Guest Post: Ann Aguirre

I'm thrilled today to welcome Ann Aguirre to the blog to chat a little bit about her upcoming young adult release Enclave. I had the opportunity to read and review Enclave as part of a tour through Teen Book Scene and you can read my review HERE. I absolutely adored this one, and am greatly looking forward to the next book in the series, Outpost.

Let's say you have written yourself as a character in Enclave, can you give us a short anecdote on the number of scars you bear, the name you've been given, and how you came to earn that particular name?

Since I have children, but I'm no fighter, and I have no skill at building or fixing anything, it's pretty clear I'd be a Breeder. That means I'd have only one scar on my arm. Since I'm smart, they'd pair me with a handsome male in the hopes that our children would therefore be reasonably attractive and intelligent. Though all knowledge of genetics has been lost, they do retrain a rudimentary understanding that when you mix two things you sometimes get a combination of qualities in the new product. It's quite likely that I'd end up having babies with Stone, or someone like him.

I'd also share in the responsibility for watching and caring for the young until they grow old enough to start basic brat training. Not school as we know it, but survival skills, crucial for life down below. Unfortunately, even with their best efforts, the infant mortality rate is high and the life span is short, due to privation and quality of life issues. The Wordkeeper maintains charts to keep the breeding schedule as varied as possible, though there are some problems of consanguinity, naturally, which contributes to the decline in population. Being a Breeder is heartbreaking because you must toughen yourself emotionally and not permit yourself to get attached to the young for whom you care. Hence, the rather derogatory name.

If I survived to age 15 and got my name, then my name would be earned by chance, like everyone else. Your name is determined by whatever object your blood spills on when you move your hand after the cut(s). If there are two objects struck, (which happens rarely), the person ends up with a compound name, and everyone makes fun of him for being called Hammershoe, for example.

Thank you so much for stopping by Ann! There are so many fascinating aspects to life in this post apocalyptic environment, so be sure to be at the bookstore on April 12th so you can immerse yourself in Deuce's world! If you want more information on Ann, Enclave, or any of her adult romance and science fiction/fantasy releases, you can find her here:

Website

ENCLAVE (from Goodreads):

New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters—or Freaks—who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight, in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs. As the two are guided by Fade’s long-ago memories, they face dangers, and feelings, unlike any they’ve ever known.