BooksChatter: ℚ♫ Artificial: The Kepler Chronicles [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Jadah McCoy to talk about Artificial (4 April 2016, Curiosity Quills Press, 225 pages), a New Adult Science Fiction novel, book one of The Kepler Chronicles series.

Praise for Artificial:

"It was a perfectly enjoyable light read, but its the setting and set-up for the next in the series that holds the most interest and promise for me. In McCoy's world humanity has built its legacy and fuelled its expansion with slavery not for the first time in its history, which has backfired severely. With humanity laid so low for so long, something surely has to change? I look forward to finding out." - Lisa Trott, SFBook.com

“Wow. I think I need a day or two to recover from the awesomeness of this book. Not even joking. It was the type of book that sinks its claws in you, drags you into the characters' world, and makes you not want to leave. I wanted the book to keep going and going....and then it said "Epilogue" and I about threw my Kindle. It was that good.” – Meghan Lloyd

“There were so many things I just really adored about this book, the subtle humor (the bit about processed food and the Smurfs was great), honest, realistic, tough characters, the imaginative universe; I could keep going on and on but I definitely see myself reading the next book in this series and I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone looking for something unique and exciting to add to their reading list.” - Taylor

Synopsis | Teaser | Author Q&A | About the Author | Giveaway & Tour Stops

A very warm welcome to Jadah McCoy; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

Here at BooksChatter we love music, so Jadah has shared with us her music playlist for Artificial - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for Artificial?

"Well, I knew I wanted to write something post-apocalyptic, but the characters and plot came later—like 5,000 words later.

The story actually began as a one line prompt for a short story contest, and that’s where my female main character’s name, Sylvia, came from. These two amazing, complex characters blossomed, Syl and Bastion—both haunted by the worlds they live in, Elite and New Elite, both so dangerous in different ways.

The plot confounded me. I thought, what would create the most tension in Syl’s story? And then it came to me—our heroine turns into the creature she fears most. It was all cake from there!"

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"There’s a lot of me reflected in the characters, I think. Sylvia is fiercely independent, balks when told what to feel and do. She’s sharp and hard at times, not easy to get along with because of her ‘spiritedness.’ But she has this hidden tenderness and vulnerability that makes you want to weather her occasional unpleasantness.

Bastion is all bravado and sassy snark. An interesting character for sure, but sometimes you can see beneath his mask to the self-doubt beneath."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Artificial - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I used Regina Wamba with MaeIDesign. Her work is AH-MAZING! When I hired her, she gave me an extensive questionnaire to fill out, listing the novel’s themes, my vision, etc.

I wanted it to reflect a sort of duality—dark versus light, human versus machine, yada yada. I left her to do her thing, and she later sent me a mock up, which I made comments and changes to. Finally we came to the gorgeous completed design of my cover!"

Why should we read Artificial and what sets it apart from the rest?

"If you want a read with great world building, multi-dimensional characters with believable dialogue, slow burn romance, and a deeper overall theme that makes you think, Artificial is the book for you!

I wrote Artificial in first person, present tense because I wanted the novel to have a cinematic, in-your-face sense of suspense and danger. And haters of insta-love, look no further! Insta-love being my ultimate writing pet peeve, it was important to me to flesh out the relationship between Syl and Bastion. I think a lot of authors forget that characters need chemistry, just like real people need chemistry. All of that makes for a read you (hopefully) can’t put down!"

Can you tell us something quirky about Artificial, its story and characters?

"This book actually began as a short story for a one-line prompt contest. I was going to shelf it, then I sent it to my critique partner who basically forced me to make a novel out of it. You guys can thank her for Bastion’s existence. She told me this book was the one, and I guess she was right!"

Who would you recommend Artificial to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I would recommend Artificial to teens sixteen and older, and to adults who enjoy gritty SciFi with a hint of romance.

As for warnings… *deep inhale*
Strong language warning (Syl has a foul mouth), and a gore and disturbing scenes warning. There is a scene where Syl’s genes are spliced, and, as I don’t shy away from descriptive language (as one reviewer so kindly put), some may find it a little gross and unnerving. "

If you could / wished to turn Artificial and the The Kepler Chronicles series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Oh man! Haley Bennett or Amber Heard for Syl, Douglas Booth for Bastion, Alan Cumming for Michelo the Mechanic.

Not sure about the director…but I would want either Daft Punk or Hans Zimmer to do the score.

The location would probably be mostly CGI at this point…"

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I dabble in a couple of genres. My first two manuscripts were fantasy, which is mainly what I read. I’m also trying my hand at horror as well, and would like to eventually write a travel memoir!"

What is your writing process?

"My writing process is to vom words onto a page. Honestly, if I didn’t do that, I would nit-pick the story to death.

I find the most efficient way for me to draft is in “layers.” Get the ugly first draft down, then keep writing drafts until all the details I want are there.

After that, I send the manuscript to a couple of critique partners.

After those edits, it gets sent to a professional editor."

What is in store next?

"Book two in this series, titled Organic, is slated for a Spring 2017 release.

I’m currently writing the third book in the series, due out 2018. And I have lots of shiny ideas in my head, including a horror and fantasy series, as well as a prequel for my Kepler Chronicles trilogy. So, lots to work on!!"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?