On a world inhabited by humans and the native race called the Kairian, everyone is born with a super human power. After a human girl witnesses a murder, she is forced to leave her home to find protection. However, the young man sent to watch over her has an agenda of his own: he is searching for two years of his lost memories, and finding them may just mean forgoing the girl's safety. Amidst it all, an ancient prophecy foretelling a war between the human and Kairian is coming true, and the only one able to prevent the two races' destruction will bear the mark of the Corripian.
The cover of Mark of the Corripian drew me in immediately, the way a great cover should. As a huge fan of Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy, in which a faction of Roth's dystopian society are marked with tattoos that both identify and set them apart, I wondered what would set Mark of the Corripian apart from the slew of dystopian series out there. While the book does contain some elements of the genre made popular by such works as Divergent, Lois Lowry's The Giver, and Ally Condie's Matched trilogy, the story takes place on a distant planet, making it heavier on science fiction and reminding me in ways of Homer Hickam's Crater series about teens sent to mine the moon. In short, Mark of the Corripian promises to present readers with everything that they love about my favorite genre with some unexpected surprises. It looks to be a refreshing departure from what can sometimes tend to feel like another hero/heroine's retelling of life after the great utopia begins to come undone. Parker also uses dual point-of-view for her narrative, and the story of Mark of the Corripian unfolds from both lead characters', Zenia's and Xavier's, perspectives.
Impressed with the book, and because I am a natural born snoop, I had to learn more about its author B. H. Parker. It thrills me to see the very young exhibit the kind of imagination, talent and determination necessary to see a novel through from conception to publication.
Without further adieu, I'd like to introduce you all to Miss B.H. Parker. For a chance to win a copy of her excellent debut novel Mark of the Corripian, be sure to leave a comment in the comments section. A winner will be chosen at random on February 28th and the book shipped thereafter.
1. What
inspired you to become a writer?
I
have enjoyed making up stories since I was very young. With all the
uncertainties of this life, there’s just something remarkable about being able
to create a story in which you decide
how it ends. Also, I like solving problems, and a book to me is like a big
puzzle. All the pieces are floating around in my head, and if I can just put
them together in the right way, they complete some beautiful picture. At least,
that’s what I’m going for.
2. What
inspired your novel, Mark of the
Corripian? What makes it special?
That’s
a good question…especially considering the creation of Mark of the Corripian
was somewhat an accident. I would have to say the inspiration came from a few
of my close friends, since the story began as something I wrote to entertain
them. I pulled together a little bit of everything and put it in this book
because my friends all have different interests, and I needed to create
something they all enjoyed. If it weren’t for them and their encouragement
throughout the process, MotC would have never been more than a few chapters of
my silly rambling.
I’d
say that this novel is special because it has helped me to grow personally.
I’ve always kept to myself and never really enjoyed social situations of any
kind. Writing this story has allowed me to open up, and I’ve found a new way to
express myself. These characters have become my best friends; they’re people I
can relate to—and in some ways, their actions help me to sort out situations in
my own life. It has been a long journey for me, but I wouldn’t trade it for
anything.
3. Could
you tell us a little about your main characters Zenia and Xavier? What was it like writing their story?
The
story begins on Zenia’s 18th birthday. She has been raised in a
totalitarian society where everything in her life was planned out for her from
the beginning. She is used to being told what to do; however, since the death
of her father, she’s begun to question the
authorities. She’s always very aware of those around her, and is often the
first to help if someone is in need. She can be seen as naïve at times, mostly
because she always searches for the good in people instead of looking at the whole
picture. She can be very hardheaded, as well—and when she’s determined to do
something, she won’t let anyone stand in her way. Unfortunately, she doesn’t
always consider the consequences to her actions, so she can get herself into
some complicated situations fairly quickly. Thankfully for her, her Ability
allows her to run at incredible speeds, which can come in handy when needing to
escape from one of these tricky situations.
Xavier
is a young man with a very complex past—one he doesn’t fully understand.
Certain events from his life have shaped him into a very cynical and guarded
person. He is detached from the world around him because he believes that is
the safest way to live. Ironically, his Ability allows him to sense and
manipulate other people’s emotions—a power which he only knows how to use to profit
himself.
Their
story has been an intriguing one. Many authors call their characters their
“children,” but for me, Zenia is that best friend that I love but can’t stand
because she always calls me out when I’m doing something stupid, and Xavier is that
annoying, overprotective, but altogether awesome older brother. Overall,
writing their story has been a very entertaining journey. Since it is my hobby,
and not what I hope to make into my chief form of income in the future, writing
is something I go to when I need to vent my feelings or just relax after a long
day (the latter option can get a little rough because occasionally I forget
that my body requires sleep, and I’ll write well into the night). The
characters and I don’t always get along…sometimes writing their story becomes
frustrating, but so far we’ve always worked through our problems!
4. You’ve
done extensive world building in Mark of
the Corripian. What was your process
for such a complex task?
I’m
very focused with details. I like to know where things come from, why they are
the way they are, et cetera. Because my story is based on a different planet, I
first needed to understand the planet’s physical appearance. After mapping out
the world, I started on the history. I first established the different cultures
of the people and their ways of life. That helped me to understand why one
thing led to another in the formation of the current world. On Macathia, there
are essentially four different societies, each with unique characteristics.
I’ve made detailed histories of both Kairian (native race of Macathia) societies,
and briefer histories of the human societies. Also, since everyone on the
planet is born with an Ability, I have graphed out the different types of
Abilities, their weaknesses, and strengths. Aside from that, I have created a
new language of sorts for the Kairian people. Most of the words have Latin
roots, but some of them I just made up.
