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Book Blurb & Info
The sassy and commanding Naoko Nai wonders just what to do with the soft-spoken, socially awkward, and totally ripped guy she was assigned to train for employment. She knows nothing else about him, other than the fact he was granted asylum, is great with a knife, and his little white apron gives her distinctly unprofessional thoughts.
When the Empire comes to collect, Naoko unwittingly provides the perfect bait to reel Lukian back to headquarters for a fresh series of brain implants and repair.
To save the woman he loves, Lukian must summon the deadly powers implanted in him by the Empire—powers he fears he can’t control, powers he struggled to forgive himself for using, powers that may drive Naoko away forever—because no ordinary man has struck a blow against the Empire and lived to tell the tale. To save Naoko, Lukian must emerge victorious from the battle against himself.
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Hi Brie,
Thank you so much for sitting down with Toot's for an interview. If you don't mind, I have some questions for you about your series Sex, Drugs, and Cyberpunk, your new book Kain and your process for our budding authors as well as fans.
So first off, Your newest book is part of your series, Sex, Drugs, and Cyberpunk. Let's talk about the series as a whole....
In your own words, what is Sex, Drugs, and Cyberpunk series about?
Sex, Drugs, and Cyberpunk is action-packed dystopian sci-fi that takes a visceral plunge into exploring the limits of the human body and mind. I love gripping stories that move at a breakneck pace, but I also like to be asked deep questions--and I love page-melting sex--so I like to make my own stories a big mishmash of all these exciting things.
How did you come up with the idea, title of the series and of the current book, Kain?
I have a long-standing obsession with George Orwell; his visionary sense chills me. However, I absolutely disagree with his final assessments about humanity (especially in 1984); my personal vision is more optimistic and I believe the human spirit is limitless. In a way, Kain is my rebuttal to 1984. I think Winston Smith has it in him to win, I wrote Lukian to win.
Much of the content in Kain is inspired by my life's own personal journey, learning to power through psychic and emotional challenges, some of which were very deep. Again, in that sense, Kain is all about winning, a message of hope, a triumph of the human spirit and the power of love.
Can you tell us a bit about the newest book in the series, Kain?
Unwilling human experiment Lukian Valentin gambles his life to escape the high-tech confines of his military prison. As if fleeing the country and beating the snot out of hundreds of armed soldiers wasn't enough of a challenge, when Lukian starts his new life, he has to find himself--and figure out how to integrate into basic social situations, which are completely foreign to him. He falls in love, and his woman becomes the perfect bait to drag him back to his place of experimentation; escaping a second him, with his own life and while protecting the life of the woman he loves, Lukian has to reach deep into his mind to find out what he really is, accept it, and use that power to save them.
He has to come clean about his past with the girlfriend, too, which is an even greater threat than the hordes of armed goons on his heels.
How does the new book, Kain, fit into the series?
Kain is a prequel: in many of the later books planned, Lukian works for hire on the secret internet, hacking and fulfilling bodyguard contracts. Lukian is a most impressive bodyguard; Kain is the story behind his strength.
How many books are planned for the series?
At least twelve! Some other semi-related books that serve as a political addendum to Lukian's world are lumped separately into an additional Sex, Drugs, and Biopunk series. There are lots of titles on the way, and I'm shooting for two new books per year.
What was your favorite scene to write for your hero or heroine in Kain?
The sex scenes, the fight scenes, and the drug scenes. All those moments of peak intensity are what makes life the crazy thing that it is, and it's a special thing trying to translate that intensity into art, to share it, to make it forever.
What was the hardest scene to write for Kain?
Some of the Die Hard-style scenes were tricky in that I really had to plan out the logistics of Lukian's escape/infiltration. I learned a lot about the reality of air ducts. If I planned on using security cameras as an obstacle, I had to make sure I made my use of them consistent throughout the entirety of breaking/entering. Some parts required enormous logical analysis, and rewriting when things didn't work.
What is your favorite line or quote from Kain?
"A third soldier charged at Lukian, his eyebrows fused together in a downward V."
Writing.......
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated and what made you decide to pursue it as a career?
I took an interest in creative writing as early as first grade. It was always my favorite thing to do in school, then I did it on my own. The glimmering promise of being picked up by an agent was an alluring dream, but seeing how hard work and commitment can actually produce a tangible career slowly over time with the advent of ebooks and print-on-demand was what spurred me into action. While I always loved writing and thought being picked up by an agent would be awesome, now in the digital age, I don't have to wait for someone to "notice" me. I can do it myself, because I love it, and hopefully connect deeply with some readers along the way.
What inspires you to put the pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard?
Life's peak moments of intensity, emotion. Love, ecstasy, terror, the vicissitudes of being human. Writing books, for me, is just a more planned-out style of graffiti on an immaterial plane, to take an incredible feeling, paint it with words, in effect stating, "I was here."
