The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry - Peculiar Questions

Peculiar Questions

Guest Post by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Regarding the Nature of Peculiars

There live among us members of the Peculiar race who due to inborn differences are not fully human.

1. They exist without souls.
2. It is in their nature to choose evil over good, strife over harmony, and to infect civil society with wild and subversive behaviors. 
3. If left unchecked they will erode the fabric of our society. 

Therefore, anyone determined by blood or behavior to be of the Peculiar race will be taken into custody and transferred to Scree, where they may live among others of their kind.

What if the year was 1888 and steam was the future of progress, the future of technology?

 

What if you were born with an extra joint on each finger and long inflexible feet. And no one knew if those differences on the outside meant you were different on the inside as well?

What if there were rumors of a race of Peculiar beings who once lived among us? There were many variations, but people who had hands and feet like yours were called goblins. No one believes in goblins anymore, or do they?

What if the land to the north, Scree, was a wild country, full of rich mineral deposits, indigenous people and Peculiars? And the United States sent anyone who was a criminal, suspected of criminal behavior or who looked unusual to Scree to work the mines?

 

And you discovered that secret experiments were going on in a large house by the sea, in Mr. Beasley’s library?

 

Welcome to the world of Lena Mattacascar and The Peculiars. How far would you go to discover who you are?

It’s a little Steampunk, a little romance, and a lot of adventure told in a style befitting of 1888.

The Peculiars 

by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

Published: May 1, 2012

Publisher: Amulet Books

This dark and thrilling adventure, with an unforgettable heroine, will captivate fans of steampunk, fantasy, and romance. On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena’s father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.

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About the author:

Maureen Doyle McQuerry writes books for teens and adults. The Peculiars debuts May 1st 2012 with Abrams/Amulet followed by Beyond the Door and Time Out of Time. She is also a teacher, an award winning poet and has written two non fiction books Nuclear Legacy, an IPPY award winner, and Student Inquiry.

She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area before it became Silicon Valley and now lives in WA State near the banks of the Columbia River with her husband, Dennis. Eagles, wood ducks, a friendly owl and raccoons visit her yard. And once a rogue, wild turkey showed up too.

She loves to travel, hike, bike and eat almond croissants.

You can find out more about Maureen Doyle McQuerry on her website.