On Tour with Prism Book Tours...
It's time to leave Earth and cross over to the other side... it's not as far away as you think!!
Guest Post
Continued from Submit or Fight: Dystopian Survival 101 at Paulette's Papers
I’ve included some basic qualities that would help in any
dystopian survival scenario and examples of use in common dystopias.
Obedience
Generally, to stay alive, one must be at least outwardly
obedient in the dystopian society. We, too, have societal constraints and rules
that we are expected to follow to stay out of jail, avoid fines, and so forth.
- Disobedience always has consequences. Kira in daynight directly
disobeys orders to return to Thera, with terrible consequences.
- Katniss in The Hunger Games disobeys the
rules by pulling out the berries. Her example of defiance inspires the
districts to riot and results in President Snow’s determination to punish
her.
- Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale, while appearing
outwardly obedient (especially when out in society), breaks small rules. She
searches her room for signs of her predecessor. She agrees to meet with the
Commander outside the official ceremony. She illicitly carries on an affair
with Nick.
Adaptation
Whether born into a dystopia or thrust into a new situation,
adaptability is paramount. In our own lives, we are each born into different
circumstances (humble means or wealth; happy or broken families; safety or
threat) and forced to adapt to survive.
- Katniss in Hunger Games first had to adapt to
her father’s death by using the hunting skills he had taught her, and then had
to adapt to the extremism of the Capitol followed by the arena of the games.
- Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale, has to adapt to the
extreme situation of being ripped away from her family, then trained to be a
handmaid where she is used by men for procreation purposes. Even Offred’s
trainer refers to her situation as transitional, since the next generations of
handmaids won’t know what they never had.
- Beatrice in Divergent, having spent 16 years
learning to be utterly selfless as part of Abnegation, decides to join
Dauntless and has to adapt quickly to a completely different way of thinking
and living.
- Kira in daynight has to adapt to the extreme
weather on Thera, continual medical testing, strict rules regarding her role
with regards to “Second Chancers”, and other edicts set by The Second Chance
Institute (dystopian leader) in their canon.
- John, the Savage, in Brave New World couldn’t
adapt (and when he tried it overwhelmed him so much that he took extreme
measures to remove himself from the dystopia)
Awareness
Being continually aware of the dystopian government, rules and
“how to work the system” is critical. As we go throughout life, we have to be
constantly aware of our surroundings, people’s motivations, governmental
influence, and learn how to work the system.
- Katniss sold her hunting spoils to the Peacemakers, despite it
being illegal. She knew their desire for fresh meat would outweigh their desire
to follow the rules.
- Bernard in Brave New World is aware his need
for solitude is against the norm and when ostracized, uses John the Savage to
regain his standing.
- Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale is
exceptionally observant of expected behavior and even the slightest
deviations.
- Beatrice (Tris) in Divergent is well educated
about the various factions, so when she has to choose (because her aptitude
test shows that she is “divergent” and shows dominant traits of three factions
instead of the normal one), she can make an educated (if not unexpected and
unpopular) decision.
Survival skills & basic resourcefulness
Knowing how to defend ourselves, survive on the bare minimum,
know what is edible/not edible in the wild, how to make fires, purify water,
find shelter, and other basic survival skills will well prepare us for times of
scarcity. Certainly for anyone who plans to fight the SCI on Thera in daynight,
these skills (in addition to pirating and fighting) would be important as if
you aren’t killed for your actions, you’ll surely be Exiled. We (in reality)
can prepare for natural disaster (earthquake, tornado, hurricane, fire) or a
difficult stretch (job loss, accident) by saving, having seventy-two hour kits
and food storage.
Good examples: Katniss uses archery skills and what her dad
taught her about plants to her advantage in the games; in many post apocalyptic
dystopias, scrounging, scrapping and trade skills are critical.
Bad example: Winston and Julia think they are being resourceful
by renting a room to have their affair, but the guy they rent from is a spy for
the government and turns them in.
