Martina Boone, author of LOVE FOR TWO LIFETIMES, on an insistent itch to write

by Jocelyn Rish

Here at AYAP, we’re always excited when our founder Martina Boone releases a new book. So we’re thrilled to have her with us today to share more about her latest novel, LOVE FOR TWO LIFETIMES.

Martina, what was your inspiration for writing LOVE FOR TWO LIFETIMES?

I’ve called this book my “gift book” from the moment I started working on it. I was in the middle of revisions on something else, but the inspiration for this came to me in the form of Izzy’s voice and an insistent itch to write. I started writing after ten o’clock in the evening, just wanting to get that snippet of voice down. The next thing I knew, it was three in the morning and I’d written over ten thousand words. I’ve never done that before or since. And most of those words are still exactly the same as when I first set them down. At its heart, this book is a story about love and friendships, and it’s an ode to my love of the tragedy of Princess Diana and an ode to two of my favorite places in the world—India and England. It’s meant to be a love story as epic as the story of the Taj Mahal, but it’s basically a reverse of the Charles and Diana story. I simply imagined it as if Princess Diana was the unforgettable other woman and wrote a story exploring how their children would feel about all that if they accidentally found out as they were falling in love with each other themselves.

What scene was really hard for you to write and why, and is that the one of which you are most proud? Or is there another scene you particularly love?

A lot of these scenes are hard. Without any spoilers, there’s grief, love, longing, tension, fear, laughter, and hope. And just about everything in between. I honestly can’t think of a single early reader who hasn’t mentioned tears while reading. But good tears, mostly.

What book or books would most resonate with readers who love your book–or visa versa?

This is kind of Everything, Everything meets a Nicholas Sparks film about a young royal romance meets a John Greene book.

What do you hope readers will take away from LOVE FOR TWO LIFETIMES?

Love is hard and sometimes it requires sacrifice. But when you have the chance to love someone with all your heart—a significant other, a best friend, a parent—jump in with both feet and grab love while you can.

What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?

Read something every day, write something (even if it’s a note to yourself) every day, and learn something every day. You never know when you’ll find yourself drawing on odd bits of inspiration!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Love for Two Lifetimes
by Martina Boone
Hardcover
Mayfair Publishing
Released 9/25/2018

Two generations, two great loves, one impossible choice . . .

Clearing out after her famous mother’s death, Izzy finds twenty years of unsent love letters that leave her questioning who she is and what her mother sacrificed to become a world-class pianist. Following a trail of clues to Halford Hall in England, Izzy steps into a world of royalty in search of her father–and meets a young aristocrat who’s as troubled as he is fascinating. Recognizing the brokenness in each other, the two become inseparable only to discover that insurmountable obstacles may lie between them.

Thrown together on a journey of discovery that spans two lifetimes and takes them from a grand estate in the Cotswolds to a hospital bedside in India and ultimately to the Taj Mahal, Malcolm and Izzy try not to fall in love. But some things are impossible.

And some sacrifices are inevitable.

Uplifting, funny, tragic, and unforgettably romantic, Love for Two Lifetimes is a tale of two generations of love, a lifetime of friendship, a history of sacrifice, and ultimately one last, heartbreaking and hopeful choice revealed in prose, texts, and love letters. If you enjoy Everything, Everything or any story by Nicholas Sparks, this spellbinding story will have you turning pages late into the night.

“Heartwarming, lyrical, soulful, and with just the right amount of humor: this book sparkles with authentic, layered characters and beautiful, thoughtful prose.” — Jodi Meadows, NYT bestselling co-author of My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane

Purchase Love for Two Lifetimes at Amazon
Purchase Love for Two Lifetimes at IndieBound
View Love for Two Lifetimes on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of Love for Two Lifetimes and the romantic Southern Gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, including Compulsion, Persuasion, and Illusion, for young adults as well as romantic fiction for adult readers starting with Lake of Destiny. She’s also the founder of AdventuresInYAPublishing.com, a three-time Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers Site, and YASeriesInsiders.com, a site dedicated to encouraging literacy and reader engagement through a celebration of series literature. She’s on the Board of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and runs the CompulsionForReading.com program to distribute books to underfunded schools and libraries.

She lives in Virginia with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog, and a lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary fantasy set in the kinds of magical places she loves to visit. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate-flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

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Have you had a chance to read LOVE FOR TWO LIFETIMES yet? Have you ever had a voice come to you and insist you start writing? Are you striving to learn something every day? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy Reading,

Jocelyn, Halli, Martina, Erin, Susan, Shelly, Kelly, Laura, Emily, and Lori Ann

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Sep 29, 2018

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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