Countdown to YALLWEST: The Basics of Virals and interview with Brendan Reichs and The Virals Pack!

 

I cannot contain my excitement about being able to attend YALLWEST next month!

This is the first time this Young Adult Book Festival will be here in Southern California, at the beautiful local of Santa Monica. 

If you are able you should check out the festival April 11th and 12th! Check out all the amazing authors that will be in attendance below!

(List taken from YALLWEST website)

*LEIGH BARDUGO (Shadow And Bone)  NYT

COE BOOTH (Kinda Like Brothers) LAT

*PSEUDONYMOUS BOSCH (Secret Series) NYT

LIBBA BRAY (Diviners) NYT, PRINTZ, LAT, TIGER BEAT 

*RACHEL COHN (Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist) NYT

ANDREA CREMER (The Inventor’s Secret) NYT

*MELISSA DE LA CRUZ (Blue Bloods) NYT

ALLY CONDIE (Matched) NYT

KIMBERLY DERTING (The Taking)

SUSAN EE (Angelfall) USA

DAN EHRENHAFT (The Last Dog On Earth) TIGER BEAT

*KAMI GARCIA (Beautiful Creatures) NYT, MORRIS

SHANNON HALE (Princess Academy) NYT, NEWBERRY

E. LOCKHART (We Were Liars) NYT, PRINTZ

RICHELLE MEAD (Vampire Academy) NYT

*LISI HARRISON (Pretenders) NYT

ELLEN HOPKINS (Crank) NYT

*ROBIN LAFEVERS (Grave Mercy) NYT

ALEXANDER LONDON (Proxy)

*MARIE LU (Legend) NYT

*TAHEREH MAFI (Shatter Me) NYT

BARNABAS MILLER (7 Souls) TIGER BEAT

G. NERI (Yummy, Knockout Games) CORETTA SCOTT KING, EISNER

MARISSA MEYER  (Cinder)

*KASS MORGAN (The 100) NYT

LAUREN OLIVER (Delirium) NYT

DANIELLE PAIGE (Dorothy Must Die) NYT

BRENDAN REICHS (Virals) NYT

VERONICA ROTH (Divergent) NYT

STEPHANIE PERKINS (Isla & The Happily Ever After) NYT

MORGAN RHODES (Falling Kingdoms) NYT

VERONICA ROSSI (Under The Never Sky) NYT

CARRIE RYAN (Forest Of Hands & Teeth) NYT

*HOLLY GOLDBERG SLOAN (Counting By 7’S) NYT

NATALIE STANDIFORD (Switched At Birthday) TIGER BEAT

*MARGARET STOHL (Beautiful Creatures) NYT, MORRIS

MAYA VAN WAGENEN (Popular) NYT

GENE LUEN YANG (Boxers & Saints) NYT, PRINTZ, NBA, EISNER, LAT

And Illustrators

*GARY ROSEN (Appleblossom The Possum)

*JOHN ROCCO (Percy Jackson)

& NICOLA YOON (Everything, Everything)

*past or present SoCal author
nyt or usa = new york times or usa today bestseller
morris, nba, printz = nominated or received
tiger beat = festival band
note: schedule is subject to change.

This is the second day of the YALLWEST countdown here at Library of the Seen. Today we spotlight The Virals Series, since the fabulous Brendan Reichs is going to be in attendance!!!! (I seriously fangirled when I read that!) As you know I LOVE the Virals series so I cannot wait to meet this author and get my books all signed.

THE BASICS OF THE VIRALS SERIES

 

 

On Sale March 26th

Pre-Order Now

Check out my reviews of the Virals novels HERE!

LOCATIONS IN VIRALS

To have a more in depth look at the locations in VIRALS visit:

http://viralstheseries.com/

LIRI- LIRI stands for Loggerhead Island Research Institute. LIRI is a private research facility. They observe the monkeys on the Island and are not allowed to participate in any form of animal experimentation.

Loggerhead Island- Only half a square mile large Loggerhead Island is mainly inhabited by monkeys. You can also find the Wolfdogs here. The only man made structure on the Island is LIRI
.
Morris Island- Morris Island is HUGE compared to Loggerhead at a whopping four square miles.
The northern half of the island is nothing but rolling, sandy hillocks. The western side of the Island is dense marshland. THe middle consists of sand hills rising 30-40 feet towards the south as the Island widens. LIRI keeps faculty housing on Morris Island and this is where all the Virals and their families reside.

Bolton Academy- One of the premier private schools Acceptance is Invitation only.The Pack all attend on scholarship from LIRI, the school and the research facility have an agreement to accept the children of employees.

The Bunker- The Bunker serves as the Packs club house. An old abandon military structure, the Virals found it one day while searching for a lost Frisbee. They seem to be the only ones who know about the structure and that's just the way they like it.

