Deliver Me by Kate Jarvik Birch
Published by: Bloomsbury Spark
Publication date: April 15th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult
Synopsis:
Published by: Bloomsbury Spark
Publication date: April 15th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult
Synopsis:
One People. One Union. One Future.
Wynne’s entire life is dictated by the Union: the clothes she wears, the books she reads, even the genes she inherited. And like every other girl in the Union, Wynne dreams of being chosen as a Carrier on her 16th birthday—one of the elite selected to carry the future generation within her womb. Wynne and her best friend Odessa are certain they will both make the cut, but when Odessa is chosen and whisked off to a life of privilege, Wynne is left behind to work as an assistant, delivering perfectly planned babies for the Union.
As Odessa slips deeper and deeper into the role of Carrier, Wynne begins to see the Union for what it really is: a society that criminalizes the notion of love, and forbids words like mother and family.
For the first time in her life, Wynne is faced with a choice: submit to the will of the Union, or find a way to escape and save Odessa before she is lost forever.
Goodreads: https://www.
Wynne’s entire life is dictated by the Union: the clothes she wears, the books she reads, even the genes she inherited. And like every other girl in the Union, Wynne dreams of being chosen as a Carrier on her 16th birthday—one of the elite selected to carry the future generation within her womb. Wynne and her best friend Odessa are certain they will both make the cut, but when Odessa is chosen and whisked off to a life of privilege, Wynne is left behind to work as an assistant, delivering perfectly planned babies for the Union.
As Odessa slips deeper and deeper into the role of Carrier, Wynne begins to see the Union for what it really is: a society that criminalizes the notion of love, and forbids words like mother and family.
For the first time in her life, Wynne is faced with a choice: submit to the will of the Union, or find a way to escape and save Odessa before she is lost forever.
“And now the time for selection
has come,” the Councilman said, opening an ornate leather ledger
containing the nine chosen names. “When called, please step forward
and take your place behind me.”
Around me, I felt the whisper of
a collective breath drawn in by all the girls. We held it deep in our
chests, afraid to let it go, afraid to breathe.
The Grand Councilman studied the
paper in front of him, “G454-71.”
His voice reverberated through
the hall, bouncing off the carefully carved stonework and the dark
wooden floors. For a moment we all stood still, letting the number
ricochet around inside us.
The girl who stepped forward
carried an air of superiority about her that had always bothered me.
I didn’t think she was any more beautiful than Odessa or me, and
her hair was a strange color, tinged with a bit of orange, but she
was taller by at least a couple of inches. I knew she was strong, but
I also knew with certainty that she wasn’t any smarter than us. In
class her answers always sounded rote and memorized, as if she didn’t
really give thought to what she was saying, but had taken great care
to repeat things word for word from the text book.
Maybe I was completely off base,
assuming I knew what the Union wanted in their Carriers. Maybe it was
all about beauty, height and strength, maybe nothing else really
mattered. Maybe the rest of the test was simply a formality.
The Grand Councilman watched as
the first of the robes was placed over the girl’s shoulders before
he turned back to us with an expression of satisfaction on his face.
The look sent a chill through me. He looked back down at the ledger
in front of him and called out the next number, “G458-89.”
G458-89.
Of course I recognized the
number. It was imprinted in my mind, the digits as clear in my memory
as they were tattooed into the soft skin of Odessa’s forearm. The
breath of air I’d been holding escaped my lips and I turned to my
best friend, pushing her forward to the podium.
I knew she would be called. Maybe
she hadn’t been first, but she was close. Pride pushed at the
inside of my chest and I suppressed a cheer. If only we were allowed
to clap at least, but the selection was a sacred moment and I had to
keep my emotions contained. Later tonight I could tell Odessa how
proud I was of her.
On the podium, one of the elegant
Carrier robes was being placed over Odessa’s shoulders. From
somewhere deep inside my head a low humming had begun. My fingers and
toes felt strange, tingly.. I rubbed my hands together, trying to
concentrate on the Grand Councilman’s words.
