Youtopia follows an FBI agent assigned to investigate a most unique murder committed within a virtual reality mind-space. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The concept for Youtopia started as a short conversation in a larger work, a sort of farfetched conversation about people living in their own brains. At the time, I was probably exploring the idea in a shorter, safer space. But as the years passed, as I saw more and more people living in their phones instead of the world before them, the more I realized the idea was serious, and that I should treat it as such. It became a murder mystery in my mind because the premise felt inherently dangerous: what happens when we live only within ourselves, leaving us vulnerable to the outside world? From there, the book took off.

How long did it take you to imagine, draft, and write the world your characters live in?

I started drafting Youtopia in 2018, so from start to publication, it took about six years! That seems like a lot, but most writers know that pouring yourself into a novel is quite a process. Ana and the concept were pretty well-rounded from the outset, but a lot of my revisions (after getting some great feedback from editors) had to do with building up both the world and the crime aspects of the book. I’m no cyber expert, so I spent a lot of time reading about cybercrimes and the ins and outs of the technological world today to flesh it out.

What was your favorite character to write for and why? Was there a scene you felt captured the character’s essence?

This is such a hard question! I loved writing Ana because she was the most like myself: introspective, very strong at times but vulnerable in others. I enjoyed writing Sonya Young, the creator of Youtopia because she is the eccentric genius type. I researched the oddities of real-life geniuses and tried to insert some of those peculiarities into her character. But my favorite character to write had to be Terrance Martin, the leader of an anti-Youtopia church. For one, villains get to have all the fun. His dialogue just came to me naturally too–I felt like I was watching him perform–which doesn’t happen often, at least for me!

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

I’m currently finishing up the sequel to Youtopia, which is titled Youtopia Reborn. It will be available from Evolved Publishing this fall. Expanding the world and concept has been one of the most challenging and rewarding projects of my writing career! I’m also in the early stages of the third chapter, Youtopia Infinity, which will come out in April 2025.

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/06/16/vulnerable-to-the-outside-world/