Today it gives the Speculative Fiction Showcase great pleasure to interview Carrie French, whose debut novel Without Disruption we feature on January 10, 2022.
Without Disruption is your first published novel.
What gave you the idea for this book?
As cliché as it sounds, the idea of this utopia first came to me in a dream! In it, I discovered a peaceful society that truly valued and supported everyone’s individual wishes and goals for how they wanted their life to look. Of course, the specifics have faded now – mostly because the concept transformed into Without Disruption’s fully realized idea.
I remember
talking to someone my age who chose not to work, spent their days resting at
home, and found joy just sitting among a quiet pile of books. My instant
reaction was influenced by real-world social norms: they’re just lazy, right?
Friends in the dream were quick to step in and remind me that he had just as
much right to live life on his terms as anyone else, even if I personally didn’t
think it was ‘the right way.’
When I
woke up, the sentiment stayed with me, and I started to wonder what society
would have to look like in order to fully support that non-judgmental truth.
You mention on Goodreads that Without Disruption is a dystopian novel that is utopian at heart. Can you unpack that idea for us?
Most dystopian novels feature a courageous protagonist who unveils how broken the system really is – often with a strong argument and black-and-white clarity. I wanted to spark discussions with more nuance.
Exactly how
content does the population need to be in order to earn ‘utopia’ status?
Is 17 out
of 20 contentment points enough?
Exactly what
percentage of people need to fit the social rules and expectations in order
to call it a success?
Is 99.9%
enough?
Without
Disruption leans into these unknowns. Harrison’s life
story is dystopic, even surrounded by guarantees of happiness in a world where
everyone else seems to have things figured out.
Tell us something about the world of the book. Who or what is Vie?
Global society is united by Vie (pronounced Vee) – an AI that is worshipped as divine. She guides everyone into ‘harmony’ with in-ear alerts, retina screens, and vast, immersive simulations. This technology doesn’t just organize and monitor the world – it actively controls how you experience it.
Harrison
spends a chapter of his life as a devoted disciple of Vie, where he learns
about the system’s history and inner workings, so I don’t want to give too much
away.
Tell us more about the novel’s protagonist, Harrison, who he is and where he is going?
Without Disruption is told from Harrison’s perspective as he recounts the story of his life – everything that matters and is worth remembering. We follow him from his first walk to the V tower at age seventeen when he decides to leave his family, community, and name behind in pursuit of a different life. He can never go back.
Vie says,
“In harmony with time and for the sake of all of humanity, do you agree to move
forward without disruption?”
Harrison
grew up in the H-sib alphaclass centered on familial devotion, tight-knit
communities, and enhanced fertility, but that wasn’t the right fit for him; it
didn’t match what he wanted out of his life. By ‘transferring,’ he becomes
Nicolas – a popular N-star celebrity with a dedicated fan base. There, he meets
a boy named Niam and feels an instant, overwhelming wave of attraction.
Together, they try to build a life that fulfills both of their needs while
wrangling their spark into a sustainable flame.
How does Harrison confront the dystopian world in which he finds himself?
Harrison is ambitious, impulsive, and deeply influenced by the opinions of others. In his ongoing attempts to settle into ‘harmony’ and achieve 17 out of 20 contentment points – the stable, perfect level of happiness that Vie guarantees – he hacks away at the list of options.
One of my
favorite quotes from the book says, “Actions could be rectified and managed,
but they could never truly be undone.”
There are
only 14 alphaclasses to choose from, and with every new name and lifestyle that
he adopts, his options shrink by one. He becomes increasingly desperate and
frustrated, trying to understand and override a system that only he sees as
broken.
You refer to the fact that he retains hazy memories of incidents that never happened. What’s the significance of this?
I’m fascinated by the mystery of ‘old souls’ – like piano prodigies who fall in love with music as toddlers and people who pick a career path right out of college and stick with it until retirement. There are some people who seem to know exactly what they want out of their lives and follow a straight-line path to get there. Have they done this before?
Again, not
to give away too many of Without Disruption’s divine revelations… this
utopia guarantees that everyone will live for exactly one hundred healthy,
happy years. However, Harrison learns that some decisions and consequences span
lifetimes.
With Facebook’s Meta and other immersive worlds becoming a reality, to what extent do you see stories like yours as a warning?
It’s clear that many technology elements in Without Disruption are overwhelmingly positive. Global society has been peacefully united and transformed for nearly two millennia. Vie’s immersion (or intrusion, depending on your perspective) made that possible.
The larger
question in virtually every dystopian novel is ‘when do controlling
interventions and alterations go too far?’ In Without Disruption, you
see Harrison begin to wonder if he even knows what’s real anymore… To me,
that’s exceptionally frightening.
Tell us something about Harrison’s friends - and antagonists.
This isn’t
a black-and-white book; it doesn’t have a clear villain, loyal-until-the-end
friends, and a singular mission that Harrison is tasked to overcome. His
relationships are complex and messy, just like the real world, and we often
watch Harrison work against himself. In many ways, he is his own antagonist.
