UFI welcomes Sonya Clark Author of Trancehack. Thanks for Joining us!!
Future Noir With a Touch of Magic
Trancehack begins with a mystery. Detective Nate Perez, new in town and unfamiliar with the careful tightrope of life in a zone city, gets his first big case since moving to New Corinth and it’s a doozy. He quickly finds himself tangled in a web of murder, drugs, blackmail, societal pressures, political conspiracy, secrets and lies - and love. He falls hard for a woman the law won’t let him make a life with, captivating witch Calla Vesper.
In 2065, it’s been half a century since the Magic Laws were passed, sending the Magic Born to live in urban zones and denying them basic rights of citizenship. It’s a bleak world for both Magic Born and Normals alike. People deal with it in different ways. There’s a magically enhanced version of ecstasy called nightshade. Arcades where gamers who can’t afford home systems can lose themselves in other worlds for a few hours. There are nightclubs too, like the zone’s infamous dance hall, Sinsuality. Lovers get by on stolen moments and borrowed time, trying to get the most out of the night and dreading the reality revealed by daybreak.
When creating this world, I drew on a love of mystery novels and noir I’ve had for years. Movies like Chinatown, Blade Runner, LA Confidential. The novels of Raymond Chandler, James Ellroy, Michael Connelly. Dark worlds of neon-filled night and forbidden love. Even the Magic Born’s nickname for the zone, FreakTown, was based on one of those movies. I even entertained thoughts of someone paraphrasing the famous line from Chinatown - “Forget it, Nate. It’s Freaktown.” But it didn’t work out.
For me, the perfect fictional world has to include some kind of paranormal element. In the Magic Born series, that element is magic, of course. A few of the witches, Calla among them, are able to use astral projection to enter cyberspace - something called trancehacking. There are other instances in the book of magic combined with technology. I like to think of that combination as witchpunk. It was a fun, exciting way to bring magic both into the future and into the neon-filled city night.
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Sonya Clark grew up a military brat and now lives in Tennessee with her husband and daughter. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance with a heavy helping of magic and lots of music for inspiration. Learn more at www.sonyaclark.net. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Find Sonya and her books
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TrancehackMagic Born #1
It’s 2065. Those born with magic abilities live in government-run zones, without rights or freedoms. Fear of magic created this segregated world and fear keeps it intact.
A high-profile murder brings Detective Nathan Perez to Magic Born Zone 13. He’s had little experience with the Magic Born and isn’t sure what to expect during his first encounter with a witch, but he never thought he’d be so drawn to her.
Trancehacker Calla Vesper uses magic to break into computers and aid the Magic Born underground. She has no interest in helping a cop, even if he is smoking-hot, but money’s tight and Nate offers a tidy amount for help navigating the Zone. Calla’s determined to keep it all business, but sparks start flying before the investigation even gets started.
When Calla’s trancehacking and Nathan’s investigation uncover a conspiracy, Calla becomes a target. Nate can protect her by keeping her role a secret—but then who will protect Nate?
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