Please welcome author Claudia Gray here today! A Thousand Pieces of You is Claudia’s newest young adult science fiction novel! The first book in the Firebird series will be released on November 4, 2014 from HarperTeen. Bridget was able to sit down with Paul from ATPOY and get some sneak peek answers about the novel and his relationship with Marguerite. Please read below for this excellent interview. Want to know our thoughts on this novel? Read Bridget’s review here.
A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU Prize Pack consists of a scarf with a quote from the book, a scented candle from one of the multiverses, and a signed book. This giveaway is International!
About Claudia:
Claudia Gray is a pseudonym. I would like to say that I chose another name so that no one would ever learn the links between my shadowy, dramatic past and the explosive secrets revealed through my characters. This would be a lie. In truth, I took a pseudonym simply because I thought it would be fun to choose my own name. (And it is.)
I write novels full-time, absolutely love it, and hope to be able to do this forever. My home is in New Orleans, is more than 100 years old, and is painted purple. In my free time I read, travel, hike, cook and listen to music. You can keep up with my latest releases, thoughts on writing and various pop-culture musings via Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Goodreads or (of course) my own home page.
If you want to contact me, you can email me, but your best bet is probably to Tweet me. I don’t do follows on Twitter, but I follow everyone back on Tumblr, Pinterest and Goodreads.
Want to read more from Claudia Gray?
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DFT: I’m so excited you agreed to join us today to answer a few questions. To be honest I am a pretty big fan so I can’t wait to get to know a little bit more about you! To start things off will you go ahead and introduce yourself and tell us three unique things about you?
Paul Leonidovich Markov: … you’re a fan of physicists? That is highly atypical, but I’m pleased you take an interest in Dr. Kovalenka’s research.
My name is Paul Leonidovich Markov. Very few traits are truly “unique,” and I possess none of them, but I can share some aspects that are distinctive, if that will work? If so: Although I’m only 19, I’m already pursuing my doctorate in physics. I go rock climbing on weekends, seriously enough that some fellow climbers have suggested I “go pro.” (Flattering, even if it is bewildering that people are able to earn a living doing something so solitary.) And I was born in the United States, but to parents who had immigrated from Russia so recently that they spoke only their native language at home. So Russian was my first language.
DFT: With the firebird you are able to travel into many parallel worlds that all contain you in one way or another. What was it like to see all the different versions of yourself? Which dimension was your favorite?
Paul: I found the experience of inhabiting other selves – fascinating, though at times intimidating. Some of my other selves were skilled in ways I’m not; others had flaws I may well share.
My favorite dimension in terms of general interest was what we have come to call the “Oceanverse,” where I was able to pilot a submarine and see a vastly transformed earth. In terms of emotional attachment, however, my favorite world was the “Russiaverse.”
DFT: What made you decide to become a physicist? What is the best thing about your job?
Paul: The sciences always fascinated me, and for me theoretical physics is the most challenging and invigorating – the exploration of the fundamental reality of the universe. The best thing about my job – I’ll say two things. One is the ability to ask the biggest questions possible and throw myself into the search for answers. Two is finding mentors like Dr. Kovalenka and Dr. Caine.
DFT: So we don’t spoil anything I’m just going to state that your relationship with Marguerite Caine is very complicated! What do you think is her best quality? What is her best physical trait?
Paul: “Complicated,” yes. Marguerite’s best quality is her original perspective; she looks at the world differently than anyone else I’ve ever known, and finds insight and beauty where I least expect it.
Marguerite has large dark eyes, which I find beautiful.
DFT: My favorite moments between you and Marguerite is either your time spent in Russia or the time you cooked Thanksgiving dinner together. If you can without spoiling anything would you tell us what is your favorite moment with her?
Paul: Cooking together was fun. Russia was … intense. My favorite moment came in what we call the Triadverse, at the train stop by the San Francisco airport. It was the first time I’d ever spoken to her where I felt like I said the right thing.
DFT: You and Theo were like brothers. You were both assistants to the Caine’s and helped to develop the Firebird, but besides that you couldn’t be more opposites. Theo is outgoing, charming, and flirtatious. You are reserved, shy, and on the quiet side (which I loved by the way
Paul: On one of the first days Theo and I worked together, I pointed out an error in one of his equations. At the time he took it very badly. However, the next day, he said he’d feel safer if I were on his side.
Theo deserves the credit for our friendship, from that moment on. I’ve never spent much time with people my own age, and I know it makes me – awkward, and strange sometimes. Theo says he’s cool enough for both of us. His ego is made bearable by his kindness toward others, including me.
DFT: While we know very little about your family life growing up it didn’t seem like it was the best experience, and you currently have very little to no contact with your family. I know that Henry and Sophia Caine were your bosses but they also basically adopted you. What is your fondest memory with them?
Paul: One detail I must point out – Sophia and Henry have not yet married, so she remains Dr. Kovalenka. (They insist they intend to get around having a wedding eventually; despite their brilliance, they easily become distracted.)
My fondest memory of Henry and Sophia is probably my 19th birthday. Sophia made me a cake. It had been a long time since anyone made me a birthday cake.
DFT: I personally can’t wait to get to know you better in the next book in the series. Is there any way you can give us a few hints on what we can expect to see from you in the future?
Paul: You’ll learn what Henry and Sophia said when Marguerite talked to them about me, after our return from the journeys in ATPOY. I still can’t decide whether their reaction was funny or horrifying. Both, maybe.
Quick Fire Questions:
(What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you read each of the following)
Marguerite? Her sitting at her easel.
Russia? My mother saying everything was better there.
Firebird? How to explain it when I defend my dissertation later this year.
Painting? Marguerite mixing colors and frowning at her canvas.
Home? Henry and Sophia sitting at the rainbow table.
Fate? Mathematics.
This contest is provided by Claudia Gray!One lucky reader will win A Thousand Pieces of You Prize Pack consisting of a scarf with a quote from the book, a scented candle from one of the multiverses, and a signed book!
(International)Available November 4, 2014 from HarperTeen
About this Book:
Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.
Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.
Click HERE to read an excerpt
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