This is Len Berry’s guest post talking about his new book Vitamin F as part of his Literary+ blog tour. I’ll hand you over to the talented Len:
Len Berry’s new book.
Dramatis Personae
When I write, I tend to give my characters room to breath. I essentially put together a setting, assemble the cast, and let them do almost as they please.
Yes, I’ll set up a plot for the characters to run through. However, there is nothing that says how the characters go from one plot point to another. To me, these are living people with minds of their own.
Vitamin F takes place in a society that is 88% female and regulated by omni-present genetic controls. The reason is a massive drop in the male population, thanks, in part, to a plague called Babykiller. All activities related to reproduction are closely monitored in ideal situations.
With the setting in place, all we need now are a few upstanding—reviled—members of the population to focus on.
Bridgett is just starting college as Vitamin F opens. She’s a fairly normal person in most regards. She likes music, gets teased by her best friend, and has a crush on one of her classmates. Unlike most people, Bridgett is an orphan, a young woman raised by her grandfather.
The object of Bridgett’s affection is Penelope, a young woman who has never had difficulty fitting in. Like most of her peers, Penelope grew up with her Mom and her Mother. Despite her ability to fit in, Penelope is passionate about the people and things she cares about.
Oriane Panettiere is an elite Genetic Security agent, instantly identifiable by her overextended eye shadow and the horns styled into her hair. Her intentions are simple enough, to maintain the gene pool, but her motivation comes from personal tragedy. Oriane’s twin sister was sexually assaulted as a teenager. To compensate for her loss, Oriane has a zealot’s devotion for her work.
The direct contrast to Oriane is the terrorist leader Adam John. An unregistered male, Adam John seeks to overthrow the government and change society back to a previous incarnation. His ideal society is not our own, but a state more similar to feudalism where men rule over women in a harem lifestyle.
One character slowly draws these people closer together. His name is Charles Summers, but his granddaughter, Bridgett, calls him Gran. Gran has bought medication from a gifted pharmacist for years. When the pharmacist is killed, Oriane begins asking questions of clients like Gran. Adam John also has questions about the medication Gran was ordering, though the terrorist has to figure out who Gran is first.
How these characters all meet up is, in many ways, up to them. As they draw closer to each other, tension grows with the intention of cranking up the pace of the story and the reader’s involvement.
Of course, getting the characters to agree to meet up is another matter altogether.
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Len Berry a lifelong resident of Missouri studied biology before turning his imagination toward writing. In his spare time, Len enjoys drawing, watching anime, and playing an occasional video game. He is the author of the dystopian e-book Vitamin F, now available for Nook and Kindle. Since Len is an active blogger, you can find out more about him and his projects at his blog
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