Monday, July 29, 2013

Author Interview with Lydia Kang + Giveaway: $15 Amazon Gift Card + Control Swag

Hi guys! Today I will be interviewing Lydia Kang, the author of one of my most anticipated YA debuts for this year - Control. The giveaway later is for swag lovers.


How would you describe your writing style?
No one's ever asked me this before! It's kind of hard to answer. I guess I see similarities between my writing and Suzanne Collins, Marie Lu, and Veronica Rossi.


If you could write a novel from another genre, what would it be?
Historical. Well, I did once but it's shelved. :) I'd love to write a story that takes place in the Jazz era of Manhattan.


My favorite question: What or who inspired Control?
A very unusual medical illness called Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome, also sometimes referred to as Ondine's Curse. I imagined how difficult it would be to live with a disease that could make you could die in your sleep from not being able to breathe enough, or make you think about every single breath. My main character has this problem.


Tell us about the story world of Control.
It takes place in 2150, and what's different now is all the States have banded together according to ideology. So there are combo states, like Nebraska and Iowa = Neia (I often used the state abbreviations to make the new State names). Some are extremely conservative, others not. But more importantly, the federal government has decided that human DNA cannot be manipulated within humans. Only pure DNA is allowed. You can guess the rest!


Since it's a century and a half into the future, can you tell us of the latest technology and developments?
Things like driving cars are a thing of the past, only done by a few rare hobbyists. Food is loaded up into machines called "efferents" that do all the cooking and prep for you. Punch in some buttered toast, coq au vin and creme brûlée and it's done. Wish I had one of these...


How do you balance the romantic and scientific elements in Control?
No balance needed. They were separate things, really, that interwove when needed. I was serious about the science, but not so heavy handed that it reads like a lecture. The romance is delicate and fractured and new. It was so fun to write.


If you could bring Zel to the present, what would you give her?
OMG, I would give her a hug! And tell her how awesome she is. And then I'd lend her my clothes, because she dresses like a recluse. And then I'd give her my favorite book of poetry.


When it comes to character development, do you have a strategy?
Make them change, but don't make them perfect.


What is next for Lydia Kang?
The sequel! It's going to be out Winter 2015. It's title is tentatively called Catalyst, but will likely change. After that, who knows? I've got a handful of ideas waiting in the wings. :)


Lydia Kang is an author of young adut fiction, poetry, and narrative non-fiction. She graduated from Columbia University and New York University School of Medicine and completed her residency and chief residency at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. She is a practicing physician who has gained a reputation for helping fellow writers achieve medical accuracy in fiction. Her poetry and fiction have been published in JAMA, The Annals of Internal Medicine, Canadian Medical Association Journal, and Hektoen International. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three children and a terrarium full of stick bugs. She believes in science and knocking on wood, and is an unapologetic salt addict.

Follow Lydia: Website | Blog | Twitter

Book Description:

Hardcover, 400 pages
December 26th 2013, Dial Books for Young Readers

An un-putdownable thriller for fans of Uglies

When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn't even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.

A spiraling, intense, romantic story set in 2150—in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms—this is about the human genetic “mistakes” that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.

“Control blew me away.”—James Dashner, New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner trilogy

What's up for grabs?


Open internationally!
You should be at least 13 years old.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

22 comments:

  1. I love Dystopian novels! It kind of gives one hope for the present because it puts it in a perspective of "things could always be worse."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much for this fantastic giveaway! I am really interested in this book, which caught my eye instantly with its unusual cover! I adore dytopian and so shall definately be adding it to my to-read shelf.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brilliant Lydia!! Thanks for the interview - what a pleasure! All the best to Lydia and Control! Poor Zel! I want to give her a hug too - but maybe not lend her any of my fuddy duddy clothes caked in cat hair...! Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes i am ! Kisses from Romania!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great interview. Loved hearing more about Control and Lydia's world building. Can't wait to read this.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Enjoyed the interview! It's nice to get to know Lydia better. :) Thank you both!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The more I read about Control, the more I am excited to read it when it debuts. Terrific interview!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very exciting! Great interview.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for the giveaway. Control seems like an interesting book. So excited to pick it up!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Omg, best giveaway! Thank you for sharing :D I love the interview too. <3 Sounds like an amazing book and I would love to read it :) I had a tiny accident while entering my GFC name as an entry (A) I follow via GFC as Carina Olsen :)
    Love, Carina

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for the giveaway! :D Control sounds like a great novel. Definitely going to check it out.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think that's a cool title for the sequel. Hope it sticks. And I want a efferents as well.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for the giveaway! This sounds like an interesting book.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great interview! The book sounds like a great read. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Break a Leg Lydia! Can't wait til your sequel comes out! Long time to wait!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sometimes with the government spying on us in all its myriad ways, I feel that perhaps we are already living in a Dystopian Society in its embryo form! Alex is right: that is a good name for a sequel. :-)

    I love writing about the jazz greats (and ghosts) in my haunted jazz club. You should visit someday -- but bring your husband, pepper spray, and an exorcist!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm so excited to read this book and I love the coevr art :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh I'm so excited , it's gonna be a good summer read.
    Noor @ Noor's Place

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you so much for the giveaway :DDD!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I can't wait for Control! It sounds amazing.
    Thanks for the giveaway, Precious. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. sounds amazing. i'm definitely going to get this book! wonderful giveaway!

    ReplyDelete