Interview with J.E. Dugas, author of 'MechaNation


ABOUT J.E. DUGAS

J.E. Dugas is the author of the multi-period action/adventure/science fiction series Rose Petals and Gun Powder (Rose Petals and Gun Powder, including , RPGP: Shadows of Life, RPGP: Lost Cove, RPGP: Wanderlust, and RPGP: Paradoxical, a Double Feature), as well as the new title MechaNation, a NanoPunk Thriller. J.E. is currently at work on its sequel, MechaNation: Rebirth. Prior to writing full time, J.E. spent over a decade in the private security and law enforcement fields.
Visit him at http://www.crimsonworx.com/index.html.

Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life, J.E. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

A: Thank you for the warm reception! Right now I split my time between being a stay-at-home dad and a full time author. That’s a fairly new development as of October 2012, but I’ve been passionately crafting my titles since late 1999.

Q: Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it? 

A: MechaNation began with the intention of being a one-off novel, just something to get out of my period titles for a change of scenery. Thankfully, I found the futuristic slant invigorating and couldn’t help myself from developing the first title into a full-blown series.

 On the short end, MechaNation takes place in a world where human augmentation, holographic-projected media and hover technology is commonplace among its citizens in the year 2047.

 The biotech industry made a dynamic leap forward after the War of 2018, largely due to the results of testing a new system called NanoInjections on augmented soldiers.

That in turn eventually trickled down to the civilian level where NanoInjections revolutionized every facet of human improvement. What began as purely a civilian-grade medical aid found a more lucrative audience in the vanity market. The ability to be inject a client with DNA-synchronized nanomachines that can actively alter one’s bodily structure, enhance intelligence or muscle control, or generally improve performance of any bodily function made NanoInjections a very hot cultural commodity.

 With such high demand and low supply constantly elevating prices for legitimate NanoInjections, BioSmugglers introduced the Nano Black Market. Many citizens previously unable to secure these elusive items found the Nano Black Market to be a viable alternative to obtaining both Limb Replacement Units and NanoInjections. For a price not entirely limited to monetary means, the pursuit of one’s ascension of the societal hierarchy could be achieved.

 To curtail the proliferation of their most valued assets, the leading biotech company responsible for NanoInjections—Lazarus Nanotech Corporation—assembled an in-house, six member team of operators whose task it is to locate, track and repossess their products from the Nano Black Market. The team is formally titled the Nanotech Repossession Taskforce, better known by the internal moniker Chop Shop.

Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced writing it? 

 A: Generally, researching period pieces is exceptionally time consuming. Figuring out what existed and what did not, or how much things cost fifty years ago often took longer to nail down than writing the actual novel. With MechaNation, that process was shifted to studying the current state of biotechnology, which is still in a research and development state with various universities leading the charge. After sifting through dozens of White Papers, I found that the door was left wide open to logical interpretation, and I could really go wild with the possibilities. To that end, naming the variants of my speculative technology got to be a project all its own while keeping their operations feasible.

Q: Do you have a press kit and what do you include in it? Does this press kit appear online and, if so, can you provide a link to where we can see it? 

 A: The MechaNation novels are still quite new, so a press kit is a task I have yet to complete for this series. I’ll put that at the top of my to-do list!

Q: Have you either spoken to groups of people about your book or appeared on radio or TV? What are your upcoming plans for doing so? 

 A: At the time of this writing, no. While writing the novels, however, I often considered the idea of appearing on media shows to banter about the real-world implications of the technology that pops up in the novels. I’m certainly optimistic towards doing so!

 Q: Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/she is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one? 

 A: I still consider myself to be one of the little guys in publishing, though I have pitched my novels rather unsuccessfully to agents in the past prior to writing the MechaNation books. While my focus is purely on the eBook format, I’ve found the community receptive enough that retaining a literary agent isn’t entirely necessary for my needs. It is one of the interesting developments in modern publishing that I and many independent authors both support and utilize. I can only wish that the traditional publishing platform will eventually open up and help alleviate the stigma that surrounds independent authors and publishers.

 Q: Did you, your agent or publisher prepare a media blitz before the book came out and would you like to tell us about it? 

 A: As a matter of fact, I’m working with Pump Up Your Book on this and subsequent titles. The virtual book tour campaign was an idea that I loved from inception.

 Q: Do you plan subsequent books? 

 A: Absolutely! Book three in the MechaNation universe is currently in the works. That title will hopefully launch around Summer of 2013 and join MechaNation and MechaNation: Rebirth, both completed in the last quarter of 2012.

Q: Thank you for your interview, J.E. Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?

A: You are most welcome, and I appreciate the opportunity to share these fascinating novels with your readers! The first two MechaNation titles are currently available exclusively in the Amazon Kindle Store here:

http://www.amazon.com/MechaNation-ebook/dp/B00B0J48Q2 I also have PDF appetizers available for direct download on my site at http://www.crimsonworx.com/New-Releases.html I cherish reader input and welcome it through the Contact app on the site!

MechaNation_book_cover_new_finalABOUT MECHANATION

Shortly after the conclusion of the War of 2018, the mechanical evolution of humankind made a dramatic leap forward.
With the Human Guerilla Faction no longer a threat, a biotech company, Lazarus Nanotech Corporation, went from competing to stay in the top ten, to top contender after introducing their revolutionary NanoInjections system.
NI’s were designed to wipe the slate of traditional internal surgery, and go far beyond it. NI’s—composed of targeted nanomachines—could be preprogrammed and injected into the client to vastly transform the client’s body in any chosen manner. Weight loss, facial reconstruction, breast and genital enhancement, intelligence boosters, social elitist; whatever the client desired.
Soon, NI’s became a major vanity movement, and Lazarus Nanotech became the most valuable company in the world.
This success, of course, spawned an entirely new criminal underworld: the Nano Black Market.

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