Lana Krumwiede joins SciFiChick.com today for a Q&A to discuss her upcoming dystopian debut Freakling. (Reviewed here).
—
Can you tell us a bit about Freakling in your own words?
Freakling is a story about power– how it brings unexpected consequences and responsibility. Human nature seems to include a desire for more power, but in the end, you still have to choose between right and wrong. More power only increases the stakes. In fact, the first title that I chose for this book was Power Struggle, which sums up these ideas nicely, but it was much too generic for a book title. The word “freakling” was already in the manuscript I’d written, an insulting name I had invented for people with weak psi, and my editor thought that would make a much more intriguing title. She was right!
How much time did you spend in world-building this fascinating world of psi with all of the rules and limitations?
This story began with world-building. I had this idea about a place where everyone had telekinetic powers. How might that happen? What would that be like? There would have to be some inherent limitations, but what would they be and how would that work? How would telekinetic powers influence education, politics, technology, communication, transportation, industry? And on and on. All of that was swirling around in my head before I had a character or a plot in mind. I knew from the beginning that the main character would not have psi, but I didn’t know who he was or what he wanted until much later.
The hero of your story has what others believe is a crippling disability. But when we see how those without psi powers live, those with psi seem like the ones to pity. Was this a part of your initial story idea?
Yes, exactly. I liked the idea of a reverse super hero story– a story where everyone else has the super powers, but not this one kid. I think everyone feels that way sometimes, especially during adolescence. I also liked the idea of a person who would be perfectly normal in our world, but in a different context, this person is seen as inferior. Most of us worry way too much about how we compare to others. Taemon has a lot going for him, but he can’t see it because of all the expectations that surround him.
Is this world set in the future, or is it just a separate fantasy world?