Publication date: November 25th 2013
Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
Seventeen-year-old Mitzi and Deuce can recall how many drops of water were on a leaf from a rainstorm five years ago and conversations from last week, month, or year. They have the ability to remember every second of everyday—since birth.
This gift has blessed Mitzi with a history of being sexually assaulted by researchers and abused by her own parents. She trusts no one. Likes no one. Deuce, however, is a high school standout. His gift has made him a superstar on the football field and his memory promises him endless opportunities.
When they both end up at an Alzheimer’s research facility under false proviso, they quickly realize this place isn’t what it seems to be. They endure crazy military-style tests, are forcefully drugged, and complete real-life simulations that haunt them.
Mitzi and Deuce have no idea what the researchers want to do with them or their memories. But one thing is clear: the researchers will go to any lengths to get what they want.
This gift has blessed Mitzi with a history of being sexually assaulted by researchers and abused by her own parents. She trusts no one. Likes no one. Deuce, however, is a high school standout. His gift has made him a superstar on the football field and his memory promises him endless opportunities.
When they both end up at an Alzheimer’s research facility under false proviso, they quickly realize this place isn’t what it seems to be. They endure crazy military-style tests, are forcefully drugged, and complete real-life simulations that haunt them.
Mitzi and Deuce have no idea what the researchers want to do with them or their memories. But one thing is clear: the researchers will go to any lengths to get what they want.
EXCERPT
Mitzi lunged at
the men, who had separated and swarmed around her. Good hell, they were like
eight feet tall. Her brain went into high speed as she began rapidly eyeing the
area around her and calculating the exact moment she would need to fry these
guys and escape.
One of the
gorillas rushed her, head bent down like a damn linebacker getting ready to
pummel his opponent. She took advantage of his stance, leaping up on his back
and pushing off. The momentum propelled her high enough to grab a low ceiling
pipe. She clutched it with one hand, amazed at how easily she held her own
weight. As the men continued to stalk her, she swung her feet at their heads,
knocking some of them out.
Doing her best
imitation of a gymnast, she rocked on the pipe, swinging her feet forward until
she touched another pipe. A little less graceful, she hooked her leg around it
and pulled herself completely up, the Retrospection Machine still safe in her
free hand. The hot poker dangled below on the cord and she yanked it up.
The gorilla’s
jumped and swatted, unable to get a grip on her. This pipe was thicker than the
first and she was able to get up on her knees. Crawling across the pipe, she
honed in on trying to zap the monsters around her. She counted six of them
total; two had already been knocked out by her feet. Four left.
The pipe cracked
as she crawled along, and then snapped completely, making her tumble forward
onto one of the men. He clutched her by the throat and tossed her to the other
side of the room. Dazed, she scrambled to her feet in time to see the four men
form a wall coming straight at her.
This was sick.
And not in a good way. Again she calculated her surroundings, certain she was
trapped. The only way out was to fight. And for crying’ out loud, she was girl.
Not that girls couldn’t fight. But one single
girl could not out maneuver four grown men.
But men did have
a weakness that girls didn’t. A wicked smile came from her thought. She
crouched down waiting for them to close the distance. The hot poker thing was
in her grip.
Three more
steps.
Two.
One.
Bam.
Her right leg
kicked out, slamming Mr. Macho man right in the balls and he fell to his knees.
At the same time, she hurled the hot poker into the crotch of another man and
pushed the power button. He fell to the
ground like a sack of potatoes. Her grin widened.
The two
remaining men stayed focused on her, dragging her up by her coat and shaking
her like a damn can of spray paint. Her neck threatened to snap.
“You should’ve
followed the rules.” The icy voice of Ikea floated into Mitzi’s ears again.
“Bitch.”
Mitzi’s knee
collided full force with a man’s stomach. He grunted, but didn’t lose his grip.
With the hot poker thing still in her hand, she jammed it into the side of his
neck. Fumbling, she found the shock button and pressed it.
Out like a light.
Swinging around
before the other man could react, she rolled forward, putting herself behind
him. With a lunge, she stabbed him in the back of the neck and hit the button.
Another one bit the dust.
A hand gripped
her ankle and yanked her down. She hit the floor with a crack, snapping her
head back. She looked around, noticing that one of the men she had kicked in
the head had woken … and looked mad as hell.
