Since I’m giving away 3 copies of Mal-adaptive, I figured I’d talk a little about it.

What is Mal-adaptive? Mal-adaptive is a story about Malaika, a barista working in a big city just trying to make a living.  She lives in an apartment with her roommate, Aaya, an ultra conservative girl who just so happens to work at a shop that sells BDSM supplies. Her best friend (and coworker), Ven, is a free spirit…  likes to drink, likes to party, likes to have sex (and isn’t too particular who with). On the same day, an angel (Ephra) and a demon (Corson) show up at the Cruel Beans coffee shop in order to find Mal. They both have orders to follow her around. There’s also something about Armageddon, an evil corporation, and a Weapon that’s supposed to win the war for the side that has it. Add in a pinch of humor, and you’ve got Mal-adaptive in a nutshell.

Where did I come up with the idea? My girlfriend has fibromyalgia, which affects her muscles… especially in her neck and shoulders. Hearing her describe the pain as someone shoving knives into her shoulder blades is a bit… disconcerting to say the least. My brain seemed to jump on the idea of, ‘what if that’s NOT what’s causing her pain?’. instantly responding to the question, ‘she’s an angel who’s had her wings removed, and this is the residual pain she’s feeling’. Thus, the idea of Mal came to mind.

Where does the story take place? Mal’s story takes place in a made-up city that I see as being a mash-up of Seattle and Denver (both cities I’ve lived in). Both cities seemed to be centered around Starbucks on every corner… and the ones w/o a Starbucks had some kind of little coffee stand. Both cities seem to run on coffee.

Any secrets in the book? Every name in the book has a special meaning, or is in some way related to angels or demons. I don’t normally do that in my stories, but I felt it would be special in this one. (even the title has a secret meaning)

Why angels and demons? I grew up in a Christian household, and one of the influential books I read growing up was This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. It had angels and demons interacting with each other in their fight for good and evil. While I’m no longer a practicing Christian, I still find the idea of angels and demons interesting… and how they would behave in a modern world. We have stories of vampires and werewolves living in modern times, why not them? This was also a way for me to deal with some of the religious animus I hold in my life. If I was able to have characters discuss some of the issues I see regarding religion, then maybe it would help me deal with them in real life. Just understand that nothing in the book should be taken too seriously… it was a huge attempt at tongue-in-cheek humor and the fantastic.

If you have any questions for me, then ask below in the comments. I’ll do my best to answer them.