Meet the #Author: S.J. Higbee #NA #scifi @lolasblogtours

This is my stop during the blog tour for Running Out of Space by S.J. Higbee. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 11 till 31 October. You can check see the tour schedule here.

First, I’d like to thank you, Pippa, for inviting me along to tell you a bit about myself and my space opera adventure Running Out of Space.

You're welcome! Please tell us a bit about yourself:

I have been writing since forever. I used to write stories when I was a child – long, drawn-out affairs and continued into my teens. However I gave up writing – and reading fiction – during those busy years when I was studying, then married and raising children. I deliberately didn’t go near a book when my children were little – I’m one of those who gets lost between the covers so knew that if I picked up a story, the poor mites could throw themselves down the stairs or drink bleach and I probably wouldn’t notice. But I started writing again once the family were grown and haven’t really stopped. This is my first foray into self-publishing and I also have a post-apocalyptic science fiction adventure novel, Netted, due to be published by Grimbold Publishing in 2019.

Tell us about Running Out of Space

It is a coming-of-age story about a space merchanter’s daughter who yearns to follow in her father’s footsteps, but the trouble is that she is a fertile girl and as such, is expected to marry early and produce lots of babies. The book charts Elizabeth’s struggles to overcome that prejudice and what happens to her along the way. And a great deal happens, including kidnap, a shuttle crash and murder. Running Out of Space is the first book in the Sunblinded trilogy and I’m hoping to release the second book, Dying for Space, later in the year.

What inspired you to write this particular story?:

I had already written two novels, both standalones, set in this particular world and knew it very well. The space merchanters played a small but crucial part in one of the books and I found myself wondering about them and their lifestyle. But what actually triggered this particular book with this particular opening was hearing Regina Spektor’s song ‘Sansom’ – which gave me the character of Wynn, who features heavily in the story.

It was originally intended to be a single novel, but Elizabeth’s story grew into the trilogy – and I am still not finished with her, as she is going to feature in a new, related series as my space opera crime-fighting private investigator in the Homespace Investigations novels.

Please share a favourite snippet from your book:

Okay. This is an extract after the shuttle crash I mentioned earlier…

I opened my eyes to find myself lying on my back, staring at the sky – a shock. After nearly a year in a spacecraft, so much fresh air overstimmed my slagged senses. Apart from anything else, it stank. Of earth and greenness and rain. I sucked at the water trickling across my mouth because I was very thirsty, as well as soaking wet and cold. My teeth started to chatter.

Maybe it would be a zesting notion to get up. It took a while to struggle onto my knees and shakily scramble to my feet. Partly because everything hurt and partly because I couldn’t shake the idea I must be badly injured. I’d been in a shuttle crash, for Earth’s sake! But although my head was hammering hard enough to shiver my vision and I’d an impressive collection of cuts and purpling bruises, nothing seemed broken. I shaded my stinging eyes from the too-bright outdoor lighting, and tried to get my bearings.

The sodden landscape was cheerlessly grey, with rain falling sideways in swirling gusts that plastered torn overalls against my rapidly numbing body. I squinted sore eyes. That grey smudge. There... behind that stand of trees. That’s smoke.

I squelched across the gouge marks scarring the field, following the trail of shredded shuttle-stuff while my head thudded with vicious intensity. The tail section sheared off, here. The rest cleared the fence and finally ended up in the next field. I must’ve been thrown out.

It took a long light year to trudge through the vile gloop the Cerens like to call soil. I fell over. Twice. The second time, I nearly didn’t get up. The only thing that kept me going was the sure knowledge that if I stayed sitting in the gluey mess, I’d die of hypothermia. Or disgust. I didn’t survive a dregging shuttle crash just to end up as fertiliser for some food crop. Besides, what if Wynn finds me? I flinched at the thought of his beautiful blue eyes staring at my mucky corpse.

The going got easier once I reached the knee-high grass bordering the field as the tall plax-mesh fence offered significant shelter from the rain-laden wind. I headed for the track intersecting the fencing. A thick pall of smoke swirled through the opening long before I reached it. The chemical smell, overlaid with a cooked meat scent, made me cough like an apron-clad bloke downwind of the barbie. I used a shard of dura carbon to hack off the breast pocket on my overalls and cover my nose against the stinking smoke. But I could do nothing about the dread snaking in my belly.

If Wynn survived, why haven’t I seen him? No way would he wander off without searching for me. I stumbled to a halt, as icy certainty gripped me. That’s it, then. He’s dead. I buried my face in my hands, despairing. Until a new voice zipped through my head like a fireball.

Wynn could die out there, while you’re behaving like a baby. Haul it together, Lizzy!

