UNTITLED discussion

Congratulations on your new novel! You've written quite a few amazing books. Does the writing process get any easier? Would you consider yourself an old hand in the industry?

Thank you! Not only does it not get easier, I don't think it should. I've never felt like an old hand, either. In my mind I'm still striving towards writing that perfect book! But that's good I think, it's important to care about your 15th book just as much as your 1st.

​The Summer of Impossible Things addresses not only time traveling but also righting the wrongs and what it means to sacrifice something. What inspired you to write about Luna's journey?

For the last couple of years I've been wondering about how through out history people have found the courage to face the impossible and do the right thing, no matter what it might cost them. That kind of bravery is incredibly compelling, and I wanted to write a hero like that.
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The idea of a multiverse is suggested by not just one, but numerous physics theories. Would you say that there's a possibility of infinite parallel universes? What are your thoughts on this matter?​

Thinking about these kinds of theories keep me up at night. I don't know the answer, but I love the idea that there are a multitude of worlds and realities, just one dimension away, as a writer it's a dream. What I find thrilling about physics is the more we discover the less we know - almost anything is possible, and those are the spaces I like to fill with stories.
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The Summer of Impossible Things was our UNITITLED book club read in July/August. Here are some questions from our readers:
As Luna is a physicist: Have you studied or are you interested in physics? ​

I love the subject, I read in it widely. But I'm definitely not an expert. I love to try and get my head around complicated ideas, and understand theories and methods and you know what? The more you think about how complex and miraculous our universe is, the more you treasure our planet and appreciate its rarity.

​If you could travel in time, past or future, where would you like to go?​

So tricky to choose!! I think it has to be a trip back meet Anne Boleyn. She was such a fascinating woman, who changed history. I'd love to know what she was like in the flesh.

Did you already know how the story would end or did you change it in your mind during your writing process?

I kept changing my mind on how it would end! But the most thrilling thing about the writing process is when your book takes twists and turns you didn't see coming. That happened with this book and I loved it!

What was your favorite moment and who is your favorite character?

I love Luna, deeply. She's so brave and yet she isn't unafraid. She represents the best of all us, I think - the potential for every ordinary person to be extraordinary. My favourite moment is a scene in a book shop... I can't tell you more for fear of spoilers!

Is there a specific reason that you chose the year 1977?

Yes, 1977 was a really interesting time in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. Saturday Night Fever had just finished shooting, there was this intense heatwave, a serial killer on the loose, the Mafia controlling the streets, all building up to the great New York Black out. And for a short while this ordinary Brooklyn neighbourhood was the centre of the disco universe. The more I read about it, the more I wanted to write about.

​Why was it for Luna possible to travel back? How could another version of her, that doesn't exist any more, still have been real in 1977? I mean, if she never has been born, how could she have been there?​

Really good question, what is the reason why? What brought about that pivotal moment? The sensible answer is that all time happens all at once, every moment occupying the same space, happening side by side in a million layers and somehow Luna had an image ability to move between those moments and influence others. Maybe she is the first of a new stage of evolution, maybe it's an inherited trait that other people think of as psychic or spiritual. Those are questions for the reader to think about. What I will say that this isn't just a book about what is easily explainable. It's a book about faith, the power of love and the human soul.

​Last but not least question: what's your favourite John Travolta film?​

Definitely Saturday Night Fever - it's classic movie, much darker and more complex than a disco movie.

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Check out more about Rowan Coleman:
http://rowancoleman.co.uk/

Take a look at the UNTITLED Book Club Website:
https://www.booksontherun-de.com/book...