MEET THE PACK

Tory (Victoria) Brennan- Tory is the 14 year old great niece of Temperance Brennan. She has recently moved in with her Dad, Kit, in Charleston, South Carolina. It's a long way from the home she grew up in with her Mom in Massachusetts, but going back isn't an option. Her Mom is gone so Tory will just have to adjust.
Tory is the Alpha Viral even though she is the youngest. She's intelligent, strong willed and kick butt.
5'5" red hair, emerald eyes, and pale skin.

Hi (Hiram) Stolowitski- Hi 15 years old is on the chubbier side. He also figures himself a comedian and he provides the comic relief to the group, even in the midst of deadly mysteries. His personal style is heavy on Hawaiian Shirts. Hi isn't the biggest fan of Tory's schemes but in the end he is usually swayed by Ben and Shelton.

Ben Blue- 16 years old and part Sewee Indian Ben is the most reserved and serious member of the Virals pack. He has shoulder length black hair, dark eyes and a copper tan.
Ben's love is his boat, a 16 foot Boston Whaler Runabout he named SEWEE. SEWEE is the Virals main means of transportation.

Shelton Devers- Half African-American, half Japanese this 15 years old is a whiz with technology and mechanics. He is also an expert lock pick, which comes in handy when sneaking around searching for clues! And his code breaking skills probably have the NSA salivating to recruit him.
Cooper- Cooper is the fifth and final member of the pack! He is the wolf dog Tory saved from testing and reason the gang became a "pack" in the first place.

THE ADULTS OF VIRALS

Christopher "Kit" Howard- Kit is Tory's pretty clueless father. But in his defense he didn't know he had a child until years after Tory was born. He met her mother at Sailing Camp when they were 16 and now he has a daughter to raise.
As the nephew of Tory Brennan it's logical that he also works in the field of science He works at LIRI as a veteranry expert and is popular with his colleagues.

Linus & Ruth Stolowitski- Hi's parents.
Linus is quiet and dignified, the opposite of his son. He works with at Liri as well
Ruth is somewhat religious and is often shutteling herself and Hi to temple in bursts of piety. She also runs the Community Watch team that patrols Morris Island, where all of the Virals live.

Tom & Myra Blue- Ben's Parents.
Myra Blue lives in a condo in Mount Pleasant. The relationship status of Tom and Myra is somewhat ambiguous. Myra is not mentioned often.
Tom Blue runs the ferry service between Morris Island and the mainland. His boat is named HUGO. Tom isn't big on punishment so Ben usually gets off easy when the Virals get in trouble for their antics.

Nelson & Lorelei Denvers- Shelton's Parents.
An IT specialist at LIRI, Nelson is a fomer dock worker from the Bronx who joined the Navy. While stationed in Okanawa he met Lorelei while taching computer science at a japanese community college. He was the first black man Lorelei ever met.
Lorelei is a veternairy technician at LIRI. She and Nelson are the strictest of the Virals parents and have no tolerance for criminal behavour.

BOLTON ACADEMY PEERS

Chance Clayborn- Described as Darkly handsome and exceedingly rich. Captain of the Lacrosse team and a beautiful girlfriend, Hannah Wythe. Even though he has a girlfriend he often flirts with Tory.
After witnessing the Virals Pack flare he is determined to find out their secret.

Jason Taylor- He is described as looking like a "Nordic God" with his blond hair and blue eyes. He's a rich kid that often hosts parties on his families yacht. He has an interest in Tory and can't stand Ben.

"The Tripod"- Or as Tory calls them "The Tripod of Skank"
They are the mean girls at school. They are snarky, rude and bully the Virals pack. The Tripod is made up of the following three girls.
Madison Dunkle- Madison hates Tory since she has set her sights on Jason and he pays more attention to Tory than her. This results in her bullying Tory until Tory goes Viral on her and flashes her golden eyes. Now Madison is terrified of Tory.
Courtney Holt- Courtney is a ditz and kind of slow on the uptake.
Ashley Bodford- Ashley is also known to be a little ditzy but she is sharper than Courtney.

GETTING TO KNOW BRENDAN REICHS!

1.What is currently on your nightstand or e reader just itching to be read?

I'm about to read DUST, the third book in Hugh Howey's Silo series. I can't wait. It's such a fully-developed dystopian world. One of the best series I've read this year.
After that, I plan to finish Marie Lu's LEGEND series and start DANGEROUS CREATURES by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

 

2. What is your go to cure for writers block?

Power. Through. I don't believe in writer's block. I outline a whole story before I begin, so on any given day I usually know what I need to write before I start. Some days, it's terrible product, but I force myself to get something, anything on the page. Fixing is easier than creating.

3. You were a litigation attorney before you wrote the Virals series, what prompted such an amazing career change?

I really didn't like being a lawyer. The hours are terrible, and the people can be too. So when I saw an opportunity to do something creative instead, I jumped with both feet. No regrets. 

