Now a Realm Award Finalist! - A half-breed seeks immortality for genetically engineered slaves. Jack, the half-breed offspring of a human mother and a genetically engineered father, lives a life of pain, alienated by human society and by many of the gens created by mankind to perform heavy labor. Not only do gens live like slaves, but humans have withheld from them the one piece of DNA that would grant them a soul. Jack is determined to uncover this well-hidden secret and rescue his fellow gens from a meaningless existence with no prospect of eternal life. As he begins to infiltrate the ranks of the Ministry of Religion, he finds that the farther he goes, the more it could cost him-possibly even his own life.
Advance Praise for Soul Designers:
"An exciting debut novel! Soul Designers blends meaningful threads of faith into an all-new dystopian society as Dona Watson crafts intrigue and humanity with a thoughtful pen. Whether you're a long-time spec fan, or just getting started-Soul Designers is a story of hope that's a wonderful addition to any fiction lover's shelf." - Joanne Bischof, Christy Award-winning author of The Lady and the Lionheart
"A magnificent tale of what it means to be human. Set in a futuristic society, Dona Watson's Soul Designers, explores a world populated by humans and genetics-the flaw being that the gens have been purposely engineered without souls. As such, they cannot enter heaven when they die. Watson puts her characters right in the heart of the moral struggle between faith and science. This is a book with a killer premise and riveting characters, and I highly recommend it!" - USA Today bestselling author Merrie Destefano, author of Valiant, Shade, and Afterlife
"Dona Watson's Soul Designers is a futuristic thriller that explores intriguing ideas. I applaud the originality. It really kept me guessing!" - Kerry Nietz, award-winning author of Lost Bits and Frayed
"I was quickly drawn into the world Watson set up as a very believable but scary possibility; what if the wrong people gained control of our souls through genetic manipulation? Her description of the differences between the haves vs. have-nots, her skillful handling of the technical aspects, the eternal implications, and how Jack fought back despite his faith struggle kept me turning the pages late into the night to a very satisfying ending. Recommended!" - Beverly Nault, award-winning author of Fresh Start Summer and The Kaleidoscope
"Dona Watson has penned a thoughtful tale of a society in which the very nature of salvation and the soul is up for grabs-and the dark consequences such a line of reasoning sparks. Join Jack as he searches for the truth about what happens to his father and struggles to bring the plight of the gens to the attention of the only person in the world who can relieve the oppression they face." - Steve Rzasa, awarding-winning author of the Mercury Hale series and Deception Fleet
