Author Interview: James Sandepp

Hello, readers! Today, we’re bringing you an exclusive interview with James Sandepp, author of Piercing Through the Silence.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I have been a teacher for the last twenty years. My background is in computer science and currently I live in Singapore where I teach software related subjects.

Can you tell us what your book is about and what genre it is?

Piercing Through the Silence falls into the young adult/science fiction genre. It is about a sixteen-year-old girl, Marinette, who lives in this world where humans are no longer able to speak or make any kind of sounds. The ability to speak was lost   generations ago because of a disease. One day Marinette encounters a dying woman who keeps signing the phrase “Stop the process”. During this tragic encounter, Marinette releases a sound, which is the first by a human in many generations. Her sound rattles the established order in society and with it, Marinette begins this journey of finding out who she is, why she is able to make sounds and/or speak, and what does “the process” have to do with all this.

Where did the idea for Piercing Through the Silence come from?

The idea for this book came from the notion of how spoken words today have a positive and/or negative impact on everything around us. They build us up and/or tear us down easily. Based on that, I was intrigued of developing a world where people had lost that ability to speak, society had embraced “silence as the order” as the norm, and then introduce the possibility of humans getting their voice back (through a sixteen-year-old girl) and how society would react to it.

It is planned to be a series, correct? Is there a estimated time of release for the sequel?

Yes Piercing Through the Silence is the first of a two-part book series. I finished the sequel recently and am currently editing it. The estimated time of release for the sequel is May 2020.

What was your rationale for the main character?

I chose a young female character as the protagonist as I also wanted to explore her journey in relation to the world she was immersed in and how she would have to deal with finding herself, her feelings, friendship and loyalty.

What are your future writing plans?

I am currently writing a new YA/science fiction book series, regarding a Dystopian society, that revolves around the fixation on skills and conforming to society.