Breeder by Honni van Rijswijk
1- Did being a a lawyer and an academic help or hinder you in writing this book, and in what ways?
It definitely helped! I'm interested in questions of power and BREEDER deals with lots of law themes--contracts, human rights, complicity, and evil laws.
2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?
Write the story that you want to read—this tip keeps me loyal to my idea even when writer’s block strikes.
3- What most motivates you to read a new book?
The hook / the premise—writing a strong story is so hard, but I love it when someone else’s novel flies
4- How does one become a Google Scholar and how much time and effort does it take to maintain that presence?
Google Scholar picks up on all scholarly works, so anyone publishing with an educational press will get picked up: this could be an undergraduate Honors thesis right up to a scholarly monograph. It takes between 3-6 years to get a PhD and then often a few more years to get a permanent academic job!
5- Would you share a picture with us of your book in a classic Australian setting?
We’re in COVID19 Lockdown right now so here I am on my balcony.
6- How likely is it that Breeder could become reality or near-reality?
I wrote Breeder because I’m scared about growing inequality—people’s jobs are becoming more precarious, it’s hard to make a living, and the rich are getting wealthier. At the same time, reproductive rights are being threatened all over the US. I think we need to fight so Breeder doesn’t become a reality.
7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?
@Honni_van_Rijs
Yes, I love my Twitter writer friends:
@gracelavery
@authorpoppygee
@seeorsea
8- Do you have a favorite #bookstagram image or account/ profile?
@yashelf
9- Are you a Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser, and how did you adopt that style?
I’m a Plantser—I started as a Pantser but wrangling hundreds and hundreds of pages into a story was super unpleasant, so I’ve switched to focusing a little more on having a story plan
10- What does your basic writing schedule look like, and how often do you write?
I try to write a couple of times a week, usually first thing in the morning before work! And then a couple of hours on Sundays.
11- What is your favorite book by someone else, what's the author's Twitter handle, and what do you love most about that book? #FridayReads book recommendation time!
Author name: Tamsyn Muir @tazmuir
Title: Gideon the Ninth
Love because: it’s so fun: a reanimated dead servant becomes a warrior!
12- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?
Fear, tension and ultimately, hope!
13- What kind of impact do you hope your book will have?
I hope it will make people feel seen—and hopeful, because there are so many of us in the world wanting to fight hyper-capitalism and gender violence.
14- What is your favorite creative non-writing activity to do?
Playing My Little Ponies with my six-year-old
14 b- Who is your favorite MLP?
Shady! I still have her from the 80s. What about you?
15- In what ways are the main characters in your book diverse? diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks
The main character, Will, is nonbinary and queer, and at the bottom of a very divided society. Will needs to decide between saving t
16- What method do you feel is the best way to get book reviews?
I actually don’t have an answer to do that question!
17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?
Blackstone Publishing—an indie press. I love their commitment to writers and to good writing.
18- What's the biggest writing goal you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?
I hope to write to keep writing compelling stories in different genres—crime, horror and thriller.
19- Would you please ask our audience a question to answer in the comments?
What do you think makes a good villain, and who’s your favorite?
20- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?
"Pacey, gritty and inventive, BREEDER buzzes with a dark energy as it follows the fate of two teens trying to survive in a crumbling dystopian society where men are valued for their work productivity, and women for their reproductive ability. In this intricately imagined and grimly fascinating world, teenage friends Will and Alex find themselves trapped in the Corporation’s frightening web. By taking us inside a dark nightmare that offers its protagonists no easy answers, Honni Van Rijswijk holds a fearless and ferocious mirror to our own lives. Written with gleaming prose, these characters are fully formed, and their triumphs and betrayals are as harrowing as they are heartfelt. A brilliant debut novel filled with heart-in-your-throat tension as it races toward a stunning finale."
—Poppy Gee, author of BAY OF FIRES and VANISHING FALLS
"Honni van Rijswijk’s debut is a thrilling ride through a not-too-distant future where state control over capital, sexuality, and labor is even more rigorously maintained than in our present moment. Although only by a bit—the prescience of BREEDER is felt on every page where a militarized “Corporation” knows everything about you and your desires. If there is hope for us, it derives from the queer and trans strategies of self-making and unmaking that van Rijswijk’s characters devise: they have, and she has, much to teach us about resisting contemporary technologies of control. Plus, it’s thrilling, sexy, and gorgeously paced."
—Grace Lavery, author of PLEASE MISS
"Proxy meets Handmaid's Tale, BREEDER will force readers to ask how far would they would go to decide their own fate."
—Joelle Charbonneau, NYT bestselling author of THE TESTING TRILOGY
"Van Rijswijk’s beautiful writing paints a vivid picture of a dystopian future where oceans are acid and the air itself is poisonous. As brutal as the world itself is, it’s nothing compared to the people who inhabit it. Poignant and eerily timely, Breeder is a fast-paced sci-fi that reminds us a value can’t be placed on our humanity."
—Lani Forbes, Award-winning author of THE AGE OF THE SEVENTH SUN SERIES
Breeder by Honni van Rijswijk
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