Jessica, that you? It sounded like her, for sure. Whether it was or not, just hearing her bossy voice ringing around the inside of my skull was sufficient to help me haul it together. On trembling legs, I rounded the corner and took in the mess. Judging by the torn earth and burning remains, the shuttle must have cartwheeled half the length of the field before finally coming to a halt upside down. I shivered as I imagined the force needed to create such large gouges, while wading through the quagmire and peering into each gaping hole, already half-full of water. Looking around the rainy, smoke-grimed mudscape at the flaming remains of the shuttle, I wondered if there was a bleaker spot in the whole universe.

I spotted the first body, while stumbling through the wreckage. His head was tilted back at an impossible angle. His helmet had been torn off and his face was a red ruin. I shuddered. Hopefully, it was quick.

I moved onto the next hole, dropped to my knees, and prodded at the water with a length of casing. My stomach slid somewhere around my mud-caked thighs when I realised someone was down there.

Mark the spot, then move on. You can come back later, if you don’t find Wynn elsewhere.

Typical Jessica. Still bossy, even when dead. Nevertheless, I draped shredded insulation in the rough shape of an arrow, before moving towards the burning remains of the shuttle. It was now a question of numbers. I’d found two bodies, one unidentified. Aboard the shuttle, there’d been Helmethead, the pilot, Wynn, and the three guards sitting opposite. Six, apart from me.

The pilot was easy to find. His charred body was still strapped into the burnt-out remains of the cockpit, clearly beyond help. Another badly burned merc was hanging out of a ripped hole in the fuselage, but I couldn’t get close enough to see if he was still alive. Heat radiated from the blackened carcass of the shuttle. Further back, the fuel tanks were still burning.

Upwind of the thick, stinking smoke, the warmth was almost pleasant. I caught sight of someone was lying on open ground about ten yards in front of the shuttle, so mud-covered, I couldn’t tell whether he was wearing a uniform. Or alive.

Hurry up, it could be Wynn.

Yeah, I’m on it, Jessica. I half-ran, half-slithered towards the prone figure. But I slid to a stop a few feet away, as I realised the dregger was wearing a helmet. His arm twitched.

Mercury’s Dust, he’s alive. I couldn’t walk away. Kneeling beside him, I felt for his pulse. He’s warm to the touch... Which was when I recognised the numbers on the side of his helmet – I’d been staring at them when he’d hit me. It’s Helmethead! Wonder how he—

His hand snaked out and gripped my arm as he surged to his knees. “Hello, girlie. Must be my lucky day, after all.”

Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?:

I do have a sense of my protagonist’s appearance – but it has to be the personality and situation that is my starting point and that frequently starts with a dream or news story.

Any tips for aspiring authors?:

I’m also a Creative Writing tutor at Northbrook College and have been teaching there since 2009, so have watched a lot of beginners make a start on books and I have two pieces of advice – the first is to write down that first draft. Don’t keep going back and fiddling with the beginning, unless you have hit a brick wall and can’t write and while you are writing, find what works for you and keep doing it. Secondly, once you have that first draft written, put it away and work on something else for at least six months and can gain some distance – and only then start editing it. It’s also important to find yourself a community – other writers who you can trust to share work with and talk about it. It’s a lonely old business, but if you look at the back of any published book, you’ll find a list of people the author thanks and most of them will be that writing group who helped the author knock the manuscript into shape.

Questions for fun:
If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?:

I’m a baby-boomer and vividly recall my expectation that by the time I was grown up, we would have colonised the Moon and be on our way to Mars. So if I could go back and change anything – it would be that disastrous, wrong-headed decision to STOP the drive into space just because Man had walked on the Moon!

It’s comparable to Christopher Columbus returning to Spain and announcing he had discovered a new land and Queen Isabella turning to King Ferdinand and say, ‘Zounds, what an achievement!’ Then looking back at Chris before adding, ‘Um, next trip, just pop over to France, will you? We’ll not bother going to that new continent anymore…’

What super-power would you choose?:

Flight. I used to sit on the end of my bed for hours as a child and watch the night sky, yearning to be able to be nearer the stars. Though that was in Zambia which is a LOT warmer and realistically I wouldn’t be flying high very often in England as it is way too nippy even in summer. There’s a reason witches wear long black dresses and long pointy hats where they can store their hot water bottles and flasks of tea. And those cats on the end of the broomstick are in reality curled up on their laps for warmth.

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?:

That every person in the world should receive enough to eat; that every person in the world should have a decent roof over their head; that every child in the world should receive an education. The shame and disgrace is that we currently have the resources to do it – we just lack the political will.

Coffee, tea or wine?:

Oh tea – every time. My two favourites at present are Lapsang Souchong and Peppermint & Licorice. Yum!

What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!):

Oh nooo… really?? Just one? I can’t – I really CAN’T choose one book… I can give you favourite authors – Kage Baker, Terry Pratchett, Tanya Huff, Elizabeth Moon, N.K. Jemisin, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jo Walton – okay – two books… And they’ll probably be different next year, because I do read quite a bit – Among Others by Jo Walton and After Atlas by Emma Newman – two more wonderful authors, by the way.

