Dystopia Love by Cricket Baker

 Hi guys. Sorry for absence. Also sorry for lateness of this post-didn't press schedule for a few days ago and didn't notice till today. Sorry. Anyway, today, we have Cricket Baker, author of The Ghosting of Gods, talking about why we all love dystopian novels. 

Dystopia: a society characterized by human misery.

Why are dystopian novels so...compelling?

If you’re a fan of YA dystopian novels, I’m convinced I know you. You’re the sort who loves a story with a flair of weirdness about it. Definitely. But you’re also the sort who is, either overtly or subconsciously, attracted to the wild idea that your world can be something different from what it is.

Both of these things mean you are open to being wild and different.

I’m sorry if you disagree with my assessment of your character. Doesn’t matter. I’m right. I know you because I know what you read. Did you seriously believe you like to blend in? (I’m laughing.)

Being different can be uncomfortable. Scary, even, like when your internet service fails. But it’s what the world needs. You know this, right? I mean, have you ever hoped a character in a dystopian novel would refuse to change their dysfunctional world by refusing THE CALL to be different? (Note: different = who you are.) Please read the following quote, one of my favorites:

You become mature when you become the authority of your own life  ~Joseph Campbell, mythologist

With that, you’ve got the essence of the YA protagonist’s journey in a dystopian novel.

By the way, you’re not only secretly in love with how different you are, you’re not only thrilled with the idea of changing your world, but you’re also an intellectual. What compliments I’m throwing at you!! Feel free to accept them.

Current and popular dystopian novels share much in common with those esteemed works of classical literature which long-ago authors penned with stunning sincerity (authors need to believe they’re writing really good stuff). Flaws in society are showcased (authors tend to have a critical eye so as to help others change). Flaws in human nature are exaggerated and examined (authors love to lie and gossip). If a novel brings you insight into the workings of your life or world, it’s gifting you not just with entertainment, but also with transformation. Books are great that way. Dystopian novels, especially so.

A secret: I know why YA authors write dystopians. We’re brilliant (wink, wink), so it comes naturally. More important: We seek to prompt everyone, but especially younger generations, to SEE. 

(OMG please, please, please, SEE.)

To change the world, you must first see it as it really is, and not how you’ve been instructed to see it. It’s critical that you see it for yourself. And think about it for yourself. And envision it anew for yourself. The possibilities are wild...can you see that?

You know that song, We Are Young? Sing it. Surrender to your secretly weird and intellectual self.

Set the world on fire.

(Warning: If you were just reminded of The Girl Who Was On Fire, you’ve got Dystopia Love.)


The Ghosting of Gods

Jesse is an apprentice exorcist who defies his priests when he learns his sister is in danger even though she’s dead. When he’s exiled to a haunted world, Jesse must unravel the mystery of ghosts if he is to save her. He plunges into a deadly game of hide-and-seek. The players include denizens draped in monkish robes, ghosts with matted eyes, the dead who tunnel underground in terror, and...Elspeth. 

A coven scientist, Elspeth is both respected and feared for her abnormal spiritual powers. Jesse needs--craves--the knowledge of ghosts which she possesses. Elspeth tempts him in other ways...but is she a spiritual prodigy, or dangerously insane? The coven scientist begs him to trust her. He doesn’t. But he wants to. 

Caught in a world on the brink of spiritual evolution, Jesse struggles to understand Elspeth even as frightening contacts from his sister force him to face the secret, shattering meaning of a verse he knows well: Blessed are the poor in ghost.

Cricket can be found here, on facebook, tumblr and youtube. The Ghosting of Gods can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.