Six more numbers were called and
progressively, as each girl took her place on the stand, I began to
see the panic setting in on Odessa’s face. Normally, she would have
caught my eye and made a funny face to break the tension, but she
hardly looked like herself up there. The color still hadn’t
returned to her cheeks and a bit of perspiration had sprouted on her
forehead. In her eyes I saw the look of someone desperate, someone
hungry. Only one more number left to call. Around me some of the
girls were weeping silently, maybe it was because they were overcome
with the pressure of it all, or maybe they realized their dreams of
being a Carrier were dying out, merely the flicker of a flame
remaining.
The last robe hung limply on its
form. Beneath the other selection robes the bodies of eight lucky
girls fidgeted, waiting to see if one of their friends would be
called. I caught Odessa’s eye and tried to smile, but my lips stuck
to my teeth, tight and dry. The moments clicked slowly by, an
eternity of waiting. What sort of future would I have if it wasn’t
as a Carrier?
Finally the Grand Councilman
spoke, “The ninth and final Carrier is…D456-06.”
Odessa covered her face with her
hands, but I couldn’t move; my body was completely numb.
It wasn’t my number. It wasn’t.
My number hadn’t been called.
For a moment things slowed around
me. Sixteen years had brought me to this point in time and here I was
completely unprepared. The air seemed to vibrate, my mind racing to
catch up with the real world. I could almost see the split before me.
In one direction was the future I’d imagined, in the other lay the
hazy reality I’d stepped into.
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AUTHOR BIO
Kate
Jarvik Birch is a visual artist, author, playwright, daydreamer, and
professional procrastinator. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be
either a unicorn or mermaid. Luckily, being a writer turned out to be
just as magical. Her essays and short stories have been published in
literary journals including Indiana Review and Saint Ann’s Review. She
lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and three kids. To learn
more visit www.katejarvikbirch.com
Are you a Planner or
Pantster?
Very much a planner! In
fact, one of my favorite parts of writing a novel is the initial
plotting stage. Maybe it’s because I’m still totally smitten with
my idea (SNIS: shiny new idea syndrome) and everything is chock-full
of possibility! At this stage the idea is still perfect. Of course,
once I start writing it’s exciting to see the story morph and
change into something alive, but it never stays exactly the same as
that initial seed of an idea.
How long does it
typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?
It varies, but I’m
usually pretty speedy with the first draft. It can take anywhere from
a month and a half to three months. It’s the subsequent drafts that
end up taking MUCH longer.
Do you work on one
project at a time, or are you a multi tasker?
I’m not the greatest
multi tasker because I tend to get pretty obsessed with whatever idea
I’m currently working on. Maybe it’s because for the book to
really come alive it has to percolate inside my head 24/7. Who knows
when a great idea is going to hit. It usually seems to happen in the
shower or while I’m driving. But if the story hasn’t been given
room to just sit quietly inside my skull, those epiphanies don’t
tend to happen. I’ve had to learn how
to divide my energies while working on revisions with editors, but
it’s still difficult for me.
Did you have to
overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?
Always! Every time!
What if the words don’t come? What if I can’t make this scene
work? What if I don’t have any original thoughts? Those first few
minutes sitting down to write are always difficult, but I’ve
noticed that it’s like warming up a muscle and after a few minutes
those cold, hard feelings soften and melt away and the real writing
can begin.
How many trunked books
(if any) did you have before you were agented?
Completed novels… 2.
But there were many, many attempts before that. Let’s just say it
took about 16 years of real writing to get there.
Have you ever quit on
an ms, and how did you know it was time?
I’m not sure I’ve
ever REALLY quit on one. I’ve put them aside, but always with the
promise that I’ll come back and try again some time.
How much of your own
marketing do you? Do you have a blog / site / Twitter?
I’m lucky to have
marketing teams with both of my publishers that have great outreach,
but I’m still involved with marketing. I’ve got a website and a
blog and spend WAY too much time on twitter and Facebook. Just
recently I started a street team and I’m excited to see it grow.
Do you think social
media helps build your readership?
I’d have to say a
resounding YES!!! There’s a wide array of authors that I’ve only
discovered through social networks whose work I wouldn’t have found
on my own. I can only hope that the same thing will happen once my
own books are out in the world.
Thank you for sharing and the interview. :) New book for me. And nice to meet the author.
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