5 Facts About My Current WIP: Viral Detection

5 FACTS ABOUT MY CURRENT WIP: VIRAL DETECTION

I like to do these when I start new projects. A lot of it is because I'm super excited about the beginning and where the story will take me, and some of it is it's just nice to share that excitement with people. I started two new projects in April, and so it's delightful that that time has come around again and I get to delve into two new WIP to share with you all.

This week, I'll be dishing the facts about Viral Detection, which is the first in what should be a trilogy and is young adult sci-fi/dystopian. The world has changed remarkably from the world we live in now. Nia, the main character, and her twin, Neema, are the big pushing points of the story. There's a virus that the world hides from, and to combat the spread, people are separated into pods of no more than six people. They're born into one, and when the time comes for them to be matched and moved, they enter another and have their children and live their lives in a brand new pod, never looking back, never being able to talk to their families again.

So without further ado, let's get into the five facts!

FACT #1: NIA AND HER TWIN ARE NATURALLY CURIOUS
You'd think that growing up in a world where everything is checked and monitored, that they'd both have learned the rules about what questions and such are off-limits. Nia follows them more closely than her twin, but still the two of them want to know more about the people they've known their whole lives. Their father died before they were born, so they only have their Mama to guide them. It's only when Nia is the one to break the rules that she's sanctioned and removed from the pod, never getting the chance to say goodbye, never getting the chance to apologise for the fight she had with her twin the night before. She has no choice but the be removed and taken to a different pod.

FACT #2: NIA IS ON A JOURNEY
You'd think that given how things have gone, that she's been removed from her home, taken from the family she's lived with her whole life, that Nia would start to conform, ready to escape the penal pod she's been placed in and show The Powers that she's worthy of being matched one day. Of course it's the events of what happened after she was removed from the pod that make her question things even more. Everyone wears a smart watch, something that can sense if someone has any hints of the virus in them, and the morning Nia is removed, someone in her home pod tests positive for the virus, and The Powers answer is to destroy the pod and everyone within it.

FACT #3: BREAKING THE RULES ISN'T AS RARE AS IT MIGHT APPEAR
There are pods for those who can't seem to follow the strict rules laid down by The Powers. Nia never knew this, she never even considered that people would go against their wishes, but once there and having met and spoken to those other young teens in the pod along with her, she starts to see that there are some rules you have to make. She watched The Powers destroy her home, and she grieved the loss of her family, never really understanding why The Powers reacted the way they did when the virus was contained. She still needs answers though and even if they're not supposed to talk about this stuff, she finds allies in the people trapped there with her.

FACT #4: NIA MIGHT BE YOUNG, BUT SHE WILL NEVER TURN HER BACK ON HER TWIN
Neema is presumed dead after The Powers destroyed the pod. Nia never got a chance to apologise to them, never got a chance to say goodbye, and yet when there are whispers that Neema might have escaped unharmed, Nia knows what she has to do. She has to somehow escape the pod, and find her way to her twin, and make sure the two of them survive what lay ahead for them. After all, she shared a womb with Neema, she shared a life with them, and she will never, not ever, leave them out there on their own. She'll do what she has to do to save Neema, even at the cost of herself.

FACT #5: NIA DOESN'T KNOW WHO TO TRUST
Given that every other member of the pod, bar the leader, Hail, is there for their own crimes, and wants to one day graduate to a match and getting on with the rest of their lives, Nia has to be careful about who she asks for help. She won't be able to pull off an escape on her own. She has a long road ahead of her, and with the watches tracking every movement, she might very well get caught and brought back. She doesn't want someone else to pay for her crimes, but she also can't do it without some help. Choosing who to trust is going to be a hard decision, and one she has to make quickly, and carefully.

So there we go, there's five facts about one of my current WIP. I am loving this story and where it's taking me along the way. I have the next two books mostly planned in my head, but as we know with my process, it can sometimes switch and change and that's okay. I'll be back next week to talk about my other WIP and I'll hope you join me then!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.