Cerys: Valkyrie Earth by Merrin Slade

 

Isn't this cover gorgeous? You're not going to want to miss this dystopian space opera from Merrin Slade. Check out an excerpt from Cerys: Valkyrie Earth and then follow the tour for more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

City of Ruin by Lindsey Pogue Release Day Blitz!

    

Title: City of Ruin
Series Name: Ruined Lands, book one (A Forgotten Lands World Novel)
Author: Lindsey Pogue
Genre: New Adult / Gothic Romance / Fairytale Retelling / Historical Fantasy / Alternative History / Historical Fiction
Publication Date: June 14^th, 2022
Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR

Revolt (Era of Darkness Book 3) by Naif Makmi

Following the death and destruction caused by the activation of the 8G network server, Damien and Estrella had to escape to Canada with the help of Eva. They met a man who had been contacted by Eva prior to their arrival and he taught them warfare. The robot population increased and the havoc and destruction which they caused were new every day. However, Phineas made it his life purpose to find and kill Damien. Damien on the other hand swore to never give up till Phineas was destroyed.

Amidst their battles and fights against each other, division was created among Phineas’ robot army and they broke out from each other without his knowledge. Their break out led to them trying to take him out and take over the whole world completely. The destruction kept increasing while Damien continued making plans to take Phineas out. With the destruction and chaos caused by delusional people who only want power, will the world get back to what it was in the past or will it be destroyed forever?

Available on Amazon

(affiliate link included)

Naif Makmi started life in a small, cold town surrounded by a big, warm family. Growing up, he loved stories about robots and the limitless future. Along the way, he always told stories in his own way and enjoying entertaining is friends. The nickname Mr. Fiction seemed to suit him, and he thought himself destined for storytelling. Of course, life rarely works out how we expect it to, and Naif works as a Health care professional, a Disaster manager, and is an MBA student at Fayetteville State University. The urge to tell stories never left him, though, and now he’s writing like mad in his spare time. Naif is married with a young son, who’s fascinated by his tales. With a flair for making the mundane seem interesting, he’s always thinking up new was to describe, well, everything. Good observational skills, ample curiosity, and a strong background in science natural gear him toward science fiction writing. Writing helps him escape his everyday work stress and he hopes to create worlds others can escape into as well.


Magnet subscribe link: https://mybookcave.com/d/0824bae4/

Author Twitter: @NaifAlruwaili2

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers.

New Era (Era of Darkness Book 2) by Naif Makmi

 

Vivien was taken to Phineas’ facility, Untergang and she was tortured by Phineas. She brought forth her son in the darkness of the facility with the aid of a slave from Armageddon. After the birth of her son, she slipped into unconsciousness leaving her child at the mercy of Phineas. The slave named the child, Damien and cleaned him up. Regina, a scientist, and nurse took her son, Damien into her care and nurtured him till he got to ten. She was Vivien’s nurse too, so she took care of her.

She took him in because Phineas threatened to kill him if she did not take her as his. He grew up in isolation because she did not want him to contact Phineas. She grew fond of him as he grew each passing day and she put Vivien into an induced coma to prevent her from waking up and finding out that her son was enough.

Damien was a very smart child and it reflected in the way he spoke. He craved to go out and grow up with his age mates, but Regina refused him. Damien escaped from the house one day and found his way into Untergang.

Dylan and Arora planned Phineas’ downfall and attacked his facility. They were found by a doctor, and they planned their revenge on Phineas. They attacked his facility when he was not aware and captured him. Vivien who was in a coma for ten years eventually woke up when she heard their voices.

They took Damien with them and went back to Armageddon which was renovated by Dylan. He kept Phineas in the basement of the house and bonded with his family. Arora and Ben, the doctor who took care of them fell in love with each other and planned their wedding the same time Vivien and Dylan planned theirs.

Darsus threatened to attack Dylan’s family if he did not release Phineas from his hostage. In his bid to save his family, he ended up getting them killed. Damien was taken to Untergang, and he was raised by Regina. His hate for Phineas grew and Regina was not exempted when he found out that she betrayed his father. He traveled to Australia and came back with the aim of revenge.

He tried to take over Phineas’ company and destroy him when he discovered that Phineas was building a robot army. Arora found him and aided him in destroying Phineas. He was also supported by his fiancée, Estrella. Unfortunately, Phineas’ army was stronger than theirs and they lost everything they worked for.

Buy on Amazon

(affiliate link)

Free during Thanksgiving week!

Naif Makmi started life in a small, cold town surrounded by a big, warm family. Growing up, he loved stories about robots and the limitless future. Along the way, he always told stories in his own way and enjoying entertaining is friends. The nickname Mr. Fiction seemed to suit him, and he thought himself destined for storytelling. Of course, life rarely works out how we expect it to, and Naif works as a Health care professional, a Disaster manager, and is an MBA student at Fayetteville State University. The urge to tell stories never left him, though, and now he’s writing like mad in his spare time. Naif is married with a young son, who’s fascinated by his tales. With a flair for making the mundane seem interesting, he’s always thinking up new was to describe, well, everything. Good observational skills, ample curiosity, and a strong background in science natural gear him toward science fiction writing. Writing helps him escape his everyday work stress and he hopes to create worlds others can escape into as well.


