Influence
Not long ago, I got into a new author ring in a host of giveaways. I joined the street team for a new series of Sci-fi Dystopian novels, the first one named Influence. I was hesitant at first because I am not big on sci-fi books but, reading the summary, I thought it sounded interesting and decided to give it a shot. Plus, ok I was judging a book by it's cover. How could I not? It is beautiful!
David Bernstein is the author of this wonderful book. An up and coming Indie author, who I think has a great chance on making his stamp in the YA world, I was quickly pulled into the story. It has action, romance, super powers and a plot line original enough that it does not feel like the stories that are already out there. Here is the Goodreads summary:
If you could manipulate reality, would you?
Seventeen-year-old Kaylin has been on the run, hiding her untapped abilities for six years, but rescuing a mysterious guy risks exposing the depths of her power. The manipulative sector groups hunt her kind. Life has never been easy, but resisting is even harder. This harsh, new world will no longer allow her to remain hidden.
In a future where greed and corruption has torn American society apart; these relentless sector groups prey on powerful youths to mold the populace to expand their reach. Young people with the ability to shift the mindset of others are high-value targets. War is waging to expand and control this new world. Influencers, as they're called, hold the key to humanity's future.
Will fighting back cost Kaylin everything?
Influence is the first novel in the Influence series, a sci-fi, dystopian epic with a touch of romance, loads of fast-paced action, with a unique story concept. If you are a Maze Runner or Divergent fan than this is the book is for you!
The romance part of the story was ok. I wasn’t really a fan of the romantic aspect of it. Not that there was anything really wrong with it at all, I just felt that the story was strong enough with the other parts of the plot that the romance wasn’t necessary. For example, the relationship between Kailin and Amanda was nicely done. Their protectiveness of each other felt authentic and not unnatural. The powers of the pushers were intriguing and I loved reading what these people could do. I found the twist at the end exciting and it set up nicely for the second book. I gave the book a 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads because it excited me enough with the originality, strong writing and characters I could care about.
The Influencers are the group of readers that are a part of the YA street team to help promote David and his books. He has been so awesome to his fans and even wrote the novella to go along with the story called Humanities Protectors. Interacting with authors we adore as fans, is something I wish more authors would do. I feel very blessed that David agreed to answer some questions I had for him. Please read below for an exclusive interview.
1. I was starting to think that Dystopian novels were getting stale and overdone. Then I read Influence and was pleased with the fresh take as well as the Science Fiction element. Where did the idea come from?
The whole concept of altering reality (pushing) came from the theory about collective consciousness and how we all might share in creating our existence. What you give is what you get! Kaylin and other Influencers can tap into the creation of reality and affect how others experience life.
2. I don't read much Science Fiction, I think before this, all I had read before is The Host by Stephenie Meyer. What are your plans on teaching about the Science Fiction world to people like me might not have taken an interest in before?
Science fiction is like action/adventure, but with some cool future tech, super powers, or space elements. If you like good fast-paced stories, sci-fi is HUGE on that.
3. As an Indie author, you rely on your fans a lot to promote the book and have created a facebook group for your fans called "Influencers", how does being able to connect with your fans on a personal level influence you? I know a lot of bigger authors say they don't have time to respond or talk to fans and yet, with social media, this seems to be key for attracting more readers. How do you feel about that?
Interaction is EVERYTHING. The bigger I get the harder it will become, but I will just do group stuff more if I can’t always get to individual emails or messages. I will still respond to emails and messages the best I can. An author’s readers help shape their writing. An email list or Facebook group keeps me in touch with the readers that are true fans of my writing. I never want to lose that. I also give away a free novella when people join my email list!
4. I noticed you have two little girls. If you could give them any powers of their own, what one power would you give them? They can be different from each other.
Hmmm. They are already sweet and very smart. That will take them far, but if they could sense the honesty of others, that would be the best power a dad would want his daughters to have!
5. Everyone now a days turn into Netflix, or their electronics for their entertainment. How important do you feel it is for people to pick up books for entertainment instead?
To be honest, I am a BIG fan of Netflix and visual media. I had a learning disability growing up that made it very hard to focus while reading. If it wasn’t for the sci-fi shows, I would not have discovered a passion for storytelling. And now with audio books, I find it is another way to immerse yourself into new worlds. Reading is very important as it helps develop the mind and I find that short stories or episodic content are best for me when it comes to reading. For me though, writing is the best form of reading! It keeps me locked on the story and focused on what I am doing.
6. What is your favorite book/author now? What about when you were growing up?
I really do not have a favorite, I move on from story/book to book. I search for books by story concepts rather than just read everything from one author. I am visual so I cannot have a slow paced book. I don’t care how beautifully written it is. If it does not grab me, I lose interest.
7. Your Influence series just started, so I am sure you are plotting and planning the rest of it, but do you have any ideas for what you want to write when you leave the Influence world?
I’m already co-writing a new series with Jenetta Penner, the author of Configured. (while I write book 2 in the Influence series) I am super excited about this one. It is a sci-fi fairy tale retelling/crossover of the Little Mermaid and Peter Pan. It is more sci-fi and dystopian and the characters are so fun and witty. Book one in that series should be out this summer. After that, I plan on doing more origin novellas of side characters in my Influence series. After book two is released, I will do one for Ava Reed. That will be super fun. I also have a short story coming out in a sci-fi anthology on May 8th.
So ending on that note, if you are looking for a new sci-fi/dystopian, action and romance filled read, this is the book for you!
