Interview with Orfyn from “Merged” by Jim and Stephanie Kroepfl

“MERGED” – Seven of our country’s most gifted teens will become Nobels, hosts for the implantation of brilliant Mentor minds in an effort to accelerate human progress. But as the line between what’s possible and what’s right draws ever blurrier, the teens discover everything has a cost. Scientists have created an evolved form of living known as Merged Consciousness. Sixteen-year-old Lake, the Nobel for Chemistry and Orfyn, the Nobel for Art, are two from among the inaugural class of Nobels, and with the best intentions. But when Stryker, the Nobel for Peace, makes them question the motivation of the scientists behind the program, their world begins to unravel. The Nobels work to uncover the program’s dark secrets, and they realize no one can be trusted, not even the other Nobels. As the Mentors begin to take over their bodies and minds, Lake and Orfyn must find a way to regain control before they lose all semblance or memory of their former selves.

Interviewer: Why do you think you have such a big following as a street artist?

Orfyn: I don’t take myself seriously. I like choosing a famous painting and then adding my own twist. Like I once made Mona Lisa look like she was from our time. She had on a hoodie, wore ear buds, and she was texting. My fans loved it. The owner of the pawn shop? Not so much. He covered it over with black paint before the sun set.

Interviewer: Does that happen often?

Orfyn: Yeah, almost everything I do gets destroyed one way or another. But that’s the way it goes when you paint on someone else’s property.

Interviewer: Have you ever been arrested for vandalism?

Orfyn: Thank God, no. There’d be serious blowback if the police ever figured out where I live.

Interviewer: Why is that?

 Orfyn: I can’t get into it because it might reveal my true identity, but believe me, there’s more at stake than just me ending up in jail.

Interviewer: Then why do you do it?

Orfyn: I’ve asked myself that question too, especially when painting alone in a dark alley at three in morning. I guess it’s that I like giving normal people who’d normally never see a masterpiece the chance. I want to blow their minds.

Interviewer: But don’t you want your artwork hanging in a museum one day?

Orfyn: Sure, who wouldn’t? But, I can’t see that ever happening. Who’d take a chance on someone like me? It’s okay. I mean, I’m still famous, even though nobody knows who I really am.

Our young adult science fiction novel “Merged” is being released on September 17, 2019 by Month9Books. Visit us at www.jimandstephbooks.com.

RECOMMENDED!