Young adult novels set in the future can have a certain predictability about them. A place where exciting ideas are hard to come by. I was lucky to come across author, S.J. Kincaid, at the local Salt Lake City library when the Dark Days Tour came through in July. After listening to her discuss ‘Insignia’, her debut novel under Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers…I knew I’d give it a shot. Described as an amalgam of ‘Enders Game’ plus ‘Harry Potter’ plus ‘Ready Player One’. That pigeonhole does not do ‘Insignia’ justice. It’s very original and thought-provoking. I was surprised it was as character-driven as it was plot-driven. A debut novel that was detailed, imaginative, and intricate. It made me think a lot about ethics and how gray we make so much seem. If you are into the YA, ‘Insignia’ stands out as a highlight of the genre. A thrilling, unpredictable and completely entertaining read.

What first got you interested in writing? How did you get started?

I first got interested in writing when I was very young, mostly because my older sister already wanted to be a writer and I wanted to be just like her. I kept writing over the years, never too seriously, but it didn’t really occur to me until after a friend and I wrote a book together that I could actually do this for a living. When I had that realization, I basically set out to write book after book until it came to pass.
 
What are some of your favorite Books/Novels? What type of books are  you drawn to? Who is an author you admire or feel inspired by and why?

I love being surprised. If the author’s outwitted me with some twist I never saw coming, some depth I never would’ve seen coming from a character, then I’m a fan for life.

As for my favorite novels, the two I always mention are LEGACY by Susan Kay, and CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller. The former is probably the  most intensive, twisted, psychologically driven historical novel I’ve  ever read, and it literally changed my life. The latter was just  awesome. He continually astonished me with the way he worked old jokes back in when I least expected it. I love it when something makes me laugh.
 
Were there any hidden gems in terms of stories or authors that you  don’t think people remember much today but should?

Legacy by Susan Kay is a story that doesn’t get much recognition. There have been best-selling novels about the same time period that get all the glory, but Legacy has somehow gone unnoticed.
 
At what age or time in your life did the written word cross from a  hobby into something more serious?

Around the time I was twenty-two when I was studying in Scotland. I just started writing more and more, and then after college, my friend and I completed a manuscript together. Finishing that first one made me realize I could write books if I wanted to, and from then on, I pushed myself to do so.
 
How would you describe your ‘writing’ education?

I’ve had some wonderful teachers over the years. My sister is a wonderful writer, and when I was little, I wanted to be just like  her, so I always wrote stories. My tenth grade teacher actually  suggested to me that I was a decent writer and should try to keep  developing the skill, and I did. I’d say the number one education came from reading other people’s work, and practicing.
 
Do you have a certain ‘creative process’ or writing rituals?

I generally pace, listen to music, and play a scene out in my head over and over again before I actually put anything to paper, so I suppose that’s a ritual.
 
What do you consider the elements of a good novel? A great one?

I think the number one task in any novel is to convince a reader to care about the characters, to care about the outcome. Once you have that, it’s just a matter of keeping them hooked.
 
When you started writing books/novels/short stories, did you set out  to do a specific thing?

I always get very into an individual story while I’m writing it, so my focus is generally on the current work, and it always changes depending on the story. INSIGNIA was a big book from the  start, and my focus was really on integrating all these elements I found fascinating and hoping a coherent story emerged from it.
 
What do you think is the appeal of YA generally?

It’s an interesting period of life. It’s the time when a young person has basically developed the awareness of an adult, but they don’t yet have the power or autonomy of an adult.
 
Describe ‘Insignia’ in your own words?

INSIGNIA’s a coming of age series centered around an ambitious teenaged boy skilled with video games, who attempts to make his mark on the world in the midst of World War Three.
 
What type of world did you set out to build in ‘Insignia’?

Mostly, I just took this world and exaggerated several elements, then threw in space, because space is awesome. If anything, my goal with the world in INSIGNIA was to connect the concept of a rich and accessible solar system with the world as we know it now.
 
I’m sure you get asked this a lot BUT the ‘Plebes’ of ‘Insignia’ are  placed into divisions in the novel…what division would you like to have been placed in? And what division would people that know you have placed you in?

The Divisions aren’t sorted according to any criteria. They’re meant to be dorms, and I selected the names based on major figures with very awesome names (hence why no reference to Julius Caesar– Hannibal was from the same general time period and just had a cooler name). By name alone, I think ‘Machiavelli’ is very awesome.
 
In this division, what would your call sign have been?

Ooh. Hard to say. Something silly. “Boris”.
 
And within ‘Insignia’, what type of ‘virus’ or ‘malware’ would you  create if you were tasked to do so? 

Hmm. Depends on the context. I have taken programming classes and I’m quite lousy with computer languages, so I suspect whatever I tried to write, I’d end up with a null value.
 
What ‘Corporation’ would have sponsored you? And why?

LOL. None of them. I don’t have killer combat instinct or great PR instincts.
 
What is the most AWESOME thing that has happened so far in this wild  ride of being an author?

It’s great connecting with people who have actually read my work. It’s strange to think about people spending hours of their time with something I created, but it’s a very awesome type of strange.
 
How would you define the actual role that an author is supposed to fill?

I think everyone would have a different answer. My goal is just to entertain people who take the time to read something I’ve written and hopefully immerse them in the world of my characters.
 
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 don’t really know what the future will hold, but I will say, I’ve posted stories for free online before, and my main difficulty was getting people to actually -look- at it because there’s simply so much out there. It’s an excellent opportunity for people who can draw attention to their work, market themselves, etc. and take advantage of the new means of exhibiting their work, but I wouldn’t be able to do it. A publisher is a way of winnowing that vast amount of material down, so I think there is always going to be a role for them there.
 
Do you feel it is a good time to be a young writer?

I think it’s a great time due to the above. There are so many new opportunities open. The difficulty merely lies in finding ways to distinguish yourself.
 
What are you thinking about doing next? Is a sequel in the works?

I am writing book two of the series.
 
What is your current ‘playlist’? What are you rocking out to?

Right now, I’m listening to the end song from ‘BOURNE LEGACY’
 
Where can out readers learn more about you?

My blog, sjkincaid.blogspot.com