Contemporary Authors

• Yellow Locust - 2018 Month9Books, https://smile.amazon.com/Yellow-Locust-Justin-Joschko/dp/1946700630/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1531699617&sr=8-1&keywords=Joschko%2C+Justin

• Justin Joschko - https://justinjoschko.com/about-the-author/

  About the Author

  Justin Joschko is an author from Niagara Falls, Ontario. His writing has appeared in newspapers and literary journals across Canada. Yellow Locust is his first novel. He currently lives in Ottawa with his wife and two children.https://justinjoschko.com/about-the-author/

• Jean Book Nerd - http://www.jeanbooknerd.com/2018/05/guest-post-with-justin-joschko.html

  Quoted in Sidelights: “becomes an unexpected ally”
  Guest Post with Justin Joschko
  7:00 AM Guest Post with Justin Joschko, JBN, Jean Book Nerd, Yellow Locust 2 comments

  Photo Content from Justin Joschko

  Justin Joschko is an author from Niagara Falls, Ontario. His writing has appeared in newspapers and literary journals across Canada. Yellow Locust is his first novel. He currently lives in Ottawa with his wife and two children.

  SOCIAL MEDIA

  Age Range: 12 and up
  Grade Level: 7 - 9
  Series: Yellow Locust
  Paperback: 305 pages
  Publisher: Month9Books, LLC (May 8, 2018)
  Language: English
  ISBN-10: 1946700630
  ISBN-13: 978-1946700636

  Praise for YELLOW LOCUST

  "In a dystopian future North America, Selena, a young white woman who is an adept street fighter, is sent across the country on a critical mission to save the world with her younger brother in tow. Born into the elite, Selena's parents—as part of their underground fight against a tyrannical regime—have gained access to insider information about yellow locust, an extremely toxic weed infesting the country. This weapon of biological warfare has choked out crops and fouled the water supply. Selena's mission is to carry information about plans for a new, terrifying weapon west across the continent on a data stick to the one governing body, the Republic of California, that could possibly combat this evil. The plot may have a familiar ring and feel not-so-original, but fans of female brawlers will find ample thrills in the gritty recounting of numerous fights: Selena is a tough scrapper. She also meets serape-draped knife fighter Marcus Ramirez from Juarez, raising the possibility of a romance. Cursing abounds, but the occasionally challenging vocabulary doesn't always sit comfortably with the depiction of prairie wastelands. Secondary characters from lands akin to Mexico and Japan add diversity to the cast. The complex plot and vivid sense of place are strengths; will appeal to those who like kick-ass heroines. (Science fiction. 14-18)" —Kirkus Reviews

  WHICH CHARACTER HAVE YOU ENJOYED GETTING TO KNOW WHILE WRITING YELLOW LOCUST?

  Yellow Locust changed a lot between its first and final drafts. In the final version of Yellow Locust, the protagonists, Selena and Simon Flood, are fleeing from the tyrannical state of New Canaan, where their parents were executed as dissidents. They stumble across Fallowfield, the bucolic village where much of the novel is set, on their long journey west. In its initial form, Selena and Simon were actually from Fallowfield, and the action centered less around their efforts to get to the coast than the longstanding mind games between them and the town’s leader, a strange man known only as The Mayor.

  Few characters outside of these three appear in all iterations of the story, with one notable exception: Marcus Ramirez. A talented knife fighter from the mysterious south who drifts through Fallowfield and the far-flung communities of the Middle Wastes, Marcus was, in his initial form, a villain. An opportunist who used Selena to his own ends, he runs afoul of her and gets what’s coming to him. He was a menacing figure, but also a slightly bathetic one—significantly, I took his surname from Tuco Ramirez, the eponymous “ugly” from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

  But as the story evolved, so too did Marcus. While still conniving and dishonorable at times, he began to accrue a certain integrity, alongside a genuine paternal affection for Selena. Instead of dying at her hands, he becomes an unexpected ally, his peerless speed and knife-work harnessed for good in much the way a mill harnesses a river’s fierce current. He also gains unexpected depth. In a scene I hadn’t planned, he confesses to Selena the reason for his endless drifting. And while doubtlessly filigreed to reflect him in the best possible light, his admission stands in the novel as ultimately true, and absolves him, in Selena’s eyes, of some of his worst traits.

