Don’t forget to enter both giveaways!
Welcome, Kate! What 5 things should readers know about you?
- My goal as a writer is to write a story that hasn’t been told before, with a unique plot.
- I absolutely love plot twists.
- I don’t think that the world is a black and white place and I don’t think that heroes/villains should be either.
- Writing is my escape, and I hope that the reader finds an escape in my book as well.
- I love to travel and think that it has been my biggest inspiration.
Plot twists are awesome 🙂
Tell us all about your main characters—who are they?
Raleigh is the protagonist of my novel. She’s a young woman who learns that weaknesses can become strengths, and that you have to consider all factors before making a decision.
Rho is my secondary protagonist. He’s struggling to understand if we all have a purpose in life, and if that purpose can be chosen for us. Also, he questions if a person is inherently evil, and if so, what causes it: is it genetics, environment, or are we fated?
Sounds great!
What makes them tick?
Raleigh’s main driving force is freedom– freedom from disease, from life at home, and from being limited.
Rho’s main motivator is proving that a person can be in charge of who they are and their influence on the world.
Interesting…
Most importantly, what one thing would they need to have with them if stranded on a desert isle?
I think that Raleigh would need an extraction machine (if this doesn’t make sense read the book! :))
I think that Rho would need his best friends. He understands that teamwork is best.
LOL—now we’re all going to have to read it!
Where did the inspiration for this book come from?
I was in pharmacy school and we were learning how some of our medications used to be taken from animals (and some still are). It got me to wondering what would happen if a vital drug only could be made in a human model and not synthesized. Would we design people to specifically make it? From there I thought up a cool drug and put together the book.
Great inspiration story!
How long have you been writing, and what (or who) inspired you to start?
I’ve been telling stories since I was four. My first picture book was made at that time. It’s always been a part of my life as long as I can remember. My original inspiration was my mother.
Hooray for moms!
What do you like best about being a writer?
You get to create a world complete with people, problems, and interactions.
True!
What is the most challenging part?
Knowing what I want to say or convey and not getting it on paper properly.
That’s so frustrating!
What are you working on right now?
The sequel The Synthetics
Fantastic!
What can readers look for from you in the next year?
Hopefully I get the second book up and running.
Good luck!
What authors and/or books have inspired you?
I think that Michael Crichton has been my biggest inspiration. I love how his plots are outlandish and possible at the same time. So creative!
Well, almost possible. Apparently the dino DNA from prehistoric mosquitos wouldn’t actually work. (Un)fortunately. 😉
What are you currently reading? What are your thoughts about it so far?
The Demon Under the Microscope by Thomas Hager is what I am currently reading. It is a really interesting non-fiction book about the first antibiotics and their discovery. It’s amazing to me how far medicine has come over the last century and a half. I would recommend it.
That does sound interesting!
If you had to sell/quote this book in a single Tweet, what would you say?
It has been tweeted: The Designed: a book about people whose bodies create a valuable and addictive drug called Lucid.
Perfect!
(The Designed Series #1)
Publication date: January 26th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction
What if the next new drug was you? Raleigh’s body produces a drug that could define the future of medicine if the dangerous world surrounding it doesn’t kill her first.
Eighteen-year old Raleigh Groves can sense disease in others and is suffering from her own unexplained illness as well. After years and dozens of doctor visits, she has given up hope of ever finding a cure, let alone a diagnosis. Then she meets a man who explains that her talent and curse are linked. Her body produces a drug, Lucidin, which allows her to sense others. She’s rare, and the drug she makes is coveted.
Rho has spent the last few years on the run. The Lucidin that is racing through his system makes him a target. Surrounded by addicts and dealers on one side and scientists and doctors on the other, he has to rely on his wits and his team to stay one step ahead. So far he has stayed afloat, but some of his brothers haven’t been as lucky.
As Rho and Raleigh collide they must face the perilous world of Lucidin together. Nothing is black-and-white and Raleigh must decide where her alliances lie. Sometimes the hardest heart to sense is your own.
Thanks for hosting today, Becky! 🙂