Author Interview: Suzanne Young previews The Program

For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interviewed over 20 authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2012/13.  These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works.  Enjoy!

Please give a warm welcome to Author Suzanne Young (A NEED SO BEAUTIFUL). She’s the first up to give us a super sneak preview of a 2013 book (due in April)… and it’s one that reminds me a bit of ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, which is only like one of my fave movies ever!

Here’s the summary:

When suicide becomes a worldwide epidemic—killing 1 in 3 teens—the only known cure is The Program. It’s a treatment in which painful memories are targeted and erased, restructuring the patient into someone well-adjusted. Content.
 But to seventeen-year-old Sloane Barstow, it’s a fate worse than death. She knows that The Program will steal the memories of her dead brother, the memories of her boyfriend, James. But staying out of The Program is nearly impossible when your friends are dying around you. Especially when there’s no one you can trust—not even your parents.
 When she begins to spiral into a dark depression, Sloane knows her only chance of survival might just involve losing everything. Losing James. She’ll have to fight to remain herself, or learn to live comfortably numb.

ETA: The cover!

And the interview!

Why do you think people are drawn to "dark" stories?

I think like any story, it’s an escape. Most dark stories bring you along with some sort of hope that things can get better (no matter how they end), and I think readers like that feeling. Hope.

If THE PROGRAM had a theme song, what would it be and why?

(I can’t pick just one!! The actual theme song is on the first page of the book and it’s Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd. But my playlist also included Everybody Hurts by R.E.M. and Mad World by Gary Jules

What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why?

POSSESSION by Elana Johnson

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver

…that’s all I’ve got off the top of my head. Sorry!

What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends? (you know, in case it ends next year)

If I was being serious, it would be to travel the world with my family. If I’m only half-serious, it would be to make a cameo on True Blood.

How does your novel stand out from other dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction out there?

THE PROGRAM takes place in the same world as ours, in this time—only things are different. Teen suicide has become an epidemic—the old adage “If all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you too?” Apparently the answer is yes. It’s a story about the depths of depression, and a cure that may be even worse.

Thank you Suzanne!

Visit Suzanne’s website

Follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzanne_young

Add THE PROGRAM to your GoodReads wishlist