Big 4 with Bec: Amy Tintera

Amy Tintera interviewed by Bec Stafford

1. Amy, you’re a Texan and Reboot is set in a future Texas. How much fun did you have re-imagining your state in a future/sci-fi context, and what are some of your own favourite tales and books set in Texas?

 It was lots of fun imagining a future Texas! Texans have such pride in their state, so it was fun to create world where they were the only ones left standing. It didn’t seem too far-fetched to me!

 As for my favorite tales set in Texas, I loved the TV show Friday Night Lights. And there’s this movie called Happy, Texas that is absolutely hilarious. But I can’t think of any recent books I’ve read that were set in Texas!

 2. With your background in writing (including a formal qualification in journalism) and working for the film industry, how does it feel to hand your story over to a screenwriter for the big screen? Will you have any input?

 I had no problem handing my story over to a screenwriter, because I really don’t get screenplays! For a while I thought I might want to write them, but screenplays are an entirely different type of writing and I had no talent for it. It’s an entirely visual type of storytelling, and not being able to be inside the character’s head is hard for me.

I’ve talked to the film people who optioned REBOOT a few times about the story and the characters, so I have faith that they want to make the best movie possible. Honestly, I think my input was writing the book, so I’ve already had a huge say! J

 3. How did you first come up with the storyline for Reboot? What messages do you hope fans will get from Wrens’ toughness and Callum’s humanity? Could you tell us about the way their contrasting characters developed?

 I first came up with the idea for REBOOT when I heard Wren’s voice in my head, saying she was dead for 178 minutes. I built the story around her and this idea that everyone thought Reboots were emotionless robots, and she’d bought into that idea.

 I hope the message fans take from Wren and Callum’s dynamic is that it’s important to be who you are, and to be proud of it. Wren is often misunderstood – she even misunderstands herself at the beginning of the book – and I wanted readers to see that transition from her seeing herself through the eyes of others, to her seeing herself for who she truly is. And Callum has always been my “stand up for what you believe in” character. He has a clear view of right and wrong, and he has that challenged a lot in the book.

 The character development was one of the easiest parts of writing REBOOT. I knew right away that Wren was tough and stoic and Callum was open and funny. A lot of their dialogue in the book is almost exactly as I wrote it in the first draft, because I understood them well so early on.

 4. Which of your fictional characters Burns Brightest in your mind and why?

 Wren! She’s the first character I’ve ever written who does a lot of things I would never do. Some of her thoughts and actions are horrifying, and it was exciting to write a character like that. We don’t have a lot of female anti-heroes, and Wren was the first one I ever wrote, so I feel proud of her.

 Reboot is published by Allen & Unwin and is now available at all good bookshops and online.  

ISBN 9781743315507, June 2013, Allen & Unwin