"Q&A With Caroline George"

August 1, 2018

Book: The Vestige

Photo Courtesy of Caroline George

Author: Caroline George

Author Bio:

Caroline George commits her time and energy to telling stories in their many forms.

A Belmont University graduate with a double-major in publishing and public relations, Caroline aims to pursue a career committed to helping authors, publishers and organizations project their stories to their publics.

She spends her time agenting, writing for various magazines and authoring young adult fiction books (her current publications include “The Prime Way Trilogy” and “The Vestige”).

She considers herself a not-so-southern Georgia peach, coffee-junkie and delights in being best known for writing the phrase, “Coffee first. Save the world later.”

1. Fan Question #1: "What is the inspiration behind the character Julie, how did you come up with distinct characters for your book?"

Julie Stryker, The Vestige’s main character, came from various inspiration sources. I incorporated some of my personal teenage qualities (I too was homeschooled, attended college early, and wore vintage dresses.) into the character. As a child, I heard stories from my mom Julie about her experiences at the College of Charleston. Those factors united to create my protagonist Julie Stryker.

To answer the second part of your question, I wanted each character in the book to possess layers of depth, so I created profiles for each of them to develop their distinct traits.

2. Fan Question #2: "What inspired your current WIP?"

Australia! I lived in Sydney, NSW last year and fell in love with the landscape, history, and Aboriginal culture. While there, I mapped out an entire book series. The first installment is now complete and with publishers, and I’m working on a sequel and novella. Fun fact: I based the book’s characters on people I met while in Australia.

3. Fan Question #3: What would she consider your greatest accomplishment thus far?"

Difficult question to answer! I consider each step forward an accomplishment and celebrate all progress.

4. Fan Question #4: “Hello, I'd be thankful if you could as her if her book is going to be translated to Portuguese, as a Brazilian I find it hard to buy her physical book online?”

Currently, The Vestige is not set for translation into Portuguese. However, there is a possibility it may release in Arabic!

5. What made the end of the world such a pressing topic for you to write about?

I was sitting in Starbucks when I realized my life was pretty. The people around me sipping their lattes were pretty. The shopping mall across the highway was filled with pretty things. But when I checked my news feed and saw disturbing headlines, I concluded . . .

The world isn’t a pretty place, yet it is unbelievably easy for people to go throughout their day without noticing the dirt.

The Vestige was born from the questions: What if the end of the world has already occurred? What if our final demise happened slowly, secretly . . . and we’ve been oblivious to it all?

If we live in a pretty bubble of shopping malls and Starbucks, could we miss the truth because we’re too comfortable to see it?

I enjoy writing about apocalypse scenarios because they peer down the world’s timeline and show possible consequences of our decisions.

6. Were you into sci-fi growing up or was this a book project that was outside of your comfort level?

While growing up, I read all genres, but writing science fiction came naturally. I now gravitate toward the speculative genre because it challenges the imagination.

7. What do you hope readers take away from this book?

The Vestige’s goal: To challenge readers to see the unseen, look beyond their pretty bubble of a world, and speak against injustice.

8. What is the best book you have read in 2018?

Isaac Marion’s "The Burning World".

9. What is your writing process like and how has it changed over time?

My writing process differs for each project. I tend to create basic plot outlines and character bios before I write because I like to understand the book’s world prior to diving into the story. Nowadays, I need less time to brainstorm and outline.