Hi
Susan. Thanks for offering to host me as part of my tour. Today I’d like to
share some thoughts about the world I’ve created and engage your readers in a
debate, if that’s not too heavy for a
Monday!
How
likely is it that we will end up living in a society like
Harmonia?
On the
surface, this is a utopia, the opposite of a dystopia. But that’s it – the
surface is just about as far as things go. It’s the very definition of an
insular society, cut off and without any contact with the outside world. Indeed,
its near neighbour is painted by the government as a netherworld-type region
populated by demons. In the current world, large swathes seem to be going
backwards and becoming more distrustful of other cultures instead of more open.
What if someone came along who promised to close the doors completely – the
ultimate expression of looking after number
one?
There
are other ways in which Harmonia might be seen as an extension of the society
we’ve got today. With the all-consuming rise of social media, families seem to
spend less time just being together and we’ve got the problem of phones at the
dinner table. In Harmonia, only one child is allowed per family and each member
of the group basically operates as a self-contained unit. It’s a cold society
in which people simply go through the motions. Apparently fair on the surface,
with passes in school exams being guaranteed, the type of job you get after
leaving school is determined by how many extra study hours you log. This is
another thing that leaves children to spend long hours on their
pads.
Divorce
rates are very low, but at the same time there is very little affection between
married couples. They are simply units that ensure the propagation of the
species. The sex act itself has been genetically phased out – far too messy and
too many diseases at play – but of course, this removes a level of
closeness.
Where do
you think we’re heading as a society? Is a world like Harmonia something that
you could foresee in our
future?
Title: Black &
White
Author: Nick
Wilford
Genre: YA dystopian
Series
#: 1 of 3
Release date: 18th September
2017
Publisher: Superstar Peanut
Publishing
Blurb:
What is the price paid for the creation of a perfect
society?
In Whitopolis, a gleamingly white city of the future where illness has been eradicated, shock waves run through the populace when a bedraggled, dirt-stricken boy materialises in the main street. Led by government propaganda, most citizens shun him as a demon, except for Wellesbury Noon – a high school student the same age as the boy.
Upon befriending the boy, Wellesbury feels a connection that he can’t explain – as well as discovering that his new friend comes from a land that is stricken by disease and only has two weeks to live. Why do he and a girl named Ezmerelda Dontible appear to be the only ones who want to help?
As they dig deeper, everything they know is turned on its head – and a race to save one boy becomes a struggle to redeem humanity.
Purchase
Links:
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Barnes &
Noble / Kobo / iBooks
Add it on Goodreads
Nick Wilford is a
writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those early
morning times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a
little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working he can
usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has
four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also the editor
of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. Visit him at
his blog or connect
with him on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook,
or Amazon.
Enter the giveaway for a chance to
win a copy of my collection A Change of Mind and Other Stories or a $10
giftcard!
