The Story Behind the Story with Author Erika LeClair of New Brunswick, Canada.
A new author for you to discover.
I met Erika at the recent GMRD Book Fair last Spring where she was an eager participant.
She has kindly accepted my invitationto be our guest this week.
Her novel has received rave reviewsand she’s going to tell us about it.
Read on my friends.
Erika LeClair is a dystopian science fiction author and editor fromFredericton, New Brunswick, where she lives with her husband and cat. When sheisn’t working on her next book, Erika often spends her time reading horror,science fiction, and fantasy. Her debut novel, The Quarantine Drift, wasreleased in 2022, with a sequel on the way.
Title: The Quarantine Drift
Synopsis:
Sixteen years ago, an alien ship crashed into Carina Linderoth’s home.
Sixteen years ago, she saw her twin sister for the last time.
Since that night, Carina has spent every waking moment searching for answers. What happened to her sister? Why did the aliens take Sonja and not her? And why do people keep telling her she never had a twin sister—that Sonja isn’t real?
Now, sixteen years later, Carina is approached by a mysterious genetic research company. They want her to work on a top-secret project, genetically engineering the human race with Eluridan—alien—DNA.
For any geneticist, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime.
For Carina, it’s something more.
This is her chance to return to Mount Desert Island, the scene of the crash, home to the stranded aliens. Back to the place where this all began. This is her chance to finally learn what happened to her sister.
If Sonja ever existed.
TheStory Behind the Story:
When I first hadthe idea for The Quarantine Drift, I was studying biology at UNB anddrawing a ton of inspiration from my classes. Everything was so interesting,and I couldn’t help thinking of ways I could use what I was learning in astory. In my third year, I latched on to an idea I felt good about. I knew Iwanted a dystopian setting, something dark and spooky and gory and set here onEarth, but with a more flexible, imaginative element—like aliens—that I couldhave fun with. Studying environmental sciences can give you a bit of a bleakoutlook on the future, so that naturally wormed its way into the premise in theform of a global water crisis. I’m also a sucker for characters with heaps ofemotional baggage (sorry, Carina), so that was an inevitability. That was alsothe year I joined my first writing group, which changed everything. Sharing mywork and exchanging feedback with other writers finally broke my cycle ofstarting projects and not knowing how to finish them. It also gave me theperspective I needed to really study my writing and understand how I couldimprove. I eventually graduated and started working in laboratories, and thoseexperiences gave me even more ideas I could use. Between the constant stream ofscientific inspiration and my fellow writers pushing me to improve, the storykept transforming, and that was exciting as hell. I eventually left lab work topursue writing and editing full-time, but this book feels a bit like a time capsuleof those seven years of my life.
Website: Please go HERE.
A question before you go, Erika:
Scribbler: Where is your favourite spot to write? Are you messy or neat? Your beverage of choice?
Erika: My favorite spot to write: I have an office lined with bookshelves, a big desk, and a window with a view of the trees outside. At every opportunity, I have the window wide open to let in the breeze and listen to the birds chirping. It’s a great setup, but I sometimes get restless, so when the weather is nice, my favorite spot is outside on my balcony with my laptop. The fresh air and lack of distractions from my cat (who is almost always pawing at the glass, demanding I come back inside) make for the perfect writing environment. It’s also nice to get a bit of sun and feel like I’m sort of outside, since working from home means I don’t leave the house as much as I probably should.
My beverage of choice: My fun answer is an iced chai latte with oat milk, with a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top. My honest answer is water—no ice, no flavoring (I know, I know, I’m a monster, but at least I’m a hydrated one).
An Excerpt from The Quarantine Drift
“Tostart, I’d like to discuss your doctoral thesis.” Dr. Sarian leaned back in herseat comfortably and tented her hands. “I’ve read it twice, and I have to saythat your vision for the future of genetics is exactly what we’re looking for.”
“Future?”Carina had to laugh. “I work in a government-run medicinal genetics laboratory.Not much hope for the future there.”
“True.A waste of your talents and a far cry from the content of your doctorate. Yourfocus was on the use of gene therapy to enhance human tolerance to changingenvironmental conditions.”
“Yes,but—”
“Theclimate continues to change, Dr. Linderoth. Humanity has struggled for decadesto overcome increasingly uninhabitable conditions. In the last fifty years,over four billion people have died globally of illnesses related to a simplelack of water. The time for tinkering with medicinal therapies is long past.”
She’dwaited years to hear another scientist utter those words. “If the governmentstopped restricting our research, we could solve the water crisis within thedecade, without making changes to the environment.”
Dr.Sarian smiled. “I won’t dance around it. Genidex conducts geneticresearch—among other fields of study—not unlike what you’ve mentioned. In fact,we’ve already taken your idea quite a few steps further.” She smirked, her eyessearching Carina’s expression.
“Whatdo you mean, further?”
“We’vebeen working on the exact avenue of research you’ve been proposing for the lastseven years. We’ve begun genetically engineering human DNA with that of otherorganisms. The organism we have inmind, however, is more advanced than anything you’ve proposed. What we aim torecombine with human DNA…” Dr. Sarian’s eyes flashed, and she grinned. “…is Eluridan.”
Buy it HERE.
Thanks for sharing an excerpt with ourreaders, a real teaser.
Your story sounds intriguing and I’manxious to know how it goes.
Thanks for being our guest this week.We wish you continued success with your writing.
Thank you to all our visitors and readers
