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Mother of Miranda1 holding a peach ...
Cover Illustration by Emma Dolan |
My new middle grade dystopia, OCULUM, has been arriving in bookstores and libraries all month!
Since it IS Mother's Day weekend and the book tells the story of two sets of children and their Mothers (one set of Mothers are robots) both inside and outside the perfect, domed world of
OCULUM, here are a few pertinent words from the Acknowledgements Page:
"This book began as a weird, vivid dream, in which mechanical
arms tucked a human child into bed. I’m not sure whose arms they were (or whose
child), but I did take inspiration for the Mothers in this story from parenting
my own children, Sarah and Ben. Thank you to them for our bedtime ritual which
always ended with a little extra tucking before the lights went out.
I’d like to acknowledge that the character of Grannie in
this story is inspired by the heroic feats of grandmothers the world over, raising
the next generation of children orphaned by AIDS, war, addiction or in the case
of this book, the end of the world. I’ve also taken much inspiration from my
lifelong friend Sarah, to whom this book is dedicated, who has fostered,
adopted and supported many, many children over the years, all who needed loving
arms."
Mothers come in many forms, I think, even robot form. In the case of this story, one of the main characters outside the dome of OCULUM is a 12-year-old boy named Mann, who happily carries the family's baby on their journey through their ruined world (and doesn't mind changing a diaper here and there, either).
We all need loving arms from time to time, be they human or robot. Hug back and Happy Mother's Day 2018!
Oculum is available everywhere
Put your copy on hold at Toronto Public Library
Visit the Publisher's Website for Media Copies and more
More about Oculum on THIS BLOG
YES to that! Keep reading everyone, and read Canadian. Thanks to my publisher, DCB Young Readers, for letting me tell this near future environmental dystopia (with robots)! 
