About the Book

Book: The Nightmare Virus

Author: Nadine Brandes

Genre: YA Science Fantasy

Release date: July 16, 2024

Some viruses go after the body. But the Nightmare Virus goes after the mind.

When dream technology goes wrong, a virus spreads across the globe,trapping people in a universal dreamscape. They call it the Nightmare Virus.Cain Cross is determined to find a cure . . . if he can decipher his brother’s chicken-scratch formula notes. But when he gets infected, he has only 22 days until he’s trapped in the mental prison forever. Now, every time he falls asleep, he must fight in a Nightmare Arena until he earns his freedom to live in the “new world” that exists only in the mind.

Then he finds a way to manipulate the Nightmare—to change it by mere thought.

Forced to navigate a world of nightbeasts, mistblades, and half-truths, Cain turns his focus to survival. When the Emperor offers him a LifeSuPod—and access to a cure—in exchange for a dangerous favor, Cain thinks he’s found a way out. But Cain’s new power threatens to take him on paths that jeopardize his very soul.

Will he continue searching for a cure, or will he swear allegiance to the Nightmare? And the bigger question might be . . . will he even have a choice?

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Author Interview

1. Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser (or a hybrid)?
I consider myself a pantser, but that’s only because I plot in my head—not on paper. I mentally
plot scene-by-scene, not the whole story at once. I’ve tried plotting on paper with almost every
novel I’ve written and it has never once worked for me. If anything, it makes the writing that
much harder. I finally accepted that my creative process is the one God gave me and if I lean into
it instead of away from it then my stories will be that much stronger!

2. Do you have a way to keep track of your story ideas?
I am a very hands-on writer. When I have an idea that I think is strong enough to actually turn
into a book, I get a blank notebook or journal and I start putting all the thoughts and ideas—pell
mell—into that notebook. Then, when the day comes for me to write the story, I pick up that
notebook and read all the wild and crazy thoughts and nuggets that I’ve written down. I then use
what’s left of that notebook for drafting process and notes and other ideas as I write the book.

3. What is your writing space like?
My writing space is mobile! Sometimes it’s my bedroom. Sometimes it’s a coffee shop.
Sometimes it’s my kitchen table. Before I had children I used to have a designated room for
writing, but that doesn’t work anymore so I’ve learned to write in different spaces and it’s
actually been a lot of fun! But no matter where I write, I absolutely must be sitting near a
window. That is a non-negotiable (as well as having a cup of tea!)

4. How long does it usually take you to write a book?
That depends on if I have a deadline. When I don’t have a deadline I take a leisurely road of
writing and, if I’m consistent, it can take anywhere from 1-2 years. When I’m on deadline then
it’s much tighter (I wrote my book ROMANOV in 4 months! Yikes!) but far less fun. I’m
currently in a season where I get to write when I’m ready and at my own pace. It’s a huge
blessing and I’m excited to see what stories come from it!

5. What is your work schedule/routine when you write?
Ha! Schedule? Routine? What are these words? (LOL) I have no regular routine because I’m a
mom of four. That doesn’t mean times are always chaos, it just means times are always changing.
Children have fluctuating needs and hit new milestones so my “routine” is to be fluid. To be
ready to write when an opening presents itself and ready to stop writing as soon as that opening
closes. I also have an incredibly supportive and fun husband who takes the children to the park or
on adventures throughout the week to give me some focus time, especially if I have deadlines.

About the Author

Nadine Brandes has been known to do wild things (like ride a sleeper train across Russia) in the name of book research. She’s the four-time Carol Award–winning author of seven young adult books and has been a professional fiction editor for over a decade. She is passionate about Jesus, motherhood, and creating with the Creator. When she’s not busy inventing worlds and magic systems, she’s adventuring through Middle Earth with her Auror husband and their four Halfling children.

More from Nadine

“Really, God? Now?” That was my reaction when He told me it was time to sign a contract for The Nightmare Virus less than two years after a global pandemic. “No one wants a book with the word “virus” in its title.”

That was the first of many moments that revealed this book was not my choice to write or publish or even title, but was instead the Lord’s. I’d had the idea for over a decade. And while it had nothing to do with the 2020 pandemic it arose from the concept that this world is not our home. This world is temporary and yet, during our time in it, we—as Believers—know the path to freedom out of darkness.

It was a story I was waiting and waiting to write and share with the world and yet when God said “Go” I argued with Him. I was convinced this was the worst time to try and publish this book. I told Him I’d have no time to write it (as a mama of 3 children in 3 years with another one on the way at the time.) Yet God said, “I’ll make the time.” And He did. He paved the way for this book—both in my imagination and in my practical life—and that’s the best road an author can walk, one where her King has gone before her.

This book is unlike anything I’ve ever written and I know that can be either a very good thing or a very bad thing, haha. But God has made it evident that He has a purpose for this story, not the least of which was to draw me closer to Him while writing it.

As I prepared this blog post I thought I could talk about the characters or themes or plot…but you’ll encounter all of those things when you read it. Instead I chose to share the heart journey behind it. Readers may pick it up because of the title or perhaps they’ll pick it up in spite of the title. No matter how the story finds its way into their hands, I know that it is the Lord who got it there. And I can’t wait to see what sort of sparks come from it.