Magnet subscribe link: https://mybookcave.com/d/0824bae4/

Author Twitter: @NaifAlruwaili2

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers.

Dark Age (Era of Darkness Book 1) by Naif Makmi

 

In this dystopia, artificial intelligence has taken over society, and enslaved humans are bred like cattle and relegated to work extenuating jobs under the watchful eyes of their facility masters.

The feared Dylan is the head of Armageddon, a large human prison and experiment facility. He runs the compound with an iron fist and does not refrain from using violence to separate children from their parents to be sold to the highest bidder, or from pouring arsenic into the wounds of uncooperative slaves. The ground floor - known as the “torture” one - is his personal playground.

However, Dylan is human and, as adamantly as he deems his kin to be flawed, soft and imperfect in comparison to the AIs he masterfully creates, his traumatic past catches up to him when he meets a strong-willed human slave that challenges his authority.

Vivien refuses to be called ‘120’, her assigned number. Kind and caring of her fellow enslaved humans in Armageddon, she does not hold back from rushing in the aid of her closest friend, Derek, and standing her ground against Dylan’s orders.

A wrathful Dylan commands unspeakable punishments to be administered to both, but cannot get 120 off his mind. When he realizes she might be a useful instrument to face the imminent attack by his nemesis, Phineas, his encounters with Vivien draw the two closer.

When the compound is ambushed and the two are separated from one another, Dylan is sent to a labor camp where he finally experiences the horrors that he had previously inflicted on his kin; although under the stress of his childhood memories and overworked by the guards, he is sure he will find a way to track down Vivien.

Embark in a dark age where obscure undertones permeate the lives of those held against their will in a positivist society that turns a blind eye to expendable assets such as human lives.

Buy on Amazon

(affiliate link included)

Free during Thanksgiving week!

Naif Makmi started life in a small, cold town surrounded by a big, warm family. Growing up, he loved stories about robots and the limitless future. Along the way, he always told stories in his own way and enjoying entertaining is friends. The nickname Mr. Fiction seemed to suit him, and he thought himself destined for storytelling. Of course, life rarely works out how we expect it to, and Naif works as a Health care professional, a Disaster manager, and is an MBA student at Fayetteville State University. The urge to tell stories never left him, though, and now he’s writing like mad in his spare time. Naif is married with a young son, who’s fascinated by his tales. With a flair for making the mundane seem interesting, he’s always thinking up new was to describe, well, everything. Good observational skills, ample curiosity, and a strong background in science natural gear him toward science fiction writing. Writing helps him escape his everyday work stress and he hopes to create worlds others can escape into as well.


Magnet subscribe link: https://mybookcave.com/d/0824bae4/

Author Twitter: @NaifAlruwaili2

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers.

Guns & Smoke by Lauren Sevier and A. Smith

 

Dystopia meets western romance in this collaboration between authors Lauren Sevier and A. Smith. Check out an excerpt from Guns & Smoke and then follow the tour for even more! Best of luck entering the giveaway!

In a world where safety is a luxury and honor is found only among outlaws, two people attempt to outrun danger lurking around each corner and the tragedies that define them.

Bonnie is an outlaw on the run. Beautiful but dangerous; her dark past stalks her like the crater beasts that roam the desert. As the notoriously cruel outlaw Jones sends his henchmen to track her down and retrieve the gun she stole from him, Bonnie hopes she can stay one step ahead. Because if he catches her, a fate worse than death awaits.

Jesse always dreamed of leaving the farm to explore the ruins of the big cities. He just never imagined he’d be forced to flee after strange men burned down his rural mountain town and murdered everyone he loved. Responsible for his kid brother and searching for an uncle he’s never met before, he isn’t sure he can navigate the perils of life among con artists and thieves long enough to find him.

Their two paths collide as they find themselves thrown together on the adventure of a lifetime.

Together, they may just discover that life is about more than just surviving.

Read an excerpt:

“Those for me?” she asked. I hadn’t realized she was awake. I nodded, once again helping her sit up. I eased off the ruined dress and put the dry clothes on her as carefully as possible. I started to climb from the wagon to let her rest, but she reached out, grabbing my wrist.

“Please don’t go,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

With a nod, I moved behind her, sitting with my back against the stolen crates. She leaned between my legs, resting her head against my chest. I brushed some of her matted hair away, pressing my lips to her temple. I held her, not tight enough to hurt her, but enough to let her know I was there.

“We can’t stay here,” she said after a while. Her voice startled me into alertness. “Coyotes are gonna come when they catch the scent of that horse.” Suddenly, I had an idea about what to do with the horse.

“I know,” I said. “But you need to rest.”

“We need to keep going,” she said. Neither of us moved as I sat there, holding her, lips pressed against her hair.

“Just let me hold you,” I whispered. “Just a little while longer.”

