Following the publication of my novel, A Column of Smoke, I wanted to start some online discussion with book-club style questions. They’ll be published on the blog and listed below.
Please leave your thoughts below each question, and please ask more questions at the bottom of this page. I will endeavor to answer them all. This is meant to be a discussion – everyone’s views on the characters’ choices are just as valid as mine. I am really keen to know what others thought, so thank you for reading and sharing.
There’s also more about my background and how I came to write the book on lablit.com.
Thank you in advance to everyone who joins the discussion here and adds reviews on Amazon or Goodreads.
General questions
Why did you decide to write a novel?
Do you portray life as a scientist accurately?
Does your novel give a balanced view of GM?
Specific questions (spoiler alert!)
How did you come up with the plot?
View from the fence 
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August 19, 2014 at 14:54
Are there flying ants involved?! 😉
August 20, 2014 at 19:07
I actually had to go upstairs and take a look at the book to answer that question (I finished it a while ago…). I planned the whole book around flying ants (before I worked on them) in that I wanted them in the last scene and planned the time of year for the whole book to make it work. Then I cut them…
August 20, 2014 at 19:08
I did write a short story called Flying Ant Day though http://www.lablit.com/article/789