Name of book:
Ambiguous
Sub-genre:
Mystery Thriller, Romance, alternate history, 1984, retrospective fiction, utopian mindsets
What inspired you to write this novel?
Just how I perceived the world, the idea of taking today's concepts and social values then twisting them around and putting them in retrospect was an attractive idea; so I did it.
How many deaths have/will occur?
Hrm... most likely 4 main deaths (some of these characters haven't been developed yet)
How did you develop an interest in dystopias?
Blade Runner (a film by Ridley Scott) got me hooked, been looking for movies and books ever since; a few favorites of mine have been 1984, Children of Men, Brazil and of course Blade Runner itself.
What makes your dystopia a dystopia?
Dystopias are perceived as problems, my story has two classes; those that are happy and unhappy, there's no middle ground to my story; you're either considered good or bad. The society in my book has a certain elephant in the room, everyone seems to be doing okay but if you look behind the mirror a whole country of problems arise, and that's what makes my dystopia a dystopia.
If you had the opportunity to take power in your country, what is the first thing you would change?
Oh gawd... there's a huge list but the first thing would be everything environmental, Australia's future ain't so bright right now :/
Do you feel bad for your characters?
Of course! So much guilt is involved when your characters are placed in terrible situations, but as long as you imagine what you would do in their place; it seems justifiable.
Are any of your characters based on anyone in your life?
I tend to take pieces of people's personalities I know well and mix them up for my characters, a few I thought of from scratch whilst a few were interpretations of my friends and family.
Are you a masochist, sadist, or both?
Haha well... it depends on my mood I guess, but I'd have to say somewhere in the middle; I am leaning towards sadism more though. ;)
Who is/are your favourite character(s) in your novel?
Gotta be Andrew, he's rather inactive in the story at the moment, but it's important to realize he is the main drive of Ambiguous; without Alice he's nothing...
Let’s ask that character a few questions:
Name:
Andrew "Danny" Knight
How old are you?
17 turning 18
On a scale of 1 to 10, how much have you suffered?
8
On a scale of 1 to 10, how privileged are you?
6
What helps you move on?
Thinking about Alice...
What are your dreams/ambitions?
To get away, from England, from everything; either that or have change...
Do you believe you will get there?
I don't believe in anything anymore, but it's probable.
