Today, I'm honoured to be the first stop on Lauren DeStefano's Canadian blog tour! Lauren's debut novel, Wither, the first in the dystopian Chemical Garden trilogy will be in stores next week on March 22... and trust me, you'll definitely be wanting to get your hands on a copy as soon as you can! Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada, I was able to ask the author a few questions...

Summary:  

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out. 

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home. 

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limited time she has left.

1) If you suddenly found yourself in Rhine's dark world, how would you react? 

To me, the darkness of Rhine's world--or of any world--is not as terrifying as losing my freedom. Rhine grew up in a dreary, dangerous and polluted city, but it was the only home she knew, and it belonged to her. I'd feel the same way, and I wouldn't want to be placed somewhere more appealing at the cost of my freedom.

2) If you had a playlist for Wither, what songs would be found on it? 

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel could play in the background during just about any scene and be relevant to the situation. In my head, at least.

3) What is the main message you hope to impart on readers once they've finished the first novel in the Chemical Garden trilogy? 

I would never presume to tell my readers what to take away from my stories.