Favourite genre and why?:

Speculative fiction. I love the fact that I open a book and be taken ANYWHERE.  The world might be balanced on the back of a turtle, or peopled with aliens in a universe where light creates energy and has no absolute speed. I may read about characters related to a bunch of randy, highly magical aunties or a famous mother who disappeared off to space and abandoned him on Earth… It can be a fast, enjoyable read or so full of densely written cool ideas my brain hurts as I break off to take in all the amazing concepts. Wonderful…

Favourite colour?:

I love yellows – the colour of happiness and sunshine. Much of my house is decorated in yellow and in the garden lots of the flowers are yellow, though tragically I can no longer grow marigolds and sunflowers, my favourites, as the snails and slugs devour them.

Upcoming news and plans for the future?:

I’m planning to release the sequel to Running Out of Space called Dying for Space in December, all being well and the final book in the trilogy, Breathing Space early in the new year. The first book in my space opera crime series, Bloodless, is currently burning a hole in my brain while it’s on hold as I’m reworking a book that won’t leave me alone – Miranda’s Tempest which is a fantasy story about what happens to Miranda and Prospero after they leave the enchanted island and is the sequel to Shakespeare’s The Tempest. It’s the most ambitious book I’ve written so far and you won’t be surprised to hear it’s giving me a few problems in getting it nailed.

I have a short story, ‘A Dire Emergency’ coming out in an anthology called Holding On By Our Fingtertips, edited by Amanda Rutter, who was the commissioning editor for that wonderful imprint Strange Chemistry. The premise is that all the stories are about what happens when we only have twenty-four hours before it all goes to hell in a handcart – great stuff!

And then, I’m also very much looking forward to the release of Netted, my post-apocalyptic adventure set in Maine, in 2019 by Grimbold Publishing, who produce a steady stream of fabulous books.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

Thank you so much for asking me along to chat – it’s been a real pleasure. As you may have gathered, I’m not the strong, silent type…

For a limited time Running Out of Space will be only $0.99 on Amazon

Running Out of Space (The Sunblinded Trilogy#1)
By S.J. Higbee
Genre: Science Fiction
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: 11 October, 2017

Blurb:
Elizabeth Wright has yearned to serve on the space merchant ship Shooting Star for as long as she can remember – until one rash act changes everything…

I can’t recall whose idea it was. Just that me and my shipmates were sick of wading through yet another unjust punishment detail. So we decide to take ourselves off on a short jaunt to the lower reaches of Space Station Hawking to prove that fertile English girls can also deal with danger.

The consequences of that single expedition change the lives of all four of us, as well as that of the stranger who steps in to save us down in lawless Basement Level. Now I have more excitement and danger than I can handle, while confronting lethal shipboard politics, kidnapping, betrayal. And murder.

You can find Running Out of Space on Goodreads

Buy Running Out of Space for only $0.99!
You can buy Running Out of Space for only $0.99 on Amazon!


About the Author:
Born the same year as the Russians launched Sputnik, I confidently expected that by the time I reached adulthood, the human race would have a pioneer colony on the Moon and be heading off towards Mars. So I was at a loss to know what to do once I realised the Final Frontier wasn’t an option and rather lost my head - I tried a lot of jobs I didn’t like and married a totally unsuitable man.

Now I've finally come to terms with the fact that I’ll never leave Earth, I have a lovely time writing science fiction and fantasy novels while teaching Creative Writing at Northbrook College in Worthing. I’ve had a number of short stories, articles and poems published – the most recent being my story ‘Miranda’s Tempest’ which appeared last year in Fox Spirit’s anthology Eve of War. I recently signed a publishing contract with Grimbold Publishing for my science fiction novel Netted, which is due to be released in 2019.

I live in Littlehampton on the English south coast with a wonderful husband and a ridiculous number of books. I can be found online chatting about books at my book review blog https://sjhigbee.wordpress.com/ and you’re very welcome to pop onto my website www.sjhigbee.com and my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sjhigbeeauthor/.

You can find and contact S.J. Higbee here:
- Website
- Blog
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads

Meet the #Author Monday: Athena Grayson #scifi #dystopia #giveaway #Interview

This is my stop during the blog tour for Scandal by Athena Grayson. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 12 till 25 June. See the tour schedule here. Now let's find out a little more about Athena...

Please tell us a bit about yourself:

Hi Pippa! Thank you so much for hosting me today! Hmm...a little bit about me? I love smart, sexy beta heroes (no alpha-holes here--give me the hunky nerd every time--after all, I married one!) and strong, self-rescuing heroines who aren't afraid of going after what they want, and expecting the best from their partners.

Oh, another beta fan here!

Tell us about Scandal: When a princess who's no stranger to scandal runs afoul of the secrets of the most powerful cabal on Landfall, even her crown can't protect her from the consequences. 

