Today we’re excited to chat with Skip Brittenham,
author of Between Worlds!
Below you’ll find our interview,
more about Skip, and his book, plus a giveaway!
Author of BETWEEN WORLDS
G.P. Putnam’s Sons; August 30, 2016
YABC: Why did you write Between Worlds?
I’ve always had an interest in storytelling and have learned a lot through my work with clients reading and commenting on their movie scripts, but I’ve built my professional career on the business side of entertainment. Quite simply, my wife dared me to be creative, so I accepted her challenge. I’ve since created two graphic novels, Anomaly and Shifter, with my creative partner Brian Haberlin and am making my young adult fiction debut now with Between Worlds.
YABC: Mayberry, the main character of Between Worlds, is a brave and resourceful girl who’s not afraid to be her own person—whether it’s how she looks or who she befriends. Who inspired this character?
I have three daughters who are all strong, active feminists. One is a lawyer, one a singer and teacher, and my youngest is a very independent and strong-willed teenager. The name Mayberry came from my oldest daughters’ childhood. When they were both very little, I’d tell them bedtime stories about a girl named Mayberry who embarked on all sorts of daring adventures. I’d end each story at a cliffhanger, and they’d clamor for more, but I’d make them wait until the next night to find out what happened next. In Between Worlds, Mayberry has purple streaks in her hair, wears maroon lipstick and jet black fingernails, and has a temporary tattoo under her eye. When my two older daughters read the novel, they were shocked, because they each had made their own decisions long ago about what Mayberry looked like, and my description of her didn’t match what they had envisioned.
YABC: Is Between Worlds science fiction or fantasy? And is it written specifically for young adults?
My intent with this book was to try to create something new. Mayberry and Marshall travel magically through time and space to another planet, so Between Worlds is a genre mash-up. And while my two main characters are teenagers (and I have my teenage daughter to thank for helping get their dialogue right), I believe, or at least hope, that the adventure, suspense, and high stakes will have a universal appeal to readers of all ages.
YABC: What can you tell us about the science in the novel?
I majored in electrical engineering in college, invest in tech startups, and have always been interested in advances in science and new technologies. All of the scientific detail, from the epifluorescence microscope to string theory, is factual. I did research on the quaking aspen tree in order to write about the aspen grove in the book. And it’s true that the most massive and maybe the oldest single organism on Earth is a quaking aspen colony that lives on the shores of Fish Lake in Central Utah. It covers more than a hundred and twenty-six acres and weighs more than thirteen million pounds.
YABC: How does augmented reality (AR) you feature in the book enhance the storytelling experience?
We first used AR with Anomaly. For Anomaly, we created more than fifty interactive 3-D models that literally jump off the pages. AR is very user friendly—you just point your iOS or Android device at a page, and you’ll see an image come to life it will even react if you poke it with your finger. So with Between Worlds, I wanted to create the opportunity for people to actually see strange characters like the Slevvics, Monga, and Co-Co in another weird world as they read the story. All they have to do is download the free app at betweenworldsapp.com to get started on an experience that I think will enhance the reading of the book. Generation Z wants interactivity, so here it is!
YABC: Why did you set the “real world” of the book in Eden Grove, Minnesota?
I picked a made-up, Middle America town where (theoretically at least) the teenagers that live there have customs and dress that contrast markedly with Mayberry’s.
YABC: Between Worlds is the first in what you’re planning as a series. What can readers look forward to in future books?
The tree acts as a portal to the parallel world that Mayberry and Marshall visit, and it can connects countless other worlds to ours. Readers can expect the two friends will have more adventures in other equally amazing universes.
Meet Between Worlds!!
Immersive augmented reality brings this action-packed fantasy to life.
The town of Eden Grove has a legend: In the center of a pine forest there is an aspen grove, and in the center of the aspen grove is an ancient, magnificent tree. A tree that grants wishes.
Mayberry and Marshall have heard the stories about the Wishing Tree, but they know nothing like that could really exist near their dreary town. Misunderstood and restless, the teenagers wish for a lot of things, including being on another planet altogether. Somewhere with magic and adventure—someplace where they can be heroes.
And then the unlikeliest thing happens: On a hike through the forest, they find the Wishing Tree. The pair make their wish, fall asleep . . . and wake up on Nith, a world that is exactly what they asked for. The alien landscape is beautiful, but it’s also full of dangerous and fantastic creatures, and almost without exception, the creatures are hungry. Soon Mayberry and Marshall learn two very important facts about their wish: First, that magic comes at a very steep cost; second, that they can only be heroes if they can survive. The journey that follows will test the limits of their courage and strength . . . and change them in ways they haven’t begun to imagine.
This epic work brings fantasy to life, first by inviting readers into another world, then by using cutting-edge augmented reality technology to bring the world alive in interactive 3D.
Amazon * B & N * Indiebound
Meet Skip Brittenham!!
Skip Brittenhamis an entertainment lawyer who lives in Southern California with his wife and daughter, and has two older daughters as well. He’s an avid fly-fisherman and outdoorsman who has traveled to some of the remotest parts of the globe. He has written two graphic novels, Anomaly and Shifter. Between Worlds is Skip’s first young adult novel.
Between Worlds
By: Skip Brittenham
Release Date: August 30, 2016
*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*
One winner will receive a signed copy of Between Worlds (US only).
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
So basically be careful what you wish for. 🙂 Also I love the tree on the front of the book, that’s what caught my attention.l
This is different! A book and an app working together for the ultimate reader’s experience. Would love to read and try the app!
This sounds like something my students would really love. They enjoy interactive experiences through videos and sites that correlate with their books. The cover is pretty, and I really like the story line.
I like the cover and description of the book. It sounds like a fun time travel adventure.