In a post-apocalyptic world, where the earth is buried by asteroid dust that’s mutated the DNA of some humans, orphaned, sixteen-year-old Glory must hide and protect her younger brother. If their Deviant abilities are discovered, they’ll be expunged—kicked out of the dome to be tortured and killed by the Shredders. Glory would give anything to get rid of her unique ability to kill with her emotions, especially when Cal, the boy she’s always liked, becomes a spy for the authorities. But when her brother is discovered, and she learns their father, who was expunged for killing their mother, is still alive, she must escape the domed city that’s been her entire world.
Outside in the ruins, they’re pursued by the authorities and by sadistic, scab-covered Shredders who are addicted to the lethal-to-humans dust now covering the planet. Glory’s quests to transport herself and her brother to safety make up the thrilling and fascinating first volume of The Dust Chronicles.
“Exciting… McGowan keeps the suspense throbbing…” – Kirkus Reviews
Admit it, you're intrigued, right? So was I! And after I had the luck of reading an advance copy of DEVIANTS and devouring it at record speed, I knew I wanted to have Maureen swing by Honestly YA once the book was available for purchase -- and luckier still, she agreed to answer some questions for us! Read on to learn more about Maureen and DEVIANTS...
1. What book spoke to you
most during your teen years?
During my teen years, I mostly read adult books to be honest (see my answer to #4). The only book that springs to mind from my teen years (as opposed to pre-teen), is ENDLESS LOVE, by Scott Spencer. I think it was marketed as an adult book, but I’m pretty sure if it were released today, it would marketed as YA. (I only hope they wouldn’t tame down the sex scenes, because, um, that’s probably why I loved it so much.)
I just checked... and the
book has been re-packaged to look more YA. According to Amazon, it was
originally published in 1979 and hailed as one of the best books of the year by
the New York Times. Read it if you haven’t. J There’s also a movie
from the early 80’s with a young Brooke Shields, but the book is better...
2. Do you have a book (or
books) that you reread regularly? If yes, what book and why?
I’m not a big re-reader.
It’s funny, because I can see movies and favorite TV episodes over and over,
but for me, the enjoyment and experience of a book is usually in the first
read. Once I know what’s going to happen, some of the magic goes out. Since I
started writing, I’ve reread the beginnings of books I admire, but often with a
writerly eye, looking for technique, rather than as a reader.
That said, as a kid I did
re-read The Lion the Witch and the
Wardrobe several times. And The
Hobbit. And I’ve read Pride and Prejudice
more than once. I love Lizzie’s wit and that book has the best bungled
proposals ever. And, well, I did reread parts of Endless Love several times as teen. If you’ve read it, you can
guess which parts.
I’ve loved so many YA
novels over the past few years, so this one is hard. But two very different
ones that really stood out to me are Blood
Red Road, by Moira Young and For
Darkness Shows the Stars, by Diana Peterfreund. I’m currently midway
through Susan Ee’s Angelfall and
really enjoying it too. It’s very exciting!
4. How have those earlier
book-loving years impacted your decisions as an author? In other words, did
love of those early books make you want to write teen fiction?
My early love of books
definitely made me want to be a writer, but it’s funny... my experience with
teen fiction—when I was a teen—probably kept me from writing YA longer than it
should have.
I wish there’d been more
YA books back then, similar to the ones available now!
But there weren’t. So,
from about age thirteen, I mostly read adult books (don’t tell my mom), because
most books being published for the YA market (in the dark ages) were decidedly
juvenile. Some were heavy-handed “message books” and the ones that weren’t,
were basically tamed down genre fiction. Genre fiction minus the elements that
make people love genre fiction: Thrillers with no violence or thrills,
mysteries with no murders and/or with obvious clues, romances with no sexual
tension, horror with nothing gory or scary. Is it any wonder that most teens
either stopped reading or switched to adult books?
When the YA market
started to take off this past decade, I assumed that to write YA I’d have to
tone down my voice, tone down my ideas, tone down my plots—tone down
everything. Boy was I wrong! In fact, I think it’s almost the opposite these
days. I think some of the best, most exciting fiction currently being published
is for the teen market.
Once I realized that, (The Hunger Games was the first book that
changed my perspective), I decided to try writing YA. Once I saw the light, I
focused on writing books I would have liked to read as a teen—frankly, books
I’d like to read now.
5. That’s enough of that. Let’s talk about DEVIANTS now! What inspired you to write this story? Was there one (or more) particular thing(s) that captured your creativity?
The original spark came
from melding two different ideas. My apocalypse idea came to me when that
volcano erupted in Iceland a few years ago, disrupting global travel. What
would happen, I wondered, if something similar happened but on a more
catastrophic scale? What if not only travel, but global communications were cut
off for an extended period of time?
The other half of the
idea was more about Glory’s character. More on that below!
