Stephanie Dougan's debut novel, The Luminous Illusion, was released on the 25th February. The Luminous Illusion is described as a dystopian, Young Adult novel, and is available to purchase via Amazon, directly frm ourselves, and is also being stocked on the shelves of Stephanie's local Waterstones, with a book signing to follow! Stephanie took the time to answer a few questions with us.

1. How would you describe The Luminous Illusion, and who would you say it is aimed at?

I would describe it as an Orwellian dystopian with romanticised elements found in popular teen/YA culture today. I think The Luminous Illusion can also be enjoyed by adults as the genre is one that transcends across all ages.

2. What inspired you to write The Luminous Illusion?

It began with a nightmare. It was one of those really annoying dreams that sticks with you all day, one of those ones that you bore your family and friends with. The thing that set this one apart was how vivid it was, and I felt compelled to write it down in a notebook, only to leave it in a drawer and forget about it.

It was only when I was cleaning out cupboards and drawers three months or so later that I found the notebook. I flipped through the pages of random doodles and grocery lists until I found my notes. I decided that I would add some more detail to them, giving into the idea that this would make quite a good story. Before I knew it, scribbles became a plot, a plot became a short story, and a short story became a book.

3. Dystopian societies and romance against the odds are popular themes in teenage/young adult fiction at the moment. Tell us what sets The Luminous Illusion apart.

I think the fact that it’s not set hundreds of years from now sets it apart, its set very much in our own lifetime. There are themes throughout the book that we currently see on the news or hear about on the radio. I wanted this story to feel realistic in its chaos.

I think what sets the romance apart in this book is that the relationships aren’t straight forward. There’s memory and longing versus an actual connection that only science can explain – I won’t say anymore!

4. Without giving too much away, the book ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger. Do you have plans for the sequel? Can you tell us a little bit of what we can expect there?

Absolutely! I’m currently playing around with a couple of ideas, the story could go so many different ways and I really want to put my characters through some tough trials. There’s a lot of character development yet to come and I feel that this can only be drawn out and progressed through further ordeals. No one will be safe, I’m sure of that.

5. From first getting the idea, how long did it take you to write The Luminous Illusion?

I powered through the first draft just simply because I fell in love with writing and creating this world that Emma and the other characters live in. It took me two months to get the rough story to a stage that I was happy with. From there it was a matter of cleaning and polishing it up to the best of my abilities.

6. Would you say Emma, the main character, is anything like yourself? Do any of the other characters share traits with yourself or your close friends/family?

I’ve often asked myself that question, and I do believe Emma and I are alike. I think it’s common for a lot of authors to put a piece of themselves into the characters. Emma’s training for example comes from my own first-hand experience of getting thrown and kicked around during Jiu Jitsu. For me, it was a way of building up my own strength and going through some much needed toughening up, which is what Emma also required at that stage in the story.

I think Charlie reminds me of my father. They’re both the gentle giant types, and I felt at the time that Emma needed someone like that in her life to protect her and encourage her. I’ve also definitely had a feisty best friend like Jess before, who hasn’t? 

7. Which dystopian society would you least like to be stuck in?

Soylent Green – yuck! I also wouldn’t want to be stuck in the Hunger Games or a Maze Runner scenario. I’ll stick to reading about them.

8. What books/authors are you most inspired by?

I find myself constantly reading either dystopian or fantasy novels, so it’s no surprise that I’m greatly inspired by contemporary authors like Veronica Roth, Jennifer L Armentrout, and Cassandra Clare who all have created such kickass heroines and incorporated much loved romantic scenes into their novels. I have however found myself reading Abbi Glines novels lately, which is a nice change of pace.

I read Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 when I was fourteen and it terrified me, because it wasn’t too dissimilar to how we live now. I would say Fahrenheit was probably the greatest inspiration for me whilst writing The Luminous Illusion, I wanted to give someone else that feeling of familiarity, and make them question our world as we know it today.