At the exclusive Landfall Cultural Academy, privilege is a prison. The heirs of Landfall's elite noble Houses compete to elevate their status high enough for the Cultural Trust to grant them the coveted title of "Scion" - and the freedom to make their own way out from under their parents' machinations. The only way to earn the title of "Scion" is by carefully managing the social influence markets that rank them according to their accomplishments. And if scholarship won't get you there, a good scandal will do.

What inspired you to write this particular story?: I've always had this repelled fascination with celebrity gossip. I'm an extrovert, but only in controlled doses and I'm super-uncomfortable in the spotlight when it's all about me (yet I'm really good at doing public speaking around things I'm passionate about, which is why I enjoy giving workshops on writing to my kids' classrooms and to local writers groups), so I don't really "get" people who are driven to seek the spotlight...and then go do something bone-headed where everyone can see! Scions came about when I was following about the fifth kiddie star turned pop tart public meltdown, and Ione appeared, wanting to tell her story. Around the same time, this internet tool called "Klout" came out, which rated everyone's Twitter handle on how much social media influence they had. Of course, I jumped straight to "how would people go overboard with this?" and the Probabilities Index was born. People will bet on anything, and on Landfall, if you're a young noble, the futures market isn't about orange juice, it's about you. Who you'll marry, whether or not you'll achieve more than your older sibling...how long before you're caught on camera being publicly intoxicated. What emerged was a world of high-stakes financial markets built around reputation, where every move was documented and broadcast by gossip feeds, and bet upon by traders eager to make a quick credit off a young person's poor choices. And of course, since it's me, I realized that in their world--as in ours--all that celebrity gossip is really just a distraction from much bigger goings-on.

Please share a favourite snippet from your book:

It was the Grand Game for Ione to advise her classmates on the best strategies to maximize their SoCap indices—she even ran a shadow-market of the Index for the other Academy students. Plotting the course of their own relationship had been the most fun she was allowed to have with Den.

But that time was coming to a close. The alliance—the real, forever, locked-in sealing of their lives together—loomed before her. What used to be the Grand Game had become no game at all.

It had become a prison where her ambitions belonged to someone else, along with her body.

And if they were very, very lucky and timed their actions perfectly, that someone else would be Den, rather than his father. Then at least one of them would be free.

Den’s hands rested on her shoulders. His touch was light and as carefree as his voice. “All I’m hoping for is a little breathing room.” He leaned in to whisper close to her ear. “Maybe a little sweetness from my favorite princess?”

He wasn’t fooling her, even if his breath tickled her bare skin. “Oh? There’s another princess around here somewhere? Maybe I can take a vacation.” She wasn’t fooling herself, either. Far from being her jailer, Den was locked in this path with chains as tight as hers.

She searched his face. Pale skin several shades lighter than her natural coloring, Dark auburn hair and a charming crookedness to his smile, he met her eyes with a gaze that had once been described as “molten gold” in one of the scarce gossip-feed articles focused on him.

His hands glided down to her back where his warmth was drained away by the cold hardness of the crystals of her dress. His forehead touched hers, and to an outsider, they appeared to be sharing a moment of affection. But the real moment had already come and gone.

Shielded by the gemstones, something in her chest fluttered. Instead of hard crystal, she felt thinner than the threads weaving them together. So she squashed it ruthlessly and stepped into the circle of his arms to meet his mouth for a kiss that promised, teased, and couldn’t deliver.

The warmth of his body sent a heart-shaped tingle through her. The cynical, reality-shaped core of her made sure to shift her body so their activities could be observed by the eyes that rested above the mouths that would report to the right ears.

Den’s grip tightened, pressing the gem-encrusted fabric into her skin, but she remained protected from the points of the gems. The carbon-silk threads were indeed as thin as thought. But strong enough to do what they were designed to do—hold it together.

Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?: Personality, most times. Except once, when I had a fella named Jack appear and tell me about how his mid-life crisis went off the rails and right into the otherworld. Usually, the name is the last thing I come up with for a character.

Any tips for aspiring authors?: Make writing a part of your day and a daily habit. Finish what you start, even if you think it stinks out loud. Dance your bad dance with your funky self. Not everything touted as "guaranteed to work" will work for you. Publish when you are ready, and not before--readers aren't going anywhere and every "tough market" out there is built on top of a "tough market" from before. Speak your truth in your writing, and always have something besides money to measure your success. Because while money is a half-decent measure, it's not one you can put too much control in.

Questions for fun:

If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?: Ohh, I'm not falling for this one--go back and punch Hitler and something else worse happens (I mean, I'd totally do it anyway) But I think if I really did have access to a time travel machine, I'd go forward!

What super-power would you choose?: I need the ability to be in two places at once. I am, after all, a mom.

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?: (Ixnay on the wishing for more wishes, I take it? ) I would wish for an oven of plenty that would produce any dinner I requested on demand and immediately, something nice for the whole world, like the ability to feed everyone accompanied by the political, economic, and social will to do it, and I'd wish for a plentiful universal cure for all cancers with no side effects.

