Twitter can be awesome in its ability to connect readers, fans and bloggers alike with the authors of their current or favorite reads. I had the recent pleasure of reading All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai wherein I was transported to a reality in which all our sci-fi dreams came true and then immediately rebounded back into our current, less advanced reality. Cue epic whiplash and a major book hangover. Filled with quotable insight, this novel will do more than just challenge your beliefs on time and our location along its vast and possibly various continuum. Here is a look behind the scenes at my impromptu Twitter interview with author Elan Mastai.
Picturing my toddler with his head covered in black scaly avocado skin…
Nodding vigorously. Yes, that is the most sensible way to handle such a plethora of advanced travel options.
(Side note: Little did I know just how much I would need that fictional teleportor later in this interview.)
Swoon. There couldn’t have been a more perfect answer to this question. Let’s look at that again so you can fully absorb the truth of that to your core.
I was very intrigued to see which way this answer would fall. Sehnsucht is essentially the opposite of nostalgia in the fact that it is a deep longing for some unknown, ideal experience while nostalgia is a deep longing for the past. Mastai’s novel explores those themes readily.
Face, scalding red with embarrassment, meet palm. Where is that teleporter now? Just scoop me up and whisk me away to anywhere (or anywhen) but here. Of course he’s not from the future you ding-dong. Did you not just spend the last few days reading about the intricacies of time-travel? Alternate reality is the key word here. Everybody now: “Alternate re-al-it-y”. Nervously laughing to myself, “what the hell do I say now?” Deep breath. Maybe I can make a joke, do a little jig, repeatedly tip my hat and jauntily side skip off-stage with my striped jacket and cane?
Hand-clapping emojis. Yep, that’s the best I could do. And deeply sincere gratitude to hopefully distract from my egregious error.
Hm, maybe I didn’t royally offend him after all. Well, a little apology never hurt- just to clear up any misunderstanding and to quell my deep embarrassment.
One thing is certain, tone is very hard to convey online, especially with a 140 character limit.
I hope you all enjoyed a look into my first Twitter interview. Despite embarrassing myself, I truly enjoyed this experience and the chance to interact with such a talented author. I plan to attempt more interviews in this style- so if you know any authors hoping to have the core premise of their novel mishandled and to be mildly offended send them my way.
Read voraciously.
The Life Between Pages 