Buy on Amazon

(affiliate link included) 

Lauren Sevier & A. Smith are long time friends and co-authors from southern Louisiana. Guns & Smoke, their first joint publication, began as a “short” story after having too much wine on girl’s night. Nine years later it is now the first novel in a Dystopian/Western Romance series. The duo has plans to publish several series together in the future. A. Smith spends her time with her two rescue dogs and rescue cat surrounding herself with books and Labyrinth paraphernalia. Lauren Sevier collects antique tea cups and tries to stay sane, though as the mother of a toddler she fails brilliantly most days. She also has a growing collection of crowns and tiaras and likes to act silly on TikTok. Look for more thrilling novels from The Fools Adventure series in the future!

Lauren Sevier:

Website: www.laurensevier.com

Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/laurensevier

Twitter: www.twitter.com/laurensevier

Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurensevier

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorlaurensevier

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19812178.Lauren_Sevier


Smith:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21041264.A_Smith

Website: http://abbielynnsmith.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbiewritesx

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbiewritesx/

TikTok: https://t.co/30D6MREJxk?amp=1

Newsletter: https://abbielynnsmith.com/newsletter/

Lauren Sevier and A. Smith will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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The Rose by PD Alleva

 

Dystopian fiction is quite popular right now as we kind of feel like we are living in a dystopian society. So enjoy this excerpt from the science fiction thriller The Rose, new from PD Alleva. And then get to know him a little bit better in this interview. Download your own copy and then follow the tour for more. Best of luck entering the giveaway at the end!

A masterful, dystopian science fiction thriller of underground genetic experiments, telepathic evil greys, mysterious rebellion, conspiracy, martial arts, and Alien Vampires.

Sandy Cox believed WW3 was over. But for those Alien Vampires, War Has Just Begun.

Forty-eight hours after a World War III treaty is signed Sandy Cox awakens in an underground compound unable to move. Tied to machines she screams for help but no one answers. At least NO ONE HUMAN.

And they’ve taken her unborn child.

Enter Phil, a rebel freedom fighter who has had more than his share of Alien Vampires. Armed with THE BLADES, a sacred alien martial art, he enters the compound on a mission to find Sandy. But as he battles his way through the compound, Phil discovers Sandy has her own agenda. Finding her stolen child is all that matters.

But the vampires have their own plan and Sandy’s baby is at the heart of their diabolical plot. Joined by a crew of rogue soldiers, they must navigate the underground compound, battling genetically mutated humans, aliens and monsters.

When battling Alien Vampires, one thing is certain…Get Ready To Bleed!

Fans of The Hunger Games, George RR Martin, VE Schwab, Star Wars and Ancient Aliens will be fascinated by this high-powered, intelligent, edge of your seat dystopian sci-fi action thriller.

Read an excerpt:

The blades were unharmed. The blades are a unique contraption with thin handles held in the palms, clamps that wrapped around the wrist and just above the elbow, connected by a thin, almost string like plastic. The metal blade descended from the handles down across the arm bone to the elbow clamp and locked into place. The metal they were made from was not of this earth and was able to collapse inside the handles and wrist clamp like tin foil crumples inside a fist. But this metal was strong and solid and unmatched to any substance on earth. The handles when pressed by the index finger would ignite the blades down the arm, locking in place. Another unique feature were the handles, fitted comfortably in the palm, when pressed with the thumbs would ignite claws of steel. A useful tool when needing to climb walls. Robyn had spent years teaching Phil the art of Kobudo Tonfa. An art he’d become supremely confident with.

Phil’s stare drifted to the full blood moon rising over the compound. Eyes wide, thinking: You know what that means. There’s more under the moon tonight than just alien vampires. And they come with teeth. The moon’s red glow crept across the landscape as Phil dipped his chin to his chest, grinding his teeth. Four simple words on the tip of his tongue…

“Get ready to bleed.”

Buy links:

Amazon * BN

Do you have any tattoos? Where? When did you get it/them? Where are they on your body?

I have one tattoo, the New York Yankees symbol on my right leg. Got it on May 5, 2005 when the Yankees were in a terrible slump. After the tattoo Tino Martinez went on a hitting streak belting in a record number of home runs. I’ve thought about another tattoo but I’m not sure, possible, but not a definite. Have a few design ideas, something cosmic and spiritual that includes the names of my children.

Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

Yes, it is the same. With the exception of our 2020 covid quarantine, my life hasn’t changed much in the last two years. Writing, editing, marketing. Wife, kids, reading, playing, going to the beach. Not much has changed.

How long have you been writing?

All my life. Started writing fan fiction at a very early age of any movie I would become obsessed with at the time. Ghostbusters, The Goonies, even Rambo. Also wrote my own short stories as far back as second grade. I remember a story I wrote about second grade girl who brings a pet hamster to school and the hamster escapes. Ten years later, the girl returns to the school and the hamster, whose been surviving on crayons for the past decade and has grown to monster like status, begins to terrorize the school. This is when the schoolgirl, now in high school, shows up to tame the savage beast and bring the big fella home.

