Find Me...

Contact Twitter Goodreads Pinterest Facebook Rss Feed

Ratings

My Ratings Guide

Archives

Blog Archive

Powered by Blogger.
Friday 17 July 2015

Synthetica by Rachel Pattinson Blog Tour ~ Author Interview + Giveaway

Tour Schedule


Welcome to my tour stop for 

Synthetica by Rachel Pattinson


Paperback Princess is hosting Synthetica's Author, Rachel Pattinson today, check out the Excerpt for Synthetica and don't forget to enter for your chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card.

About The Author

Rachel Pattinson



Rachel Pattinson graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a BA Hons in Publishing Media. Born and raised in the north of England, she shares a love for anything to do with tea, cake, bread and butter, rain, the dark, lakes, fells and Lord of the Rings. She now lives in Norfolk with her partner in crime, and is currently working on several new projects, including the sequel to Synthetica.


~ Author Interview ~ 


Can you tell us a little bit about your novel, Synthetica, and your inspiration for the story?

I've always loved sci-fi films and books, although I never thought about writing sci-fi myself until Igot the idea for Synthetica. The book is set in a future world, where everyone's actions are monitored by an ID picochip inserted behind their right ear. When technology giant, Civitas, finally announces the launch of their highly anticipated Scholarly Learning Programs, which allow people to download and learn any subject instantly, seventeen-year-old Anais Finch can hardly wait. But when a man calling himself 'the Hacker' manages to manipulate Civitas' programs to his own advantage and starts a war against the Imperial City, it's up to Anais to stop him before he commits his most appalling crime yet.

The idea for Synthetica actually came about while I was watching The Matrix and I began thinking to myself, what if anyone could download knowledge about any subject they liked directly to their brain? And then, what if someone hacked into these programs and used for their own means? It took a couple of months for me to get all the details of this plot worked out, but once I had, I knew this was a book I simply had to write.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book? 

If I'm completely honest, I loved writing from the Hacker's POV. I've always had a soft spot for villains, so when it came to writing his chapters, I just went a bit crazy. I loved exploring his (andmy) dark side and seeing what he would do in certain situations. I loved pushing his boundaries – there were times when I'd write a scene but then afterwards I'd realise that it was too tame for him, and I'd have to go back and rewrite the whole thing. It was so much fun writing about someone who has no rules and no morals...although, I don't think I could stay inside his head for too long withoutdriving myself insane too.

How did you come up with the idea for people being able to change their genes on a whim? 

I'm a huge sims fan. I used to play the game all the time when I was a teenager, and I still like to play now if I get a spare moment. I loved creating sims from scratch and deciding what they looked like and what kind of personality they had. I didn't consciously think of the sims while I was writingthe book, but I have no doubt in my mind that it had an impact on my sub-conscious. Also, I feel like there are a lot of stories in the news and in magazines that focus on cosmetic surgery, and it seems to have become such a normal thing to do that I thought to myself, 'what if in this world, people can simply go out onto the street and change everything about the way they look? What if changing what you look like becomes not only acceptable, but you're actually considered abnormal if you don't do it?' I love taking a concept about technology or society and pushing it as far as I can.

What are you currently reading? 

I'm currently reading Vicious by V E Schwab. I read her book A Darker Shade of Magic earlier this year and loved it, so I thought I'd give this book a try too. I've just read quite a few 'firsts' in a series (Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker and The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey to name a few) and I thought it would be good to read a standalone novel while I wait impatiently for the sequels to come out!

What are you working on now? 

I've just started the first draft for the sequel toSynthetica. I'm so excited to dive back into Anais' world again! I'm also attempting to work on several other projects, including a standalone YA sci-fi, and a brand new fantasy series, but I think I need to complete Anais' story first!

About The Book

Synthetica

by Rachel Pattinson


Series: Synthetica #1
Released: April 1, 2015






This city is falling.

Seventeen-year-old Anais Finch lives in a world where everyone is born beautiful, where every dream is a possibility - and where their every move and every piece of personal information is recorded by an ID picochip inserted behind their right ear. When technology giant, Civitas, finally announces the launch of their highly anticipated Scholarly Learning Programs, which allow people to download and learn any subject instantly, Anais can hardly wait.

But not everyone is pleased with society's progress, and not everyone wants to fit in. When Anais witnesses a brutal murder on an innocent citizen and is implicated in the crime, she becomes determined to uncover the truth, especially when others like it begin to occur all over the city. But it may already be too late for Anais to stop the man who calls himself 'the Hacker' before he commits his most appalling crime yet...


~ Excerpt ~


Anais finished her juice in a couple of swallows. She stood up to put her empty cup in the recycle bin a few paces away. She was concentrating so hard on getting out the last few drops from the bottom of her cup, that she didn't notice the man until it was too late. 

They bumped into each other with some force; there was a small crash as the box he'd been carrying flew to the floor. The lid popped open and a cascade of tiny silver objects burst out and scattered all over the pavement. Anais staggered backwards, her cup dropping to the ground. “I'm so sorry,” she apologised, immediately bending down to pick up the glinting objects. She picked a few up, recognising them as picochips. Puzzled, she stood back up straight. “Here you go, I'm really sorry, I just wasn't -” she stopped abruptly as she held out her hand containing the tiny chips, and she looked up into his face. The man had picked up his box, but he hadn't said a word to her in apology or acknowledgement. Instead, he was staring at her with something remarkably like fury. 

The lower half of his face was covered with what looked like an old pollen mask, designed to make it easier to breathe during the summer months when the air was hazy with dust. His dull black hair hung down to his shoulders, and his silver eyes were so pale, they were almost transparent. He was wearing a battered black jacket, upon which some kind of tatty logo was sewn on in red. There was a black glove on his right hand, which Anais couldn't help thinking was odd in this kind of heat. 

But it was his expression that had made her stop talking. There wasn't an ounce of friendliness or apology in that face. Instead, he was looking at her as though he absolutely despised her. A cold chill ran down Anais' spine. She swallowed nervously. “Um, I'm really sorry,” she managed to whisper. He snatched the picochips she was holding out to him, and with one last contemptuous look, he strode off without a word.

~ Giveaway ~ 



This event is presented to you by
YA Bound Book Tours





0 comments:

Search

Follow Me

Follow on Bloglovin
Button for Paperback Princess

© Paperback Princess | Blog Design by Sarah Bryan | Digital Scrapbooking kits used: Once Upon a Time by Indigo Designs and Enchanted Neighborhood by Irene Alexeeva.