What are some of the elements in/of your writing process?
Staring at an empty screen, banging my head against the keyboard, eating lots of chocolate, getting up to wander around the house, talking to my cats, and then finally buckling down and making the words come out. :)
Are you a Plotter or a Panster?
Plotter all the way. I'd lose so many details along the way without a map.
What's next for you?
Hopefully writing full-time!
Personal questions......
Now I know this is like asking you to choose between your own children, but out of all your amazing characters, who is your favorite and why?
Burnaby Rue is crazy. He puts his cigarettes out against his own leather pants. I had a blast writing him.
What actor/entertainer do you envision playing your fav in a movie or TV adaption?
All I know is, Trent Reznor would absolutely have to score the soundtrack.
Are there any of your stories or characters that hold a special place in your heart?
Kain is the first book I saw through professionally to completion, so it holds a special place. It also sets a high bar for how much I have to love my other characters before I can turn them loose into the world. I have a few other books in the series that must be written first, but I can't wait to start the next title featuring Lukian again.
If the book or series had to have a theme song, what would it be?
While writing, I listened constantly to Nine Inch Nail's Ghosts for the first half of the book, and Front Line Assembly's Tactical Neural Implant for the latter half.
Is there anything from your own life or experiences that has been worked into the book?
This is the part where I smile mysteriously.
Lastly, let's steal an idea from the magazines.....What 5 things do fans not know about you and 5 they don't know about the book?
About the book:
-I scrapped over 30,000 words from the rough draft
-One scene I scrapped included an epic fight scene with Mr. House
-It contains shameless homage to George Orwell, and some other works of art I found highly influential
-Much of Lukian's story is modeled after Norse mythology, specifically tales of Fenrir
-Skirra's original name was Nadia, but that sounded too close to Naoko, so I decided to change it
About me:
-I love to cook
-In my spare time, I compulsively make jewelry
-I am obsessed with JRPGs
-My favorite food is chocolate
-I have a horrible addiction to memes
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for taking time to answer some questions. Congratulations on the new book and I can't wait for everyone to read it!
Doctors suspect Brie developed an overactive imagination during childhood to cope with the expansive corn maze known as rural Pennsylvania. Unable to afford an operation to have the stories surgically removed from her brain, she opted instead to write them down.
Brie currently lives in British Columbia with her boyfriend and naughty black cat, somewhere not too far from the sea. She enjoys trips to the local farm, chatting with her long-distance friends on a rotary phone, and roflstomping video games from the nineties.
Brie’s favorite storytellers include Anne Rice, George Orwell, and Hunter S. Thompson.
Author Links:
https://www.facebook.com/brie.mcgill
https://twitter.com/BrieMcGill
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7085769.Brie_McGill
www.sexdrugsandcyberpunk.com
Interview
Thank you so much for sitting down with Toot's for an interview. If you don't mind, I have some questions for you about your series Sex, Drugs, and Cyberpunk, your new book Kain and your process for our budding authors as well as fans.
So first off, Your newest book is part of your series, Sex, Drugs, and Cyberpunk. Let's talk about the series as a whole....
In your own words, what is Sex, Drugs, and Cyberpunk series about?
Sex, Drugs, and Cyberpunk is action-packed dystopian sci-fi that takes a visceral plunge into exploring the limits of the human body and mind. I love gripping stories that move at a breakneck pace, but I also like to be asked deep questions--and I love page-melting sex--so I like to make my own stories a big mishmash of all these exciting things.
How did you come up with the idea, title of the series and of the current book, Kain?
I have a long-standing obsession with George Orwell; his visionary sense chills me. However, I absolutely disagree with his final assessments about humanity (especially in 1984); my personal vision is more optimistic and I believe the human spirit is limitless. In a way, Kain is my rebuttal to 1984. I think Winston Smith has it in him to win, I wrote Lukian to win.
Much of the content in Kain is inspired by my life's own personal journey, learning to power through psychic and emotional challenges, some of which were very deep. Again, in that sense, Kain is all about winning, a message of hope, a triumph of the human spirit and the power of love.
Can you tell us a bit about the newest book in the series, Kain?
Unwilling human experiment Lukian Valentin gambles his life to escape the high-tech confines of his military prison. As if fleeing the country and beating the snot out of hundreds of armed soldiers wasn't enough of a challenge, when Lukian starts his new life, he has to find himself--and figure out how to integrate into basic social situations, which are completely foreign to him. He falls in love, and his woman becomes the perfect bait to drag him back to his place of experimentation; escaping a second him, with his own life and while protecting the life of the woman he loves, Lukian has to reach deep into his mind to find out what he really is, accept it, and use that power to save them.