Create alliances and find distractions
Friend or love interest, everyone needs to have a good
distraction. Katniss had Peeta; Kira has Blake and Ethan in daynight;
Offred has the Commander, Nick, and her memories of her time with Luke in The
Handmaid’s Tale; Winston had Julia in 1984; and even John the
Savage and Bernard had Lenina in Brave New World.
Alliances can also prove useful—whether for pulling off a
full-scale rebellion, pooling resources, or simple survival. Offred in her very
finite world as a handmaid in The Handmaid’s Tale creates a
number of alliances to improve her situation. From Ofglen, she gets word of a
revolution in the works; from the Commander’s wife, she gets information about
her daughter and access to Nick the driver; from the Commander, she gets
lotion, access to banned reading materials and games, as well as open and frank
conversation. Katniss and Peeta in Catching Fire create an
alliance in the Quarter Quell games to survive. In 1984, Winston
and Julia pair up to share their thoughtcrimes.
Willpower
Sheer will and desire to live can give the ultimate edge. Even
though Tris chooses the Dauntless faction Divergent, she must
compete for one of ten spots. She has the brute willpower to succeed. Katniss
feels the need to fulfill her promise to her sister and win the Games in The
Hunger Games.
Only thing certain in life is death and taxes
Good news! We’ll likely die before being forced to live in a
dystopian society. Our only exposure will be through fiction. And thank
goodness. Because realistically, none of us would have much of a chance of
making it in a dystopia without meeting an early demise or becoming one of the
brain-dead masses. Perhaps our grandkids or great-great-great grandkids will
have to deal with real-life versions of these extremes (which would really suck
for them), but for us, we’ll have to be content with dealing with our own
less-than-perfect circumstances and enduring to the end. But along the way
we’ll surely come across circumstances where we need to decide: do we submit or
do we fight?
Know when to use these qualities by reading Part I - Submit or Fight: Dystopian Survival 101 at Paulette's Papers
Megan Thomason lives in paradise aka San Diego, CA with her husband and five children. A former software manager, Megan vastly prefers writing twisted tales to business, product, and marketing plans. When she isn't typing away on her laptop, she's reading books on her phone—over 600 in the last year—or attending to the needs of her family. Megan’s fluent in sarcasm, could potentially benefit from a 12-step program for road rage, struggles with a Hot Tamales addiction, loves world travel & fast cars and hates paperwork & being an insomniac. Daynight is Megan's first published novel, but fourth written one.
Find & Follow:
Daynightby Megan Thomason
Paperback, 324 pages
Published November 26th 2012 by Creatspace
Meet The Second Chance Institute (SCI): Earth’s benevolent non-profit by day, Thera’s totalitarian regime by night. Their motto: Because Everyone Deserves a Second Chance™. Reality: the SCI subjects Second Chancers to strict controls and politically motivated science experiments like Cleaving—forced lifetime union between two people who have sex. Punishment for disobeying SCI edicts? Immediate Exile or death.
Meet Kira Donovan. Fiercely loyal, overly optimistic, and ensnared by the promise of a full-ride college scholarship, Kira signs the SCI Recruit contract to escape memories of a tragedy that left her boyfriend and friends dead.
Meet Blake Sundry. Bitter about being raised in Exile and his mother’s death, Blake’s been trained to infiltrate and destroy the SCI. Current barrier to success? His Recruit partner—Miss Goody Two Shoes Kira Donovan.
Meet Ethan Darcton. Born with a defective heart and resulting inferiority complex, Ethan’s forced to do his SCI elite family’s bidding. Cleave-worthy Kira Donovan catches his eye, but the presiding powers give defect-free Blake Sundry first dibs.
clean slate complexby Megan Thomason
Meet The Second Chance Institute (SCI): Worldwide non-profit and do-gooder organization. Their motto: Because Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Life(TM). Reality: hidden behind every kind act is a dark agenda designed to gain control and force societal and moral extremes. Currently, the SCI’s pushing Project Liberate, a program to woo the poor and downtrodden into their Clean Slate Complexes—where “everything is provided” from jobs to food, shelter, clothing, and education. Unfortunately, as with all things that sound too good to be true, there’s a catch…
Meet Alexa Knight. Feisty, tough and currently homeless in Los Angeles, Alexa agrees to help the SCI in return for medical care for her sick mother. When she starts to suspect there’s more to the SCI than meets the eye will she believe Adam—the boy who saved her life and the SCI’s biggest champion, or Joshua—the attractive enigma who sings about conspiracy theories and pretends to be someone he’s not?
