SOPHIE LI

Happy Wednesday!

Have you ever played pranks on a telemarketer? Recently, when a telemarketer called, I couldn’t resist. It’s kind of a funny story:

Telemarketer: Hello, my name is Susan. I am calling you from The Organization that Do Surveys about Cereal Products.* Do you have a few minutes to participate in a survey?

Me: Sure.

Susan: You can only participate in this survey if you are 18 years of age or older. Are you over 18 years of age?

Me: Yes, but is there a maximum age for this study?

Susan: No, we have various age brackets.

Me: I am 120 years old. Do you have an age bracket for that?

Susan: …

Susan: All right, ma’am. Have a good day.

Me: But-but the survey-

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter when the phone call ended :’) I am 26 but I have the maturity of a 6-year-old.

*To protect the confidentiality of the telemarketer and the telemarketing company, names have been replaced with fictional ones. It’s also because, well, I forgot the actual names.

Anyhow, today I am hoping to tell you guys a bit more about the WIP that I’ve been working on. Children of the Sun is a science fiction novel that takes place in present day. (Is there such a thing as an “alternate present” novel?)

This is the blurb:

Since the discovery of DNA in the 1950s, there has been tremendous interest in the potential of modifying the human genome. How soon can genetic diseases be eradicated? Can we push the boundaries of human fitness and intelligence? Now, in the year 2018, genetic modification of human embryos for medically necessary purposes is endorsed by the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, there are rumours of a new genetic disease, one that can give rise to spontaneous combustion and allow its host to breathe underwater. Those that carry these mutations, Deviants, must be medicated and controlled. It is the job of the Deviant Investigation Unit to track these people down.

Fifteen-year-old Meredith doesn’t have a last name or a passport. The only family she knows is Rio, Edene, and the other detectives in the Unit. When Edene, her best friend and guardian disappears, Meredith investigates the unexplained deaths of three young women, and uncovers her own past and the darkest secret in the history of genetic modification.

Meredith

Rio Matsui

Edene Adams

Do you ever prank telemarketers? What are your thoughts about human genetic engineering / genomic editing / genetic modification? Should it be allowed, or are the consequences too great?