Dagney Morgan, a sarcastic Department of Agriculture employee with an affinity for paperwork, has a chance run-in with a farmer covered in toxic chemicals, and walks away with a genetically modified baby, along with the seeds of a military-industrial conspiracy. Dagney and her makeshift family scramble to stay ahead of artificial soldiers and megalomaniacal businessmen long enough to reap the truths behind an international web of corruption and intrigue. They also stop for pie, at one point.Author Interview
What are the main themes of your book?
I tend not to be an author who thinks about themes, which is weird to admit. But I think the themes are never self-evident to me in a story until I’m a draft or two into it. But I think ultimately Dag revolves around the concept of family, and how we assemble our own after we leave the nest, and who we allow into ours. Dagney doesn’t really have a family at the start of the story, and because of her health doesn’t even really have prospects for one, and by the end she’s cobbled together a very strange one. It also walks through a whole host of environmental and social issues- though I think those take a backseat to a conspiracy thriller story with some fun little science fiction concepts thrown in- but all moored very much in a modern, every-day setting.
Who or what inspired your story?
I remember taking an environmental lit class, and being really excited about it because I care a good deal about environmental issues, and liked the idea of exploring them through fiction. And it was disappointing, in that it ended up being more of a Native American literature class. And this was also around the time of the birth of the tea party, with a good (and loud) cross-section of Americans who believed we basically didn’t need the government. So I wanted to look at the sort of things that happen in that intersection of government and the environment, and I thought it was very clever to have a character named Dag working in the Department of Agriculture. I’m not so sure about that, anymore- but I came to really enjoy the characters nonetheless.
What do you like best about your primary characters?
I like Dagney because she’s annoyed. She’s probably my most annoyed, put-upon character, and I love her for that. Because I think we all feel that in our daily lives, whether it’s work or relatives or friends, there are always people demanding things of your time that make you just want to collapse on your couch and let your gut hang out. And I love Weir because he’s kind of the opposite of that. He’s a person who has barely started being alive, and so everything- including drudgery- is fresh, and new, and fun, and different to him. Writing him is sort of like writing Tom Hanks’ character in Big, only without it having to be set in the 80s.
What are their worst peculiarities?
Dag’s worst peculiarities probably revolve around her anxiety. She’s a fairly neurotic character, which tends to make her suffer needlessly, and to treat other people a little more harshly than she otherwise would.
How does your main character evolve?
I think Dag in particular becomes more understanding and nurturing as the story goes on. She comes out of the funk she’s in in the beginning, and starts to see the world as a more beautiful, varied, and dangerous place. That old Hemingway quote (via Se7en), that the World is a good place, and worth fighting for.
What’s the principal message you want to send to your audience?
What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about your book?
I’ll have to get back to you on that. Dag will be available April 22nd, and has not been available for review yet. Out of the reader opinions I’ve gotten while developing it, my wife, upon reading it, said “I can’t believe you wrote an actual lustworthy vegetable.” That was right before she began sing-songing one of the earlier, admittedly pretty cliche, sentences. That sentence hasn’t been there for several drafts, and she still puts on her silliest voice to tease me about it, when she thinks I’m getting too big-headed. No, I won’t repeat the sentence.
Where can we purchase it?
About the Author
Nicolas Wilson is a published journalist, graphic novelist, and novelist. He lives in the rainy wastes of Portland, Oregon with his wife, two cats and a dog.
Nic has written eight novels. Whores: not intended to be a factual account of the gender war, and Dag are currently available for e-reader, and will soon be available in paperback. Nexus, The Necromancer’s Gambit, Banksters, Homeless, The Singularity, and Lunacy are all due for publication in the next two years, as well as several short story collections.
Nic’s work spans a variety of genres, from political thriller to science fiction and urban fantasy.
For information on Nic’s books, and a behind-the-scenes look at his writing, visit his website. Sign up for his mailing list to receive a free novella, Dogs of War.
