We’re super excited to be on the blog tour for Disruption today, but before we dive into our interview with Jessica or my review, here’s the info on the book.
Disruption by Jessica Shirvington (Website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Published by HarperCollins Publishers on June 1st 2016
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
The heart-stopping first chapter in bestselling author Jessica Shirvington's Disruption series.
What if a microchip could identify your perfect match?
What if it could be used against you and the ones you love?
Eight years ago, Mercer Corporation's M-Bands became mandatory. An evolution of the smartphone, the bracelets promised an easier life. Instead, they have come to control it.
Two years ago, Maggie Stevens watched helplessly as one of the people she loved most was taken from her, shattering her world as she knew it. Now, Maggie is ready. And Quentin Mercer - heir to the M-Corp empire - has become key to Maggie's plan.
But as the pieces of her dangerous design fall into place, could Quentin's involvement destroy everything she's fought for?
In a world full of broken promises, the ones Maggie must keep could be the most heartbreaking.
Describe DISRUPTION in 5 words.
Maggie’s not stopping for anyone.
How did DISRUPTION come about, what was your inspiration? What made you think you had to write this story?
The first idea for Disruption was completely random. I was walking through a busy city square with a friend and I remember we were laughing hysterically as she told me tales of her internet dating disasters. I’ve been married for, well forever, so I have never had to deal with ‘new world’ dating. Anyway, we were surrounded by all of these people walking through the city square and of course, they all had their heads down looking at their smartphones. I remember saying to my friend: ‘Imagine if you could just walk past someone and get a rating and know if they were compatible with you. You could just get a text message or something. It could say: STOP WALKING! True match to your left!’
Naturally, this only made us laugh more. But that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about the idea of technology advancing in that direction. I was fascinated by the idea that the next step could be acutely personal. Currently we are obsessed with the internet and apps for anything and everything external. But imagine if we had apps for everything internal – medical issues, DNA, location, identification, wealth, and … the ability to rate anyone we crossed paths with.
That was where it began.
Originally, I planned on writing a compilation of stories – about several characters and how this new technology affected their lives all in different ways. There was so much potential content to work with but…once I discovered Maggie I knew her story was special. And her character wasn’t willing to share with everyone else! So Disruption became her book.
What was the hardest scene for you to write in DISRUPTION and why?
Chapter 5. Maggie is putting her plan into motion and setting up Quentin Mercer. There is quite a bit of science going on in this chapter and I wanted it to be accurate and believable but not bog down the story and get too technical. It took a number of rewrites to get it to a level I was happy with.
Can you share (without spoilers) a line or section of DISRUPTION that is your favorite?
Gus’ first line in the book to Maggie is:
‘Have I mentioned I hate your guts lately?’
I have always loved it. It set the perfect tone for their ongoing friendship which is primarily based on blackmail
When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I hang out with my husband and two girls. We love to ski so every chance we get we head to Canada.
What are you currently reading?
This week, I’m writing and in the thick of a new manuscript which means I’m not actually reading anything. I get a bit superstitious about staying in my own fictional world when working on a story climax.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Listen to advice. Take what you want. Throw the rest away. Writing is all about your unique expression and approach to storytelling. Trust yourself.
What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about?
The sequel to DISRUPTION – CORRUPTION – will be coming out in March 2017 and I’m planning a trip to the US around the same time, which is really exciting.
I’m also in the final stages on drafting a new manuscript. It’s set in our world and is about a girl, Abigail, who is raised in communities (cults) her entire life until her village is infiltrated and massacred by soldiers. Before they find her, Abigail’s papa grabs eight-year-old Luca and thrusts him into her arms. He tells her they are after the boy. He tells her that she must save the boy. So she runs, with the sound of gunshots at her back, knowing one of them was for her father.
Abigail and Luca escape into the mountains with the only other survivors; a Vatican operative and a BBC journalist. The four of them must now work out why everyone is trying to kill them. And what they discover is bigger than anything they could have ever imagined.