4. Where did the inspiration for Virals come from?

My sister got married in Turks and Caicos, and during the trip I adopted a “potcake” puppy named Turk. Soon after returning to the States, Turk caught Parvovirus, an extremely dangerous canine pathogen. He was extremely sick before recovering, and that ordeal gave me the idea for Virals- what could happen if canine Parvovirus suddenly became contagious to humans?

If you would like to know more about the charity that Brendan adopted Turk from please visit:

http://www.potcakeplace.com

5. You co-author Virals with your mom, Kathy Reichs, how does co-authoring work? 

It's an interesting process, I assure you. We outline together and then I write the first draft. She edits, and then we fight about every last detail for weeks. It can be exhausting, but overall it's been great.

6. Do you feel that writing Virals has brought your family closer?

At times. And at time it goes the other way, usually during edits!

7. If you had the opportunity to become a "pack" with your best friends would you do it?

I think it would be hard for anyone to knowingly turn down a shot at superpowers, but in the books I try to emphasize the risks involved as well. The Virals don't know if this virus will ultimately kill them. It's a very real concern. That being said, I think it would be amazing to have that kind of connection with your friends. I'm in. 

9. I am a huge fan of the Virals series as it combines a strong female protagonist and science, two things I feel should be written about more often in books and should be featured on television and in film. If you had an opportunity to make Virals either a TV show or a Film which would you prefer?

I'm for films. I think it would be a very exciting experience, and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

10. Who is in your dream cast?

This is a tough question, because the Virals are all so young. So every time I think I have the perfect Tory picked out, the actress gets older. For example, I really liked Alison Pill for Tory when the series began, but that ship has sailed. I love hearing suggestions from readers on this one.

  This is Alison Pill!

11. Which member of the Virals gang do you most identify with?

Personality-wise, it's Hiram. He's basically me, saying what I would in any given situation. He's my ballast. My wife thinks I'm more of a Jason Taylor though.

12. The Pack become Virals after contracting a new strain of Parvovirus, would you mind telling readers a bit more about the canine parvovirus?

It's very deadly, and there's no cure for it. If a canine is in infected, you have to treat the symptoms and hope the dog's immune system can fight it off on its own. If left untreated, it's about 50% lethal overall, and even higher among puppies. Luckily there's a vaccine, so make sure to get your puppies inoculated as soon as possible!

To learn more about Canine Parvovirus visit the ASPCA at this link:
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/parvovirus 

13. You are obviously an animal lover seeing as you have many pets! In book one of the series, Virals, the gang helps a wolf-dog pup and they often visit Loggerhead island to see the Monkeys. Will the gang be helping more animals out over the course of the series?

They will. Tory and the gang encountered a wild wolf pack in Seizure, and will face something similar in Exposure. 

14. Loggerhead Island is supposed to only observe animals, not test on them, what are your feelings about animal testing in the name if science?

I don't like it. I understand that great advances in medicine have been accomplished through animal testing, but I could never support it. I've seen it firsthand, and it's too heartbreaking for me. And the
concept of testing beauty product on any kind of animal is so revolting as to defy belief.

  
For a searchable database of Cruelty Free Companies Visit this website:
http://features.peta.org/cruelty-free-company-search/index.aspx

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE VIRALS PACK!

1. Tory you recently lost your mother, which is what prompted your move, do you have any advice for readers dealing with the loss of a loved one?

I don't, really. It's not something you can just wallpaper over. It's an ache that doesn't fade. I'm working on it myself, day by day. I guess I'd say to remember the good times, and don't try to forget the person. That just makes the pain worse.

2. If there was a cure that would change your DNA back to it's original form would you take it?

Tory: I don't know. How do you choose to become something less? But the virus may be killing us... 

3. You have solved an awful lot of dangerous mysteries! Are any of you planning on going into the mystery solving business as a career?

Hi: Definitely. I'm totally PI material, to the core. I look great in hats.

Shelton: Shut it. I just want one freakin' week where I'm not breaking the law. is that too much to ask?

4. You guys are outsiders at school because you live on the island and are attending your school on scholarship.How do you deal with bullying? What advice would you give others?

Hi: Keep your head on a swivel.

Ben: Say it to my face.

5. How do you guys feel about Brendan and Kathy writing about your lives and adventures?

Tory: It's weird. It's like a have a split personality sometimes. 

Hi: Why'd they have to make me chubby? Not cool.

Shelton: People are writing about us?! Seriously?!

Ben: *shrugs*

6. What has been your most favorite mystery to solve?

Tory: I liked defeating the Gamemaster.

Hi: Buried treasure, yo! Dolla, dolla bills!

Shelton: We solved a murder once. Can't top that.

Ben: Tapping my powers. Flaring under control. Not the easiest thing.

7. Who would you chose to play the film version of yourselves?

Hi: Hello! We're staring as ourselves. Who has more mass appeal than me?