I wrote my first full novel in the sixth grade, twelve years old to be exact. The story, a sci-fi fantasy, was inspired by a dream and was more than likely a result of an overactive imagination, reading Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and Dungeons and Dragons. The story revolved around a group of unlikely heroes who are tasked with finding the book of the dead, having to troll through a dark forest, and a hell of a lot of monsters, black magic, and sorcery, to arrive at the castle of the dead, as I called it. And if they failed the world would be covered in darkness.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Write what you love and what you know. Research the industry, take advice from fellow authors but make sure you learn what you love to do and not just follow what everyone else is doing. You’ve got to find your own way. The indie author journey is a marathon not a sprint to the finish line. Take your time and do everything with patience and care, knowing that the seeds your planting now will manifest when you least expect it. And above all, love every minute of the journey, find joy in what you’re doing no matter what obstacles come crashing down to block your path. Just step over them and keep moving on.

Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.

I struggle with this question. Why? Because I want the reader to discover the many twists and turns, including a number of different alien and monster species that are in the book and not in the blurb. As a reader myself, I don’t want to know much about the book I’m reading other than the genre and how and where I came across finding the book (usually Goodreads or a friend’s recommendation). Unless, of course, it’s a new book by one of my go to authors, in which case I still don’t want to know too much. I don’t even read the description because I want to be as surprised as possible. Writing is the same; I’m usually as surprised as the reader to find those little tidbits, nuances, and unexpected revelations and bombshells.

I know, I apologize, just answer the question right? In that case what I will say about this topic is for the reader to be on the lookout and very, very leery of the grey alien, Mono, who is a featured character in The Rose Vol. 1. Mono was an incredible character to write. She had so many surprises up her sleeve I was in awe over her resolve and devious evil ways. And when she begins using her telepathic and telekinetic mind to tear apart alien vampires, well, the entire story takes on a whole new game.

PD Alleva is an alternative fiction author. His novels cross genres, blending mystery, conspiracy, psychology, and action with horror and dystopian science fiction. Alternative fiction is PD's attempt at describing what readers uncover in any one of his books, a new discovery towards mainstream storytelling. He's been writing since childhood, creating and developing stories with brash and impactful concepts that he would describe are metaphors for the shifting energies that exist in the universe. PD exists inside of his own universe, working diligently on The Rose Vol. II and exceptional horror novels. Be prepared for Golem, PD’s upcoming horror thriller.




Social Media Info:

Website/Newsletter www.pdalleva.com

Facebook Page: @pdallevaauthor

Twitter: @PdallevaAuthor

Instagram: pdalleva_author

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/pdalleva

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Follow the tour for more chances to win! 

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Electric Gardens (Electric World Book 1) by M. Black

Welcome to the book blitz for Electric Gardens by M. Black. This book is the first in the Electric World series. Check out the book trailer and then download your own copy! You can also see an interview with the author here. 

Please note that affiliate links are present within this post. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission to help support my websites, at no additional cost to you.

Electric Gardens (Electric World Book One)

Lexi019, like many other young adults, are confined to what is called a Compound controlled by Tins. Upon their eighteenth birthday they are relocated to serve in the Electric Gardens. But Lexi019 has never been compliant, being glitches frequently for misbehavior that leads her into many hot nights in the cells of the Compound.

Friend Kyle53 wants to escape too, and with a war raging inside of him after his sister was taken to be Meshed (tries inserted into the human brain to render humans compliant), the two embark on a dangerous journey of escape. When they run into some unlikely friends, the two eventually enter the Electric Gardens to forge a way out of the Compound, but will they get out in time or will the Tins, like with the rest of world, find the first?

4 Book Electric World Series: 

Electric Gardens, Electric Grids, Electric Wars, Electric Ends

Buy on Amazon  

About M. Black

M.Black is a TOP #100 AMAZON Bestseller. She is the author of EXOTIQA WORLD (Cyberpunk Dystopia), GRAPH WORLD (SFF Post-Apocalyptic), SIM WORLD (SciFi Dystopia Post-Apocalyptic) and ELECTRIC WORLD (Robot Post-Apocalyptic).

A semi-finalist author of Lauren Hemingway Contest, she is now published with CREATIVIA.

ENTER TOMORROW with M. Black are YA and NA Dystopias or Post-Apocalyptic stories with a healthy does of SyFy, Fantasy, Future Tech or Robots.

Her books are socially relevant, original, dark & sexy, with characters that dig into your heart, and plot lines that really do surprise. Stories focus on robots, AI, SIMS, genetics, climate, environment, wildlife, grafting, social divisions, neural laces, and future tech.

M.Black is passionate about the Earth, animals, robots and technology. You will find all of these concepts as parts of the themes used in her brand of books ENTER TOMORROW.

M. Black loves to explore future worlds that are falling apart and she likes to keep the reader guessing.

You can find her at http://MBlackDystopianThrillers.blogspot.com

https://www.amazon.com/M-Black/e/B01MU32XQK

https://www.creativia.org/author-mblack.html

New Planet, New World by Ian Prattis

This post contains affiliate links. If clicked on, I may earn a small commission which helps to support my websites. 