Full of action, humor, romance, twists and turns, clean slate complex is a companion story to the highly-praised dystopian novel, daynight. It can be enjoyed before or after readingdaynight.
daynight Second Chances Giveaway:
Choose what you enter to win wisely. Your stay on Thera may be extended indefinitely.
Highlighting a different giveaway every daynight of the Tour... International Winners will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate and US Winners may choose $25 GC in lieu of Prize Package.
US only. International winners will receive $25 Amazon gift certificate. US winners can opt to receive $25 Amazon gift certificate in lieu of any prize package.Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced on Rafflecopter and Grand Finale posts as well as emailed and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and Prism Book Tours and sponsored by Megan Thomason. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Become an SCI Recruit
The Second Chance Institute (daynight's Dystopia)
April 22 - Launch!The Second Chance Institute (daynight's Dystopia)
- My Seryniti - Review
- Little Library Muse
23 - Tressa's Wishful Endings
- Buckeye Girl Reads - Teaser
- Marked by Books - Review
- Red Headed Bookworm
Welcome to Thera!
Building Thera
24 - Coffee Books and MeBuilding Thera
Stressed Rach
Snuggling on the Sofa - Review
25 - Christy's Cozy Corner - Teaser
- All Fantasy Words - Review
Kira * Blake * Ethan
Character Backgrounds & Posters
Character Backgrounds & Posters
26 - Susie Q-Pons and Giveaways - Review
- My Passion for Books - Review; Ethan
- Paranormal opinion - Blake
- The Cozy Reading Corner - Kira
- Book, Books, the Magical Fruit - Teaser
- Bookaroo-Ju - Teaser
27 - Bookworm Lisa - The Characters
- Getting Your Read On - Review
- Pause Time
- A Backwards Story
- Beck Valley Books
29 - I Am a Reader, Not a Writer - Teaser
- Books Mystify - Review
- Mel's Shelves - Review
2 - A Tiffyfit's Reading Corner - Review
- Lovin' Los Libros - Review
- Paulette's Papers
- Becky's Barmy Book Blog
3 - Backing Books - Teaser
- Book Snob - Review
4 - Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Living a Goddess Life - Review; Recipe
- My Passion for Books - Review; Ethan
- Paranormal opinion - Blake
- The Cozy Reading Corner - Kira
- Book, Books, the Magical Fruit - Teaser
- Bookaroo-Ju - Teaser
27 - Bookworm Lisa - The Characters
- Getting Your Read On - Review
Cleaving
daynight's Controversy of "Cleaving"
28 - Fantastical World of Wonders - Reviewdaynight's Controversy of "Cleaving"
- Pause Time
- A Backwards Story
- Beck Valley Books
29 - I Am a Reader, Not a Writer - Teaser
- Books Mystify - Review
- Mel's Shelves - Review
Vacation on Earth!
Escapism
Escapism
30 - The Broke Book Bank - Review
- Letters to the Cosmos - Review
May 1 - Life of a YA Girl - Review
- Fuonlyknew - Teaser
- Jack's Junk Drawer - Review
Risking Exile
Dystopian Survival 101
Dystopian Survival 101
- Lovin' Los Libros - Review
- Paulette's Papers
- Becky's Barmy Book Blog
3 - Backing Books - Teaser
- Book Snob - Review
4 - Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Living a Goddess Life - Review; Recipe
Clean Slate Complex
5 - Mortality Bites
- The Book Eater
- Deco My Heart - Review
6 - Passion and Life - Teaser
- The Reading Diaries - Review
7 - Grand Finale Blast!!
- The Book Eater
- Deco My Heart - Review
6 - Passion and Life - Teaser
- The Reading Diaries - Review
7 - Grand Finale Blast!!
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