Beth Revis and Tracked Author Jenny Martin Talk Writing, Research, and the Surprises Along the Way

Beth: Your debut is an exciting blend of dystopia and racing—I called it Hunger Games meets NASCAR. Which came first for you, the oppressive, new-planet society that is dominated by drugs and corporations, or the high-speed racing plot with the illusion of escape on the track? When did the other half of the plot evolve in the writing process?
Jenny: Thanks so much, Beth! That means so much, especially coming from you. I loved the world you built in Across the Universe.
Actually, the inspirations for Tracked—the racing elements and the world—hit me all at once. A few summers ago, I was binge-watching TV, and came across the remake of Death Race 2000, starring Jason Statham. I was intrigued by the premise, and let me tell you, those foot-to-the-floor racing scenes really stood out. Shortly after, I also watched a documentary called Hot Coffee, an eye-opening look at politics, corporations, and their impact on our civil justice system. At first glance, these two shows probably seem totally unrelated, but my science fiction, Star Wars junkie brain put them together. I imagined a street racing girl—a rogue as spitfire and mouthy as Han Solo—forced to race for a corrupt, corporate giant, one who’d helped settle her home planet.
Once I had the world, and the idea of racing, the connection between them fell into place, thanks to my home state’s history. I grew up in Oklahoma, which was eventually settled after a series of wild, claim-staking, pioneer land runs. This was the missing piece. Now I understood why racing had to be an all-important national sport on Phee’s planet. Because that’s how it had been colonized—through corporate-sponsored galactic land runs. With that in mind, I was ready to dash to the keyboard and draft her story.
In Tracked, it’s the corporations that run the show, not the government. Many science fiction writers use their futuristic novels to mirror the modern world. Is this what you’re doing with the corporations in the novel? How much of a threat do you think businesses are, as opposed to an oppressive government?
Great question, and your instincts are dead on. Yes. I was definitely inspired by our own present-day world.
Mega-corporations may not write our laws and police our streets, but in many ways, powerful forces in the private sector influence us. We live in a society where the wealthiest influencers have the power to lobby and get what they want in Congress and beyond. How many elected officials tailor legislation to please their biggest campaign contributors? How many contracts and favors are born from backroom deals, a la House of Cards? I venture to guess…a lot.
One could argue that in Phee’s story, I’m just taking our reality and pushing it to the edge. It’s not hard to imagine a corporation like Alien‘s Weyland-Yutani Industries. If there were many such conglomerates, colonizing a new world, I’d like to think it might look a whole lot like the world of Tracked.
One of the first things I noticed was the connection this futuristic book has with history, particularly the Roman empire and using games and races to distract a society from its real problems. How did this idea blend with your novel?
Infusing these ideas…that was absolutely one of the most fun parts of writing Tracked. And I owe most of it to my villain, Charles Benroyal. Benroyal is the wealthiest, most cutthroat and cunning man on the planet, and it’s no secret that he’s obsessed with ancient Earth history. Not only is he a CEO, racing kingpin, and political operator, he’s also an antiquities collector, consumed by the history of power. And he doesn’t just want to study the great conquerors of Greece and Caesars of Rome. He wants to be the behind-the-scenes mastermind who overshadows them all. For him, the racing circuit is all part of that quest. It’s the dazzling, Vegas-odds shell game that distracts the rabble from the real concerns of the world.
And I gotta say…pitting a young, hotheaded, devil-may-care street racer against him was fun, especially since I got to weave in these nods to ancient history. Yeah, that was definitely thrilling to write. I’ve never had so much fun drafting a book.
What was the most unique or interesting thing you learned in your research? (Whether or not it made it into the novel.)
As I wrote Tracked, I dove into research on many different kinds of real-world racing. Beyond street racing, I studied Formula One, NASCAR, drag, auto endurance, and rally car racing. Ultimately, I picked up some interesting facts and borrowed many different ideas to build my own motorsport.
As far as the most interesting thing, I’m really intrigued by the history of the Dakar Rally. Dakar is a high speed, multistage, auto endurance race that originated in 1978; it’s known as one of the most grueling, dangerous rally raids in the world. Originally, racers sped from France to Senegal, but due to security concerns, competitors now chew up over 500 miles per day(!) across Chile and Argentina. This course isn’t for the faint of heart—it’s famous not only for crowning champions, but also taking lives. There have been 69 fatal accidents at Dakar since 1979. Let’s just say I won’t be signing up anytime soon!