Two other
main characters shape his journey – helping and hindering him along the way:
Niam is
magnetic and charming with an open heart. The moment they lock eyes, Harrison
feels a wave of attraction that spans lifetimes.
Leiko is a supportive friend and ally. She is warm and confident with an unyielding sense of quiet composure. You can always trust her to tell the truth, even if it lands like a slap.
The idea of a “perfect” world that is in fact a nightmare has a long and illustrious pedigree (thinking of Brave New World, 1984 and A Wrinkle in Time to name a few). What does this fear represent to you?
I think that the most obvious fear is that perfection is only possible when we relinquish personal control – especially when we value the good of ‘the whole’ above individual people or experiences. This concept comes up frequently in Without Disruption, and one character sums it up nicely, saying, “We all agree to give up something small so that we can have something big.”
I often
think about ‘the trolley dilemma’ – would you kill one person to save five? Now
what if 1,000 people could be saved, but you’re standing on the other track?
Humans are
inherently selfish and self-centered. I think this is an evolutionary trait: in
order to survive, we’re biologically wired to put our needs first.
The
‘perfect’ world in Without Disruption leans into that selfish nature and
makes use of it in a lot of ways. Coming from our ‘real world’ perspective, you
might be shocked by how easily Harrison’s family, including his twin brother,
allow him to walk away forever at the young age of seventeen – even cheering him
on until the final goodbye. Vie’s world is rooted in the premise that everyone
deserves to be content in the lifestyle of their choice. Underscoring is
just as disruptive as overscoring. This utopia teaches Harrison that he owes it
not only to himself, but also everyone around him, to put his needs first instead
of making sacrifices for other people.
When Harrison escapes this perfect world, where does he go?
In truth, Harrison never escapes. But that’s an important part of the story that I want you to enjoy and discover on your own.
You work as a freelance copywriter. How much do the skills needed for your day-job impact on your writing?
I’ve worked as a freelance copywriter for the past nine years and have collaborated with brands around the world to write for virtually every niche and industry. If you can guess it, I’ve probably written for it: fintech startups, artisanal candles, farming equipment, funeral homes, baby clothing, limousine services, etc… I love the daily opportunity to dive in, immerse myself in a new topic, and just write.
Over the
years, my speed of writing has increased dramatically with so much practice,
and I’m very skilled now at quickly distilling creative concepts with the right
words to match.
I took the
same approach with this novel, which made the writing process so fun.
Believe it
or not, I wrote the entire first draft (62,000 words by the end of the first
pass) in just two weeks. That immersive, all-in, let-it-flow magic that
I feel when writing in my daily work life was supercharged on this project and
it was honestly one of the most rewarding experiences in my life.
Is this novel a standalone or will there be
sequels?
Without Disruption is a standalone novel, but the bittersweet ending is open to your own interpretation and could lead into something new. I know that I’m not finished with Harrison’s world yet, but I haven’t quite decided what to write next.
There’s a
very good chance that I’ll follow this up with a sequel, and I’m also
considering a collection of short stories to explore the nuances of this futuristic
society through side characters that Harrison met along the way.
Your website design is striking and I was intrigued by the merch. How does it form part of the book’s pre-order?
In
addition to the paperback, ebook, and audiobook, I’m also releasing
limited-edition bookmarks, enamel pins, stickers, and tote bags to go along
with preorders. You can order items individually or bundle and save with
discounts on merch collections.
Preorders
open at www.carriefrenchauthor.com on December 10th.
The best way to support indie authors and creators is by shopping direct.
You have a playlist for the book on your website. Tell your readers something about that and why you chose those tracks.
I love to be immersed in whatever I’m reading, watching, or researching. Bookish merch, personality quizzes, and playlists help you step into the story and imagine yourself being there!
I decided to create an alphaclass placement quiz – Vie’s equivalent of the Hogwarts Sorting Hat. By measuring all the things you love, value, dream of, and can’t stand, this quiz suggests your top three lifestyle results and shows you where you might achieve ‘harmony’ in the world of Without Disruption.
This playlist was also super fun to create. It’s a novel soundtrack that walks you through the entire story – from the first page to the last. Many of the songs were chosen for their lyrics, but others offer less concrete clues based simply on the sound and emotional ambiance that they convey. Don’t worry, there are no obvious spoilers!
What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m just trying to make this book launch as successful as possible! My personal goal is to release this novel with traditional publishing quality through self-published channels. Creating these marketing materials, pursuing organic outreach, and perfecting every little detail has been such a wild, rewarding ride!
My baby is also due a
week after pub day, so I’ve got a lot going on as a first time mom to keep me
busy!
About Carrie French:
Carrie French was born and raised in Oregon under a perpetually cloudy sky. It rained while she wrote her first book Without Disruption too.
She has nearly a decade of experience as a freelance copywriter, and she writes for brands around the world. You’ve probably read her work while shopping online, but you’d never know it. (Funny how marketers don’t get a byline...) Carrie also enjoys playing the oboe, sipping whiskey, filming YouTube videos, and going on long runs through the countryside.
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