“Why did you…Why didn’t you…” Tough questions for Jade Kerrion about the Double Helix series

Today, I’m launching a new blog feature called “Why did you…Why didn’t you…” It’s intended to be a place for authors to address their readers’ burning questions. I invite all readers of the Double Helix series to leave questions for me as comments at the end of this post and I’ll address them in future “Why did you…Why didn’t you…” posts.

If you have “Why did you…Why didn’t you…” questions for other authors I’ve featured on my blog, please leave questions for them here on the “Why did you…Why didn’t you…” landing page and I’ll do my best to have them come back for a guest post to answer your questions. Finally, if you’re an author and you want to do a “Why did you…Why didn’t you…” post on my blog, just send me a note!

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All right, kicking off “Why did you…Why didn’t you…” is me! I’m here to discuss tough (and not so tough) questions about the Double Helix series.

Why did you…call your protagonist Danyael Sabre “Danyael” instead of the more common and down-to-earth “Daniel”?

There were many reasons. Danyael Sabre, as a character, has existed in my head since 1998. (Yes, I’ve known him for way longer than I know most people.) He was reincarnated several times in many early stories I wrote, and eventually found his way into pixels, taking on the form of my mesmer (i.e., a magic user) from the MMORPG, Guild Wars. Despite varying back histories in various story settings, he has remained, at his core, brilliant, beautiful, and tormented. And interestingly, his name never changed. His name was a fundamental part of his identity.

When I first started work on Perfection Unleashed, I had originally intended the story to be primarily about Galahad, but from the moment Danyael was introduced as a character, he took over the story as the lead protagonist. The others didn’t really stand a chance against the one person I’d known so well and loved for so long.

As to why the very first Danyael (the one born in 1998) was called Danyael, back in 1998, my sister had sent me an e-mail, asking if I’d seen the latest Prophecy movie. A fan of Russell Wong, she had raved about his character in the movie, the angel Danyael. I thought it was a stunningly lovely name and permanently borrowed it for the character I was creating at that time for an e-mail-based role-playing game. Interestingly, the first Danyael was an assassin, and just for the record, I still haven’t seen Prophecy.

Why didn’t you…set the Double Helix in a more futuristic future? In your novels, the genetic manipulation is so advanced but people are still using cars, smart phones, and tablets. Where’s the Avengers style technology like virtual screens that pop up at the touch of a finger?

There are two ways to answer the question. The first is that genetic manipulation is far more advanced than people believe it to be. Tell me, which of these statements below is true:

1. We used genetic engineering to create hybrid creatures, like the goat-sheep, and the camel-llama

2. We used genetic engineering to transfer bioluminescent genes from coral and deep-sea jellyfish to create glow-in-the-dark mice, cats, dogs, pigs, and monkeys

3. We cloned animals, including sheep, dogs, and horses

4. We used genetic engineering to create animals that excrete pharmaceutical products in their milk and other bodily fluids

5. We used genetic engineering to preserve endangered species, creating animals that possess the nuclear DNA of the endangered species, and the mitochondrial DNA of the host species…in effect, a genetic hybrid

6. We created bug-bots by implanting wires in the central nervous system of insects, and we can now control their movements, including flight

7. We created organic robots by implanting wires in the central nervous system of rats, and we can now control what they do

8. We wired a monkey to control a third artificial arm entirely through its brain waves

9. We genetically engineered rats with pliable skin in order to grow human organs (e.g., ear) under their skin for eventual transplant to a human

10. We used organic computer chips made out of rat neurons to control a flight simulator

11. We isolated a brain of a lamprey eel and placed it in a nutrient medium, surrounded by electrodes. The living, intact brain controls a machine that moves toward the light (in much the same way a lamprey eel moves toward the light)

12. We used a DNA synthesizer to create an artificial organic cell. (Isn’t that an oxymoron?) The computer is its parent

If you answered “Yes” to all of these, you are right. All of these are true. Science fiction is now science fact. The Genetic Revolution is advancing faster than you think. In this article, George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard University says, “The cheap human genome was supposed to arrive 50 years from now. It arrived this year. (2012)”

In other words, it would not be unrealistic to perceive of a world where we still have a lot of the same kinds of things (like cars instead of teleport chambers, smart phones that we hold instead of have installed in our brains, and tablets instead of neural links directly to the internet) but that is populated by genetically-altered beings, like clones, in vitros, and mutants. That is the world of the Double Helix.

The second way to answer the question is from the view of the author. My perspective on world building is that you only change what you need to in order to make it realistic. If it works, don’t mess with it. I wanted readers to focus on the characters and the social and political challenges of dealing with the Genetic Revolution. Yes, I could have altered the technology to place it in the distant future, but as I pointed out earlier, it’s not unrealistic to perceive of a world where we could be living alongside clones and still be using cars, phones, and tablets. If it can work, don’t mess with it.

That said, there are hints of more advanced technology in the Double Helix. In Perfect Weapon, Zara makes a passing reference to video implants in her eyes. Are her eyes real, or not? Good question, and maybe one to reserve for another day…

I hope you enjoyed this debut “Why did you…Why didn’t you…” post. What are your nagging questions about the Double Helix series? Please leave them as comments on this post and I’ll address them another day.

More about the Double Helix series:

His genetic code sourced from the best that humanity offers, Galahad embodies the pinnacle of perfection. When Zara Itani, a mercenary whose abrasive arrogance exceeds her beauty, frees him from his laboratory prison, she offers him the chance to claim everything that had ever been denied him, beginning with his humanity.

Perfection cannot be unleashed without repercussions, and Galahad’s freedom shatters Danyael Sabre’s life.

An alpha empath, Danyael is rare and coveted, even among the alpha mutants who dominate the Genetic Revolution. He wields the power to heal or kill with a touch, but craves only privacy and solitude—both impossible dreams for the man who was used as Galahad’s physical template.

Galahad and Danyael, two men, one face. One man seeks to embrace destiny, and the other to escape it.

The award-winning Double Helix series, consisting of Perfection Unleashed, Perfect Betrayal, and Perfect Weapon, will challenge your notions of perfection and humanity, and lead you in a celebration of courage and compassion. Science fiction, urban fantasy, and action-adventure readers will enjoy this thrilling roller-coaster ride as it twists and turns through a world transformed by the Genetic Revolution.