The SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS column on Mondays and Wednesdays is a place at Shannon Muir’s author website showcasing books from a variety of fiction genres, with an emphasis on interviews and guest posts from other authors. One thing Shannon firmly believes in for readers not only to learn about new books available, but about those who craft the tales behind them. As its name implies, SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS weekly column features writers from all genres of fiction who want their potential audience to get to know them, and their works, better.
Today, we look at THE BEAUTIFUL ONES.
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that only the Beautiful Ones survive. This is because, in the
war-torn Great South, beauty is a currency, and to have it means you
will never have to worry about a thing.
is: beauty is judged by our capital’s Gentlewomen, and there is no
guarantee that we will past their test.
Gentlewomen of the capital leave the Glittering City to oversee the
annual Procession. They travel settlement to settlement selecting
girls, aged sixteen and older, to become Beautiful Ones. If chosen,
we will be lifted into a life of luxury, but the cost is our free will.
the glam, the fame, fortune, and my recent wedding, it’s almost
impossible to believe that a civil war rages beyond the capitol
city’s walls, and that my life was nearly taken because of it. This
is why, the day after the attempt on my life, I choose to designate
my Purpose to the great war.
words will change anything. But as my presence within the Glittering
City grows, it becomes quickly apparent that I am in danger… and
that no one, not even my government, can save me.
Guest Post by the Author
How I Created The Beautiful Ones
The Beautiful Ones takes place in a sprawling dystopian wasteland. Plagued by poverty, and stained by war, it begins in a place known as the Sandstone Hills—a desolate, seemingly-inhospitable world, situated somewhere in the deserts of the southern United States—and follows a young woman named Kelendra Byron. It is on the day of the annual Procession that her life will change forever, and her existence as she knows it will be catapulted to heights she could have never possibly imagined.
You might be wondering: how did I create this world? What inspired it? And what led me to focus on beauty as a commodity?
The answer is: in our modern-day world, beauty is already a commodity. From celebrity makeovers, to plastic surgeries botched, to people ordinary becoming extraordinary through cosmetics or surgery, it is impossible to ignore that quote-unquote “beautiful” people are revered.
I would be the first to admit that I am fascinated by the world of plastic surgery; and on a day several years ago, was struck by a question that continues to haunt me to this day. That question was: what is beauty became a currency?
In the Great South of The Beautiful Ones, beauty is a currency; and like our first-person narrator claims: to have it means you will never have to worry about a thing. You will never be alone. You will never go hungry. You will never have to worry about being less than. The people will love you.
What our protagonist doesn’t understand is that her beauty, and her impending appearance within the greater conflict within her country, will change her world forever.
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The Beautiful Ones is now available for free in eBook format, and for purchase in paperback and in Audible Audio. Its sequel, The War Outside, is available on Amazon.com and Kindle Unlimited. A third book will follow in late 2019 or early 2020.
Author Bio
with the publication of his story [A] Prom Queen’s Revenge at the
age of fourteen. Published nearly three-dozen times before going
independent at eighteen, Boye has authored numerous works—including
the short story collection Amorous Things, the novella The Diary of
Dakota Hammell, the zombie novel Sunrise and the epic fantasy series
The Brotherhood Saga.
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