Written Dreams’ book of the week is currently Immune by Seth Vorhees, since it is a fantastic read that will be available soon. You can pre-order Immune here, and we expect to release the novel within the next few weeks. Seth answered a few questions about his novel for us below, so if you’re looking for your next sci-fi fix, check it out!
About Immune
After a deadly virus infects the global population, it throws all of the world’s inhabitants into two classes: the inflicted and the immune. Wyatt Tuck, a member of the immune, finds himself inside a nightmarish onslaught of deadly feuds and riots. Losing his home and family brings him into the paths of other immune—his niece Layla, Easton, and coworker Mitch Burkly—and the opposing inflicted, such as Helen Olsen.
At Camp Belt, an internment camp for the immune, Helen is promoted to Commander. She makes a shocking discovery about the two warring classes and must rise to action. Will she choose to battle the rising forces created from the charred ash of the world’s dead society? Or does she dare hope to unite a darkened world so it can rise again into the light?
About Seth Voorhees
Seth Voorhees lives in the majestic Black Hills of South Dakota. He studied at Black Hills State University, with an emphasis in sociology and physiology. He’s worked in the mental health field for ten years, specializing in adolescents with co-occurring disorders. Besides writing, he enjoys fishing, reading, and studying history.
The Interview
Q: What inspired you to write Immune?
A: The inspiration is actually a complicated answer, since I have never been an author that gets one idea and goes off of it. My stories are typically always a combination of several smaller ideas. In the story, those who are blood type A+ are immune from the virus (A+ is mine, by the way). Years ago, during the rise of the swine flu, fear gripped the country. I went for a walk, and during the walk, I had a thought: What if everyone in town perished from the swine flu but me, and the reason was my blood type? This thought spurred into other ideas and plots, all of which fell to the wayside and did not make it into the book.
Years later, I wanted to write a zombie novel. However, I wanted it to be different than the rest (there are already a hundred different zombie stories, so I wanted it to be original). This was when The Walking Dead was at its hype, and thus it became an inspiration. During the process of writing Immune, I remembered that thought all those years ago about immunity being based on blood type. It’s a combination of these two ideas that created Immune. The majority of my stories follow this process.
Q: Writers use a lot of different types of major events in post-apocalyptic fiction. Why did you choose a virus to destroy the world?
A: Immune started based on the premise of the two groups: those affected and those not. I focused more on segregation and discrimination, and so the destroying the world factor came later as I continued to write the story. I have never been an “outline” person. It’s never clear what’s going to happen next, because I just write and let the story create itself. I find it more enjoyable for me that way, and I don’t believe I’d enjoy writing if I looked at it as a science experiment.
Q: Which character do you relate to the most in Immune?
A: The character I most relate to is Wyatt, since Wyatt is loosely based on me. This is evident by his career in the mental health field, since I have done the same for years. The other similarities are being a recovering alcoholic and living a life on a spiritual plane—this conflict of attempting to live on a spiritual path while immersed in chaos is a common element.
Q: Which authors do you read in your free time?
A: I read every day, and I have dozens. However, there are only a few authors that I have read multiple stories from them because of their writing style. Those are Stephen King, Dan Simmons, Paul Tremblay, Dean Koontz, and Jennifer Mcmahon.
