Nick Wilford, Black and White

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?

I don’t often get political, but with Donald Trump in power, I don’t think we can really predict anything and we can’t rule anything out either. The world I’ve built might look very attractive to a lot of people. No dirt or disease, no need to worry about dying at an untimely age or – at a more everyday level – scrubbing your floor or keeping the dust under control.

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

Meet the author:

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!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Stormy Predictions

The weather reports for this past Saturday called for our area of Penns Woods to receive 1-2 inches of snow followed by a short period of sleet and freezing rain, all to end by the middle of the morning.  For lots of different reasons including our day jobs and our recreational interests, my family always checks the weather forecast a number of times per day.  As experience weather watchers, we didn't trust a thing the TV said.  How often are those reports correct, after all?  Around six inches of snow fell upon us with no sleet or freezing rain.  We weren't shocked.

From FB

I'm not one of those people who get mad at the weathermen because they're so often wrong.  It's a tough job filled with so many variables beyond a mortal's ability to predict.  It reminds me of the publishing industry right now and writing in general.

Who can predict what genre of book will be the next hot thing? Zombies, hobbits, fairy tale characters, angels, or something other than fantasy characters? Maybe the entire paranormal thing will go away. Will dystopia lose its appeal if the economy improves? What is next after ebooks? Interactive books? Can everyone become a published author? Will the big NY publishers be able to stay in business?

No one knows. I eagerly read blogs and articles in writing magazines as industry professionals advise wielders of the pen what paths they should take, what preparations to make, to stay afloat and ahead of the stormy weather to come. 

But storms, while dangerous, can also be lovely, exciting things. The rapid changes in the world of publishing is thrilling to be a part of as long as one keeps running to keep up with it.  So like the weather forecasters, I don't expect anyone to be able to predict exactly what will happen next and how I should guide my career to be safe and successful when changes come.  I can only listen and then make my own calls and judgements based on my experience. 

Does the rapidly changing world of books leave you feeling adrift in a storm at times? Are you enjoying the thrill of being part of these sweeping changes and the progress of technology overtaking the writing world?

Always the Bad Guy

I was watching a TV show recently, one of the cops and crooks things, and the good guys were trying to figure out who dunnit.  As soon as a clue led them to a state senator, I knew who the offender would be. It's always the politician.  It's so easy to paint just about any part of the government as someone looking out for their own personal interest instead of the welfare of the people they're sworn to serve.

It happens in books also. The leaders in the government are seldom portrayed as anything other than self-serving, arrogant and without ethics or morals.  This holds true in most genres of fiction, contemporary, fantasy, scifi or historical and perhaps especially dystopian. Why?

There's probably lots of answers to that but I think today's economical and political climate allows for the easy acceptance to the possible reality of our own government being the cause of all our misery. Corruption and greed make for some great conflicts in a novel.  In fantasy, a little magic is usually added to complicate the battle of good citizens versus bad rulers. 

So do you see the theme of the government as bad guys in lots and lots of novels and other entertainment media? Do you have a theory as to why it's so widely used as the conflict in fiction?