Kicking off the blog tour of The Predicteds by Christine Seifert, I got the chance to ask Christine (great name, btw) a few questions about her debut book and some other things I was interested in knowing about her.

1) The Predicteds sounds amazing. Where did the idea for it come from?

Thanks! I hope people like the concept and the story. The idea came from a really tragic event that happened here in Salt Lake City. A few years ago, a teenager opened fire at a mall, killing several people and injuring many others before he killed himself. That led to a lot of questions about whether or not the people closest to the shooter could’ve known—or predicted—this horrible event. And if they could, then what responsibility would we have to keep these people from harming others? That led me to the basic premise of The Predicteds: In the book, a computer profile can now predict who is bound to commit heinous criminal acts. But what happens next? How do we treat people? And what happens if the person you love might be the next villainous murderer? Big questions!

2) How does it feel to see your very first published book and know people are reading it?

It’s very exciting. And I’m incredibly grateful to all the people who’ve shown so much support. YA readers are truly the best. It’s also kind of tough, though, to have the book “out there.” I think it must be a little bit like putting yourself up on Hot or Not (you know, that web site where you can rate pictures of people as a hot ten or a gross one). It’s sometimes hard to separate yourself from the book itself. I feel like it’s another one of my body parts now. It’s like my liver, and I’m terrified of having my liver on display!

3) Have you always wanted to be a writer, or did you kind of stumble into it?

I’ve always wanted to write, but I think I stumbled into fiction. I have a PhD in English, so I’ve always done academic writing, and that didn’t leave much time for fiction. When I finally made time to do it, I realized how much I’d been missing. Fiction is way more fun than peer-reviewed journals. I still think academic writing is important, but fiction suits me better. I like the process, I feel more creative, and I love the interaction with readers.

4) Who would you say is the author (or book) that has inspired you the most in your writing?

Oh, gosh. Every single book I’ve ever read has inspired me. Seriously. I read all the time, and I’m often in awe of other writers. But I distinctly remember feeling like I just had to write after reading some of Nick Hornby’s books. For example, after reading About a Boy, I just knew I wanted to meet some quirky characters and throw them in a plot and see what happens. I can’t say that I’m anywhere near the writer Hornby is, but it was after reading a book of his that made me sit down and write. I guess I just decided that I couldn’t die without having written a book.

5) Do you have plans to continue writing after this?

Absolutely. I’m always writing. I’m not sure I could stop. If I wasn’t writing fiction, I’d be writing something else, even if it was something nobody ever read.

6) Is The Predicteds a series or stand-alone? Because I see potential for a series, if not following the same character, then at least within the same world.

Right now, The Predicteds is a stand-alone, but I’ve always envisioned it as a series. After telling Daphne’s story, I want to go deeper and find out how PROFILE impacts the larger world around her. This book starts at the very beginning of this new world, and I think everything is going to explode before too long! I’d love to keep going.

Thanks, Christine, for answering my questions! And I hope you have a chance to check out this book. I’m about a third of the way through and utterly fascinated with PROFILE and how the results of this test will play out in this community and high school. Be on the look out for my review after I’m done reading it!

If you want to check out the rest of The Predicteds blog tour sites, head over to Teen Book Scene.

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