Quoted in Sidelights: “The complex plot and vivid sense of place are strengths; will appeal to those who like kick-ass heroines.”
Joschko, Justin: YELLOW LOCUST
Kirkus Reviews.
(Mar. 15, 2018): From Book Review Index Plus. COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Joschko, Justin YELLOW LOCUST Month9Books (Young Adult Fiction) $15.99 5, 8 ISBN: 978-1-946700-63-6
In a dystopian future North America, Selena, a young white woman who is an adept street fighter, is sent across the country on a critical mission to save the world with her younger brother in tow.
Born into the elite, Selena's parents--as part of their underground fight against a tyrannical regime--have gained access to insider information about yellow locust, an extremely toxic weed infesting the country. This weapon of biological warfare has choked out crops and fouled the water supply. Selena's mission is to carry information about plans for a new, terrifying weapon west across the continent on a data stick to the one governing body, the Republic of California, that could possibly combat this evil. The plot may have a familiar ring and feel not-so-original, but fans of female brawlers will find ample thrills in the gritty recounting of numerous fights: Selena is a tough scrapper. She also meets serape-draped knife fighter Marcus Ramirez from Juarez, raising the possibility of a romance. Cursing abounds, but the occasionally challenging vocabulary doesn't always sit comfortably with the depiction of prairie wastelands. Secondary characters from lands akin to Mexico and Japan add diversity to the cast.
The complex plot and vivid sense of place are strengths; will appeal to those who like kick-ass heroines. (Science fiction. 14-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Joschko, Justin: YELLOW LOCUST." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2018. Book Review Index Plus,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A530650835/GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS& xid=1dad480b. Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A530650835
1 of 3 7/15/18, 7:03 PM
2 of 3 7/15/18, 7:03 PM
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...

Quoted in Sidelights: “strong world-building and deep characterization.”
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MA...
JOSCHKO, Justin. Yellow Locust
Tabitha Nordby
School Library Journal.
64.5 (May 2018): p96. From Book Review Index Plus.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
JOSCHKO, Justin. Yellow Locust. 305p. Month9. May 2018. pap. $15.99. ISBN 9781946700636.
Gr 10 Up--The tale of siblings Selena and Simon who are on a journey across the country in the land of America-that-Was. Selena and Simon traverse this desolate landscape with few resources, harboring a secret data stick, which contains secrets their parents died for. It is their responsibility to deliver the data stick to the Republic of California--the last place of freedom left in this world. When the two reach Fallow-field, an apparent oasis amid the desolation of the poisoned lands of Middle Wastes, they wonder if its offerings are too good to be true. It doesn't take long for Selena to realize that evil lurks within the city, especially in the form of the deceptively welcoming mayor. Selena is called upon to use her advanced fighting skills to protect and provide for them while they try to escape Fallowfield and deliver the data stick to the Republic of California before it's too late. An interesting blend of dystopian and climate fiction, teens who enjoy novels like Moira Young's Blood Red Road or Justin Cronin's The Passage will probably enjoy this one for its similar use of strong world-building and deep characterization. VERDICT Purchase wherever postapocalyptic fiction circulates well.--Tabitha Nordby, Red River College, Man.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Nordby, Tabitha. "JOSCHKO, Justin. Yellow Locust." School Library Journal, May 2018, p. 96.
Book Review Index Plus, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A536988039 /GPS?u=schlager&sid=GPS&xid=ed935556. Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A536988039
3 of 3 7/15/18, 7:03 PM

• Month 9 Books
  http://month9books.tumblr.com/post/169452721419/qa-with-justin-joschko-author-of-yellow-locust
  Word count: 1363

  Quoted in Sidelights: a sort of uberweed that would infiltrate crops and out-compete them into oblivion,”
  “I’m not a huge fan of didacticism,” he said, but added: “This story is inevitably informed by my own beliefs and concerns about climate change and environmental issues generally. I read a lot about peak oil and resource scarcity around the time Yellow Locust was written, and I’d say the idea of the communities of future becoming smaller and lower tech informed the story a good deal.” He further noted: “My writing has always prioritized story and characters over message.”

  Q&A with Justin Joschko, author of YELLOW LOCUST

  Today we’re talking to Justin Joschko, author of YELLOW LOCUST, releasing April 10, 2018! Add it to your Goodreads.

