New England Author L.S. Kilroy Releases Promising Debut Novel, The Vitruvian Heir
Boston, Massachusetts (PRWEB) February 14, 2015 -- New England author L.S. Kilroy recently released her debut novel, The Vitruvian Heir. A futuristic dystopian work with steampunk influence, The Vitruvian Heir touches upon intense social issues that will leave one thinking about it long after it’s been read.
Kilroy says that exposure to the classics at an early age fueled her own writing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Merrimack College and a Master of Arts in Writing and Publishing from Emerson College. While The Vitruvian Heir can be categorized as part of the sci-fi/steampunk genre, she considers herself a very eclectic writer and her next planned release is a collection of short stories.
Set along the backdrop of a Neo-Victorian version of the United States in 2282, The Vitruvian Heir follows Lorelei “Lore” Fetherston, a willful daughter of the current regime’s aristocracy. Inherently rebellious, eighteen-year-old Lore is torn between accepting her impending role as a dutiful wife or escaping to the bordering nation of Hopespoke to seek the truth behind her grandmother’s secret legacy. There everyone is free and, according to legend, an enigmatic woman runs an underground squadron of girls and wields much influence. There Lore could pursue her writing without fear of punishment. But this isn’t her only dilemma. Following graduation, she is to wed to her childhood friend, Gideon, but her heart is with their mutual best friend, Fallon, the current emperor’s ward and heir to the throne.
Then one fateful night everything changes. Her free-spirited friend, Sawyer, is in grave danger and Lore is forced to make a critical decision. From mysterious woodland strangers to underground clubs to spectacular fêtes and a clandestine rebellion, Lore's life is about to change forever...that is, if she can survive.
When asked how she came up with the idea for The Vitruvian Heir, Kilroy responded:
"When I was a sophomore in high school, my history teacher was telling us about the time when Catherine de’ Medici ruled the French court. She had a group of beautiful female spies called the Flying Squadron (L’escadron Volant), whom she recruited to seduce important men in court and then report back to her. My fifteen-year-old self took this fascinating lesson and formed an idea for a new story. What if a future version of the United States had somehow come under the control of an emperor who commanded that everything be returned to the Victorian and Edwardian periods – women were stripped of their rights, had to wear corsets, etc.? And what if, there was a woman who was running this underground circle of female spies trained to extract information from powerful men? Then, a couple of years ago, when women’s rights issues were heavy in the media, the germ of this idea resurfaced and became The Vitruvian Heir."
She added, "I think the potential to tell stories that shed some light on the human condition, that reflect current social issues, that make people think and inspire a dialogue is, for me, what literature has always been about. People may think it's all just words and that writing is a secondhand experience and reading is an even more removed experience, but I really believe in the transformative effect of books...I mean, if books had no power, ignorant people wouldn't burn them, right?"
For more information and the latest news on The Vitruvian Heir and L.S. Kilroy, visit her website (http://lskilroy.com), like her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/authorlskilroy), and follow her on Twitter (@lskilroy1). The Vitruvian Heir is currently available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.
Lauren Marsh, Little Tree Press, http://lskilroy.com, +1 (617) 835-9527, [email protected]
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