Author Interview: Pam Bachorz (Drought)

Books by Pam Bachorz:
Candor (Egmont: 2010)
Drought (Egmont: 2011)


Drought:

Ruby dreams of escaping the Congregation. Escape from slaver Darwin West and his cruel Overseers. Escape from struggling to gather the life-prolonging Water that keeps the Congregants alive--and Darwin rich. Escape from her certain, dreary existence, living as if it's still the early 1800s, when the Congregation was first enslaved. But if Ruby leaves, the Congregation will die without the secret ingredient to the Water: her blood. So she stays, and prays to their savior Otto, who first gave Water to the Congregants... and fathered Ruby before he vanished. When the Congregants discover Ruby's forbidden romance with an Overseer, they beat Ford to stop her from running away with him. Ruby steals their store of Water to save Ford's life and is banished. Ruby has everything she's dreamed of: a modern life with Ford. But the modern world isn't what she thought it would be, and Ruby can't forsake the Congregation. Love and loyalty push Ruby to return and fight for her family's freedom...at a terrible price.

Interview:

What would you do if you were in the world of Drought? 

I would like to think that I’d fight, because I think of myself as being strong. But the truth is, when you are faced with a bully who has power over a big part of your life, that’s not necessarily how you will respond. When I was faced with that situation in my life a few years ago, I tried to fight… and I failed. I ended up running from the situation. It all worked out, thankfully. But it gave me a new understanding of how strong people can be dominated and controlled, more easily than you’d expect. 

Do you plan on writing any more books in this world, maybe a sequel? 

I would love to write a sequel to DROUGHT, and I have some of the work done already. Time, and reader interest, will tell! 

Are you anything like Ruby? 

Like Ruby, I don’t like to wait around for someone to help me. I want to solve my own problems. Also, we both love popcorn. And Italian food. 

What do you think of the recent dystopian trend? 

I’m a little amused, because I think people have been writing dystopian books for far longer than the label has existed. Look at ANNA TO THE INFINITE POWER, by Mildred Ames… a YA book about the dark side of human cloning, out decades ago. On the other hand, I love so many of the books that are labeled as dystopian. And if they’re getting published or read widely because people think dystopian is hot, then that’s awesome. The stories wouldn’t succeed, though, if they weren’t well-written and well-plotted.

What are you working on now? 

I am working on another YA story, set in an entirely new world with very diverse and raucous characters. I can’t write fast enough for them. They want to be heard! 

Where can readers find out more about you and your books? 

Please stop by my website at http://www.pambachorz.com. Also, if you run into my troop of lovely self-appointed publicists—family and friends—settle in for a full sales pitch! And stories about my synchronized swimming and dominoes skills… depending on who you’re talking to.

Anything else you'd like to say?

Thank you for having me! Keep an eye on my website in the weeks to come for some cool promotional videos as well as giveaways to launch them!