The Rebel Within
by Lance Erlick
Genre: Science Fiction
92,000 words
Sixteen-year-old Annabelle Scott lives under the iron rule of a female-dominated régime that forces males to fight to the death to train the military elite. When Annabelle resists, her defiance endangers everyone she loves and thrusts her to a place of impossible life and death decisions.
The Rebel Within is available at Amazon.com, Smashwords, and Amazon UK.
Lance, how did you come up with the title for your book? Does it have any special meaning?
The title The Rebel Within came to me in a flash. The significance was a double meaning of Annabelle being a rebel inside her own mind, and also inside the elite military she felt rebellious against.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Annabelle was my favorite character, first, because I couldn’t get her out of my head until I wrote The Rebel Within. I found her intriguing and inspiring. She’s out of step with her dystopian society, yet portrays resilience as she stays true to her values despite tough circumstances.
Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?
What inspired me to write the Rebel series was the “my way or highway” political mentality. I didn’t want the stories to be heavy with message, but rather to get people to think differently about gender discrimination and the impact of extremism on young people.
What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?
A reviewer who gets the Rebel series would comment on how the stories got them to think/feel differently about gender discrimination, which is switched in these novels. They would identify with Annabelle’s struggle against injustice that on the surface doesn’t directly affect her. She could have looked the other way.
Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:
“this is well-suited to the young adult level, with plenty of hard-hitting action, clear plot structure and well-defined emotional development.”
Where can people learn more about your writing?
http://lanceerlick.com/