Futuristic Literature, Dystopian

Date Published:  October 2016

Ian Prattis transports you to a faraway planet. Earth is dying due to Humankind’s damage to the environment. The clash of cultures, late in the twenty first century, opens this epic novel of pioneers establishing community in a nearby galaxy.

This futuristic finale of a trilogy stands on award winning books Redemption and Trailing Sky Six Feathers. Buy a print copy and receive the two prior books for free.

Purchase Links

Amazon

B&N

Author Site

About the Author

Dr. Ian Prattis is Professor Emeritus at Carleton University in Ottawa, Zen teacher, peace and environmental activist.  Born in the UK, he has spent much of his life living and teaching in Canada. His moving and eye-opening books are a memorable experience for anyone who enjoys reading about primordial tendencies. Beneath the polished urban facade remains a part of human nature that few want to acknowledge, either due to fear or simply because it is easier to deny the basic instincts that have kept us alive on an unforgiving earth. Prattis bravely goes there in his outstanding literary work.

He is an award winning author of fifteen books. Recent awards include Gold for fiction at the 2015 Florida Book Festival (Redemption), 2015 Quill Award from Focus on Women Magazine (Trailing Sky Six Feathers) and Silver for Conservation from the 2014 Living Now Literary Awards (Failsafe: Saving the Earth From Ourselves). His book Redemption is being made into a movie. His poetry, memoirs, fiction, articles, blogs and podcasts appear in a wide range of venues. A Poet, Global Traveler, Founder of Friends for Peace, Guru in India, and Spiritual Warrior for planetary care, peace and social justice, he offers public talks and retreats all over the world. Ian lives in Ottawa, Canada and encourages people to find their true nature, so that humanity and the planet may be renewed. He mostly stays local to help turn the tide in his home city so that good things begin to happen spontaneously.

Contact Links

Website

Twitter

Promo Link

'Sanctuary' by Pauline Creeden is #FREE until 10/9

Left Behind for the Hunger Games Generation

In a heart-racing thriller described as Falling Skies meets The Walking Dead, Jennie struggles to find a safe place for what's left of her family. But it seems as though there is no place sacred, no place secure. First the aliens attacked the sun, making it dimmer, weaker, and half what it used to be. Then they attacked the water supply, killing one-third of Earth's population with a bitter contaminate. And when they unleash a new terror on humankind, the victims will wish for death, but will not find it…

When the world shatters to pieces around her, will Jennie find the strength she needs to keep going?

Buy on Audible / Amazon (Free until 10/9)/ Paperback

Pauline Creeden

Pauline Creeden is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. In her fiction, she creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.

Follow Pauline Creeden: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Review of 'Exchange Rate (Worth of Souls #2)' by Bonnie R. Paulson

Check out the Book Trailer. Bonnie R Paulson plays the mother!!

Cost of Survival, Book #1

Anger isn’t an emotion anymore, it’s more of a survival mode I can’t afford to let go. My dad predicted World War III would happen in his life, but he died two years before… with my brother… …before Mom and I walked in search of refuge from the bombing. Strengthened by her faith, Mom never feels alone. But me? I don’t know what to believe or where to turn. Someone once said keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but I disagree. Friends scare me the most. They know me and my mom. Nothing about them is safe. The ones in charge… Control everything… Crud, I’ve started crying because I’m scared I won’t survive World War III. But a bigger part of me is scared I will. My mom is bleeding in my arms and she’s making me promise to follow her three rules. Pray. Don’t trust anyone. Stay alive. How long do I need to break all three? Amazon * iBooks * Nook * Kobo Exchange Rate, Book #2 I’m pregnant and I couldn’t be more excited. But the community Bodey, his dad, and I live in has rules. Rules that make Mom’s rules seem like safety nets. Only 200 people are allowed at a time. My baby will make it 201. The leader is making me choose someone from our house to die so there will be room for my child. Either I make the decision or they take… my… Even in the craziness that the world has become, I refuse to believe only 200 can live in it at once. The “community” is safe-ish, comfortable. We have food, warmth, and there isn’t immediate danger of being robbed while we sleep. Doesn’t it make sense we’d have to exchange something for all that? I’ve survived this long. Maybe that’s enough. Maybe I should die so my family can live. Or maybe I can get through the lines and find a people worth sacrificing for. **My thoughts** The pace in this installment slows down considerably, but you can't help but keep on turning the pages. I cannot fathom the horror that Kelly and her family must be feeling at this time. They think they have found some kind of sanctuary. They should be celebrating this most joyous occasion in their lives. Yet, they seem to have found the same kind of craziness from which they were running outside of the compound. In some ways, it is even worse, because these people are theoretically the sane ones in charge of the New World. Kelly has matured a great deal in the past 16 months. She hasn't had a choice. Yes, she is now a "married" woman who is pregnant. She has been on the run with her family, still trying to hide from people who want her dead. She has seen and experienced horrors that I cannot imagine.  While her routine in this compound seems to be more mundane, she is also showing that she has become a deeper thinker. She more closely examines her own place in society. She reflects more on the lessons her mother taught her. She really questions how one man can determine the worth of one human being over another. How can we make those decisions? And again, men are trying to dominate the women, throwing us back several decades.  Again, I found myself contemplating what I would do if I were in her situation. Would I be able to embrace those comforts in life, even though at any moment I could be deemed unworthy of living and easily replaced? Would I be able to stand by quietly and watch others be murdered and/or abused? Or would I give it all up and run away? How much worth is my life vs. a life with material comfort? How would any faith that I have be shaken? As with the first book, I have to love a book that stays with me even after I am finished reading it, and one that makes me really think about my own life. It's just fiction, but who is to say that some day some kind of situation like this won't be upon us? Looking forward to the resolution in book 3.  Amazon * iBooks * Nook * Kobo Worth of Souls, Book #3 Running for my life and six months pregnant, I’m terrified but confident in my decisions.With my love and family behind me, captured by the same man who chases me, I have only a small window to find help. The baby needs to come out eventually. Nobody said the end of the world would define people so much. Everywhere I turn I have to prove my worth.Mom was gone before I learned my value lay in my eyes. Not others. But how would that save Bodey? How could my worth change how the world me spins?If I can’t figure it out, everyone I love will die, trapped in a place where even following the rules won’t protect us. Amazon * iBooks * Nook * Kobo About the author: Bonnie R. Paulson mixes her science and medical background with reality and possibilities to make even myths seem likely and give every romance the genetic strength to survive. Bonnie has discovered a dark and twisty turn in her writing that she hopes you enjoy as much as she has enjoyed uncovering it. Dirt biking with her family in the Northwest keeps her sane. Follow on: Facebook / Blog / Twitter / Goodreads / Newsletter / Literary Addicts / Amazon Follow the Book Tour

