Today I have the wonderful Amy McCulloch on my blog, to celebrate the release of her new book, JINXED. 

I quickly fell in love with this book (as ever with Amy's books) and you can find the full review here.

When I was approached to be on this blog tour, I couldn't have been more excited and I'm thrilled to share the chat I had with her about all things tech, bakus and what's next for Lacey...

1. Hi Amy, it's so lovely to have you on my blog again! Can you tell us a bit more about the first novel in your new series, JINXED?
It’s a pleasure to be back! I’m really excited for JINXED as it’s a bit of a change from The Potion Diaries - it’s a near-future science fiction novel set in Toronto, Canada, where the next iteration of the smartphone is interactive smart pets known as bakus. When my main character, Lacey, can’t afford the kind of baku she really wants, she fixes a broken one she finds abandoned by some railway tracks. She christens her new baku ‘Jinx’ but something seems a bit off about him… he seems almost real.

2. This book is very tech and science orientated, and unlike anything I've ever read from you. Have you always been a fan of tech, and did you have to do much research for the book?
Oh yes, I’ve always been a tech geek at heart! I was a bit of a coder and a science fair nerd when I was in high school, and I worked with friends who went on to become great engineers and scientists themselves. I did do a lot of research on robotics and computer engineering before writing JINXED - but in science fiction there’s still a lot of scope to imagine what the future might be. I don’t think any science fiction novelist could have predicted smart phones and the powerful computers in our pockets, so even technology that seems absurd now could one day be real…

3. How did you come up with the concept of bakus? Did you draw inspiration from anywhere to create them?
I was thinking about how much time I spend on my smartphone and realised that it would be so much more interesting if smartphones were more interactive! Then I read a news article about robotic cats and dogs being used to comfort the elderly in nursing homes and the baku was born!

4. If you could choose any baku, what would it be and why?
If I could afford any baku that I wanted, I’d have one in the shape of a tiger! I’ve always felt an affinity with tigers (they’re solitary creatures - a bit like writers!) but also I am a Year of the Tiger in Chinese horoscope and day of the tiger in Burmese horoscope! It seems like fate…

5. Did the planning process for JINXED differ to the planning process for The Potion Diaries series?
Yes! I was a lot more diligent when it came to planning/plotting JINXED than I was for The Potion Diaries. I was on a bit of a tighter deadline, but I also wanted to try something new, so I planned out the major plot points before starting work on the novel. It actually did work out very well, and helped the writing go much smoother - so I think I will keep on using that method for future books.

6. Can you give us any teasers about what's to come next for Lacey and Jinx?
Ooh, well, I don’t want to give away too many spoilers but suffice to say they both get deeper into the heart of secrets at Moncha Corp and the Canadian winter features heavily…

7. Did you have a playlist that you listened to whilst writing JINXED? I'd love to listen to any music you think works well with the book!
I didn’t have a specific playlist but I did listen to the WestWorld soundtrack quite a lot (it has a lot of slightly creepy music)! One track that works well for the book is ‘Turn’ by The Wombats, especially these lyrics…

"I like the way your brain works, I like the way you try
To run with the wolf pack when your legs are tired
I like the way you turn me inside and out
I like the way you turn
I like the way your brain works
I like the way your brain works"

8. What books have you read recently that you'd recommend for lovers of YA?
Yay! I love recommending books.
For fun, friendship and action: Slay by Kim Curran
For twists and turns galore: White Rabbit, Red Wolf by Tom Pollock
For high tech thrills (like JINXED): Warcross by Marie Lu