He didn’t say
anything as he tossed her a shiny black ball. Mitzi recognized the detonation
device quickly and tossed it away. But not far enough. With the vice-grip on
her ankle, she couldn’t get out of the way.
The detonation
device exploded, blinding her with a light followed by a deafening boom. Her
ears felt like they busted out and sprays of glass and bits of metal fell all
over her. As the commotion settled she tried to wiggle away. A large pipe lay
across her right leg, and that damn meat-hook clung to her left. And then the
man opened his eyes.
Without missing
a beat, she jabbed the poker into his closest body part—his face—and slammed
her hand on the button.
Bingo.
The man jerked
and jolted like a fish out of water. Heaving, she stared at the crumbling
ceiling, her vision breaking way to black spots. That sucked.
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AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Publisher’s Weekly reviewed the unpublished
manuscript and said it’s, “Reminiscent of Ender’s Game, the tension ratchets up
with every test…nicely done.” How do you feel about your book being compared to
Ender’s Game?
Full
disclosure here: I’d never read Ender’s Game before I wrote Peaceful Genocide, so I had no idea what
the reference meant. Space Opera isn’t a genre I read a great deal of. I did, however, read it shortly after. When I
learned of its popularity, I was flattered, but then I was worried because I
wondered if I copied a book I hadn’t even known about. I mean, it happens more
than you think. Fortunately the books are nothing alike. I can see an underlying
correlation (not going to give you spoilers), but the books themselves are
quite different.
How did you come up with the idea for Peaceful Genocide?
I have a daughter who is an avid reader and I was always
amazed with her literary choices in elementary school. Instead of girly books,
she always picked up action/adventure, sci-fiction, etc. I wanted to write a
book for her, something she would pick up and love. Peaceful Genocide was the
product of that.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I tend to be very colloquial, which is why I can’t make a
living as a journalist or writing informational articles. I’m a storyteller at
heart, and I like to think my style reflects that.
How did you come up with the title?
A dear friend actually came up with the title for me. And it
was perfect. After all, genocide is not peaceful. Or is it?
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
The beautiful thing about writing a story is that different
readers interpret things differently. I like to think there’s a message in the
book, but what that message is depends on who is flipping the pages.
How much of the book is realistic?
If this book was realistic, mankind would be in some serious
trouble. However, I did read an article not too long ago that discussed a
memory chips implanted in people. Scary. That tells me the technology mentioned
in the book is probably out there…let’s just hope they don’t use it like the
book does.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I like to think there’s always room for improvement, but I
also think that Peaceful Genocide ended
up in a very nice place. I hope readers agree!
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
I always find the “middle hump” challenging. It’s the middle
of the book when everything has piled up and now it’s time for some super
action to start! Getting to that stage is hard, and so is bypassing it. But
once I do, everything seems to fall into place, which is always a fulfilling feeling.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
All the kids
in Peaceful Genocide are geniuses in
some way, shape, or form. I am not a genius. Not even close.
How are you the same/different from their main character?
Ha, I
couldn’t be any further from my characters if I tried. Like I said, they are
brilliant. Along with many other wonderful attributes that I can’t even come
close to.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and
what was it?
I learned that technology can be a scary thing. And I also
learned I’m not near as smart as I wish I was.
What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
There are so many different aspects to Peaceful Genocide. From technology, to science, to brain functions,
to the government, to obstacles courses, to secrecy—so many facets and twists
that hopefully keep people guessing. The kids are brilliant and have their own
special talents. The story as a whole required a great deal of research and
learning things I would’ve never thought I would need to learn. And bringing
the characters and story to life proved a struggle, but I do hope it draws
reader into a world they wouldn’t have thought of before.
Which character will the author continue, or will
he/she kill off some characters? Which characters will the author find hardest
to part with?
I don’t want
to give any spoilers, but it is entirely possible that not all of the
characters make it through Peaceful
Genocide, or the remaining books. After
all, it’s a sci-fi thriller, with lots of action and ups and downs. I am quite
attached to Mitzi and Deuce, but they have their work cut out for them. Nothing
should be easy in my mind.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JA Reynolds lives in the Midwest with a normal family, raising a normal daughter, with some abnormal pets. It’s extraordinarily ordinary.
Author Links:
Blog: http://www.
Twitter: @jaauthor
Facebook: https://www.
Goodreads: https://www.
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