  Q: Let’s start somewhere fun. Disaster. (Just kidding.) What inspired you to write about a strain of grass that has made growing food all but impossible?

  A: Surprisingly given the book’s title, the “yellow locust” actually showed up pretty far into the writing process. The story first came to me as a few fragmented images—a pair of children scavenging through a wasteland, a man with a switchblade fighting in a village square, a sinister overseer with reflective sunglasses. It took a while to figure out who these people were, where they lived, and what they wanted. Their world seemed decidedly post-apocalyptic, so it led me to wonder what might have brought it to such a state. I remember learning about terminator seeds as a kid, and the idea that an outside agency could control our ability to grow food always disturbed me. It was a natural leap from that to an actual agent of war, a sort of uberweed that would infiltrate crops and out-compete them into oblivion.

  Q: Post-apocalyptic stories seem to be resonating right now. How has climate change or other political issues inspired your novel?

  A: My writing has always prioritized story and characters over message. I’m not a huge fan of didacticism, though some of the best dystopic novels have had pretty clear political points (1984, Fahrenheit 451, and The Handmaid’s Tale are good examples). Yellow Locust doesn’t have a message in that sense. However, the story is inevitably informed by my own beliefs and concerns about climate change and environmental issues generally. I read a lot about peak oil and resource scarcity around the time Yellow Locust was written, and I’d say the idea of the communities of future becoming smaller and lower tech informed the story a good deal.

  Q: Tell us more about your book!

  A: Yellow Locust is the story of Selena and Simon Flood, a brother and sister who’ve had the fate of a continent unceremoniously dumped on their shoulders. Their parents were high ranking members of New Canaan, a theocratic government formed on the east coast of what was once the United States and Canada. They became dissidents, and their last act of rebellion before being captured and executed was stealing a key piece of intelligence, which Selena and Simon must bring to their allies on the west coast before New Canaan can sweep them into an all-consuming war. On their way, they stumble onto Fallowfield, an almost utopic village miraculously thriving inside an otherwise desolate wasteland. The place is too good to be true, of course, and the two siblings are soon pulled into a sinister underworld, where Selena’s talent for street fighting and Simon’s facility with machines are the only things that can save them.

  Q: What were your biggest hurdles while writing this book? Biggest celebrations? Biggest surprises?

  A: The first glimmerings of the idea that eventually became Yellow Locust came to me back in 2008, and I started writing it in 2010, so it’s been a long road. I first wrote it as a screenplay of all things, which is a genre I know almost nothing about and was only working in to fulfill a course requirement. I started thinking about it as a novel a couple of years later. The first draft was an ungainly mess. I cut it down and sent it out, and eventually Alec (my agent) responded and said it had potential, but that some elements weren’t working. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but he was absolutely right. We tore it apart and rebuilt it a hundred times stronger. It’ll be interesting to revisit that first draft one day—and probably more than a bit painful. There are whole characters and subplots we cut out. Of the version seeing print this spring, I’d say less than half of it is the same as the version I sent out back in 2013.

  Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

  A: Read. Read read read. Every successful writer starts as a voracious reader. What you’re reading isn’t as important, but you’ve got to love it and you’ve got to read a lot of it. I think of my writing as a kind of battery: reading charges it up and writing depletes it. If I haven’t read enough, I find it difficult to put proverbial pen to paper, and what comes out sounds wan and chintzy. But after reading a book, especially one with a story or prose style that really gripped me, I can’t wait to start writing.

  Q: Finally, what are some of your favorite reads?

  A: Stephen King is the reason I first wanted to become a writer, and any list of my influences has to begin with him. I’ve read the Dark Tower series straight through at least three times. Beyond that, my reading is pretty all over the place. My favorite authors include Neil Gaiman, Flannery O'Connor, Shirley Jackson (“We Have Always Lived in the Castle” is a masterpiece), Ursula K. Le Guin, Philip K. Dick, John Wyndham, Paul Bowles, Cormac McCarthy, Joe Abercrombie (especially his “First Law” trilogy), Kurt Vonnegut, Fritz Leiber, and Elmore Leonard. Gogol’s “The Nose” is my favorite short story, and my favorite novel (if I absolutely had to choose) is “A Confederacy of Dunces” by John Kennedy Toole.
  YELLOW LOCUST

  Selena Flood is a fighter of preternatural talent. But not even her quick fists and nimble feet could save her parents from the forces of New Canaan, the most ruthless and powerful of the despotic kingdoms populating America-that-was.

