I'm delighted to introduce you to Canadian author, Boshra Rasti. She leads an interesting life as an international teacher currently living in Doha, Qatar. Her new book, Surrogate Colony, comes out on February 1st, 2022, but she's offering it now to build up reviews. Boshra's and my books have strong female characters in common, and we had a great online chat. Boshra agreed to answer some interview questions, and I know you'll find her as interesting as I do.

Q: Talk about yourself. Your books. What you’ve written so far.
BR: I once went on a first date and after exchanging some pleasantries, he asked me “what’s your crazy?” I was taken aback by the question and when my initial discomfort with the question died down, I realized it was a very perceptive thing to ask. Everyone just wants to be normal, but to really know someone, you need to realize their neuroses, or oddities. So, I think the biggest neuroses I have is wanting fairness in a very unfair world. That’s probably the biggest reason I write, to advocate for the odd ones, the down-and-outs, the political outcasts, the underdogs.

Q: What is the inspiration for your main characters
BR: Adriana is an odd one, an underdog, but she’s super smart.  She is also persistent and patient. I really admire women who are strong like that. I can definitely resonate with a time in my life where I felt I’d never amount to anything. That I would never fit in, so Adriana is the sort of person I wish I was when I was 18.

Q: What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
BR: I want them to be empowered. The novel’s dedication is: “to every innocent questioner, to every faultless outcast”, so I want people to realize that critical thinking and questioning are a huge part of being homo-sapiens. Don’t let those in charge of the algorithms take that ability from you.

Q: So, what’s next in your writing?
BR: I am really excited about my next novel. It is a YA, dystopian novel called “Pick Your Scar” and it’s about a future world where people live so happily that to come of age, they have to choose a scar that will help them realize pain. They enter an artificial reality where they basically undergo some damage, but the main character actually emerges from the experience with a type of mental illness.

Q: What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working?
BR: I like to run and walk. If running is too painful then I walk. I also really love mindfulness meditation, so I often sit and just breathe. I wish I could say I was into photography or art, or music, but I am terrible at proportions and can’t keep a tune!

Q: Are there any tips you could share with new writers that have worked well for you or was there something difficult you overcame? How?
BR: Goals, Motivations, Conflicts. Every character, every scene, needs to expound on these three things. Otherwise, you have a one-dimensional character going through a story with no backbone.

Q: Where can readers find you?
BR: My readers can find me running in the desert, or the streets of Doha. I am a teacher overseas, so in the summers I come home to Canada and visit friends and family and take in deep breaths of clean air. They can also find me virtually on Goodreads, Instagram, Facebook. I have a website: https://boshrawrites.com/  I really like to interact with my readers, so shoot me a question anytime!

In MicroScrep, a post-pandemic world, one politician, Arthur Mills, brings all scientists and engineers together to create a vaccine and rebuild a world where harmony ensues. What results is a society where algorithms control who you marry, who your child is, and what position you have.

Adriana Buckowski is not normal. Her eyes are two different colors, making her less susceptible to the system’s propaganda, she has a unique connection with a boy named Zach, and she has questions. Weird occurrences happen as she gets closer to her Calling Ceremony, where she’ll be given a position. When she finally starts piecing together the twisted motives at play in MicroScrep, she becomes a cog in the wheel of the state.

Her only option for survival lies with Zach, and the hope that she will be vindicated through a vigilante group off-grid. But with time ticking against her, will she survive long enough to be redeemed?

Purchase Surrogate Colony here.

And if you do purchase Boshra's new release, please consider leaving her a review. Reviews help new readers find the books, and are especially important for indie titles.

Blood Mark is now an international best-seller. Treat yourself with a copy for Christmas!

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