Josie, the main character of my YA romantic scifi duology -
ANOMALY and
ENIGMA - is a nerd. Sheβs
an unapologetic Star Wars lovinβ, Trekkie to the core, bookworming, Marvel
fangirling, doesnβt always fit in, quantum physics nerd. And that seemed to be
the thing readers enjoyed most about Josie in
ANOMALY.
The duology isnβt specifically about Josie being a nerd, but it is an important
aspect of Josie and Reidβs story. The nerdery is something I talk about when
speaking to groups of readers, specifically teens. I point out that Josie is
nerdy, but sheβs also tough and feminine. Just because sheβs nerdy doesnβt mean
sheβs not attractive or βless thanβ in any way. But thereβs so much more to the
nerdiness.
Like any main character, Josie has flaws and does plenty of things wrong, but
she never apologizes for being a scifi and academic nerd. That was intentional.
See, weβre all nerds in our own way. I believe the word
nerd is
synonymous with
passionate. There are music nerds, science nerds, dance
nerds, sports nerd, gaming nerds, comic book nerds, writing nerds, band nerds,
book nerds, theater nerds, art nerds, fashion nerds, history nerds, math nerds,
and everything in between. It means those people are passionate about whatever
theyβre into, and there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, thatβs awesome!
People who are passionate about something oftentimes put time and effort into
it, talk about it, and take action. Our world needs more people who love
something so much, who are passionate about something that they take some kind
of action. People who are passionate and take action make a difference.
Letβs shift the connotation of the word
nerd from negative to positive.
Will you help me that?
No matter what kind of nerd you are, embrace it, own it. Be a nerd and be proud.
Get your nerd on!
Schrodingerβs
Consortium
Worst. Road Trip. Ever.
Escaping with Reid Wentworth should have been fun, but how can I enjoy it
when I just (accidentally) killed someone, my mom and brother are in danger, and
the Consortium is trying to enslave humanity? (Yeah, they aren't fooling
around.) So feeling something for Reid Wentworth was not part of the plan.
Trying to help unite the Resistance against the Consortium means I canβt be
distracted by hot boys.
The Resistance secret hideout isnβt exactly Hoth's Echo Base. A traitor there
wants me dead, but we have no idea who it is. And with both the Resistance and
the Consortium trying to control me, the only one I can trust is Reid. If weβre
going to have any chance of protecting my family, controlling my unstable
powers, and surviving the clash between the Oculi factions, Iβm going to have to
catch this traitor. By using myself as bait.
Young Adult Science
Fiction [Entangled, On Sale: July 3, 2017,
Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781633750050 / eISBN: 9781633750067]
Tonya Kuper lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband and two boys. She's an
alt rock junkie, a Star Wars dork, and is in love with Sherlock.
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