  Forced to flee the tyrannical state with her younger brother Simon in tow, Selena is now the last chance for peace in a continent on the verge of complete destruction.

  In her pocket is a data stick, the contents of which cost her parents their lives. Selena must now ensure it reaches the Republic of California—a lone beacon of liberty shining across a vast and barren wasteland—before it’s too late.

  Between New Canaan and California stretch the Middle Wastes: thousands of desolate miles home to murderers, thieves, and a virulent strain of grass called yellow locust that has made growing food all but impossible. So when Selena and Simon stagger into Fallowfield, an oasis of prosperity amidst the poisoned plains, everything seems too good to be true—including the warm welcome they receive from the town’s leader, a peculiar man known only as The Mayor.

  As Selena delves deeper into the sinister secrets of this seemingly harmless refuge, she soon learns there is a much darker side to Fallowfield and the man who runs it. Before long, she must call upon the skills she honed in the fighting pits of New Canaan to ensure not only her own survival, but that of her brother, in whom the Mayor has taken far too keen an interest.

  And she’d better act fast, for an all-out war inches ever closer, and New Canaan is never as far away as it seems.
  About the Author
  image

• Always Me
  http://never-anyone-else.blogspot.com/2018/02/yellow-locust-by-justin-joschko-arc.html
  Word count: 661

  Quoted in Sidelights: “intense, fast-paced, and has an intriguing sibling bond at the heart of the story.” “developing his world, which is almost beyond hope, and the journey his characters take across what was once America – as well as the mystery surrounding Fallowfield.” “firmly held my attention throughout.”

  Always Me

  Lauren’s quotes

  “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” —Abraham Lincoln

  Goodreads Quotes
  Thursday, February 15, 2018
  Yellow Locust by Justin Joschko (ARC) - Review

  ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

  I received a free eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

  Selena and her brother have to escape tyrannical New Canaan. They have to make sure that the information on data stick that got her parents killed makes it to the Republic of California, the only place left that stands for peace and freedom. The two siblings are the last hope for their mostly ruined continent before it's entirely too late. They've got thousands of miles on the road ahead of them through the Middle Wastes and they'll have to deal with everything from murderers and thieves to a poisonous grass called yellow locust which has made growing food next to impossible. Fallowfield is practically an oasis in the midst of the wasteland - everything seems far too good to be true. As Selena begins to uncover the secrets of the town and its leaders, she'll have to use the fighting skills that she was forced to hone back in New Canaan if she and her brother are going to make it. Whatever she does, it'll have to be soon because all-out war is imminent and New Canaan is never all that far away.

  I'm so glad the publisher, Month9Books, approached me to try Yellow Locust by Justin Joschko. This novel doesn't release until May 8th, but it's a pretty great upcoming YA dystopian sci-fi story that definitely deserves attention. I've read quite a few dystopias, but it's been a little while since I've tried a new one that really stood out (the last being Want by Cindy Pon). Joschko's novel can also be considered cli-fi (climate fiction), a genre that I haven't read all that much of. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's a genre that explores environmental degradation and it's effects on human civilization due to climate change. It doesn't necessarily have be be speculative, but it is in this particular case.

  Joschko's novel firmly held my attention throughout from beginning to end, particularly developing his world, which is almost beyond hope, and the journey his characters take across what was once America - as well as the mystery surrounding Fallowfield. As for our cast of characters, I could appreciate really appreciate Selena's attitude and drive in regards to her family and duties. Plus, I could certainly relate to Simon's sensitive, fair skin - been there, done that. I should also mention that the author is good at crafting action scenes. There are plenty of great showcases of Selena's formidable talents. My only real issue is that Selena doesn't feel all that unique in comparison to other YA dystopian leading ladies, in fact she reminds me of a combination of Saba from Blood Red Road and Katniss from The Hunger Games.

  Overall, Yellow Locust by Justin Joschko is a great upcoming piece of YA sci-fi dystopian cli-fi. It's intense, fast-paced, and has an intriguing sibling bond at the heart of the story. I have a feeling you'd enjoy this novel as well if you like Blood Red Road by Moira Young and Want by Cindy Pon. I'm looking forward to trying future projects by this author.