Review of 'Cost of Survival (Worth of Souls #1)' by Bonnie R. Paulson

Check out the Book Trailer. Bonnie R Paulson plays the mother!!

Cost of Survival, Book #1

Anger isn’t an emotion anymore, it’s more of a survival mode I can’t afford to let go. My dad predicted World War III would happen in his life, but he died two years before… with my brother… …before Mom and I walked in search of refuge from the bombing. Strengthened by her faith, Mom never feels alone. But me? I don’t know what to believe or where to turn. Someone once said keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but I disagree. Friends scare me the most. They know me and my mom. Nothing about them is safe. The ones in charge… Control everything… Crud, I’ve started crying because I’m scared I won’t survive World War III. But a bigger part of me is scared I will. My mom is bleeding in my arms and she’s making me promise to follow her three rules. Pray. Don’t trust anyone. Stay alive. How long do I need to break all three? **My thoughts** Dystopian books are not necessarily my favorites. I often feel like I am reading the same story again and again. Yet, if Bonnie R. Paulson writes it, I am compelled to read it. There is something about her voice and her style that sucks you in and makes each one of her stories unique. I was relaxing in a hot tub on vacation and read the whole book at once. And now I desperately need to get my hands on Book 2.  Kelly is already having enough difficulty, being 17 years old and having lost her father and her brother. Now with WWIII starting up, she and her mother now have to race for their lives. She is torn between what she thought was real and what her beliefs were and what her mother is telling her she needs to do. She has a very real struggle with faith, whereas her mother is unwavering in hers. I truly love how Kelly comes home from school once the bombings start, already in fight or flight mode, and her mother is just calmly drinking a cup of tea. That one scene toward the beginning says so much about their characters.  Kelly's mom is strong. She has been trying to teach Kelly to be strong. Kelly doesn't think she is really strong, but I think quickly finds out that she has strength she had never imagined. She grows in that respect, plus in her ideas about faith. Some of the questions that she asks herself as she ponders her existence and the state of the world actually made my brain start to spin. Would I have any faith if I were in the same situation? How would I feel if confronted with people wanting to kill me or hurt me, with betrayal, with the evil of this Third World War? I always say it is a good sign if a book keeps you glued to the pages AND makes you think while you are reading it. Even without reading the descriptions of the next two books, I can tell that the next two books are destined to keep those wheels spinning while glued to my Kindle. An emphasis is placed on the importance of women, but not in a good way. Men are fighting to be the ones in charge and to hell with the consequences. How does this society go so far backwards from where we have gotten? What is it that makes one life more valuable than another? Who gets to make those decisions? And can your faith really get you through everything? I will note that while faith is a strong force in this book, it is by no means anything overtly Christian nor preachy in any way. I think readers of any faith are going to relate to the moral questions being raised in this book and will ponder their own beliefs as they pertain to their own practices. Another great read by Paulson. Just love her books and highly recommend them to readers of all ages! Amazon * iBooks * Nook * Kobo Exchange Rate, Book #2 I’m pregnant and I couldn’t be more excited. But the community Bodey, his dad, and I live in has rules. Rules that make Mom’s rules seem like safety nets. Only 200 people are allowed at a time. My baby will make it 201. The leader is making me choose someone from our house to die so there will be room for my child. Either I make the decision or they take… my… Even in the craziness that the world has become, I refuse to believe only 200 can live in it at once. The “community” is safe-ish, comfortable. We have food, warmth, and there isn’t immediate danger of being robbed while we sleep. Doesn’t it make sense we’d have to exchange something for all that? I’ve survived this long. Maybe that’s enough. Maybe I should die so my family can live. Or maybe I can get through the lines and find a people worth sacrificing for. Amazon * iBooks * Nook * Kobo Worth of Souls, Book #3 Running for my life and six months pregnant, I’m terrified but confident in my decisions.With my love and family behind me, captured by the same man who chases me, I have only a small window to find help. The baby needs to come out eventually. Nobody said the end of the world would define people so much. Everywhere I turn I have to prove my worth.Mom was gone before I learned my value lay in my eyes. Not others. But how would that save Bodey? How could my worth change how the world me spins?If I can’t figure it out, everyone I love will die, trapped in a place where even following the rules won’t protect us. Amazon * iBooks * Nook * Kobo About the author: Bonnie R. Paulson mixes her science and medical background with reality and possibilities to make even myths seem likely and give every romance the genetic strength to survive. Bonnie has discovered a dark and twisty turn in her writing that she hopes you enjoy as much as she has enjoyed uncovering it. Dirt biking with her family in the Northwest keeps her sane. Follow on: Facebook / Blog / Twitter / Goodreads / Newsletter / Literary Addicts / Amazon Follow the Book Tour

