I’m happy to welcome fellow YA author, Class of 2k11 mate and Elevensies member, Julia Karr, to the blog today. This is week IX (nine) of her XVI (sixteen) week countdown to the release of her dystopian futuristic young adult novel XVI. (Isn't that cover AWESOME?!)
Here is the summary of the XVI from Goodreads:
“In the year 2150, being a girl isn’t necessarily a good thing, especially when your sixteenth (read sex-teenth) birthday is fast approaching. That in itself would be enough to make anyone more than a little nuts, what with the tattoo and all – but Nina Oberon’s life has taken a definite turn for the worse. Her mother is brutally stabbed and left for dead. Before dying, she entrusts a secret book to Nina, telling her to deliver it to Nina's father. But, first Nina has to find him; since for fifteen years he's been officially dead. Complications arise when she rescues Sal, a mysterious, and ultra hot guy. He seems to like Nina, but also seems to know more about her father than he’s letting on. Then there’s that murderous ex-government agent who’s stalking her, and just happens to be her little sister’s dad."
After the recent success of Hunger Games, novels about dystopian worlds are very popular. I found Julia’s vision of Chicago 2150 to be fascinating and believable so I wanted to chat with her about how she created this futuristic world and some of the concepts and terms she used.
Kiki: Your world building in XVI prominently features social structures – top tier / lower tier – basically, the haves and the have-nots. Nina, the MC, is very conscious of her social / financial position relative to others. Is this a reflection of what you see happening in our social structures now? Or was this exclusive to this future world?
Julia: I do believe that there is an ever-widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. My futuristic view, I fear, is not a far stretch from how things are currently.
Kiki: One part of the setting that really made an impression on me were the verts – the advertising being blasted from stores 24/7. I could imagine this so easily as well as how debilitating the constant barrage could become. Nina wears earbuds and listens to music to block out the noise of the verts. Where did this idea come from?
Julia: That image, of a girl walking down the streets of a city, listening to music to block out the noise of blaring advertisements, was the very first mental picture I had of this story. The whole thing started there, and I honestly cannot say where that mental picture came from! O.O
Kiki: The world of XVI is set in Chicago. Why did you pick that city and are some of the streets and towns (Cementville, State St., Mill Run Farm, North Ave., Wells St., Soma) based on Chicago 2010?
Julia: Cementville, Mill Run Farm and Soma are products of my imagination. All the streets are actual streets. I spent a lot of time with a detailed map of Chicago and a magnifying glass.
Kiki: Government plays a very 1984-ish role in XVI, overseeing the tattooing of girls with an XVI at age 16, marking them eligible to have sex. To stop the encroachment of the government on listening in on every detail of their lives there are scramblers and dead zones. Tell us a little about the meaning of these terms and how they tie into the story.
Julia: A scrambler does just what it sounds like - it scrambles audio signals so that what’s being said cannot be understood by anyone listening in. Dead zones are just what they are today with cell phones, areas of no in or out reception.
Kiki: Tell us about audio surveillance cops.
Julia: Ah, the Audio Surveillance Police, aka ASP. (Did I mention I love acronyms? tee hee) They are the ears that are listening, via audio surveillance, to what people are talking about. They home in on areas and/or people when they suspect subversive activities may be going on.
Kiki: In one scene of the story there is an infinity machine. I love the term – it even sounds futuristic. Tell us what it means and how you came up with the idea.
Julia: An infinity machine is a medical device that encases a person’s body, keeping them alive when without it they would be dead. It’s advertised purpose is to keep wealthy patients alive long enough for them to say goodbye to loved ones, and, more importantly to verify things like wills and bequests. Its covert use is by the Governing Council’s intelligence operatives, the Bureau of Safety and Security (aka B.O.S.S. <-- see? acronym!) B.O.S.S. uses it to keep prisoners or operatives alive in order to question them.
Kiki: There is a method of fighting called Cliste Galad. What type of fighting is this and where did the name come from?
Julia: Cliste Galad is a type of female martial arts that was developed by a group of Scottish Women during the Energy Wars. It’s a blend of Eastern Mysticism and Celtic Warrior fighting. Since the overthrow of the Fems’ government not many women practice it; well, not many people who blindly follow the government. The GC (Governing Council) has it on their watch list and is contemplating making even learning it illegal.
Kiki: Tell us a secret about the world of XVI.
Julia: It is not very different from our world - not very different at all.
Kiki: I loved this story and felt like there was more that was going to happen in Nina’s life. Is there going to be a sequel to XVI?
Julia: There is going to be a sequel, and I am writing it right now! As a matter of fact, as soon as I am done with our interview, I am diving back into Nina’s world! I’ve left her in an awful jam and now I must figure out how to get her out – or make it worse! Hmmm...
Thanks for joining us here today, Julia! You can check out Julia’s blog at Writing YA in the Midwest. If you want to read the first chapter of XVI it is available here. XVI will be available on January 6th in bookstores but you can pre-order it.
And, don’t forget to comment! You have until next Thursday 11/11 to comment and you will also be entered in the Grand Prize drawing that happens on release day, 1/6/11. This week’s prize is a pre-order of XVI!
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