Blog tour: Boy of Blood
Boy of Blood
By Megan O'Russell
Publisher: Fiery Seas Publishing
Series: Girl of Glass
Genre: YA Dystopia
Release Date: April 10, 2018
After Nightland’s vicious attack on the domes, the safety and perfection of the world within the glass has been contaminated. Desperate to rebuild, outsiders are allowed into the domes to help, breaking the cardinal rule: outsiders and Domers must always be separated. But the city is in shambles, crumbling into chaos without the Vampers of Nightland to keep order, and one name is carried on the wind: Nola.
Clinging to Jeremy, Nola struggles to find a way to exist in the domes, turning her back on all she learned in the city. But when one of the outsiders brings the dark secrets of the domes to light, the line between survival and murder blurs against the spectre of the dying world.
Can Nola follow the dark path laid out by the Domes? Will the dangers of the night become her new sanctuary?
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LEARNING FROM THE END — MEGAN O’RUSSELL
Writing about the end of the world is a very interesting learning experience as an author. For Girl of Glass, the end came with ecological collapse. A lot of the learning experience with the environmental aspect came with researching the practicalities of the situation.
Did you know that the Svalbard Global Seed Vault holds 930,821 varieties of seeds? This super secure vault protects plant life in case of global catastrophe. And that’s not really a thing you think of on a regular basis. Needing seeds to regrow the vegetation of the world usually takes a back seat to making cars run in most apocalyptic tales.
Also, utilizing space within greenhouses should it become impossible to grow food outside. There are tons of different methods from vertical growing to open root systems, but my favorite is aquaponics. Picture this: a bed of vegetables with their roots dangling into a tank of fish. The fish waste feeds the plants, the plants give air to the fish. Two food sources in one place. How cool is that?!
At this point, you probably think Boy of Blood is a how to book on gardening. I promise it’s not.
There were other things I learned as an author that had nothing do with plants.
The biggest question became what is more important: humans or humanity?
The vampires changed themselves at the most basic level to survive. Choosing darkness and blood over illness and death. They can no longer truly be considered human.
The others who found a path to survival locked themselves in glass domes, building layers of protection to insulate against the destruction of the outside world. But in protecting themselves, they turned their backs on the suffering of those around them. They’ve given up empathy to save themselves.
So who is in the right? The ones who are genetically human, or the ones who still live amongst their dying fellows as a part of the outside world?
I don’t know if there is one right answer.
Blood sucking or isolation?
Sunlight or strength?
Watching the suffering or walking through it?
Answering those questions for myself—as I discovered the choices of characters within the Girl of Glass series—was definitely the biggest learning experience of the whole process. It made me question my priorities when considering my health, the way I look at those in need, and even planning for my future.
I know what my answer is, but what would yours be?
How would you choose to fight for survival at the end of the world?
About the Author:
Megan O’Russell is the author of the young adult fantasy series The Tethering, and Nuttycracker Sweet, a Christmas novella. Megan’s short stories can also be found in several anthologies, including Athena’s Daughters 2, featuring women in speculative fiction. Megan is a professional performer who has spent time on stages across the country and is the lyrist for Second Chances: The Thrift Shop Musical, which received its world premier in 2015. When not on stage or behind a computer, Megan can usually be found playing her ukulele or climbing a mountain with her fantastic husband.
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