6. How did the character
of Glory develop? Did she “come to you” all at once or did she develop as you
wrote her story?
At the same time I was
thinking about my “apocalypse” idea, I was developing what I thought would be a
sexy, urban fantasy series for adults. In that story idea, the main character,
Glory, was a double-agent who never showed her emotions—and was hiding a very
big secret. A secret she couldn’t share, even with people who loved her,
without risking death.
I wanted her to have two
love interests, neither of whom were viable choices for her. One because he
worked for the enemy and would kill her if he learned her secret, and the other
because he was dangerous and she could never trust him. I figured she’d get
unconditional love and support from the first man (but feel guilty about it),
and get mind-blowingly-hot-sex from the other. ;)
When I was brainstorming
that idea one night with my fabulous critique partners, I told them why I
thought Glory was so closed off emotionally—what had happened to her as a teen.
And they simultaneously shouted, “Write that book, instead!” And I realized
they were right. The backstory of what happened to Glory as a teen was more
compelling than her adult story. Or at least just as compelling.
At some point, I realized
I could put a teen version of Glory into my post-apocalyptic setting and the
story developed from there.
7. You’ve set the
DEVIANTS world in a future society but I suspect you have a North American
landscape in mind. Did any portions of the Great White Canadian north inspire
you?
Great question.J I never say where Haven is located in DEVIANTS,
but in my mind it’s set in parts of the former Toronto. “The Hub” is
Yonge-Dundas Square, if anyone knows the city.
I wanted Haven to be in a
large urban setting that would have been the headquarters for a lot of big
corporations and banks—BTD (before the dust). But I also wanted a city that
would be within a reasonable distance from landscape filled with bare rocks and
lakes. The area immediately around Toronto is fertile farmland, but it’s
surprising how quickly the landscape changes when you drive north.
I’ve written a short
story called “Out of the Ashes” that’s set when Haven is being constructed. In
that story, the setting is firmly Toronto. “Out of the Ashes” was published in
Canada, in May 2012, by McGraw-Hill Ryerson, in an anthology for high school
English classes, and I hope it will become more widely available sometime next
year. Stay tuned!
8. I loved a lot of
things about DEVIANTS, but one of the things that impressed me most was that
this book is the first of a trilogy but absolutely works as a stand-alone. I’m
curious and eager to read book two, but am not frustrated by unanswered
questions; I just want to see how Glory handles her next challenge. Was that a
conscious decision on your part?
Thank you! Yes. Glory’s
story is firmly a trilogy in my mind, but I wanted each book to stand alone as
a complete story. I’m just finishing edits for book #2, COMPLIANCE, which will
be out in May, 2013, and I think/hope it stands alone too. In my wildest
dreams, readers will be able to start the trilogy with either DEVIANTS or
COMPLIANCE, but I hope if they start with COMPLIANCE they’ll be curious enough
to go back and read the first book—and then move on to the third! After that,
my world domination plot will be complete! *rubs hands together*
9. What books or films
would you say “if you liked XYZ, you’ll love DEVIANTS”?
I think readers of books
like: THE HUNGER GAMES, DIVERGENT, FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, THE MAZE RUNNER,
and BLOOD RED ROAD would all love DEVIANTS. Basically any readers who love
action, high stakes and hot hunky heroes. I wanted to combine the action and
pacing from books by authors like Suzanne Collins and James Dashner, with the
high emotion romance from authors like Carrie Ryan or even (cough) Stephenie
Myer.
10. What’s next on your
author horizon?
COMPLIANCE (The Dust Chronicles #2) comes out May 21, 2013, and I’m working on finishing the third book (tentatively titled GLORY). After that... I’m planning another series, but I can’t talk about that one yet. J
Maureen, thank you so much for coming and visiting with Honestly YA!
Thanks so much for having
me today!

Maureen McGowan always
loved writing fiction, but side-tracked by a persistent practical side, it took
her a few years to channel her energy into novels. After leaving a career in
finance and accounting, she hasn't looked back.
Aside from her love of
books, she's passionate about films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes.
She lives and writes in
Toronto, Canada where she attends the Toronto International Film Festival each
year.
Readers can find Maureen online here:
Website: www.maureenmcgowan.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/MaureenMcGowanBooks
Twitter: @MaureenMcGowan
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Maureen-McGowan/e/B004APTQBK/
Readers, it's your turn! Honestly YA is giving away a copy of Maureen McGowan's DEVIANTS. For a chance to enter, follow the blog and leave a comment below answering the following question:
In DEVIANTS, Glory subsidizes her meager food supplies by hunting and cooking rats. Do you think you could do the same? Could you hunt and eat small animals to survive?
Let's hear from you!
~Jen
In DEVIANTS, Glory subsidizes her meager food supplies by hunting and cooking rats. Do you think you could do the same? Could you hunt and eat small animals to survive?
Let's hear from you!
~Jen