'SG Suicide Game' by Haidji

Blurb:

SG- Suicide Game is a metaphor about the society where persons almost kill themselves to achieve their goals and forget their dreams, but, in the book you will find also real love, friendship, loyalty, hope and an unexpected finale showing the good essence of the human seed. Eight thousand candidates sign up for the Suicide Game. Only one can win. Their destination is the Night Stadium: a place of makeup and music, fear and adrenaline, blood and romance, celebration and death. Each candidate has his or her own reason for entering the Game. The Council runs the Game. The outcome of the Game is left to fate...in the laps of the gods. The candidates will jump to their deaths in order to win everything, before capacity crowds in the Stadium. The public follows every jump, live on TV and mobile device screens, choosing their favorite candidates and betting on their lives. Who will win the game? Candidate 0907 - Moma - the terrorist? Candidate 1518 - Fabio Giovanni Cristiani - the cyclist? Candidate 3507 - Anthony Henrik Gustav - the lawyer? Candidate 4914 - Jens Plaato - the politician? Candidate 4918 - Sarah Mondstein - the career woman? Candidate 5151 - Bianca White - just a girl ? Candidate 7195 - The Scientist? …Or is it a completely different Candidate? The Game’s community also includes geeks, mafia, makeup artists, master chefs, models, musicians, spies, terrorists, and many others. It boldly imagines a place where death and denial are interwoven with hope, choices and the innate desire for happiness. Impressive in the totality of its vision, it is an exploration of the best and worst things in our lives, our nightmares, and especially our dreams.

Buy links

Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ Book Depository

About the author:

Artist, painter, writer, designer, photographer, performer...just...Haidji. As she was 12 she started to write her stories and poems in handwritten and hand painted books. Her stories create images in the reader's mind, as would a word be a brushstroke painting inside your imagination. There is a very spiritual feel to her work, almost an otherworldliness. A captiving blend of Brazilian flair, Teutonic precision and Dutch pragmatism makes Haidji's work unique, appealing and thought-provoking.

Social Media Links:

Twitter https://twitter.com/Haidji

Facebook Book Page https://www.facebook.com/sgsuicidegame

Facebook official page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Haidji/272073931895

Blog www.haidji.blogspot.com

Goodreads profile https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7202532.Haidji

Google+: Haidji H

Instagram: haidjiofficialprofile

'An Etiquette Guide to the End Times' by Maia Sepp Release Blitz!

An Etiquette Guide to the End Times - Cover Reveal

By Maia Sepp

Women's Fiction / Dystopian

Date Published: June 6, 2014

   Good manners never go out of style…do they?

There aren’t any zombies (yet), but the world is still at the brink of destruction: It’s 2028 and global warming has led to rising oceans, crazy weather, and resource scarcity. On top of that, someone just turned the Internet off. Seeing as how it’s humanity’s last chance to turn things around manners are, understandably, a bit frayed.

Etiquette buff Olive O’Malley is busy microfarming her urban property and minding her own business (and her chickens) when the government comes calling. Their goal is to push the populace towards carbon-neutrality while keeping kvetching to a minimum, and they come with a proposal: transition Olive’s popular etiquette column to a radio show for the masses, and they’ll help Olive find her grandfather, who’s gone missing.

Olive doesn’t trust the hipster government officials who try to bribe her with delicious-but-probably-a-little-evil chocolate pastries, and declines their offer. (Politely, of course.) But they won't take no for an answer, and soon Olive is knee-deep in turmoil, eco-terrorism, and missing chickens. Now she has to untangle herself from their demands and figure out how to make sure her family (and her poultry) are safe before it’s too late.

