Review: DRIVE by Stephanie Fournet
I have loved everything I’ve read from Stephanie Fournet, and DRIVE did not disa[...]
I was thrilled when I learned that Ernest Cline, author of READY PLAYER ONE (click title for my review) was coming to Denver as part of his paperback release tour… but I was ECSTATIC when I was requested to interview him beforehand at the Tattered Cover on June 14, 2012! READY PLAYER ONE is my favorite read/listen of 2012 so far, and I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Ernie. He is by far one of the sweetest, most open, coolest, geekiest, and friendliest authors I’ve met. Interviewing him is definitely a major highlight for me as a book blogger, and I’m excited to share my experience with you by posting my first ever audio/podcast type interview!
That’s right. I recorded our interview. I’ll be honest, I’m fearful to post it because it wasn’t until I listened to the playback that I realized how much I hate the sound of my voice. Ugh, but the discussion is too good not to share. I was actually crazy enough to transcribe it for those that aren’t able to listen to it. Yes, I’m encouraging those of you sitting at work or in class to read it instead! The document is only 13 pages long (I know I’m crazy, but by the time I realized how long it was, I was so far in that I felt like I should keep going). Heheee.
The interview is spoiler free, but it if you haven’t read READY PLAYER ONE yet, check out the synopsis below first so you’ll understand what we’re talking about. Then listen to the interview, and then go buy the paperback for yourself so you can start reading it right now. You can thank me later :).
It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.
Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.
And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.
For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.
And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.
Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.
A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready? (Goodreads)
My Review | Amazon | Audible | B&N | Indiebound
Alright, are you ready? Here’s the audio. Or you can read it if you’d like… I cleaned it up a bit when I typed it up, the audio is definitely more “raw”. Warning: There are most likely a ton of typos in the document. It took a long time to transcribe and I was just trying to finish. I may eventually go back and clean it up, but for now, don’t judge (please)! Also, details for the epic READY PLAYER ONE Easter Egg Hunt to win the DeLorean he’s driving across country for his tour are below!
Here’s a picture of us with the DeLorean that he’s touring in and giving to the winner of the RP1 Easter Egg Hunt!
Ernie & Jen with DeLorean (the PRIZE!)
To celebrate the release of the Ready Player One trade paperback, author Ernest Cline is holding a contest inspired by the plot of his novel. He has hidden an “Easter egg” in the text of both the hardcover and paperback editions of Ready Player One. If readers can find this hidden clue, it will lead them to the first of three increasingly difficult video game challenges. The first person to complete all three of these challenges will win the grand prize, a 1981 DeLorean automobile, complete with a Flux Capacitor! Ernest Cline will be driving this DeLorean Time Machine across the country on his book tour this June, so contestants will have a chance to see the grand prize in person at each of his book signings.
For more information about the contest rules (and to watch the video that contains hints), please visit ernestcline.com/rp1contest/.
About the author: ERNEST CLINE is a screenwriter, spoken-word artist, and full-time geek who is best known for writing the 2009 film Fanboys, which much to his surprise became a cult phenomenon. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, their daughter, and a large collection of classic videogames. Ready Player One is his first novel.
I can’t thank Ernest Cline enough for this interview. It was so much fun! Thanks Ernie!
Twitter: myparahangover
says:
Um, WOW!!! What an awesome guy! And what a crazy giveaway ~ he is like my total hero!! I’m going to read the interview as soon as I can 🙂 I want to know how Wil Wheaton got tagged in your post (I love that geek ~ I follow him on twitter b/c, well, he is a Twitter god)
Adding this book to my TBR (not my usual fare but I’ll have to give it a try!)
Kristin Clifton recently posted..Before I Wake Mini-Reading Challenge
Twitter: bookandlatte
says:
Ack! The mp3 player did post. I have no idea why not… you should be able to listen to it too…
Jen recently posted..Audiobook Week: Must Haves for Reviews!
Twitter: bookandlatte
says:
Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobook (which I reviewed), and we talked about how that came to be in the interview :).
Jen recently posted..Audiobook Week: My 2011-2012 Audiobook Year
Twitter: fakesteph
says:
So awesome, Jen! I’m jealous! I love the pictures and I can’t wait to listen to the interview when I get home tonight.
fakesteph recently posted..Top Ten (Tuesday) Characters That Remind Me Of Myself
Twitter: bookandlatte
says:
Sweet!
Jen recently posted..The Sunday Post (7): Book Haul & Blog News
Twitter: readingdate
says:
Wow – what an awesome experience! I got to see Ernie speak at WonderCon where he was a featured guest. It was one of the highlights of the event for me. Ready Player One is awesome and is deservedly getting a lot of love during audiobook week. Can’t wait for his next book! Thanks for sharing this fascinating interview 🙂
Lucy @ The Reading Date recently posted..Audiobook Week Discussion: So You Want to Review Audiobooks
Twitter: bookandlatte
says:
I know, it seems to be everyone’s favorite, which is just awesome.
Jen recently posted..Audiobook Week: Must Haves for Reviews!
[…] had the honor of interviewing Ernie recently, and yesterday I posted the interview in my first ever podcast, though I also transcribed […]
That Delorean is legit. I want one.
ALSO.
This is probably one of the BEST interviews I have ever read. Job well done to both of you for both interesting questions and interesting answers.
Also.
I LOVE SAY ANYTHING AND THE PRINCESS BRIDE WITH ALLLLL OF MY HEART, so I kind of am in love with this interview.
And.
My finger is sort of hovering on ordering the audiobook on Audible.
And you know something weird? I never ever keep ARCs, but this book is the only ARC I’ve kept because I just love the original cover design.
Can’t wait for Cline’s next book.
April Books & Wine recently posted..I Hunt Killers Barry Lyga Audiobook Review
Twitter: bookandlatte
says:
Awww, thank you April! You must listen to it on audio so I say go for it. Though I was able to get it from my library, so you may want to check. Though I already want to re-listen to it, so maybe owning it is best :).
Jen recently posted..Audiobook Week 2012 Meme
[…] big news from last week is that I posted my first ever podcast type interview! I had the honor of interviewing Ernest Cline, the author of READY PLAYER ONE a couple of weeks ago and I was excited to share the experience last week. I even transcribed the […]
[…] [My interview with Ernie Cline] […]
[…] new novel from Ernie Cline, YAY!!! I absolutely adored his first novel, READY PLAYER ONE, it was my favorite read of 2012 […]
[…] Book and a Latte. June 2012. Blog review, 34 minute audio, transcript provided. […]