He has to come clean about his past with the girlfriend, too, which is an even greater threat than the hordes of armed goons on his heels.
How does the new book, Kain, fit into the series?
Kain is a prequel: in many of the later books planned, Lukian works for hire on the secret internet, hacking and fulfilling bodyguard contracts. Lukian is a most impressive bodyguard; Kain is the story behind his strength.
How many books are planned for the series?
At least twelve! Some other semi-related books that serve as a political addendum to Lukian's world are lumped separately into an additional Sex, Drugs, and Biopunk series. There are lots of titles on the way, and I'm shooting for two new books per year.
What was your favorite scene to write for your hero or heroine in Kain?
The sex scenes, the fight scenes, and the drug scenes. All those moments of peak intensity are what makes life the crazy thing that it is, and it's a special thing trying to translate that intensity into art, to share it, to make it forever.
What was the hardest scene to write for Kain?
Some of the Die Hard-style scenes were tricky in that I really had to plan out the logistics of Lukian's escape/infiltration. I learned a lot about the reality of air ducts. If I planned on using security cameras as an obstacle, I had to make sure I made my use of them consistent throughout the entirety of breaking/entering. Some parts required enormous logical analysis, and rewriting when things didn't work.
What is your favorite line or quote from Kain?
"A third soldier charged at Lukian, his eyebrows fused together in a downward V."
Writing.......
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated and what made you decide to pursue it as a career?
I took an interest in creative writing as early as first grade. It was always my favorite thing to do in school, then I did it on my own. The glimmering promise of being picked up by an agent was an alluring dream, but seeing how hard work and commitment can actually produce a tangible career slowly over time with the advent of ebooks and print-on-demand was what spurred me into action. While I always loved writing and thought being picked up by an agent would be awesome, now in the digital age, I don't have to wait for someone to "notice" me. I can do it myself, because I love it, and hopefully connect deeply with some readers along the way.
What inspires you to put the pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard?
Life's peak moments of intensity, emotion. Love, ecstasy, terror, the vicissitudes of being human. Writing books, for me, is just a more planned-out style of graffiti on an immaterial plane, to take an incredible feeling, paint it with words, in effect stating, "I was here."
What are some of the elements in/of your writing process?
Staring at an empty screen, banging my head against the keyboard, eating lots of chocolate, getting up to wander around the house, talking to my cats, and then finally buckling down and making the words come out. :)
Are you a Plotter or a Panster?
Plotter all the way. I'd lose so many details along the way without a map.
What's next for you?
Hopefully writing full-time!
Personal questions......
Now I know this is like asking you to choose between your own children, but out of all your amazing characters, who is your favorite and why?
Burnaby Rue is crazy. He puts his cigarettes out against his own leather pants. I had a blast writing him.
What actor/entertainer do you envision playing your fav in a movie or TV adaption?
All I know is, Trent Reznor would absolutely have to score the soundtrack.
Are there any of your stories or characters that hold a special place in your heart?
Kain is the first book I saw through professionally to completion, so it holds a special place. It also sets a high bar for how much I have to love my other characters before I can turn them loose into the world. I have a few other books in the series that must be written first, but I can't wait to start the next title featuring Lukian again.
If the book or series had to have a theme song, what would it be?
While writing, I listened constantly to Nine Inch Nail's Ghosts for the first half of the book, and Front Line Assembly's Tactical Neural Implant for the latter half.
Is there anything from your own life or experiences that has been worked into the book?
This is the part where I smile mysteriously.
Lastly, let's steal an idea from the magazines.....What 5 things do fans not know about you and 5 they don't know about the book?
About the book:
-I scrapped over 30,000 words from the rough draft
-One scene I scrapped included an epic fight scene with Mr. House
-It contains shameless homage to George Orwell, and some other works of art I found highly influential
-Much of Lukian's story is modeled after Norse mythology, specifically tales of Fenrir
-Skirra's original name was Nadia, but that sounded too close to Naoko, so I decided to change it
About me:
-I love to cook
-In my spare time, I compulsively make jewelry
-I am obsessed with JRPGs
-My favorite food is chocolate
-I have a horrible addiction to memes
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for taking time to answer some questions. Congratulations on the new book and I can't wait for everyone to read it!
Author Info
Brie currently lives in British Columbia with her boyfriend and naughty black cat, somewhere not too far from the sea. She enjoys trips to the local farm, chatting with her long-distance friends on a rotary phone, and roflstomping video games from the nineties.
Brie’s favorite storytellers include Anne Rice, George Orwell, and Hunter S. Thompson.
Author Links:
https://www.facebook.com/brie.mcgill
https://twitter.com/BrieMcGill
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7085769.Brie_McGill
www.sexdrugsandcyberpunk.com
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