  I read this eARC from January 27 - February 2, 2018 and my review is also on Goodreads. Yellow Locust by Justin Joschko will be released on May 8, 2018.
  Posted by Lauren Stoolfire at 11:52 PM

• Port Jericho
  http://www.aislynndmerricksson.com/book-review-yellow-locust-by-justin-joschko/
  Word count: 820

  Quoted in Sidelights: “I absolutely loved this story!” reported a blogger at Port Jericho, noting that it “has not only the war element, but the far more terrifying and implacable element of man [versus] nature.”
  “pverall, a great read.”

  Book Review: Yellow Locust by Justin Joschko
  2018-06-10

  Yellow Locust by Justin Joschko is a far future dystopia where famine and war have decimated the North American continent. Selena and Simon Flood live in the tyrannical country of New Canaan. Following the fall of the tiny, prosperous territory of Niagara, New Canaan sets sights on the Republic of California, far across the Middle Wastes. When Selena’s parents acquire data on a terrifying new weapon they make plans to get it to the Republic, a last bastion of democracy. The elder Floods send their children away first, with a copy of the data, and plans to meet them within two weeks. Unfortunately, Selena learns her parents were captured and tortured. Taking Simon, she flees for California, to complete the mission herself. Unfortunately, they must pass through the Middle Wastes, the vast bulk of the continent covered in the inedible vile wheat known as Yellow Locust.

  Photo by Min Byeong Tak
  In the midst of desolation, the pair come to Fallowfield, an oasis of greenery kept free of the Yellow Locust by a chemical called Compound L. Selena tries to find passage to California, only to learn that winter snows blocked the mountains, and she’d be lucky to find a caravan til spring. Unable to earn decent money in the fields, she turns to pit fighting, a forbidden hobby of hers, and here she catches the eye of Marcus who proposes to take her on a fighting circuit to earn money, then take her to California. Before they can make proper plans, treachery forces Selena to flee Fallowfield without Simon. As she works to get back to him, things within the town begin heating up as the sharecroppers plot rebellion against the merchants who have grown fat from their labours whilst leaving them to starve.

  I absolutely loved this story! Yes, it was similar to many other dystopic stories out there today. It’s a current popular genre. Yet while they all share similar themes by necessity, I find most enjoyable. What can I say? I love the genre. This story has not only the war element, but the far more terrifying and implacable element of man Vs nature. The Yellow Locust wheat has taken over the continent (perhaps the world, we don’t know). It is the ultimate invasive species, outgrowing and overgrowing everything, and it’s completely inedible. It makes kudzu look like a darling houseplant. Despite the thoroughly decimated population, New Canaan wants to make war on far California. Like The Handmaid’s Tale, New Canaan, situated in the current ‘Bible Belt’ of the US, has utterly trampled everything Christianity is supposed to stand for, ripping outdated obscurities from the Old Testament alone to justify horrendous and close-minded behaviour. I love stories where such societies get thoroughly trounced, and I hope it’s the case here, but we’ll have to wait til the next book to learn more.

  I liked the interaction between Selena and Simon. He’s only eleven, and they come to have very different beliefs about what they should do now that their parents are gone. Simon doesn’t have the constitution to travel through the harsh landscape like Selena does. He’s young, and he’s been pampered in a way. He thinks they should stay in Fallowfield. The Mayor has even given him a job making paintings. Painting was considered folly in New Canaan, so this turn makes Simon feel useful and appreciated.

  Fallowfield has its darkness too, as much as New Canaan. There’s the stark class disparity, enforced by the brutal Bernard, captain of the Shepherds, the ‘lawkeepers’. Really, they are all a bunch of bullies. And there’s the pit fighting, which serves as a social release valve among lower classes not just in Fallowfield, but New Canaan, and other settlements as well. That’s where Marcus comes in. He’s a fighter, but he recognises Selena’s talent and makes a deal with her. She helps him get the cash he needs to pay back a steep debt, and he will see her safe to California. He was my favourite character. He’s quite the mercenary, but a great person to have by your side in a serious fight.

  Overall, a great read, and I really want the next one now! It’s definitely meant for older audiences with the graphicness of some scenes.

  ***Many thanks to Chapter by Chapter Tours and the author for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.