Dawn of the Vie Laura Diamond
(Immortal Aliens, #1)
Published by: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication date: October 3rd 2016
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Since their Arrival less than 30 years ago, immortal Vie rule the planet like the super-predators they are. Enslaved humans are their servants…their entertainment…and their food. Anemies—humans with various types of anemia—are simply exterminated. Their nutritionally deficient blood is useless to the Vie.
Or so it’s thought…
_________
Alex, an Elite Vie, is a bit of a Renaissance Alien. Part scientist, part Raid Specialist, part drug addict, he knows Anemie blood is valuable. Rather than blindly carrying out his boss’s kill order, he convinces some colleagues to spare a few Anemies, not only for study, but also to reserve a secret stock.
The more Anemie blood Alex drinks, the more he slips into delusion, and the more his double life threatens to crumble. But quitting Anemie blood is not an option. Every Anemie has their own personal flavor. Each gives a unique high.
When Alex takes a hit of Justin’s blood, his hallucinations bleed into reality…
_________
Anemie Justin knows his little sister, Sammie, and he are living past their expiration dates. It becomes a guarantee when they’re bitten by a Vie named Alex during a raid. (The bite is fatal, thanks to a toxin carried in Vie saliva.) Alex adds insult to injury by promising Justin a second chance—an antidote in exchange for agreeing to be a lab rat.
And a mule…of his own blood.
When Justin says no, Alex takes off with Sammie.
All Justin has to do is find them, beat Alex, and cure himself and Sammie. All he has is a stake and serious lack of self-preservation.
No problem.
_________
Alex wants Justin’s blood.
Justin wants his sister back.
GAME ON.
Author Bio:
Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist currently specializing in emergency psychiatry. She is also an author of all things young adult—both contemporary and paranormal. An avid fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and anything magical, she thrives on quirk, her lucid dreams, and coffee. When she’s not working or writing, she can be found sniffing books and drinking a latte at the bookstore or at home pondering renovations on her 225 year old fixer upper, all while obeying her feline overlords, of course.
Midnight Sky Amy Braun (Dark Sky #2) Publication date: August 2nd 2016 Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, Young Adult
There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices…
The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.
To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.
Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…
Author Bio:
Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action. She is the recipient of April Moon Books Editor Award for "author voice, world-building and general bad-assery," and the One Book Two Standout Award in 2015 for her Cursed trilogy. She has been featured on various author blogs and publishing websites, and is an active member of the Writing GIAM and Weekend Writing Warrior communities. When she isn't writing, she's reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, and struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction.
Defective B. Austin (Outcast, #1) Publication date: August 13th 2016 Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
In a society where rebels are unwanted, the Outcasts have their own underground world.
What type of society applies the word Defective to healthy young humans?
IT IS ALMOST A PERFECT WORLD. One government rules earth—the Commonwealth and one people—the Commoners. The pure society of the Commonwealth has but one contamination, the 1%, the Outcasts—rebellious kids and young adults who for some puzzling reason cannot or will not conform.
When Dante’s girlfriend vanishes like thousands of other Outcasts before her, he enlists the aid of friends to find her. They discover the shocking secret of what extreme the Commonwealth of Earth will go to ensure that Outcasts reform and obey the rules!
You can also pre-order book 2 – 5 Chances – today!
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EXCERPT:
The lights are out in the Brooklyn Underground since the birthday party is supposed to be a surprise for my girlfriend, Kiara. The only thing visible are 324 glow-in-the-dark red No circles on our clothing marking all of us as Outcasts like the way the Nazis marked the Jews with a yellow Star of David before gassing them 131 years ago. Only our Outcast symbols are more in-your face, bold red circles with a red diagonal down the center. The Commonwealth is sending Outcasts a blatant message by forcing us to wear the symbol as if marking us as illegal, broken, untouchable, and unwanted.
The Commonwealth longs to be known as The Republic of Free Will. Their rules allow us to wear what we want but if our clothing is not the required silver jumpsuit for our age group, and then we must wear the Outcast No symbol. There is no cheating the
system either. Like dogs, the Commonwealth has shot every Outcast through our necks with scanning ids.
Our scanning ids propagate throughout our bloodstreams so there is no beating the scanners. In fact, Scanner Droids are equipped with image processing and a camera eye. Scanners roam the Commonwealth. Scanners are magnetic and if a Scanner catches an Outcast being out of compliance, the Scanner will latch onto him or her and hold the Outcast in place against the closest magnetic field until the FRE (Fanatic Rule Enforcers) arrive. Scanners are like giant refrigerator magnets. It really pisses me off to see Outcasts dangling from walls of buildings, which are all equipped with magnetic holding places.
Outcasts are in the minority, our numbers fading fast into the endangered species category along with animals, which the Commonwealth has replaced with robotic countertypes. A mechanical dog cannot shit in your yard, right.