Coffee, tea or wine?: Yes. Sometimes all at once.

What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!): One of my favourite books (trick question to ask an author to name just one!) is Terry Pratchett's Small Gods (and Hogfather, and every one of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch books, and every one of the Lancre Witches books, and the Unseen University ones, and the...)

Favourite genre and why?: Sci-fi/speculative fiction. Preferably with romantic elements. I like books that make me think, that give me hope for the future, and that also give me an emotional connection. I believe the arc of the universe bends towards love, hope, and connection, and that our inventions and technology are all things that will simply help us clear the decks to make those concepts more part of us.

Favourite colour?: (looks at hair) Blue, of course!

Upcoming news and plans for the future?: Fallout: Scions 2 is due out soon, and I'm participating in an anthology featuring the Cosmic Love Cabaret - sort of a "Love Boat in Space" idea with over a dozen other authors - I'll be contributing a short story from the world of the Scions. I've got so many stories to tell that the hardest thing is figuring out where to begin!

Thank you for taking the time to talk to us!

~~~ 

Scandal (Scions of the Star Empire #1)
By Athena Grayson
Genre: Sci-fi dystopian with romantic elements
Age category: New Adult/ Adult
Release Date: 23 March 2017

Blurb:
They can have anything they want...except a future.

Nothing infuriates Princess Ione Ra more than having someone else take control of her reputation from her, and her old nemesis--gossip journalist Jaris Pulne--is poised to do just that with pilfered pics of her caught in a compromising position with her power-couple partner. As someone who's no stranger to manipulating the markets on her own social life, Ione knows the wrong scandal means social suicide.

For the other half of the power couple, Den Hades, his survival has depended on staying in his powerful father's shadow in order to protect his secrets. But on the very night of his one chance to earn a shot at becoming a Scion--and freedom from his father's ambitions, scandal threatens to tear him from Ione, or worse--force them together before their time.

Damage control turns into danger when their attempts to retrieve the images lead them both into the dark underbelly of the glittering city-planet, exposing secrets of both friends and foes that could lead to more than just social suicide.

You can find Scandal on Goodreads

You can buy Scandal here:
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- iTunes
- Google Play
- Smashwords
- Books2Read

You can also find all the buy links for this book here on the author's website.


About the Author:
Athena Grayson likes kickass heroines, big-brained and sexy beta heroes who aren't afraid of strong women or their own feelings, and stories that turn the genre tropes sideways. If you're looking for something a little unexpected, a little more, and a lot of fun...this is your kinda place.

You can find and contact Athena here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Amazon
- Goodreads
- Bookbub

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Scandal. These are the prizes you can win:
- 2 paperback copies of Scandal by Athena Grayson (US Only)
- 2 $10 Amazon Gift Cards (International)

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Jadeite's Journey @lucindakstein #YA #scifi #giveaway via @YABoundToursPR

Please tell us about yourself:

From childhood on, I’ve been a dedicated bookworm. I earned degrees in art and library science, but becoming a librarian won out. It wasn’t until much later that I began to write on a serious level. Until recently, I wrote adult short fiction and novels. Jadeite’s Journey is my first YA book. I enjoyed writing the story so much that I’m hooked and am currently working on another YA novel. I think the reason people of all ages enjoy YA lit is because everyone can relate to that stage of life where unexplored horizons loom before awkward choices. Actually, that stage is a model for our entire life—there’s always something we will embrace or struggle against with its own unique consequences.  

Tell us about Jadeite’s Journey

Seventeen-year-old Jadeite lives in a future society. In 2616, technology has eliminated crime, poverty, and war. Her life is trouble free, her only anxiety how to react to the cute boy on the air shuttle. But her perfect life changes when she learns her father, a respected robotic engineer, is an illegal Ridge Runner bridging two worlds—one highly advanced and the other primitive.

Trouble mounts when her new boyfriend, Mattie, turns into a bully. Even after she breaks up with him, he refuses to accept her decision. To make matters worse, Jadeite discovers his father is a high-ranking government official. Mattie learns about her father and has him arrested, putting many people in danger. When she finds out her brother is one of those in peril, Jadeite takes her father’s place and journeys over the Dark Edge. 

What inspired you to write this particular story?

With all the trouble in the world, I thought about the future. Would technology eliminate the problems we currently have? On this premise, I began writing the story. However, technology can’t control the minds and hearts of people, and that’s where this story leads the reader.

Which comes first for you—a character’s looks, personality, or name?

Choosing a name usually comes first, but I think the chosen name tends to reflect the character’s personality.

Any tips for aspiring authors?

Read the best quality books you can find. Study your favorite writers—their word choice and descriptions, how they show emotion and add story conflict. Locate recommended writing books and join a writer’s group. If you’re serious about writing, find a healthy critique group that genuinely wants to help you grow by constructive criticism. If several writers in the group voice the same concerns, take their comments seriously. Writing is hard work and if you truly want to be a writer, you must be willing to learn from your mistakes and take advice. The more I learn about writing, the more I realize it’s a lifelong pursuit.

