Interview with Daniel Weisbeck, Author of Children of the Miracle

What can you tell us about your new release, Children of the Miracle?

Children of the Miracle is the first book in a series which follows three Sanctuary Cities that are the sole survivors of a global pandemic. One hundred years after the virus FossilFlu took humanity to the brink of extinction, the Sanctuaries of Americas, Europe, and Asia, all self-isolated, are rebuilding their populations while trying to find immunity to the deadly virus. The odds are stacked against them as the world is also burning up as a result of an environmental collapse.

The first book in the series follows Doctor Mercy Perching, from the Sanctuary of Europe, as she is invited to the Sanctuary of Americas to help deal with a mutation of the FossilFlu. The first person to visit the isolated city in one hundred years, she is shocked to discover they have been genetically engineering human-animal hybrids in hopes to find permanent immunity to the disease. But the new Chimera species have created many other new problems, including giving the virus a host to mutate. Mercy finds herself unwillingly at the centre of a battle between the Chimera and the Pure humans for immunity. She will have to choose a side and ultimately the face of the human species.

Children of the Miracle is Brave New World meets BladeRunner meets WestWorld. It’s a dystopian thriller with a surprising romance that will force the reader to ask themselves: What would I do?

What or who inspired you to become an author?

Mostly my mother. Raising six children, she hardly had any time to herself. At night, after everyone was in bed, she would read novels as a way of having some ‘me’ time. I have fond memories of waking up and finding her in the living room with a book. When I write, I want readers to get lost in my books, escape for a few hours. It’s a gift for my mother.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Gatsby, (Guilty pleasure: The Hunger Games).

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask

Author: Margret Atwood. Question 1: Can you adopt me and we can write books together? Question 2: What’s more important to you: the success of your books today, or a legacy where your books are still read as classics in one hundred years from now?

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

Inventing. Looking into the future and contemplating where and how the human species and the planet will exist. Or if they will exist.

What is a typical day like for you?

5 AM dog’s get me up for their breakfast. Then coffee and note taking of thoughts or dreams from the night I want to add into my books. Two hours of writing. Dog walks up the South Downs on the English coast. Coffee and two more hours of writing, if I’m lucky. Then out to take care of the horses and sheep on our small hold. Then some more writing or reading, depending on mood for the late afternoon. Dinner time is for me and my partner, my husband of twenty years.

What scene from Children of the Miracle was your favorite to write?

Describing Mercy’s first exposure to the Sanctuary of Americas, a technological and environmental utopia. It’s cyberpunk city meets Jurassic Park. The scenes represent my passion for inventing cool new technologies and my obsession with raw nature.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

One day at a time. One scene at a time.

Daniel Weisbeck is the author of the new book Children of the Miracle.

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