We Outcasts only feel safe in our undergrounds. Below the streets of New York City exists a subterranean city consisting of secret crypts, forgotten or abandoned subway stations and tracks, and tunnels known only to Outcasts. The NYC Underground has been here for centuries, and the Commonwealth has pretty much forgotten the underground ever existed. The Commonwealth does not care to look back at past mistakes, which is what the underground is. Besides, the Perfections are germ freaks. They would never dirty themselves by climbing down into our grimy world. We are beneath them. See, I made a pun. Get it. Underground. Beneath them. And the Commonwealth thinks Outcasts are dumb.
Everyone on earth is called a Commoner, which is a joke to Outcasts. There are Perfections and there are Outcasts, period.
Crap! It has been an hour and Kiara still is not here. I glare at everyone acting fidgety. Quit whispering about starting the party without her. Dammit! Kiara is coming.
I scroll through my text messages. Where are you, Kiara? I am waiting for you Kiara, you know where. Don’t you dare stand me up for your birthday! Are the parents giving you problems? Hurry up! Why don’t you answer? I am beginning to get worried. Quit joking around. Are you sick? Have you had an accident? Kiara, please let me know that you are okay. Kiara, this is Dante. This message I followed with a secret code to let her know that the texts are not a trick.
Finally, I send one more message and my finger is shaking, my breath is raspy, my eyes are stinging. Kiara, have they taken you? Have the FRE
Quick, I hit the delete button. Worry about Kiara made me almost forget about the airwaves. We may be invisible in the Underground but the Commonwealth is always listening. My text mentioned the FRE and had I completed and sent that text, the Commonwealth might discover that we suspect the FRE of involvement in the
disappearance of Outcasts. The Perfections think Outcasts are stupid because of the way we dress and act but Bones Outcasts hang out in the Brooklyn Underground. We would notice if one of us went missing. Last year, Luca vanished and a few days ago, Adrian disappeared.
The clock ticks and Kiara still does not show up for her 18th birthday party. Everyone is thinking of Sebastian. The President’s son vanished two years ago, and no one has seen him since. We are a class-based society and even though we Bones Outcasts do not like the Powerfuls (Manhattan Outcasts), we were all concerned about Sebastian and believed his father was holding him prisoner because Sebastian wanted to solve the global mystery of why and how Outcasts disappear without a trace. Thus, I broke into the President’s penthouse in Manhattan from an outside window. I am talking 90 stories up a slick building using suction cups. They call me the Spider and the Bones bet the Powerfuls that I could do it. It turned out the President for Life is not that big a dickhead. Well, maybe he is since Sebastian is probably…no, do not even think it! Sebastian is simply missing. He must be alive else Kiara…
If Sebastian being the only child of the President of the West Commonwealth, the richest man on Earth, could not be saved then Kiara… Oh, God, where is the air?I cannot breathe. That night climbing the 90 stories, I never felt so weak before until now; only this time helplessness surrounds me. As we wait for Kiara there is only silence in the Brooklyn Underground, our underground of the Bones Outcasts, except for a few sniffling girls scared of disappearing next, and me. My stomach rumbles and a panic attack is coming on. Kiara is the best thing that ever happened to me in my sorry life on this crappy planet that frowns on Outcasts because we dare to be who we are with no excuses.
Author Bio:
Author B. Austin writes Dystopian and Science Fiction Books. She is the author of the Young Adult Dystopian series Defective.
Embers Karen Ann Hopkins
(Wings of War #1)
Publication date: March 15th 2015
Genres: Dystopian, Paranormal, Young Adult
There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them.
Embers is an epic paranormal adventure/romance about a seventeen year old girl who discovers that she’s immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. Following a violent episode with her aunt’s boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember’s exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she learns that she’s a Watcher, a descendant of angels.
While Ember is instructed about her heritage and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two teenagers who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest. Inexplicitly drawn to one of the young men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it’s cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war that’s been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil, and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She may be one of the few champions willing to make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin.
Embers is the first novel in the dark and gritty YA paranormal romance series, The Wings of War.
**Grab Embers – book 1 – for only 99 CENTS for a limited time!**
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EMBERS EXCERPT:
Sawyer sobered quickly. The obvious hurt on his face made me regret my words.
“You’re right. I’m a monster. I won’t argue on that account. But your kind isn’t squeaky clean either. Just because your ancestors were arch angels doesn’t give you the right to police the world.” His eyes narrowed. “Do you know how many humans have died from wars that Watchers caused?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.
I was already suspicious about Watchers. Ila scared the crap out of me sometimes with her demeanor and righteous words.
But Sawyer didn’t need to know that I questioned the Watchers myself. His opinion didn’t count.
When I turned back to him, ready to change the subject, I wasn’t prepared for the darkening of his already almost black eyes. He leaned in closer and our breaths mingled. In and out I breathed, allowing his familiar woodsy scent to fill my nose. I know Sawyer. Oh, I know him. Don’t do it, Ember.