Questions for fun:

If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?

Who doesn’t want to go back and change our decisions—and mistakes—in life? But in reality, those choices and difficulties make us who we are today. As tempting as it would be to change events, I’d have to decline the time-travel ticket.

What super-power would you choose?

Hey, I’m a writer. That’s my super power!

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?

Have more time to read new books and reread my favorite novels. Finally get my dream cabin in the mountains. Spend more time with friends and family.

Coffee, tea, or wine?

My go-to is definitely coffee. Under stress, I crave iced caramel macchiato.

What is your favorite book?

Don’t make me choose! Often I find myself disappointed with the next book written by the author of a book I loved. The magic just isn’t repeated. (I’m talking about stand alones here.) Some of my favorites: Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell, Snow Child by Eowyn Ivy, Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, and Bone Gap by Laura Ruby.

Favorite genre and why?

If you go by the books above, it appears magical realism reigns.

Favorite color?

Turquoise and its close cousin, aqua.

Upcoming news and plans for the future?

I’m working on a new YA novel, a magical realism story. A rural town holds the record for annual number of lightning storms. Strange barters happen to my protagonist when lightning occurs, one of the most dramatic examples in the story—a life for a life.

Jadeite's Journey

by Lucinda Stein
Genre: YA Scifi
Release date: January 24th 2017
Inkspell Publishing

Summary:

When romance turns deadly…

Jadeite’s perfect world comes crashing down on her. In the futuristic world of United Society, her only problem has been how to act around the cute boy on the air shuttle. But Jadeite’s world changes when she comes across a man who looks alarmingly like her father. Clones were declared illegal years ago. When she sees her father, a robotic engineer, headed to the Dark Edge of United Society, she follows him and uncovers her father’s secret life.

Jadeite shadows her father past the boundary of United Society and into a primitive world of canyons and high deserts. She learns her father is a Ridge Runner passing between the two worlds. Even more alarming, she discovers her younger brother, Malachite, is sick and requires medicine only available from over the Ridge. After her father is arrested, Jadeite takes his place in order to save her brother’s life.

But her world turns even more precarious after she breaks up with her obsessive boyfriend, Mattie. Jadeite soon learns his threats are more than words, and she finds her life is in jeopardy.

Add to Goodreads

Buy Link: Amazon 

Book Trailer:

Jadeite's Journey Trailer from Lucinda Stein on Vimeo.

About the Author

A school librarian for over twenty years, Stein now writes fulltime. Sanctuary: Family, Friends, & Strangers was a 2015 Colorado Book Award finalist. Three Threads Woven, was a 2010 WILLA Finalist. Her story, Sulfur Springs, won First Place in the 2011 LAURA Short Fiction competition. Her stories have appeared in Pooled Ink, The South Dakota Review, Fine Lines, and Women Writing the West online.
When not writing, she hikes desert canyons and alpine trails. She loves anything vintage, her shelter-rescued dog, Opie, and, most of all, her husband, Rob.

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter

GIVEAWAY:

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Blog Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Meet the #Author: JP Cawood #scifi #romance #interview

Please tell us a bit about yourself:

I’m originally from Milwaukee, WI and came out to Los Angeles to go to USC film school. I’ve worked in film and TV development for the last ten years and have sold series & pilots to Syfy Network, Lifetime Movie Network, Investigation Discovery, History Channel, and Destination America. Most recently, I created TLC’s hit show My Giant Life, which recently aired its second season. I’ve written and story consulted on screenplays in the past, but only recently decided to focus on writing books.

Tell us about Love from Mars:

Six people have been chosen to colonize Mars, including the charismatic and noble Ryan Clarke. Emma, a headstrong reporter, meets Ryan at the Martian Six press conference. Despite the fact that he has a one-way ticket to another planet, they can’t resist their undeniable connection. Their whirlwind romance is rocked by one shocking revelation after another as the mission prepares to launch. Can their love transcend space and time? Let the countdown begin… 

What inspired you to write this particular story?: 

The idea for Love from Mars came to me in a dream. It played out like an entire movie as I slept. When I woke up the next morning, I raced to write it down. As I sat down to write the book, I took my initial dream notes and fleshed them out into an outline. The story has definitely evolved and fleshed out from the initial dream, but the major elements were all there from the start. Working with beta readers has been helpful to further flesh out story beats that were weak or needed more development.

Please share a favourite snippet from your book: 

My favourite part gives too many spoilers, so I’ve attached my second favorite excerpt J

“You’re witnessing history in the making, folks. In just a few minutes, the Martian Six will be revealed for all the world to see.” A well-dressed reporter spoke into the lens of a large news camera. Journalists from every outlet swarmed onto the lawn of the Man on Mars headquarters. Security guards lined the perimeter of the impressive industrial building, checking credentials as only the elite filed inside.

