Tamara Ireland Stone paints an evocative picture involving time travel and star-crossed love in Time Between Us, a debut novel that draws from a wealth of inspiration but more than stands on its own as a unique and enthralling story. The author answers our questions below.
YOUNG ADULT: What made you decide to start writing?
Tamara Ireland Stone: This story took me by surprise. I’d always written for myself, but a novel? That was way off in the distance.
But then I got this story idea. And I discovered I actually had the two things I needed to write it: Small pockets of time and an iPhone.
The story came to me in short, vivid scenes I could write quickly, and I’d reach for my phone—in parking lots. In the carpool line. In the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep.
Back then, I was running a marketing firm and my kids were very young, so I didn’t have a lot of free time. But I’d write whenever I was inspired (which was often) and paste those scenes into a larger manuscript at the end of the day. They worked like Legos, snapping together to create something much larger.
YA: Tell us a little bit about your latest work.
TIS: Time Between Us is a time travel romance. I think of it as a contemporary story with a bit of a supernatural twist.
Time Between Us takes place in 1995. It’s the story of sixteen-year-old Anna, whose perfectly normal life is turned upside-down when she meets Bennett, a seventeen-year-old time traveler from 2012. The two of them never should have met, but do. Fall in love, even though they shouldn’t. And try to stay together, even though they know that time will eventually knock Bennett right back where (or when) he belongs.
YA: What are some of the qualities in your latest work that set it/you apart from what’s currently our there on the young adult market?
TIS: I’ve always had a difficult time categorizing this book—I hope that means it’s pretty unique. The time travel elements give it a science fiction twist, but it’s really closer to a contemporary romance than a sci-fi novel.
Time Between Us is set in the real world—1995 Evanston, Illinois. It’s a character-driven story, not an action-packed, race-against-time kind of book. And unlike other time travel tales—which often focus on what would happen if you could change history—I focus more on the personal impacts of going back in time. I like to think about how the choices we make at key points in our lives affect the people we become.
YA: Can you describe the path to getting this work published? What were the challenges? What was easy about it?
TIS: I started dreaming about seeing this book in print when I was about halfway into it. But since I was writing it in my limited spare time, it took two years before it was ready for a literary agent’s consideration.
But after taking that first step, everything fell into place quickly. I was offered representation from the first agent I sent it to, and two months later, she sold it in an auction between four incredible publishers. Never in a million years did I expect that!
The biggest challenge has probably been the impact the publication process has had on my time with my family. Until recently, my career took place while my kids are at school, but writing and editing a novel is far more time consuming and deadline-driven. My husband and kids are incredibly supportive, but we’ve missed each other over the last year and a half.
YA: What were your specific influences for this book? Films, literature, other time travel stories?
TIS: I’ve been equally influenced by both time travel tales and star-crossed love stories:
Heroes: I was drawn to Hiro Nakamura’s ability to manipulate time, and I especially loved that he could travel with his best friend.
LOST: I’m a big LOST fan, but across all the story lines, I loved Penny & Desmond’s time travel tale most. Watch “The Constant”. Best. Episode. Ever.
Somewhere in Time: My mom and I used to watch this movie on rainy Sunday afternoons. It’s beautiful and cheesy in the best way.
Twilight: I loved the intensity of a romance between two people who really shouldn’t be together and know it from the start.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: I loved this thought-provoking love story with a killer supernatural roadblock. What if you could erase someone from your mind? Cool stuff.
| YA: If you could cast the Dream Film Adaptation of your work, who would you cast? TIS: I’m not sure who I’d cast in a dream film adaptation. The only character I’ve envisioned as a current actor is Anna as an adult, played by Evangeline Lilly (yes, back to my LOST addiction). She’s got those dark, beautiful, occasionally unruly curls and an athletic build. Plus, she’s already played the part of a strong woman who knows how to take care of herself. It’s a bit part, but an important one. YA: If you hadn’t become an author, what path would your career have perhaps taken? |
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