Us Dark Few: Q&A with breakout dystopian author, Alexis Patton

Delving into the world of BookTok - that's the book community on TikTok - has been both a challenging and exciting experience over the last year. While I'm found myself battling with comparison at times, I've also connected with some amazing and inspirational authors.

This includes the lovely Alexis Patton, the author of the dystopian Amazon bestseller, Us Dark Few, and its sequel, Us Deadly Few.

Us Dark Few is set in an underground prison

Alexis has had quite a rollercoaster these last few weeks, which she shares on her Instagram and TikTok. She got laid off from her job of six years to then finally, after years of rejection, get signed with a literary agent. Talk about crushing it?!

Anyway, after I read Us Dark Few, I caught up with Alexis and ask her for some exclusive juice details.

What was your inspiration for Us Dark Few?

I love video games and dystopian books. The Giver was a huge inspiration for me as well as Divergent. When I played the game Horizon Zero Dawn, that really inspired me to lean into a post apocalyptic world and figuring out what happened to cause the mass destruction. Ultimately, I had a dream about the characters in my book and I knew the dream took place in prison. It really stuck to me so I created a story around that dream and these influences.

What would you say is similar and different in Us Dark Few to a story like Divergent?

I would say that Us Dark Few dives much more into emotional health and what it really means to survive when you might not want to live any longer. It makes fighting that much more meaningful because the character was at their lowest point, where they weren't sure if they wanted to live anymore. Plus, the love interest is a lot colder and I would say more unhinged than other books.

I found the tension between Khalani and Takeshi unbearable. What is your best writing technique for making that so effective?

This might sound weird to a lot of people but I hear them in my head and they tell me exactly what they would say in certain situations. I might want them to say something but I hear Takeshi in my head going "no, I would be much colder or heartfelt." It really feels like it's THEIR story and I'm just telling it.

Why did you feel Khalani needed a character like Winnie?

Winnie is my favorite character. I feel like Khalani had a lot of potential with poetry to start thinking outside the parameters of what she'd been taught but due to the loss of her parents, her grief overclouded her ability to think for herself. Winnie was able to give her sanctuary and let her release her bottled up feelings so that she could really intake information about the world and fighting for something deeper than yourself. Winnie is the true hero.

You've already got a sequel out there, but what is the plan for this series or are you working on anything else?

I'm currently working on the finale to the series, Us Defiant Few which I plan on releasing this year. My next series which I've already started is adult romantasy and I'm very very excited for it.

And when you're not writing, or marketing your books, how do you spend your time?

I spend my time watching shows with my fiance, walking our dog around the lake, and working out. But mostly I have no life and pretty much always am working on my books.

How can people get hold of Us Dark Few?

Us Dark Few is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble online, Audible, and Kindle Unlimited.