Probably my favorite thing about your novel is what it says about family. Phee learns more about her birth family and its complicated history, but she also has a very healthy and functional relationship with her adopted parents. A lot of dystopians—in fact, a lot of YA in general—brushes family aside so the main character can have her own adventures. How did you balance Phee as her own person and Phee in the context of her family?
I really appreciate you saying that. I love the complex relationships in your YA, Beth. (Like many of your readers, I have an especially soft spot for Harley!)
As for the question, I hadn’t really thought of this before, but now that you mention it, I realize how important that balance can be. For me, part of the allure of YA has always been the journey from the safety and familiarity of childhood to the perilous (dare I say trackless?) wilderness of adulthood. This theme of coming of age, and discovering who you really are…it can be powerful stuff, but it can be hard to explore if a story is too centered on the adults in a protagonist’s life.
And yet, I do think it’s important to have stories where those adults are realistically drawn into the picture. YA is famous for introducing readers to so many orphans, and even my own heroine, Phee, is a foster kid. But in this story, it was important to me to include my heroine’s foster family. After all, Phee is who she is because of the healthy, enduring relationships she has with Hal and Mary Larssen. They, along with Bear, are the ones who’ve most influenced her, teaching her about love, perseverance, and bravery. This is a huge part of her journey. Because Phee’s family is so precious to her, she is willing to do whatever it takes to protect it.
Linked to this, you also go into different types of love in this novel—there’s familial love, platonic love, romantic love, obsessive love, and more. Are there any novels or real-life experiences that have influenced your themes of love in writing this novel? 
This theme—that there are many kinds of love—is important to me. And while a lot of novels and movies influenced my world-building and action, when it came to emotion, I mostly drew from my own experiences.
With Phee’s foster parents, I thought a lot about my own mom and dad, and my grandmother Joy, who is a huge mentor and inspiration to me. There’s a lot of my fierce, wise Grandma Joy in Mary Larssen.
As for Phee’s relationship with her best friend, Bear, I borrowed a lot from my own best friend…who also happens to be my husband, Chris. We’ve been married for twenty years now, and there’s something to be said for growing up with someone, growing more and more close to them, and enjoying the infinite comfort and familiarity of a deep, loyal, abiding friendship.
At the same time, Chris was also a big inspiration as I wrote Cash. There’s a quiet kind of everlasting love, and then there’s the kind that hits you like a blast of TNT. I think readers will know which is which when they’re introduced to Prince Cashoman. When Phee meets this bad boy—a gambling, rogue prince—sparks fly, but it’s not exactly opposites attract. Phee and Cash are all too much alike, and oh my, that made for some fun banter and crackling chemistry.
Tell us about your writing journey, from idea to finished book. Have there been any surprises along the way?
Is there a way to insert the sound of maniacal laughter here? I’m only kidding. Mostly. Wink.
But seriously, there have been lots of surprises in my writing journey. I remember reading about your own path to publication, and about all the stories you wrote before Across the Universe. I, too, wrote a lot before Tracked sold. I first drafted it in 2011. It sold in 2012, and I’ve waited almost three years to see it on shelves. And now, joyfully, I can say it’s here!
In the end, Tracked was the book that taught me to how to persevere, how to revise, and how to be patient, even in the face of obstacles. And when all is said and done, for me, I think the most important takeaway is that in publishing, there are so many things outside the writer’s control. The one thing a writer can control? It’s the words. So that’s where my focus must stay. I do my best, and I try not to let the rest consume me.
Can you give us any hints about what’s in store for Phee in the future?
Phee has been through so much, but my spitfire girl still has a long way to go. She has some tough dilemmas ahead, and she’s the only one who can rescue all that’s been lost. So much depends on her stepping up and evolving into the hero she needs to be.
For now, all I can say is that actions have consequences, demons must be faced, and all great heroes must rise from the ashes. The endgame is coming, and it will exact tears. After all, the best endings are bought at a price.
If you were plopped into Phee’s world, would you be a driver like Phee, a pacer like Cash or Bear, a corporate goon, or an undercover rebel playing the system?
I really wish I could say I’d be a daring driver like Phee, or a brilliant pacer like Cash, but truthfully, I’d as timid and fearful as they come, so the circuit life would be the end of me. Truthfully, I’d probably be a rebel protestor, and I’d probably already be exiled, imprisoned, or forced to work in the fuel mines in the Biseran Gap. Please send me a rescue jetpack! 😉
Tracked is out now. You should probably read Beth Revis’s Across the Universe while you’re at it.