2014 Most Anticipated -- After The End

The next pick on my 2014 Most Anticipated list is one that immediately grabbed me by it's synopsis. Amy Plum's After The End seems to be a little like the movie The Village, but with the twist that we know that her world is a lie before we start reading.

Not only does it have a fantastic cover, but it's got a captivating Goodreads synopsis

She’s searching for answers to her past. They’re hunting her to save their future.

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Amy took some time to answer a few questions about her book, and writing!

1 Describe After The End in three words: 

Earth magic adventure

2 How would you describe the main character in After The End?

Juneau has been raised in the Alaskan wilderness thinking that the world was destroyed in WWIII. When she ventures out of her territory and discovers that there was no war, and that the life she has known was founded on lies, she has to find her clan (which has been kidnapped), use her magic to navigate a modern world she doesn't know, and decide what from her past she can actually believe in.

So I would describe Juneau as tough and resourceful—a survivalist no matter what environment she's in—but completely disillusioned by her family and clan's betrayal. She doesn't trust anyone, but is forced to travel with a certain boy who may not have her best interests at heart.

3 What three things do you need while revising?

1. I like to revise at least one draft with paper and pen, so a print-out of the entire book;
2. A quiet place where I can zone out of reality and enter my made-up world;
3. Coffee...lots of coffee, preferably made in my Nespresso machine!

4 Are you able to share a secret about one of the characters, the world, something that inspired something about the world/characters?

I was dating a guy when I first started writing the book, and gave Miles (one of the protagonists) this guy's eyes. After the guy turned out to be a complete loser, I couldn't change Miles's eyes because they were now HIS. So I kind of skip over that description each time I revise that chapter, but made sure to get back at him in a certain passage later in the book.

5 What 2014 release are you most looking forward to?

It would have to be my friend Natalie Parker's upcoming book BEWARE THE WILD. (summer 2014) I'm DYING to read it!

A huge thank you to Amy for taking the time to answer these questions. This title is high up on my MUST read list, and Amy's Q and A certainly increased my desire to get my hands on this one!

If you want to learn more, check out the author's website, or the publisher's website for more information.

After The End will be in stores May 6, 2014. Pre-orders for this title are already up, and you can get your copy at the following retailers

Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Let me know in the comments what you think of the cover, the synopsis, or what twists you expect this story to take! Also, check back soon for a contest where you could win one of my featured titles (be sure to pay attention to these Question and Answers as they'll help).