Author Interview: Bethany Wiggins previews Stung

For my spotlight on upcoming dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction series, I interview authors with novels coming out in the genre in 2013. These are exclusive first looks at exciting new works. Enjoy!

SHIFTING Author Bethany Wiggins is here today to preview her novel STUNG. It comes out April 2, 2013 with Walker Children's.

Here's the summary:

There is no cure for being stung. 

Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered, her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand, a black oval with five marks on either side, that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. And she’s right. When the honeybee population collapsed, a worldwide pandemic occurred and the government tried to bio-engineer a cure. Only the solution was deadlier than the original problem, the vaccination turned people into ferocious, deadly beasts who were branded as a warning to unvaccinated survivors. Key people needed to rebuild society are protected from disease and beasts inside a fortress-like wall. But Fiona has awakened branded, alone, and on the wrong side of the wall ...

Here's the cover:

And here's the interview:

Why do you think people are drawn to "dark" stories?
I think people are drawn to dark stories because they can relate to them. Everyone has dark times in their lives. Everyone! But when you read about someone else's dark times, you escape from your own.

If STUNG had a theme song, what would it be and why?
Angels & Airwaves "Secret Crowds." The reason this is THE theme song is, in part, for this one line: Watch your words spread hope like fire. Stung is all about hope, when it seems that hope is gone.

And in part because it is a song about this guy who wants more than anything else to make a perfect world for someone:
If I had my own world

I'd build you an empire
From here to the far lands
To spread love like violence

What fictional character from another book would your main character chose as his/her best friend and why?
My main character, Fiona, would really benefit from the friendship of Princess Leia. Leia is tough, she knows how to use a gun, and she's a fighter!

What are your top 5 Dystopian lit recs and why?
Veronica Roth's "Divergent"--because it is awesome.
Elana Johnson's "Possession"--because she can do character voice like no other.
"Z For Zachariah" by Robert C. O'brien--because I read this book 20+ years ago and I can still remember it!
"Uglies"--because it was my first taste of modern dystopian.
"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card. Does this count as dystopian? (I actually haven't read that much dystopian!)

What's on the top of your to-do list before the world ends?
Raise my children! Go bungee jumping again. Have fun every single day. Make a difference--for good--in the lives of others.

How does your novel stand out from others in the genre?
My novel stands out because it is based on truth. It is centered around a world without bees, and every day we hear more and more about colony collapse, and the possibility that bees may one day be extinct. It is also about the consequence of the government making a vaccination that has a really bad affect on children--it turns them into ferocious beasts. As a mother, that is one of my fears every time I watch my children injected with something.

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Visit's Bethany's website

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