Dystopias are the new black. If you head over to your local bookseller, there…on the end cap, you are bound to see the next novel about a world wide wicked oppressed state. A face paced future tale, one where shadowy conspiracies thrive and the underdog goes about a slapdash heroes journey then comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

‘Mind Storm’ by K.M. Ruiz doesn’t fit into the typical dystopian proverbial box. In fact, It is not even ‘Young Adult’.

I don’t want to spoil anything but if you dig X-men like powers at play, clear and defined character voices, a lot of clairvoyant-oriented action, brutal combat, political intrigue and realistic and well etched out world building. You need to read this book. It reminded me how much I love good science fiction.

Tell me a little about yourself personally and creatively?

When I have the time, I spend too much money on books, music, and movies. There is at least one movie a year I will see multiple times in theaters. This year it was Avengers. I used to work at a modern art museum but I prefer fine art even though I have zero artistic skills. I don’t know what I would do with myself if I didn’t have writing as a creative outlet.

What first got you interested in ‘writing’?

I first started writing when I was a kid. I wanted to emulate what I found on the library shelves because I thought telling stories was the coolest thing ever. My first few attempts at writing will never see the light of day.

What are some of your favorite Books/Novels? What type of books are you drawn to?

I like the Change and Emberverse series that S.M. Stirling writes and David Weber’s Honor Harrington universe. The pattern seems to be if it’s a long series with an in-depth plot, I will devour it and my wallet will hate me.

What did you like to read when you were growing up?

I have a soft spot for the Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce. I checked those books out so many times during middle school they should’ve just let me keep them. I still love reading her, even now that I’m an adult.

Were there any hidden gems in terms of stories or authors that you don’t think people remember much today but should?

I think there are always authors who fall by the wayside, which is terrible. We’ll always have the classics but it’s difficult to tell which books currently being written will become a classic or slowly be forgotten. I think a person’s favorite author(s) is subjective and it’s up to them to find what they like to read.

How would you describe your ‘writing’ education?

I got a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, which is nice way of saying I have a very expensive piece of paper that says I know how to read and write. Creative writing programs have their place and can be useful, but I always felt a little on the outside because I wanted to write science fiction and fantasy, not the next award-winning traditional novel, which is what they heavily lean towards. The nuts and bolts I learned in the program were helpful, and I don’t regret my years spent on my degree, but I found my voice in writing outside of college.

How would you describe your writing process? What are your writing habits like? How do you create?

I tend to think up worlds first and the characters come after. I write with music, coffee in the morning and alcohol in the evening, and I write every. Single. Day. Habit is important and I actually feel very ‘off’ for the entire day if I don’t get some writing in. That being said, what I write today might not be something I’ll actually end up keeping in a story, but it’s still an important step forward.

What do you consider the elements of a good novel? A great one?

I think the difference between a good novel and a great one is, again, subjective. People have different tastes and what one person loves, another person might dislike. I have my quick read novels, my fun novels, my spending the weekend reading through a brick novels that I all enjoy for various reasons. A young adult novel might not be as technically complex as an adult sci-fi novel, but that doesn’t mean it’s worth less than the adult book. People love books for different reasons and all those reasons are valid.

What sort of things do you study and/or consider when writing a novel?

I researched nuclear bombs, suitcase explosives, IEDs, torture, terrorist attacks, aftermath of biological terror attacks, called up my friend who’s a nuclear engineer for some clarification during certain points of writing Mind Storm and Terminal Point, and fully expected to get a call from the FBI. (I have spoken to an FBI agent for a completely different issue before; it is very, very nerve-wracking.) Basically, I will research anything and everything to try to ground my stories in reality as much as possible.

At what age or time in your life did writing cross from a hobby into something more serious?

Freshman year of high school because I knew I wanted to study Creative Writing in college and that’s the year I had to plan out all the AP and Honor classes I needed to take in the following four years to qualify for college admission.

How would you define the actual role that an Author is supposed to fill?

I’d say authors should be open and approachable to their readers. I stand by my personal belief that drama takes way too much effort and I will pay forward what I’ve learned in this business to anyone who asks.

How often does the real world give you something seemingly inexplicable, something weird, that becomes a spark for a story or novel?

It happens a lot, actually. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is real, I just modified the name in my book. Previously known as the Nordic Gene Bank, it started storing Norwegian seeds in the Arctic since 1984. Construction on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault started in 2006 as an upgrade and was formally opened in 2008. I needed a seed and gene bank for my story and hey, the world already built one! Awesome.

At this moment in time, are we at the end of something? And what about the changing role of publishers in the book world?

I think we’re in flux, not at the end of something. Publishers aren’t going to die (hey, even ebooks need publishers) and hardcopy books aren’t going to become obsolete. Ebooks are simply the next step in the written word’s evolution. As much as people want to tout the demise of traditional publishing, it’s really not happening. They’re simply altering the way they produce books. Ebooks and ereaders are great, but not everyone has them or will have them. I think there is a definite class issue when it comes to ebooks and ereaders, but that’s a different conversation all together.

When you started writing books/novels/short stories, did you set out to do a specific thing?

I grew up on science-fiction, fantasy, and comics. When I started writing, I wanted to write what I loved to read and watch.

What was your inspiration for ‘Mind Storm’?

Comics, human biology, disease, and war. All your fun depressing things in one place.

What type of world did you set out to build in ‘Mind Storm’?

I wanted to build a believable environment that resulted from nuclear war and massive pollution. The environment definitely drives the story and I’m hoping it holds up for readers.

Would you call ‘Mind Storm’ a Young Adult novel? If not what genre do you think it fits in and why?

I don’t consider it a young adult novel. Technically, it wasn’t marketed that way and I don’t have a main protagonist in that age group, which seems to be a requirement. I consider it adult science fiction.

Describe ‘Mind Storm’ in your own words?

Don’t fear the end of the world, fear what comes next. With the human race hanging by a thread in the aftermath of a world devastated by nuclear war, humanity’s only hope for survival may be the despised, mutated psions they’ve spent generations enslaving.

If you were a ‘psion’, what tremendous ‘powers’ would you have? And why?

Telekinesis. Imagine all the practical jokes I could pull.

Was the ‘Strykers Syndicate’ novels envisioned as a trilogy right from the start, or not? And will we ever see a ‘Serca Syndicate’ novel or trilogy as well?

I sold it as a duology actually. Only two books were planned for this cast of characters, but the world and the ending is open enough I could write more if that option became available.

When the Sci-fi in Sci-fi fiction fails for you, what’s usually the reason?

I tend to use whatever bits of science I’m going after as an anchor point for a story. It’s not that the science failed, it’s that I can’t just hand-wave it into making sense and hope the reader buys the short-cut. I need to write it into making sense, even when it technically doesn’t. We’re only now starting to teleport atoms but teleportation as a power has been around in comics for decades. It’s believable because the idea has been around for so long already.

What is next for you?

I’ve got a couple of ideas running around in my head, but I don’t want to say too much. Don’t want to jinx them!

What is the most AWESOME thing that has happened so far in this wild ride of being an author?

I got published. No, seriously, that’s all I wanted as a kid and I accomplished that goal, which is the most awesome thing ever. I can die happy now.

Where can our readers find out more about you?

I’m on Twitter @KM_Ruiz and I have a blog linked off my website, but I don’t update as often as I should only because my day job is crazy busy (www.kmruiz.com). I have Facebook: KM Ruiz (I hate Facebook with a fiery passion but I will friend anyone). I’m kind of a private person so putting myself out there in the public sphere is actually really hard for me, but I try, because being accessible as an author is really important.