Midnight Musings from a Maniac's Mind

[W] Fleeter! The 411

Hey everyone. I noticed some overlap between the comments on my book, Fleeter, so I'd just like to share my thoughts on them with you!

1. The Intro: So, apparently my intro could be a NYT bestseller by itself haha. 

I'm so grateful that a lot of people have told me that they liked the intro to my novel. I wrote it like a story, because I wanted my audience to actually READ the things I said in that section, instead of skipping to the first chapter. Clearly, the tactic worked.

Okay, I'll just say it now.

The whole story intro idea was not completely, 100% original. 

I was inspired by a "sign-in" page on my bookclub–Pirates' Pub. The advertising page takes you straight to a story start. I was drawn in immediately. 

So, every time I read a comment that says I'm "completely unique" or "totally original", a little bit of guilt just gnaws at me from the inside. 

However–the chai, the fireside chat, the rollercoaster–were all completely, 100% from me. I'll happily take all the credit for that ^^

2. Nana?

When I made Esmeralda's nickname, Nana, I had no idea that it would be so controversial. I live in the US and my neighbors' kids call their maternal grandmother, Nana. 

I realize I've been blessed to have many international readers, so they've kindly informed me that the name, Nana, has different meaning in different countries.

In Zulu, Ndebele, and Xhosa (African languages), Nana means baby.

In Hindi, the word for grandmother is 'Nani'. 

Okay, so lesson learned.

Next time I pick a character name or a character's nickname, I'll do my research first! 

3. A love for Jon

Yeah, I really don't understand this one. Can someone explain to me why they love Jon? 

I mean, I love him too, but I love all my characters. I don't think I even gave Jon many scenes...and yet, everyone seems to love him! 

Maybe it's the popularity of the character. People love to hear about cold-hearted geniuses, am I right?

4. A love for Mojo

I totally understand what people are feeling here. How can you not love Mojo? He's just so adorable. 

5. How long do humans live? 

In the first chapter, Nana casually mentions that her 500th birthday was approaching. People freaked out. 

I got such a wide range of reactions! Many were wondering, so how long do people live?

I don't think I'll be explaining much of this in the book (because It's just a minor detail). So, I'll explain it here.

In New Ramona, most citizens live normal, ordinary, if somewhat longer, lives. The average lifespan is 100-110 years. HOWEVER, the technology is available for organ transplants, including full organ systems.

This was the research that Gal worked on. Wholesale organs are grown in a laboratory and sold. This method of prolonging life is very popular among the rich, upper classes. (And the Warner family is very, very rich.) 

So, I hope that answers a lot of your questions about the world of Fleeter!  If you have any more, feel free to ask me in the comments below ~