It is a high suspense, high action story, with some really unique characters. I’m incredibly excited about it!
Tell us 3 random facts about you.
I live in Sydney.
I lived in London for 7 years.
I have a Rhodesian ridgeback dog called Kingston.
Favorites
Favorite Song (right now):  Too Close – Alex Clare
Favorite Book (right now):  I’ve been enjoying The Red Queen Series – Victoria Ayevard
Favorite TV Show/Movie: Â Ever After with Drew Barrymore
Favorite Word: Must
Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Curse Word: Â Bollocks!
Jaime’s Thoughts
Disruption was an interesting read. I kind of went in with high expectations mostly because I had seen a couple of blogger friends raving about and if I’m being honest it took me quite a bit of time to just click with the story.
That said, once I did, I struggled to put the book down.
It’s the future… some form of it where everyone wears an M-Band. They’re mandatory and they pass information on to Mercer Corporation and the government about everything. They were a promise of an easier life, but instead they’ve torn families apart.
Two years ago Maggie watched her father be taken from her family because his status on his M-Band became negative, and Maggie has spent the last two years searching for him to rescue him from the Neg camps and bring him home. The one catch is that she needs Quentin Mercer to do it and she’s already proved to others that nothing matters except finding her father so she’ll do whatever she has to along the way to make it happen.
Like I said, it was slow going for me at the start. I struggled to connect with the story but there are definite elements that had me intrigued. First and foremost the idea behind this story. It’s something that you can imagine happening in the future and that is always fun to kind of imagine as you’re reading. Second, Maggie. She’s such a complicated character and I kind of found myself just loving her. Not only does she kick ass … literally… she knows Muy Thai and she has to use it a couple times, but she’s smart and a bit devious and I love it.
There is definite romance in this story if you’re looking for some. Quin stands for and IS everything that Maggie has learned to hate over the past two years. His family are the ones behind the M-Bands, the Neg camps and her father disappearing so she has no bad feelings about what she’s doing to Quin in the beginning. But when she starts to get to know Quin and he comes to some definite realizations about his family, she can’t help… no matter how hard she tries… to deny she has acquired some feelings about this guy. While it’s not necessarily insta-love, it did feel kind of instant to me how strong their feelings progressed. Either way, there’s some definite swoony moments among all the action and crazy.
I just have to say that I love Gus and I love the ‘friendship’ between he and Maggie… can you call it a friendship when a guy uses a tranq gun on you and basically hates your guts? I mean he has his reasons, but I kind of feel that beneath the gruffness and anger towards Maggie, he might actually care what happens for her…. Maybe.
The end on this one is tough you guys… I don’t know that I’d call it a cliff-hanger, but you’re left wondering what exactly is next for this crew and you’re going to want to know pretty much immediately just because of where Shirvington leaves that last page. Lots of stuff goes down, so I’m definitely intrigued to see where Shirvington takes book 2!
If you love an intriguing story filled with characters you’ll love and a romance you can’t help but swoon over? Definitely grab Disruption and join me in the wait for book 2!
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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About Jessica Shirvington
Jessica Shirvington is the author of THE VIOLET EDEN CHAPTERS also known as THE EMBRACE SERIES, stand alone novel, BETWEEN THE LIVES and has an exciting new duology called DISRUPTION on the way in 2014.
An entrepreneur, author, and mother living in Sydney, Australia, Jessica is also a 2011 & 2012 finalist for Cosmopolitan’s annual Fun, Fearless Female Award. She’s also one of the lucky few who met the love of her life at age seventeen: Matt Shirvington, a former Olympian and current sports broadcaster for Foxtel and Fox Sports. Married for twleve years with two beautiful daughters, Sienna and Winter, Jessica knows her early age romance and its longevity has definitely contributed to how she tackles relationships in her YA novels.
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