An Interview with Emlyn Chand

BOOK BLURB:

Alex Kosmitoras’s life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he’s blind. Just when he thinks he’ll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all.
Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to “see” the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future.

 THE INTERVIEW WITH EMLYN:

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

First and foremost, I hope that readers will enjoy themselves. My primary goal is to tell an interesting story that people will find entertaining and be glad they read. Secondly, I’d like to infuse contemporary Young Adult fiction with a bit more diversity and teach readers about the beauty of other cultures and other ways of life. I also hope that Farsighted is a book that leads to introspection—what would I do if put in Alex’s place? Did Alex ever have a choice or was this path his destiny? What would it be like to see the world the way he sees the world?

How much of the book is realistic?

One thing I hear from readers quite a bit is that the paranormal seems normal in Farsighted. They don’t question the existence of the powers, and it doesn’t seem out there like some other books of the genre do. That was important to me. I wanted my story to be run by the characters, not the fantastic elements. This is a story about Alex, not about a blind psychic.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Oh, gosh. The only thing I can think of that ties into my actual life is the multiculturalism. Grandon is based on my hometown; it’s small and kind of boring. I couldn’t wait to escape and move on to bigger and better things. My home town was mostly Caucasian, but somehow I ended up with a very diverse set of friends even though they made up less than 1% of the student body. Fast forward a few years, and I end up marrying a man from India. He’s from New Delhi, like Simmi. I’ve always been fascinated by other cultures; I even decided to pursue my Master’s in Sociology for this very reason. I credit two early life influences for this attraction:  1) My adoration of A.C. Slater in Saved by the Bell, 2) Disney’s Aladdin being the best movie ever.

What books have most influenced your life?

In truth, I’m influenced by everything I read (for better or worse). My primary influences are JK Rowling for awesome world-building and unrivaled dialogue-writing skill, Anne M Martin for first making me love books, John Irving for incredible characterization, Suzanne Collins for riveting action, and Vladimir Nabokov for seamless and beautiful prose.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I draw a great deal of strength from my friend, fellow author, and PR client, Terri Giuliano Long (who wrote In Leah’s Wake). She is a fountain of support, optimism, and truly fantastic ideas.


What book are you reading now?

I’m currently reading Matched by Ally Condie and am absolutely loving it.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

I work with a whole bunch of talented authors on a day-to-day basis through Novel Publicity (my business). Some great authors to try would be Terri Giuliano Long, Lauren Clark, and Christine Nolfi if you like women’s fiction, and Kimberly Kinrade, Karen Pokras Toz, Patti Larsen, and John Corwin if you like YA.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

You know what, I wouldn’t? I had a great time writing Farsighted, and I spent a lot of time editing it and getting it to a point that I liked. Maybe I would have started working on book 2 right away if I could go back, but I’m very proud of my novel. As writers, we need to believe in our own work if we want others to as well!

Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Well, as a child, my favorite book was Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson. It opened my eyes to the world that could exist if only I was willing to create it—I think it’s what encouraged me to be a writer in the first place.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Hi, readers! Thank you for being my readers. You guys are making my dreams come true! 

Thanks Emlyn for taking the time to visit us today!!! For more information on Emlyn or her book Farsighted follow the links below. 

Author Website: www.emlynchand.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emlynchand
Twitter: www.twitter.com/emlynchand
GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/emlynchand
Google+:  www.gplus.to/emlynchand
Novel Publicity: www.novelpublicity.com
SUPER AWESOME BOOK TRAILER:  http://youtu.be/tZjskE5zjzM 

  A $50 Amazon.com gift certificate will be awarded to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. The more you comment, the better their chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2011/10/virtual-book-tour-farsighted-by-emlyn.html