The
Making of Vanquished
By Katie Clark
Thank you for having me today! I’m thrilled to
introduce your readers to my debut novel, Vanquished.
People are always asking me how I got the idea for Vanquished, and since it’s a story I love telling I am happy to
share it.
Writing young adult novels came naturally, because I
trained in writing for children and teens. Besides, I enjoyed reading YA, so
writing it was an obvious choice.
However, this wasn’t an easy idea. It came to me in
bits and pieces over the course of a few years. It started with the main
character, Hana. I was always thinking about this girl. This strong but
vulnerable girl. She wanted to believe in the life she’d been led to live. She
wanted to follow the rules. Except she couldn’t.
At that time, I had no idea what brought about her
unhappiness or dissatisfaction, I only knew she needed to work toward something
more.
Fast forward a year or two, I was given the idea to
write a story set in a world where there was no God. No Bible. No religion.
Would this world be better? Worse? And how? I had no idea how to make this
story happen, but the idea stuck in my head and percolated.
Finally, the two halves came together to make a
whole. One day I was sitting in church (yes, I admit I was daydreaming), and it
hit me. These two stories were the same story. Hana was dissatisfied because
she suspected there was more than met the eye in her city, and she set out to
find it. Her mom was sick, and she needed answers. What she uncovered went way
beyond hidden medications and technology—what she found was the truth that the
God she’d been told was myth might not be myth at all. The story just flew from
there, and it didn’t end for three books!
I hope you all read and enjoy the entire Enslaved Series, or will consider giving
it to the teen readers in your life. Connecting with the young adult audience
is so important to the success of the series, and my focus has been on schools
and church youth groups so far. Writing the series was an emotional and
thrilling ride, and it is my prayer that the story will end up in exactly the
right hands. Will they be yours?
About Vanquished:
When Hana’s mom
is diagnosed with the mutation, she is denied the medication that might save
her life. Fischer, a medic at the
hospital, implies there are people who can help—except Hana’s not sure she can
trust him; Fischer is involved in a religious group, and religion has been
outlawed for the last hundred years.
Hana embarks on a dangerous journey, seeking the answers Fischer insists
are available. When the truth is uncovered does Hana stick to what she
knows? Or does she join the rebellion,
taking a stand against an untrustworthy society?
KATIE CLARK writes young adult speculative fiction,
including her dystopian Enslaved
Series, made up of Vanquished,
Deliverance, and Redeemer. The
books released in paperback in September, and will release in ebook form on
November 22, 2014. You can connect with Katie at her website,
on Facebook,
or on Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment