Sweet 16?

Hey, all,

I am honored to have fellow 2K11’er, Julia Karr, celebrating a week of her “16” tour on my blog.

Her debut YA novel, XVI, will be released on January 6, 2011. She’s the first 2K11’er to launch, so we like to call her our guinea pig!

Publishers Weekly says of XVI, "Gender politics and sexual awareness play prominent roles in Karr's thought-provoking dystopian debut."

And, btw, by commenting on this post, you will be automatically entered in a drawing to win an ARC of the book (as detailed below).







So, this is Julia. Yep, she's totally lovely. :)

And this is XVI:

(Great cover, no? Ahem.)

So, I’ve just started reading it, and all the 16-stuff has me thinking about when I turned 16, just like the main character Nina in XVI is about to do, with pretty chilling consequences.


For me 16 wasn't chilling, but it was a year full of highs and lows, and definitely a time that felt “on the brink” of things. And whatever you do, do not ask me about my sweet sixteen party, or worse, ask my parents. I still tear up at the thought of my teddy bear cake the boys sculpted boobs onto. But anyway, I digress.

One of the things I'm finding most intriguing about XVI so far, is that the book, set in the year 2150, is full of acronyms, and I thought I’d ask Julia about some of those here. So I did, and she answered. Consider it a lucky sneak peek at the very cool future world she creates in the story:

Okay, Julia, here we go:

PAVs - Pretty much everyone in XVI has a PAV. What is a PAV and how does it work?

Hi Gae! Thanks so much for having me! Now... on to the answers. A PAV is a Personal Audio Video. It works a lot like a cell phone, except it has 2 parts. A tiny, undetectable earpiece that operates anywhere (except in a dead zone - pretty much like now) and doesn’t have to have its receiver nearby. The receiver, however, is a whole lot more like a smart phone. It does everything from read text chips to projecting things like a keyboard or news alerts onto any surface - like a desk or a wall. People in XVI are pretty much always wired!


FeLS - Nina's friend, Sandy, wants to be chosen for FeLS. What is it? Why does she want to be chosen?

FeLS is the Federal Liaison Specialist program. It’s pretty much the only way out of low tier status for girls. A FeLS is a sixteen year old girl who has remained a virgin, is dedicated to leaving her family and friends for 2 years (with no contact) and is sent to various countries to interact with their government heads and dignitaries. But - it may not be exactly as it seems...

B.O.S.S. - That sounds intimidating (er, or is that just me?). What does it stand for?

Ah, B.O.S.S. the feared Bureau of Safety and Security. Of course, the only people who are scared of B.O.S.S. are people who understand exactly how sinister it is. Most citizens just feel like B.O.S.S. keeps them safe.

A.S.P. - What is A.S.P? Does it slither and bite?

A.S.P. is the Audio Surveillance Police. Oh, they can have a fierce bite if they pick up anti-government chatter!

HAL - And, last but not least, who on Earth is HAL?

Good old HAL. He’s the Hall Access Limiter. A robotic hall monitor. All school monitor bots are HAL. And, they are always right there when you least want them to be, checking hall passes, taking students to the principal’s office - yup - good old HAL.

***

Me: Sounds pretty interesting, yes!?

At any rate, Julia's got a mere five weeks before the release of XVI!
You heard me: FIVE weeks!

Julia, how are you hanging in there?


J: Wow! Only five weeks to go! Sheesh! It seemed so far away and now it seems so close! Next Friday morning (1 week), Random Number Generator will choose the lucky winner of a pre-order of XVI! And, all commenters will be entered in the Grand Prize drawing! Teasers of the Grand Prize will start to show up on my blog this week. (Click on the word blog to go to Julia's blog).


Gae, thanks so much for having me on the 16 Weeks to XVI tour. It’s been great fun! And, I can hardly wait for your book, The Pull of Gravity! (Spring is too far away! I want to read it now!)

(Julia, seriously, it was MY pleasure).


- gae