Emma raced her run-down sedan into the jammed parking lot, passed a “Lot Full” sign.

“Come on,” she mumbled as she scoured the area for a space to leave her car. Emma checked the clock for the millionth time, praying the numbers would somehow stop ticking away. She sped past a fire hydrant red zone and slammed on the brakes, causing her worn-out workbag to fall off the front seat. A blue credential badge flew out and onto the floor. She cranked the car in reverse and dipped into the illegal space. Emma grabbed her bag from the floor and booked it toward the front door. She pretended not to hear the meter maid calling after her. “Excuse me, you can’t park there.”

Emma’s petite heels pounded the pavement as she weaved past clusters of people loitering around the media event. She pushed her way to the front.

“Badge?” a security guard asked. She reached into her bag. The knot in her stomach rose to her throat as she searched for the blue lanyard she received only a half-hour before.

“No badge, no entry.”

“I have one, I swear,” she promised without taking her eyes from the contents of her tired workbag.

“Step aside, ma’am.”

“Please, I…”

The security guard waved on the next person in line. Accredited journalists pushed past, forcing Emma toward the fray.

Emma ran past the throngs of people, out onto the sidewalk, and toward the rear of the steel building. In the very back, a tall metal fence blocked an unguarded entrance. She took a deep breath and scaled the fence with her heeled feet. Emma struggled to pull herself up and over, but with true grit, she swung over the fence and climbed down the other side. She skipped over to the large steel door that stood between her and the story. It was locked.

“Damn it!” Frustration choked Emma from the inside as she paced in front of the barrier to entry.

“Can I help you?”

Emma looked up, startled. A man in his mid-twenties peered out from around a dumpster.

“Can you let me in?” she asked.

“What’s the magic password?” he asked with a smile.

“Look, I don’t have time for this. I’m from the Sentinel. I have a badge, but it’s gone. I’m usually super organized, but my boss gave me this assignment at the last minute because the senior reporter called in sick. Will you please just let me in?”

“Sure. Anyone willing to scale a fence in those shoes deserves to be let inside.”

*** 

Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?: 

Usually their personality comes to mind first. I think about their wants, needs and desires. Names are the hardest, that typically comes last and changes often.

Any tips for aspiring authors?: 

Think about the stories you want to tell. Once you feel compelled to focus on one story, an outline is a great way to get your ideas on paper. I sometimes use notecards before a paper outline because I can move concepts and beats around. For the first draft, just get something down. Don’t worry about it being perfect the first time around. That’s what rewrites are for!

Questions for fun:

If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?: 

If I had the power to actually make big changes, I would try to take away all major historic suffering and hate, but unfortunately there are too many instances in history of such to just choose one.

What super-power would you choose?: 

I’d love to read people’s minds. That’s the most powerful tool of all.

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?: 

I’d wish for the ability to manifest anything I wanted with a snap of my fingers. With that, I wouldn’t need three! My biggest wish would be to experience samadhi bliss and self-realize.

Coffee, tea or wine?: Tea! I call it my life juice.

What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!): 

A Stranger in a Strange Land or The Alchemist. I also love reading non-fiction self help style books!

Favourite genre and why?: 

I love science fiction because of the imagination that goes into it. It’s a great genre to explore themes that we deal with everyday in a new environment

Favourite colour?: Red

Upcoming news and plans for the future?: I’m getting married next year so that’s exciting! I also plan to release my second book soon and am outlining several others.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

Blurb:
Six people have been chosen to colonize Mars, including the charismatic and noble Ryan Clarke. Emma, a headstrong reporter, meets Ryan at the Martian Six press conference. Despite the fact that he has a one-way ticket to another planet, they can't resist their undeniable connection. When their secret affair is uncovered, they must suffer the consequences of the scandal they've unknowingly created. The day of the mission launch, their whirlwind romance is rocked by another shocking revelation. Can their love transcend all space and time? Let the countdown begin...

Author Links:

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Buy Links:
amazon.com/author/jpcawood

Meet the #Author - Ani Gonzalez #paranormal #cozymystery #interview #giveaway via @_ani_gonzalez @lolasblogtours

This is my stop during the blog tour for Here Comes the Witch by Ani Gonzalez. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 7 till 20 September. You can see the tour schedule here.

Please tell us a bit about yourself: I write paranormal romance and cozy mystery. These are my favorite genres because I’m a folklore and mythology fanatic and I love ghosts stories and quirky towns. The books in my first series, Banshee Creek, are romantic comedies set in America’s Most Haunted town, and they feature regular people finding love and magic with a little (sometimes a lot!) supernatural help. My new cozy mystery series, Main Street Witches, follows the town’snew witchy residents as they heat things up with even more magic, romance and mystery.

