North to Nara
Amanda Marin
(Crimson Sash, #1)
Published by: Inkspell Publishing
Publication date: March 20th 2019
Genres: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult
Neve Hall has always admired the good works of the civil servants who brought prosperity back to the Nation. She especially respects the Sufferers—empaths who, with the help of technology, anonymously bear others’ troubles for them. But when her assigned empath is abruptly retired, she uncovers certain secrets. Like the identity of her new Sufferer, Micah Ward… and the fact that behind his kind smile is a life filled with loneliness and pain.
The closer Neve grows to Micah, the more desperate she becomes to protect him from a cruel and gruesome fate. But in a world where only a few are allowed the luxury of love, saving Micah comes with a price: Neve must choose between her loyalty to the Nation or her heart—a decision that will take them both on a race for their freedom, and their lives.
—
EXCERPT:
A wave of panic begins to drown me. He must think I’m stalking him—that I’m strange, maybe even dangerous. I bite my lip and struggle for words. Then, I decide to claim innocence. It’s my only defense at this point.
“I don’t understand,” I say. “What do you mean?”
“You’re Neve.”
He says my name, and I can only gape in disbelief. It’s not just me knowing his identity after all—somehow, Micah Ward also knows mine. He grasps my arm, gently but firmly, and he pulls me aside, out of the view of passersby and into a quiet corner behind a founder’s statue. I follow him willingly, without question—I’d follow him just about anywhere, I find myself thinking.
“You know who I am, don’t you?” he asks. “And I recognize you from your pain. I saw you—just in an abstract—but I saw you when you transferred your sadness about what happened to Levi at the Center.”
I squirm uncomfortably. He knows everything. He knows how I feel about him—that I admire him and am attracted to him. I’ve heard before that abstract images sometimes transfer, along with the feelings, while Suffering. They’re said to be like reflections of our self-image, buried in our thoughts. But I never expected the scenes to be clear enough that my Sufferer might recognize me.
“Yes, it’s me—I’m one of your Sieves,” I admit. “You don’t have to worry about the anonymity laws, though—I’m on my way to tell Isla that I broke the rules and need to be reassigned again.”
But Micah’s eyes flash with sudden urgency and desperation. “No, please don’t tell Isla—not yet, at least.”
NORTH TO NARA
PLAYLIST
Here are some actual
songs I was listening to when writing and revising North to Nara. Can you guess
which songs inspired which scenes or passages? Happy listening!
·
Nara |
alt-J | Nara is a real place in Japan; both this beautiful city and this
haunting song helped inspire my version of Nara, the place Neve and Micah long
to go.
·
Move |
Saint Motel | Micah knows he shouldn't break his contract with the Nation..
but Neve might just be worth the risk!
·
Geyser |
Mitski | We're all passionate about something; Neve is passionate about
Micah.
·
&Run
| Sir Sly | Neve and Micah have a similar choice to make: will they run to
or away from love?
·
The Idea
of You | Billie Holiday | Old-school slow dancing, anyone? Yes, please!
·
Love is
to Die | Warpaint | Oh, the complex emotions of falling in love...
·
Go! | M83
and Mai Lan | A perfect song for secret romantic meetups!
·
Some Kind
of Love | The Killers | Micah admires the power of Neve's love in much the
same way. *sigh*
North to Nara
by Amanda Marin
1. What gave you the idea for this book? North to Nara was
inspired by a lot of different things. Believe it or not, one of those
inspirations was my dog! A while back, she was having a tough time recovering
after a surgery (thankfully she’s all right now). Taking care of her got me interested
in writing about a character with the ability to siphon away someone else’s
pain—it’s what I wished I could do for her! This evolved into the concept of
Suffering in the book. On the more serious side, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter was also a major
influence. It’s one of my favorite books, but I always wanted Hester and
Dimmesdale to have some sort of happily ever after. North to Nara isn’t exactly a retelling of the story, but it is a reimagining of it, focused on my
own versions of Hester and Dimmesdale. (Hopefully Hawthorne wouldn’t mind!)
2.
Who is your favorite
character in North to Nara? Hands down, it’s Micah
Ward, Neve’s love interest. He’s compassionate, kind, and thoughtful—all
qualities the world needs more of (and that I aspire to better embody myself!).
He was challenging to write about—but also really fun and interesting. Even though
she’s more or less the villain in the story, I also really liked writing Isla
Pryce. She’s a very complex character, and I loved working on her backstory.
3.
What was the hardest part about
writing North to Nara? I think trying to find a unique angle
on dystopian fiction was the biggest challenge. It’s such a popular genre and
so many takes on more traditional dystopian elements have been done repeatedly.
It’s hard to stand out. I knew early on that I wanted to reverse as many
expectations as possible. For one thing, I truly consider this a romance
first—it’s a love story that happens to take place in a dystopian setting, not
the other way around. I also wanted the appearance of a utopia, which is more
frightening, I think, than an obviously bleak setting.
4.
What’s your next project? I’m finishing up the
sequel for North to Nara. It’s called
Sky to Sea, and it should be out in
January 2020. It’s a very personal story to me—I put a lot of emotion into it, along
with healthy doses of romance, suspense, and adventure. The first few pages of Sky to Sea appear at the end of North to Nara—I’m keeping quiet beyond
that so as not to spoil either book!
5.
Has writing always been your “dream
job”? Pretty much! I’ve
been writing since I was little—I’ve always loved stories and books. When I was
around 13 years old, my English teacher was extremely supportive and encouraged
me to keep going with my interest—so I did. Today, I’m a marketing content
writer by day, and—now that North to Nara
is published—a novelist by night. I feel very lucky to get to do something with
my life that I love so much.
6.
What is the best piece of writing
advice you’ve received?
Never give up. It’s simple but important advice. In high school, I asked my
creative writing teacher if he ever thought I’d manage to get something
published. He told me, “You will as long as you don’t give up.” I really took
that to heart—it kept me going through many rejections and moments of
self-doubt. Keep writing. Keep querying. Keep putting yourself out there. No
matter what! (Yes, I’m talking to you,
person-reading-this-who-really-needs-to-hear-encouragement!)
Author Bio:
When Amanda was a child, her father traveled frequently for business, always bringing her back a book as a present. Whether she was getting lost in the pages of a tale about far-away knights, girls with supernatural powers, or kindly giants, she was quickly hooked on stories.
Over the years, Amanda has followed her own yellow brick road of reading and writing, and although her adventures haven't involved sword fights or saving the planet from certain annihilation, they have involved jobs in scholarly publishing and marketing, a modest amount of travel, and a lifelong love of novels.
Amanda holds degrees in English from Salve Regina University and Boston College. She lives in southern New Hampshire with her family and pet poodle, Snickers. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and several of its subchapters.
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