Let's Talk Dystopia
Hey,
I'm Cher Jones and welcome to my blog. Those of you familiar with my work will know that I not only write dystopian fiction, but also children's picture books. The way I see it, mixing the riveting but bleak with the quirky and upbeat brings a healthy balance to my writing life. My love of dystopian fiction usually guides my book and film choices. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them! Below are some of my recent finds.
What I’ve been watching
What happened to Monday
The film is based in a society with a one child rule. The punishment for breaking this rule? The ‘extra’ child will be taken away and cryogenically frozen until a time when there are enough resources to support it. When Terrence Settman is left to raise his orphaned septuplet granddaughters, he comes up with a plan to keep them alive. They will take turns being Karen Settman, each taking one day a week. But when Monday goes missing, they must put aside their differences to investigate what happened to her. I loved this film. Noomi Rapace was fantastic, showing her versatility in a wide range of characters. Highly recommended!
What I’ve been reading
Vox
I’m a bit late to the party with this one, as well. Vox by Christina Dalcher has been on my reading list for quite some time. In this dystopian novel, all women and girls in America have been fitted with a bracelet that allocates them a limit of 100 words a day. What happens if they go over it? They are given an electric shock.
Ironically, the protagonist Jean is an expert in aphasia, the loss of language often attributed to damage to the brain. When the government come knocking, asking for her help, Jean must put aside her fear and revulsion to take advantage of an opportunity to save her family. It’s a great book that hammers home the idea that we must all present a united front against forces that might try to victimise any segment of our society. It’s very powerful!
What I’ve been working on
The Seven
I've just sent the final draft of The Seven to my copy editor Sue. It's a slightly different direction than some of my previous books. The main theme is about the battle between angels and demons, good and evil, and nature versus nurture. Do you have a take on this? Are we born evil or can free will over ride our nature? I'd love to hear your views!
For those of you unfamiliar with my work, I'd check out The Book of Jared, the first in the Escaping Sanctuary series. All three books in the series are available in both ebook and paperback. I'm especially proud of it as as I wrote the majority of it during cancer treatment. So, if dystopian societies and a dash of time travel sounds your thing, you can find it here: The Book of Jared. If you want to buy the Escaping Sanctuary Collection, including all three books in the series, click on the title link.
I have two children's books in the pipe line at the moment. Any fan of Zebras here :) ? If I am ever going to get them published I'd best get back to them!
All the best and have a great month!
Cher