Tell us about Here Comes The Witch: Jewelry designer Kat Ramos comes to Banshee Creek to break the infamous Hagen House curse. To do so she must marry Liam Hagen, embrace her witchy heritage, and solve a centuries-old murder. Will she be able to do it, or will the infamous Hagen House Curse lead to her death?

What inspired you to write this particular story? This story (and the whole series) was very much inspired by the television show, Charmed. I’ve been a lifelong fan.

Please share a favourite snippet from your book: 

Sure. This is what happens when Kat arrives at the Hagen House:

"Did you hear that?" he asked. "It sounded like a car."

"What?" The kiss had left a warm afterglow that made it difficult to focus.

An oddly familiar noise reached her ears, an odd choking sound like a car motor dying a slow painful death. The metallic groan woke her up. The glutinously warm, happy feeling faded away, and she pulled away from Liam and ran toward the door.

A small yellowish-gray car was speeding down the road at an impressive speed. It was old, it was fast, and it was her car.

The house had carjacked her baby? How?

"I'm calling the police," Liam said, grabbing his phone.

Kat ran out of the house, racing after her vehicle and cursing under her breath. Not her car. Why did it have to be her car?

She watched in disbelief as the yellow hatchback braked and made a left turn onto Main Street, ignoring the frantic honking of the vehicles around it.

What the…?

She slowed down, unable to keep up her jog in the heels she was wearing. She turned and saw Liam's truck backing out of the driveway of the Hagen House. He was driving to pick her up.

The sun was setting and the oak trees cast a shadow over the building's facade. The house, which had seemed so welcoming a few minutes ago, now seemed dark and uninviting. Liam had left the lights on and the house seemed to glare balefully at her.

Kat glared back.

The stupid house had messed with her car. This wasn't a business arrangement anymore.

This was personal.

Which comes first for you – a character's looks, personality or name?: Personality comes first. Kat, for example is smart and strong-willed with a protective streak. She doesn’t let anything (curse, ghost, whatever) stand between her and those she loves.

Any tips for aspiring authors?: Write what you love. It will take some work (particularly if you don’t luck out and hit a trend), but eventually you’ll find people who love your stories as much as you do.

Questions for fun:

If you had the power of time travel, is there anything you would go back and change? Why/why not?: I’ve read/watched a lot of time travel stories so I would change something small so as to not affect history/my life too much. Thus, I would go back in time and talk myself out of selling our vintage sports car. It was old and impractical and broke down all the time, but we loved it. That was a bad decision, and changing it wouldn’t cause major havoc (but I would have a vintage car!)  Pretty much all my books have some kind of quirky vintage/old automobile in them, and that’s because I’m still mourning our old deathtrap.

What super-power would you choose?: I’d love te be able to breathe underwater. I’ve always wanted to be a mermaid.

If you could have three wishes, what would they be?: A completed first draft of the fifth Banshee Creek book (secret baby!), a leather bound collection of Agatha Christie mysteries, and world peace.

Coffee, tea or wine?: Constant Comment tea or prosecco.

What is your favourite book? (aside from one of your own!): Agatha Christie’s The Hollow. I know it’s not one of her more famous works, but I love the English countryside setting, the eccentric family, and the faerytale vibe.

Favourite genre and why?: I’m torn between paranormal romance and cozy mystery. That’s why I wrote a paranormal cozy mystery with a strong romance plot.

Favourite colour?: Purple.

Upcoming news and plans for the future?: More Main Street Witches books. The next book in the series, Fortune Favors the Witch will be out in October. It features a spunky fortune teller who has to solve a murder and clear up her reputation.

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us!

Here Comes The Witch (Main Street Witches #1)
by Ani Gonzalez
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 7 September, 2016
Buy Links: 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Witch-Paranormal-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01LMMSSQC
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Here-Comes-Witch-Paranormal-Mystery-ebook/dp/B01LMMSSQC

Blurb:

Jewelry designer Kat Ramos has come to Banshee Creek to break the famous Hagen House curse and, in order to do that, she must marry Liam Hagen. A vengeful ghost with a deadly history isn’t part of the deal, and neither is love. Will Kat be able to handle both? Or will the mystery of the cursed Hagen House remain unsolved?

You can find Here Comes The Witch on Goodreads

About the Author:
I write paranormal romantic comedy and cozy mystery (whew, that's a mouthful!) set in Banshee Creek, Virginia, The Most Haunted Town in the USA. My books feature feisty funny heroines dealing with a host of paranormal critters (ghosts, cryptids, pagan gods...the sky's the limit) and mysteries. They find magic, love and laughter and readers get to follow them every step of the way.

I love quirky towns with spooky stories, and, thanks to my books, I get to "live" in one year-around. In real life I live in a Minneapolis suburb (which is sadly lacking in ghosts) with my husband and three children and I'm still trying to adjust to the cold.

You can find and contact Ani here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Newsletter

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Here Comes the Witch. These are the prizes you can win:
- Custom Jewelry (US Only)
- a 25$ amazon gift card (International)

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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