5. Your
book has an excellent cover—everything from the color to the depicted image
draws a reader in. Can you tell us how
involved you were in the process of cover selection/design?
The
cover was a fun process for me! Aside from writing, I have an interest in art,
so I had a very, very specific image in mind for the cover—and what I got on
Mark of the Corripian pretty much sums it up. I worked with a graphic designer
outside of my publishing company to come up with the cover. I designed the mark
on the girl’s neck, and the color red plays an important role in this story. If
things go according to my plans, each book will have a different color
associated with it.
6. What
would you say was the biggest lesson learned on your journey to publication?
I
was really excited when I finished writing Mark of the Corripian, and my father
wanted me to go ahead and try to publish it. I decided to go along with it, and
I hadn’t even edited the manuscript yet.
I know—that’s bad. But I didn’t have any idea at that point what went into
publishing a book, and I was more interested in focusing on schoolwork (yeah,
I’m a nerd) than researching all the things to do before trying to get
published. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), my
very raw manuscript was accepted by a publishing house. For me, this meant an
extensive amount of editing over the next 8-10 months and a lot of stress. I
cut nearly 40,000 words, most of which I would have edited through myself, had
I taken the time after I’d finished writing. I even changed parts of the
storyline because I hadn’t previously checked for any discrepancies throughout
after finishing it. Now I know from experience that it is always a good idea to
first edit, edit, edit, and always research before jumping into anything.
7. What
advice would you give aspiring authors?
I’ve
always heard authors give the advice to read. I don’t disagree with that, but I
think it helps to broaden one’s horizons, so to speak. Watch movies. Play video
games. Read comic books and manga. Read books or watch movies from other
countries. I’ve learned so much from doing all these things, and I’ve even
gotten some ideas that I’ve used in my stories. I’m a very visual person, and I
often struggle with feeling like I’m a part of the books I read. Whenever I’m
planning out a fight scene, instead of reading about it, I typically like to
act it out or look up a movie/video in which the moves are demonstrated. While
planning out the strategies for the oncoming war in my series, I’ve not only
read about war, but also watched movies and played video games in which war was
depicted.
Now,
if you’re like me, and you begin stories that you lose interest in, or you
decide they are stupid and you want to throw them out, DON’T. Always, always,
always, keep everything you write. When I’m editing through my stories, if I
decide a scene needs to be omitted, I don’t just hold down the backspace
button. I cut the words and paste them in a separate file (mine is named
“random story stuff”) because one of these days, I might want to use it. And
even if I don’t, it’s always fun to go back and look at how far I’ve come from
when I began writing—I still have my very first chapter of Mark of the
Corripian, back when it was made up of Zenia’s journal entries. If I had
stopped there—it was really rough, and at the time, definitely not the quality
worthy of becoming a novel—Mark of the Corripian would not be where it is
today.
8. Do
you have any other books in the works?
What are your future goals?
The
Corripian Chronicles is a four-book series, plus a fifth book with different
protagonists. I am currently 40,000 words into Book 2 (secret title), and this
is my second round at writing it. I had previously written around 70,000 words
when I decided that I didn’t like the way I had constructed it, so I scrapped
it all and started over. I have the overall idea for book three and four, and I
have written a few scenes from each. I’ve begun constructing and becoming
familiar with the characters in book five, though I’m still working out the
overall plot.
As
for future goals, I want to completely finish this series before I start on any
other works. I have one story in mind that I’m very excited to write, but it
will require much research (a lot more than I’m used to). I will also be
straying away from my preferred genre, so this will be quite an adventure for
me.
Aside
from writing, I’m double majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology, and I
hope to work in corrections or some form of counseling.
9. Where
do you like to write?
I
like to write anywhere I can drown out the world (either in silence, or alone
with my earphones in). I’ve tried writing outside, but I get too distracted by
the beauty of the world and often end up just staring up at the sky and listening
to the different sounds of nature. I typically like to be alone because I get
so focused on my writing that I often become very emotional—whatever the mood
of the scene is. There have been times when I’ve scowled at my computer screen,
been on the verge of tears, or laughed out loud. In order to avoid curious
stares from passersby, I stay away from people during this time.
10. What is your favorite genre to
read? Favorite Authors?
I’m
partial to science fiction/fantasy books, though I am very particular about
what kinds I read. If there isn’t a certain something in them, I will often
have trouble finishing them. I also really enjoy reading stories about Roman or
Greek mythology and different kinds of fairy tales.
My
all-time favorite author is C.S. Lewis.
11. Cats or dogs?
I
used to love dogs, but then I got one…and he hates me. So cats it is!
12. Dinner or desert?
I
have quite a sweet tooth…and I often prefer to eat my dessert before dinner.
13. What is the best thing that ever
happened to you?
I’m
going with the first thing that came to my mind: A couple weeks ago, I met a
group of ten Korean students who are visiting my university for three weeks.
Since then, I have grown close to many of them. I’m very fascinated by their
culture and customs, and I’ve enjoyed learning some Korean words. We do many
things together, and I will be so sad to see them go! This experience has
definitely been a highlight of my year.
B.H. Parker has always been fascinated with superpowers, so she created a world in which everyone has them. She spends her time purchasing more pens and sticky notes than she can ever use and doodling or writing fictional stories when she should be finishing her homework. She is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, but currently attends Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee and is double majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology. You can find her on Wordpress, Facebook and Goodreads. Mark of the Corripian will be available through Tate Publishing, Amazon, and other online book retailers beginning February 25, 2014.
