This week we bring you a new interview by OBS owner Dawn with Jade Kerrion author of Perfection Unleashed part of the Double Helix novels. In this interview we learn more about the inspiration behind the books, research done for the story, details about her characters, her upcoming book and fun facts about the author. Enjoy!
Read our review of Perfection Unleashed here.
Dawn: What was your inspiration for this story?
J.K.: I’m inspired by images, and for me, the two images that define “Perfection Unleashed” is one of Galahad, staring out at the world beyond the reinforced glass walls of Pioneer Labs, and of Danyael walking home alone, unaware that a woman he no longer remembers is there, waiting for him. Fortunately, one image occurs near the beginning and the other near the end, so they both carried the story from start to finish.
Dawn: How much research went into the medically related information in the book?
J.K.: I researched quite exhaustively. Wikipedia is my best friend; Google runs a close second. There are lots of facts tucked into the pages of this speculative fiction, beyond just medically-related information. For example, the live blood transfusion conducted on Danyael is based on a recent experiment that took place at Stanford University a year or two ago. Likewise, Xin is based on a real person, Fu Hao, a Chinese queen, general, and high priestess who lived three thousand years ago.
Dawn: My heart bleeds for Danyael. He is such an amazing person despite his past. Do you know someone like him?
J.K.: I wish I did! I think what makes Danyael amazing is that he is a study in contrasts. Physically he’s attractive, but his good looks conceal a great deal of emotional scarring from his childhood. He is a powerful alpha empath, yet the source of his power is the pain of his memories. He’s the poster boy for why we shouldn’t judge another person by their appearance or their past. He also gives us cause to celebrate human resilience and optimism. He survived in spite of the odds stacked against him; the rest of us probably could too.
Dawn: Zara’s hatred of Danyael was getting old by the end of the book. Will she realize she was mistaken in the sequel?
J.K.: Can you imagine a more incompatible couple than Zara and Danyael, the assassin and the healer? Of course not. That’s why they’re perfect for each other. 🙂 The fireworks and friction between them is inevitable, but they will learn a great deal from each other before their story is finally complete. And maybe, they’ll even learn to get along.
Dawn: Galahad’s growth was fun to experience. He went from being a “science experiment” to a fully realized man with emotions. What was the process of developing him? (not sure I’m phrasing this very well.) How did you get into the head space of a man experiencing all those things for the first time?
J.K.: I watched the way my children discover the world. There’s a certain wide-eyed wonder about the way they stoop to peek under every blade of grass just in case there’s something new under there that they haven’t seen before. I then tried to merge that innocence into an adult mind, still innocent, still learning, but at a far accelerated pace. The interesting thing about knowledge is that it is largely contextual, and Galahad doesn’t have a lot of context because of his sheltered upbringing. I had to check myself frequently and ask whether his thought processes, conclusions, and decisions were realistic for someone with very little social contact. In many ways, Galahad is a child in an adult’s body and his attempts to figure out the world will continue through the rest of the series. All I can say is good luck to him; most of us who have lived in the real world all our lives haven’t figured it out either. 🙂
Dawn: What do you hope readers will learn from Perfection Unleashed?
J.K.: Perfection Unleashed offers no answers, but I hope it raises questions. How does society offer equal access in the face of unequal talents? How should society manage the perception of unfair advantages? What constitutes perfection, and can anything or anyone really be perfect? Are our genes the only things responsible for making us human, or is there something more…elusive…to humanity?
Dawn: What can we expect in Perfect Betrayal?
J.K.: Another roller-coaster ride! You can expect an evolution in Danyael and Zara’s relationship, and a fuller view of the forces that want to control Danyael and his talents. The lines between friends and enemies will blur, and Danyael will be forced to choose between his power and his principles. Perfect Betrayal and its sequel, Perfect Weapon, will be released in December 2012.
Fun Stuff:
- Favorite place you’ve visited: Lake Bled, Slovenia
- Favorite ice cream flavor: Cookies and cream
- Favorite time of day to write: Midnight, when everyone else in the house is asleep.
- Favorite literary villain: Melisande Shahrizai (from Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series)
- Favorite author: This is a tough one. So many great authors, so little time. If I had to narrow it down, I’d say Neil Gaiman.
Thank you to author Jade Kerrion for an amazing interview and don’t forget to visit her official website here.
