Finding a world that has been turned upside down is nothing new. But now we have a society where women are the dominant power and men are marginalised. The themes explored in Moths are extremely relevant such as sexism and freedom, but unlike books such as The Handmaid's Tale, the boot is on the other foot. The men of this world are enslaved, not just for health reasons if you get my meaning. Forty-four years ago, as any schoolgirl can tell you, the moth’s eggs hatched and an army of caterpillars spread their tiny toxic threads on every breath of wind. Since then, men have been cloistered, protected from birth against the deadly poison. I liked that the main protagonist was a much older woman who had lived through the outbreak. Mary brought a welcoming breath of fresh air to the proceedings that sometimes you lose with younger ones. As a survivor, she and her friend Olivia had a certain rapport which helped bring some humour to the narrative. I imagine what Mary and many others went through would evoke strong emotions within every mother tugging at their heartstrings. Along with about a billion other people – Fary Taleby Stephen King. It’s compelling and excellent and barking mad. What’s next for you?

Jane Hennigan is an English author, who graduation university after studying English and Philosophy, then began teaching it. Jane began writing with any spare time that she had. It’s certainly a striking, eye-catching cover, which really draws attention to the importance of the dust. Let’s delve beneath the cover and into your dystopia. You’ve talked about being influenced by feminist dystopias, and also an article about a toxic caterpillar? Can you tell us more about how these two things merged into Moths?So, what is feminist here? Clearly not the world itself, which paints all men as evil and all women as weak and incapable. It's a powerful book nonetheless. The violence enacted by the infected men is horrific beyond measure but also nothing that hasn't been done to a woman by a man in today's world. On the 9th of July 2019. I know so precisely because that is when I read an article on the BBC titled Toxic processionary caterpillar plague spreads across Europe. I was planning to write an apocalypse book that flipped the gender power dynamic – I just needed a narrative vehicle. A moth plague presented itself as the perfect villain. Did you do much research before you started writing? Definitely not for the squeamish as there is some content likely to upset those with a sensitive heart. In other words, there is colourful content aplenty. But then again, the world’s going to hell, and society is falling down everywhere you look, so what on earth do you expect. Some images will linger long in the memory. I have read and listened to some of the best horror books around ( Weaveworld being one of my all-time favourite books). I can honestly say Moths ranks up there with the best of them for chills down the spine. The graphic imagery is something that will stay with me for a long time. Definitely not for the squeamish, as some content is almost certainly likely to upset those with a sensitive heart. In other words, there is colourful content aplenty. But then again, the world is going to hell, and society is falling everywhere you look, so what on earth do you expect? Some images will linger long in the memory. I have read and listened to some of the best horror books around. I can honestly say Moths ranks high with the best of them for chills down the spine. The graphic imagery is definitely something that will stay with me for a long time.

Another aspect of Mary’s character is her feeling of alienation from the younger women around her. I think this is something everyone feels at some point in their life, politics, technology, social norms, are changing so rapidly that your own ideas are becoming obsolete. The women Mary work with have never known what it’s like to walk down a street clutching a set of car keys like a weapon, or fall pregnant by accident. I think she envies their complacency.Top Five Fictional Games by The Knave of Secrets author Alex Livingston Five Things that inspired Ion Curtain By Anya Ow The five best (worst) werewolves in movies by TJ Klune No Universal Translator: Five Times A Difference of Language Shaped the Plot in SFF Today, we’re super excited to be taking part in Angry Robot’s cover reveal for Jane Hennigan’s MOTHS!