I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for DISRUPTION by Jessica Shirvington! I freaking LOVED this book more than I thought I would! I have an interview with Jessica to share with you today!
Haven't heard of THE BLACK KEY? Check it out!
Author: Jessica Shirvington
Pub. Date: October 4, 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 416
Formats: Paperback, audiobook
Find it: Amazon, Barnes& Noble, GoodreadsWhat if a microchip could identify your perfect match? What if it could be used against you and the ones you love? Eight years ago, Mercer Corporation’s M-Bands became mandatory. An evolution of the smartphone, the bracelets promised an easier life with their pheromone technology. But instead—they have come to control it. Two years ago, Maggie Stevens watched helplessly as her own father was taken from her, shattering her world as she knew it. Now, Maggie is ready to fight back. And Quentin Mercer—the very heir to the M-Corp empire—has become key to Maggie’s plan. But as the pieces of her dangerous design fall into place, could Quentin’s involvement destroy everything she’s fought for? In a world full of broken promises, the ones Maggie must keep could be the most heartbreaking.
Check out the trailer!
Now on to the interview!
Hi Jessica! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books! DISRUPTION
was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for everyone to read it! And am so
happy that you could stop by for a visit!
Hi Jaime, Thanks so much for
having me as a guest. I’m so excited about the release of Disruption and I’m
thrilled you enjoyed it. I really appreciate you taking the time to include it
on your awesome blog! My answers are below and please don’t hesitate to ask if
there is anything I can be of assistance with.
Jess xx
For the readers:
can you tell us a little bit about DISRUPTION and the characters?
We have developed our love of the
smartphone and it has now evolved into something … more. Now, we are all
microchipped and we wear M-Bands on our wrists that give us the ability to get
compatibility readings from our pheromones. When we pass another person, we get
a rating. They could be a friendship match, lust match, long term relationship
or even a true match. But as with everything, there must be balance so there is
also a very small percent of the population who rate as ‘negs’ with everyone.
These people are seen as the pollution to society and removed for
‘rehabilitation’.
Maggie’s father rated as a ‘neg’
and she has spent the last two years putting a plan in motion to set up the
heir to M-Corp so she can use him to gain access to the underground facility
where all the negs are processed. She is going to find her dad. Maggie has
lied, cheated and blackmailed her way to where she is and now that she has Quentin
right where she wants him, nothing is going to stand in her way.
This is a duology
right? Can you tell us what you’re working on now? I’m assuming book 2
CORRUPTION is finished right?
Yes, Disruption is a duology and
the sequel, Corruption will be out in March 2017. Right now I’m in the final
stages of a new manuscript (insert nervous happy dance!). It is YA (of course),
but perhaps at the older end of my previous works. It’s about a girl called
Abigail who has lived in self-sustainable communities her entire life, moving
from one to the next as her parents have travelled between America and Italy.
She is content with her place in the world, however, when she narrowly escapes
her Italian community of five hundred citizens after they are systematically
murdered, she is suddenly thrust into the mainstream world. Determined to
protect Luca, the boy her papa gave his life to save, Abigail escapes with him
into the mountains along with Elijah, a Vatican secret service operative and
Larson, a journalist for the BBC. It seems half the world is chasing them, but
why? Despite their differences, the four of them must now work together to stay
alive and uncover the truth.
What do you think? :)
Were any of the
characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
I think all of my characters are,
on some level, inspired by people in my life. It is impossible for them not to
be. However, I don’t want any of my fictional character becoming too much like
anyone I know – because for me, that takes away the ‘fiction’
element which is so important. Writing and reading fiction is all about escape
and about bending and stretching my imagination. It is something I like to
remind myself of often.
Who was your
favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
Gus was fun. He pretty much wrote
himself. I was always excited to play around with scenes he was in.
Most challenging was probably Travis.
He is in Corruption as well and finding the right balance for his character
took time. I was really happy with the outcome.
What is your
favorite passage/scene in DISRUPTION?
Probably chapter 15, when Maggie
goes down into the tunnels and meets Sarah. Maggie has been down there,
searching for her father so many times and she never stays and helps anyone
else. She knows the risk is too high. But when she meets Sarah, something
happens and for the first time, she throws caution to the wind and tries to save
her. I think this scene and its outcome is pivotal to Maggie’s story.
What kind of
research did you have to do for the story?
I travel to every place I write
about. I set my books in different cities around the world and I made a promise
to myself that I would never write where I did not go. So…research
is awesome! I spent a couple of weeks in Arlington and Bluemont, Virginia and
explored as many of the areas described in the book as possible. One of the
most exciting things I did was drive out to a tiny pub in the middle of nowhere
to meet with an ex-CIA operative who told me all about the secret underground
facility I have used in the book. It was an incredible, once in a lifetime
experience. I spent hours in that little pub and learnt so much. There is no
way the story would be the same without that research trips.
I also spend a lot of time at my
computer doing the less exciting research. For Disruption there was quite a lot
of scientific research to do with microchipping and pheromones. Did you know
that when pesticides are made to deal with crop insects, instead of just making
a chemical which will kill the insects, they make a formula that changes the
insect’s pheromone signature and thereby stops insects from mating and
reproducing? And did you know this process is called …
DISRUPTION ;-)
Who is your
ultimate book boyfriend?
All the ones that grow into men
who are strong enough to love a girl completely, stand for her and stand for
themselves at the same time. Seems so simple…right?
What inspired you
to write YA?
I read YA. I love YA. When I
stared writing there was never any thought about what genre I would write, it
was instantly YA. I think I love it because it’s raw and an opportunity to
discover ‘firsts’ for many characters. It is exciting because the characters
can make rash and dramatic decisions more easily and I love that no one has to
worry too much about paying the mortgage!
Lightening Round
Questions
What are you
reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
I just finished: And I Darken by
Kiersten White.
Next up: Nevernight by Jay
Kristoff.
What Hogwarts
House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
I’d be headmaster (haha!)
Twitter or
Facebook?
Apparently Instagram is all the
rage, so I just signed up. I’m terribly low tech (I know, I know!). Anyway, if
anyone wants to follow me I’m Twitter: @JessShirvington,
Facebook/JessicaShirvington and Instagram: JessicaShirvington. Feel free to
stop by and give me social media tips!
Favorite
Superhero?
Superman. Come on – he’s
from another world!
Favorite TV show?
Since Gossip Girl is no more, I
have to go with Modern Family
Sweet or Salty?
Salty. But Sweet works in a pinch.
Any Phobias?
Heights.
Song you can’t get
enough of right now?
Anything Adele and love The
Wanderings of the Avener album
Winter Movie
you’re most looking forward to?
Star Wars.
Thanks so much Jessica for answering my questions! I can’t wait for
everyone to read DISRUPTION!
About Jessica
JESSICA SHIRVINGTON lives in Sydney with her husband of
twelve years, FOXTEL presenter and former Olympic sprinter Matt Shirvington,
and their two daughters. She has previously founded and run a coffee
distribution company, Stella Imports, in London, and been involved in managing
the restaurants Fuel Bistro, Tow Bar and MG Garage in Sydney. She is currently
a full-time mum, author and co-director in the company MPS Investments Pty Ltd.
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