I believe science is exciting, and I want to share that excitement.
I studied math and astrophysics at college, and have always been passionate about science. Viewing the world through a scientific lens adds a beautiful dimension to the world. Every natural object and phenomenon has a hidden story that only scientific research can unravel. I didn’t shy away from including science in This Mortal Coil, but you don’t need any special knowledge to enjoy it!
Emily Suvada
I’m a giant nerd
A few of my favorite things are: nanotechnology, genetic engineering, coding, hacking, artificial intelligence, spaceships, aliens, wormholes, cyborgs, and LASERS. Give me science fiction in any form, and I’m a happy woman. When I couldn’t find the action/thriller genehacking story I was craving, I went ahead and wrote it.
I’ve always loved writing
I didn’t try to write a novel until I was in my twenties, but I’ve been writing ever since I was a child. My first story was about pirates, and I remember my teacher reading some of it aloud to the class - eliciting a mixture of pride and embarrassment. That feeling, as it turns out, never goes away...
I’m a hopeless romantic
It’s true. I remember the moment I first locked eyes with my husband across the room at a party, and I knew within minutes of meeting him that he was special. Romance isn’t a huge part of This Mortal Coil, but it might be my favorite!
I’m a coder
I managed to graduate from college without knowing how to code, but found myself in a job where I had to learn quickly. Within weeks, I realized that I had found one of my callings - coding was my new favorite thing. These days, I mess around in a variety of languages, writing amateur code as a hobby. My main character, Catarina, codes both computers and DNA, but she’s far, far more skilled than I’ll ever be.
I used to do a lot of martial arts
When I was in college, I trained almost every day in karate, kickboxing, and BJJ. I probably couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag these days, but I loved developing my strength and pushing my limits. My main character, Catarina, isn’t trained in martial arts, but she can certainly hold her own in a fight when it counts.
I LOVE YA
There is a popular sentiment among some in the book world that YA literature is somehow ‘lesser’ than other genres. This frustrates me, because I adore YA, and find it to be the most exciting, challenging and rewarding category to read and write in. I love YA’s big-heartedness and its tropes, its energy, courage and optimism. This Mortal Coil is a wild, unashamed love letter to my two favorite genres - YA, and science fiction.
I think we live in a science-fiction world
We use smartphones, we buy genetically-modified food, and our technology can talk to us. I think science fiction is important because it’s never really about the future - it’s about the present. The best way for us to understand our complex world is to isolate and extrapolate parts of it through the lens of fiction. Many of the questions I ask in This Mortal Coil about genetic engineering are really questions for today, couched in a futuristic setting.
I’m an optimist
Despite the gloomy future in This Mortal Coil and the threats our species faces in reality, I am an eternal optimist. I truly believe that humans will find a way to live together and save ourselves. What might look like despair on the page is merely a difficult set of circumstances through which I hope to showcase humanity’s resilience and ingenuity through my characters and their adventures.
I’m a careful writer
There are clues laid in This Mortal Coil that will stretch through the series, easter eggs buried in the text and code at the end of the book. Very few things in the text are mentioned without a reason, and almost nothing you’re told along the way should be taken at face value. This is a big story, one I’m excited to share with you, and there is so much more to come.
This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada is out now in paperback, RRP £7.99.