brilliant scientist father murdered, her mother and sister burned to death. She dreams of living on a planet with oceans, plants, and animals. Unfortunately, the oceans dried out ages ago, the only plants are giant cacti with deadly spines, and her pet, Trigger, is a gun--one of the bio-energetic weapons her father created for the government before his conscience kicked in.
When family friend, Markus, arrives with mercenaries to take the weapons by force, Tora's fury turns to fear when government ships descend in an attempt to kill them all. She forges an unlikely alliance with Markus and his rag-tag group of raiders, including a smart but quiet soldier named James. Tora must quickly figure out who she can trust, as she must choose between saving herself by giving up the guns or honoring her father's request to save humanity from the most lethal weapons in existence.
Please help me welcome Kristi.
Cherie: Can you tell us about your novel, BURN
OUT, in your own words?
Kristi: It’s
about a teenage girl who is one of the last survivors on Earth when our sun
burns out early, and she discovers that her fellow survivors are even deadlier
than the environment.
Cherie: The book sounds intriguing. What is your writing process like?
Kristi: I
tend to write fast drafts to get everything down and then go back and
revise...and revise. There was also astrophysics research involved in both BURN
OUT and the sequel, so after consulting with astrophysicists, I have to
incorporate that research into the book as well. :)
Cherie: Where did you get the idea for your
novel?
Kristi: I
got the idea for BURN OUT after watching a science documentary (I’m a
documentary nerd), and then having a vivid dream that became the basis of the
book.
Cherie: What was your favorite chapter to write?
Kristi: The
first chapter was definitely my favorite to write...it was also probably the
only chapter that I didn’t revise much after the first draft.
Cherie: Can you share with us something about
Tora that we don’t learn about them from reading the book?
Kristi: Hmmmm...well,
even though she only consumes energy gel for food in the book, Tora would
really love a good steak. I’ll just say that I know that because the sequel is
finished. :)
Cherie: What are you working on now?
Kristi: A
YA fantasy about an assassin ballerina.
Cherie: That sounds interesting! I can't wait to hear more about the book. Now that we know about your book and
you as a writer, I have some fun questions for you.
Favorite color?
Icy blue.
Secret crush? (It can be anyone real or
fictional.)
Jericho
Barrons from the Faefever series by Karen Marie Moning. It’s not so secret
though—I’m pretty open about that crush, lol.
Do you believe in love at first sight?
I do, but
I think it’s rare and often confused with the much more common
lust-at-first-sight.
If you had all the money and time in the
world, where would your dream vacation be?
I’ve
always wanted to spend a summer traveling around to my bucket list vacation
spots. A few of those include New Zealand, Fiji, Norway, Ireland, and Italy.
Are you a morning person or an evening
person?
Ha, this
one is easy. I have never and will never be a morning person. My hubby has a
cup of coffee waiting for me on the counter each morning because I’m not a
happy person without it. My friends will text me at 10am on the weekends and
ask “Are you up yet?” I’ve been a night owl since childhood and don’t see that
changing anytime soon.
Favorite movie or television show?
I’m not
big on television aside from science documentaries, but love The Big Bang
Theory and True Blood. The new Battlestar Gallactica is probably my fave
all-time show. Fave movie is definitely The Shawshank Redemption—I can’t even
tell you how many times I’ve seen that one.
Guilty pleasures that get you through the
writing/revising process?
Chocolate
and wine.
Favorite place to write?
On the
couch, next to my pups.
Are there any types of books you don’t read?
I read a
wide variety of genres, but would have to say that westerns and straight
romance are not my thing.
Thanks so
much for having me! :)
It’s been
my pleasure!
Grab a copy of BURN OUT on Amazon, Indiebound,
or Barnes & Noble.
About the author:
Kristi
Helvig is a Ph.D. clinical psychologist turned sci-fi/fantasy author. She muses
about Star Trek, space monkeys, and other assorted topics on her blog. Kristi
resides in sunny Colorado with her hubby, two kiddos, and
behaviorally-challenged dogs.
Keep in
touch with Kristi
My short story, Helios, in the Journeys of Wonder anthology is about this same topic. The sun burning out fascinates me. Congrats on the book. I am excited to read it.
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