Friday Five -- Tamara Ireland Stone

I've had the incredible good fortune to meet the adorable Tamara Ireland Stone in person because she, too, lives in Northern California.  She is kind, enthusiastic, and passionate about writing and YA literature.  Her debut time-travel romance, TIME BETWEEN US, came out earlier this month.

THE FIVE:


1.  What would your super power be?

That's the question that prompted me to write a whole book! One evening, my husband and I got into a funny conversation about superpowers. He said he wished he could fly. I said I wished I could time travel. But then I clarified it, and said that I really just wanted to go back to the mid 90’s for a few hours and see Green Day when they were playing small clubs in Berkeley. He laughed and asked if I’d take him with me. Twenty-four hours later, I started writing Time Between Us.

2.  If you could go back (or forward!) in time, where/when would you go?

It's funny, but I have no interest in going forward in time. I guess I've always liked surprises. But like I said to my husband that night, I would love to go back and see concerts I missed when I was younger. I love live music, and while I don't have many regrets in life, I really wish I'd made it a priority earlier.

3.  What single thing would improve the quality of your life?

I wish I had the ability to travel more frequently. Not only do I enjoy the adventure of travel itself, I love the way the trip changes me when I get back home. It never lasts as long as I want it to, but for a few weeks, I see my own world a little differently. I don’t take the little things for granted. I naturally slow down and look around. I view my neighborhood and my garden and my living room with fresh eyes, like a visitor might see it. I like being in that post-travel, reflective haze.

4.  What is the worst job you’ve done?

I worked at Taco Bell for a summer. I’d come home smelling like beef and beans, my hair sticky and nasty from the tortilla steamer, and with pieces if cheese stuck under my fingernails. But honestly, I didn’t hate it. It was my first job and I was pretty happy to have one. The best part was that we didn't have a manager that summer. We got into a lot of fights with the sour cream guns after hours.

5.  What one word do you think describes you best?

Driven.

ABOUT TIME BETWEEN US:

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett’s unique ability to travel through time and space brings him into Anna’s life, and with him, a new world of adventure and possibility. As their relationship deepens, they face the reality that time might knock Bennett back where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate—and what consequences they can bear in order to stay together.

Order a copy of TIME BETWEEN US here!

ABOUT TAMARA:

You can find Tamara on her website.
On Twitter.
And on Facebook.