*Note* This Novel is Written in Canadian English. 

Excerpt

My superhero power is definitely not sleeping. When I was looking for a house, my realtor rhapsodized about this bedroom’s perfect southern exposure, about the tastefully herbaceous wall treatment and charming old-world feel. Right now my room could be more accurately described as a floral-wallpapered sauna, full of an impossible heat, like three Julys stuffed into one. It isn’t helping. 

I watch the overhead fan stop again, gyrate, and then restart before I roll over, the sheets coming with me. After a minute I shift to the other side, flinging the covers away with a sigh. The fan finally grinds to a halt, probably the victim of a wiring problem I haven’t been able to pin down, although lately I’ve been thinking it might just hate me. 

I relocate to the living room and angle the pedestal fan my way. God, it’s hot. I close my eyes and lean back on the couch for a minute, hoping sleep will take me. The sofa is a faux leather hand-me-down that’s supple after years of wear, smelling faintly earthy, soft against my skin. 

Eventually I switch the TV on. Our cable hasn’t worked properly in months, service so erratic it’s like the people running the company are legless, as my grandfather Fred would say–a charming Irish way of saying spectacularly drunk, even though my grandfather hasn’t seen Ireland since he was a child. My eyes land on Fred’s easy chair, a pale green monstrosity he could barely squeeze through the front door when I finally convinced him to move in with me. His pipe, his books, and his old-man slippers are still where he left them. 

After flipping through a bunch of static, I shut the TV off and switch to the radio, which promptly announces it’s five-thirty in the morning. I ponder what to do next, discarding juggling, mind reading, and origami, although I spend more time thinking about mind reading than I probably should, considering I’m the only one here. Finally I pull my computer tablet onto my lap and turn it on. I write an etiquette column for a spunky arts and culture website, and my latest instalment is due on Friday; other people’s problems are always a delightful way to get my mind off my own. I start to page through the letters, which all start with Dear Olive. Dear Olive, I’m convinced my neighbour is milking my goat. Dear Olive, my neighbour’s windmill is keeping me up at night. Dear Olive, my wife is hoarding solar panels. What do I do? 

Three crashing noises erupt above my head, each more ominous than the next. I wait for it to stop, but twenty minutes later I’m clinging to the side of my house, staring down a pair of raccoons who seem intent on defiling my solar array. For a long while it’s just the three of us, locked in visual combat, but it’s my roof and unless they start paying rent, they’ve got to go. 

Eventually they get spooked by the noise of the six a.m. domestic surveillance drone overhead, which would make this the first time I’ve ever been happy to see a drone. I watch as it starts its first pass of the morning. They’re smaller than the military version–sleek, modern, ever-watchful. Rumour is they’re even biodegradable, although that hasn’t exactly endeared them to the population. 

After the raccoons finally lumber off I pull myself onto the roof and take a look at the solar panel they’ve sullied, the wires connecting the array to my house almost stripped. It’s not easy to carry out rooftop repairs quietly at six in the morning, and it definitely wouldn’t be polite to wake anyone up, but I don’t want to be back up here tomorrow, either. If I leave the panel like this, they’ll come back and finish the job, I know it. They’re organized. 

I look up when a newfangled Town Car, still boxy and authoritarian but now electric-powered, turns onto my street. I watch it as it goes; there are almost no cars on the roads these days, and the sight makes a faint sense of unease pulse through me. I hope whoever’s in that car isn’t carrying bad news for one of my neighbours. 

After it eases past my house I try to concentrate on how to get myself off this roof. I’ve brought my very last roll of duct tape with me and after a moment of conflict, I wrestle a piece off and start to fix the panel, but my foot slips and my right hip ends up bouncing off the shingles. I pull myself into a sitting position to gather my wits, my stomach clenched into the size of a peanut, my breath suddenly ragged and shaky. I don’t want to go splat on the driveway beside my house. It’s a bungalow, true, and not that far to fall, but it’s still a worry. 

Over my left shoulder the sunrise glows on the horizon, beautiful in a terrifying sort of way. It’s hard not to be nervous about what the sun will do to us today; so far the summer of 2028 has broken four temperature records, slow-cooking our city under our feet, making everything smell like asphalt and failure.

About the Author : Maia Sepp

Maia left the tech sector to write about sock thievery, migraines, and...the tech sector.

The Sock Wars is her debut novel. The first chapter of The Sock Wars was published as a short story/novel excerpt titled Irish Drinking Socks, and became a Kobo bestselling short story. The Sock Wars has been a top-100 digital bestseller on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the iBookstore, as well as a genre and Writing Life bestseller on Kobo.

Maia's second novel is The Migraine Mafia, a story about a nerdy thirtysomething's quest to come to terms with a chronic illness. It is available online everywhere.

Her latest is a humorous near-future dystopian novella, titled, An Etiquette Guide to the End Times, available June 2014. To be notified about new releases, please add yourself to Maia's mailing list: http://www.maiasepp.com/mailing_list.html.

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