Do you love a good adventure? I do! But I can’t always get away from work, home, etc, so I love when a book takes me to new places. Even better when the author brings the setting alive with sights, sounds, and (the best) food! Candace’s new release ENHANCED, book one in The Hybrid Series, does all this and more.
We recently chatted about her book, her writing style, and some of her unique life experiences that have lent to the creative descriptions in ENHANCED, and I’m so excited to share what she said with y’all.
Candace is a recovering over-achiever who spends her time dreaming up stories typically involving tech, psychology, culture, and/or swords. She’s a certified Krav Maga assistant instructor and loves writing action-packed martial art scenes. A third culture kid, she considers Chengdu and Austin to be her homes. When she’s not exploring new countries, she enjoys hiking in national parks, moving, teaching her husband Mandarin, and keeping a baby human alive. She can be bribed with boba tea, fluffy puppies, and breakfast tacos.
In a society where everyone’s DNA determines their destiny, being a Natural means automatic relegation to the dangerous Outskirts. Adopted into the Enhanced high society of the Asian Federation, Urban is forced to conceal her genetic roots. Her lifelong goal of attending Peking University becomes a deadly trap as she’s targeted by a hacker bent on exposing her DNA. Can Urban continue the act, or will the cracks in her story expose her and endanger her family?
JD: How long have you been writing?
Seventeen years!
JD: What is your favorite writing snack?
I don’t snack a lot but I’m almost always drinking green tea or coffee!
JD: How long did it take you to write ENHANCED?
Eight months to write the first draft and then another two-ish years to edit it.
JD: What is the most unusual place you gotten one of your writing ideas?
At a park in China that had camels and fake pyramids.
JD: How long ago did you write your first book?
Depends on if you mean when I started it or finished it… that’s two very different answers. Ha! I started writing my first book when I was sixteen but finished it ten years later.
JD: Where did you get the idea for this book?
I got the idea listening to a radio program about CRISPR gene editing technology. After that, I couldn’t stop asking myself the question: “What would our world look like if parents could select the DNA of their children?”
JD: Which character are you most like?
Probably Coral. She has really fun genetic enhancements that allow her to disappear like a chameleon so she’s constantly appearing and disappearing at the most inconvenient times. She’s also one of the only characters in the book who doesn’t care about her social score and isn’t always flattering others or bending over backwards to get a high score.
JD: Which character do you admire most and why?
Probably my main protagonist, Urban. Even though she’s at a huge disadvantage because of her genetics, she still perseveres and never gives up. She’s determined to push the limits of her DNA.
JD: What is MC’s favorite snack?
Fried jiaozi! Aka dumplings. They may or may not also be one of my favorite snacks. Gosh, I’m getting hungry just thinking about them…
JD: If MC could travel anywhere in our world, where would she go and what would she do?
Anywhere really. Despite coming from an affluent family, her parents have never allowed her to travel outside of the Asian Federation.
JD: Describe LOVE INTEREST or MC in three words.
Secret. Tough. Dare I say. . . SMOLDER?
JD: What advice would you give to pre-published writers?
Find friends on the journey with you. Get critique partners, mentors, find authors who are good at marketing, romance, plotting and ask them questions. I truly believe every author has a super power. For some it’s character development, others it’s world building, and still others it’s crafting a pitch. Use your strengths to help others and be willing to learn from those around you.
JD: Share a tip about how you infuse emotion into your characters.
I’m terrible at writing emotions. Something that’s helped me is any time I feel something deeply in my own life I like to write down everything I’m feeling in that moment and why. I literally have a document called “Emotions”. When I have a scene that calls for a certain emotion, if I’m really struggling, I’ll go into that document and pull up whatever emotion I’m looking for and get some ideas from that. In a few cases, I’ve even been able to copy and paste the exact emotional struggle and then tweak it to fit my scene.
Keep up with Candace:
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Want more? Check out her interview on Instagram.
*The full version of this interview first went out in my newsletter, but it was so good I wanted to share it with y’all here….most of it! Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for giveaways and bonus interview questions along with fun extras like Book Bakes (my recipes inspired by good reads), book recommends, bookish news, and more!