ABANDON and the importance of choice

For all of its high-tech revelry, romantic entanglements and shifting alliances, Elana Johnson's dystopian series, beginning with POSSESSION and continuing with SURRENDER and now ABANDON, has clearly focused on one theme: the importance of choice.

Jag and Zenn narrate this latest installment, and as characters, they bring much to the table in terms of the theme.  Jag has always been the more daring one, the more openly rebellious, the one that will fight until the end to see the dawn of a new world where people can decide for themselves.  Zenn is more careful, more calculated, not entirely sure the masses should be given their own agency and not entirely sure of who he really is deep down - or what he really wants.

Zenn knows he loves Vi. Everything he's done, he's done to protect her.  But Vi is with Jag now, and that leaves Zenn untethered - and unpredictable.

The resistance takes heavy (and heartrending!) losses in this novel, but they also find new hope. ABANDON explores the sacrifices we must make in order to truly be free. 

ABANDON Scavenger Hunt!

Okay, so today I’m talking about a city in the Association that became pivotal. Castledale. I first had Gunner land in Castledale at the end of Surrender after he fled Freedom. True to how I write, I had no idea how important Castledale would become.

If you’ve read Surrender, you might remember that Gunner had help there that came in the form of a green-eyed guy. As I pondered who that might be and why he might be important, I realized how much this city—and that guy—meant to the Resistance.

So as I wrote ABANDON, I knew that my traveling team would need to go to Castledale, and I knew that the Resistance would have to be alive and thriving in the city. I had to have other people, other cities, that were doing as much as Jag was doing. I mean, he’s just one guy. He can’t be everywhere across thousands of miles.

I knew I had to have cities that were anxiously engaged in his cause, and Castledale became the hub of activity for the Resistance when I needed it. I’m still sort of surprised how it all came together. Ha!

I'm running a scavenger hunt all over the Association. It ends this Friday, but you can get caught up (all the way back to June 4) and enter to win with the links and Rafflecopter below.

Today's scavenger hunt can begin here! Somewhere on this map of the Association is the winning city. I've mentioned here in this post, and you can find references to it in all of today's posts. (See complete hunt details here.)

When you know today's scavenger hunt city, enter it in this form for a chance to win one of six Possession series paperback packages and a $50 Amazon gift card!

Continue the scavenger hunt at Kissed By Ink, where Amy has another clue for today's city!

As if that weren't enough, there will be a daily winner of Possession series swag! Enter in the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


If you get lost, you can always go to Elana's blog to find your place. Happy hunting!

Elana lets Peggy test out the tech from ABANDON. And it is awesome.

From the moment I read Elana Johnson's POSSESSION to picking up the final book in the trilogy-- ABANDON, I have been in love with the tech in this series. So much so that when I discovered that Elana actually has the tech, I hopped in my own boring piece of traveling tech (my car) and begged her to let me play with it for an afternoon. Yes, it was every bit as awesome as it sounds. Check it out:

Peggy: Can we start with the hoverboards? I have been dying to ride one of these for two years. TWO YEARS, I tell you!

Elana: Let's do it! 

Peggy: Look what I can do! I'm almost as good as Jag! I can--- Oh, oh. I think I'm going to fall!

Elana: Dude, knock it off! You're nowhere near as good as Jag. He played ball with his brothers waaay more than we've practiced on these things! Now just put your arms out like this, and try to stand more straight.

Peggy: Check me out! I can do tricks!

Elana: Cut it out, Eddleman! You're going to knock me off!

Peggy: Okay, maybe it's time to go on to the next thing. Ooo! I know! Let's check out the transporter ring!

Elana: Oh, this old thing? [puts it on] It takes me anywhere I want.

 

Elana: Ba-bam! Once I went to England just for fish & chips! I bet Jag would've really loved that.  Ha!

Peggy: You wouldn't mind if I borrowed that for a week or two, right?

Elana: [slips ring into pocket] Hey! Check out this distraction!

Peggy: [in reverenced awe] Oooh, is that a food generator?! We can make anything we want with that, right? What should we make?

Elana: What Zenn would order -- toast! In SURRENDER and ABANDON, all Zenn eats is toast. He loves being on the traveling team simply so he can use the food generating cube.

Peggy: Dude, I would join the Resistance and be on the traveling team just so I could use this, too.

Elana and Peggy: Mmmm. Tooooast.

Peggy: After all that toast, I think I'm ready for a mission of my own.

Elana: Come on. I think it's right around this corner... Wait. Enforcement Officers ahead.

Peggy: Are you sure we're at the right Rise?

Elana: Yes, this is Twelve. The Resistance is expecting us.

Peggy: And after a mission, the Resistance always heads back to their cave, right?

Elana: Yep! But this cave is way better than the one the Resistance has to hole up in.

Peggy: Heck yeah it is! I think we should live here. Unless those stalactites stab us in the night... That wouldn't be so cool.

Elana: I can feel the energy in this just like Vi can! Just a little further... Peggy, a little further. Peggy?

Peggy: Zzzzhhhhttt!!

Peggy: I'm feeling a little dazed. I think I may have had enough tech for one day. I'm not quite sure I can make it home anymore. Oh, hey-- how about I borrow that transporter ring?

No? Sigh.

I'll take an awesome book that just hit shelves a week ago instead.

Think the tech in this post is awesome? The book is a million times more so. Elana has an incredible imagination, and she poured it into ABANDON. Trust me: you really want to read this. It's beyond awesome.

A special thanks to Erin Summerill Photography for the fun pictures and SamuraiCatJB (via photopin cc) for the cave image.