But I couldn’t stop.
When he kissed me, my lips parted automatically.
Deep down, I wanted him, desired him madly, and had from the first time I’d seen him in my dreams.
In that instant, I didn’t care that he was a Demon.
Author Bio:
You can visit Karen Ann Hopkins at her website: www.karenannhopkins.com.
Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.
Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several
years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War, and the continuation of the Temptation series. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible.
"I loved joining Rose and Noah during their journey in the Temptation series by Karen Hopkins."-Katie McGarry, acclaimed YA author
Shaman’s Curse Suzannah Daniels (Vampire’s Bane #2) Publication date: June 2016 Genres: Dystopian, Paranormal, Young Adult
Maylin Kavanagh is on a mission.
After escaping the Warwick Vampires, she’s sworn that the only thing that can stand between her and reaching St. Louis for the next phase of The Program is death itself.
Determined to discover her purpose, her allegiance is with the human race. But the humans aren’t the only ones who want her.
Creed’s people claim that she’s the key to their prophecy and the cure for their curse. So why did he try to kill her?
And if that weren’t enough to ponder, she fears the vampires will hunt her—not for her blood, but for revenge.
As Maylin tries to find her place in a world filled with the supernatural, she realizes it’s not always easy to recognize the lies from the truth, the friends from the enemies. And maybe the hardest thing of all is being able to reconcile her head with her heart.
But it’s a fight for survival, and Maylin intends to win.
Author Bio:
Suzannah Daniels has had an affinity for words for as long as she can remember. She grew up in North Georgia with four brothers, so she learned at an early age to admire snakes and motorcycles. When she wasn't pestering her brothers, she could usually be found reading or writing.
She is the author of the Whiskey Nights series (new adult contemporary romance), the Dangerous Trilogy (young adult contemporary romance), Vampire's Bane (young adult paranormal), Ghostly Encounter (young adult paranormal romance), and Viking's Embrace (historical romance).
Currently, she lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee with her husband of twenty-nine years. Her children live nearby. The family pets include a Lab mix named Achilles, a Basset Hound named Annabelle, and a Shih Tzu named MooMoo.
Visit her website at www.SuzannahDaniels.com.
It's the Grand Finale for THE DYSTOPIAN TOUR! What will the future bring? We've featuring several possibilities. Did you miss any of them? Check them out now!!
Our potential for good is matched by that of destruction. At any moment, change can fall on the world, people fight and die, and our comfortable lives can be lost to corrupt leaders. These are circumstances we can’t imagine, but places like this exist in the world today.
What if tomorrow brings that grave reality to us, and we wake to find our lives in flux, poverty and confusion? Perhaps humanity’s insatiable appetites drive us to the brink of survival where sanity is redefined and life, as we know it, changes forever.
Tomorrow, our lives could be very dark.
Dystopian tales take us to these lightless places where suffering is a daily chore. But they also show us that in the deepest part of the night, pitched against a backdrop of despair, a beam of hope will shine brighter than ever before. And in our darkest moments, it can show us the way back.
Follow 11 authors into 11 dystopian tomorrows, where the dark portions of our humanity have taken hold of today, where the fabric of society is torn and greed consumes us all. Follow us down a dark path.
Creating the Cover of Terra: A Behind-the-Scenes Look
No matter what anybody says, it’s pretty much a fact that people do judge books by their covers. And can you blame them? After all, book covers are an art in and of themselves these days – the beautiful images, illustration, and typography that are blasted across the internet pique our interest and drive our readers’ minds. The cover is a reader’s first impression of what your book will be like. It only takes a second for that instant connection to be made: Bad cover, bad book. Great cover, great book.
Now, that doesn’t always hold true, of course, since I myself have read plenty of incredible books with terrible covers, and vice versa. But it doesn’t change the fact that—especially as a self-published author—covers matter. And I knew from the get-go that I wanted the cover for TERRA to stand out, but still feel appropriate for the genre and would “fit in” with its traditionally-published book brethren. So here’s an exclusive scoop on what went into creating my debut novel’s cover.
Terra follows protagonist Terra Rhodon through a dystopian future where the planet’s natural resources have been depleted and the rich and powerful have fled to cities in the sky.
“Seems like your normal, seemingly average university cross paranormal romance story... until the dystopian sci-fi comes in. Everything from there changes… I am gobsmacked.”
– Behind the Pages
“Quite incredible… grips the reader and won’t let go. Officially entered a good book hangover.”
– Parajunkee
One of the things that consistently surprises me when I write is how fond I grow of some characters, especially when they start out as little more than a nebulous concept. Contributor is no exception. When I was peopling the world, I thought a lot about Dara, her parents, her boyfriend, Jonathan, and her mentor, Letizia. I certainly gave consideration to the other characters as well, but this was the core group I focused on, and so imagine my surprise when I developed a major attachment to a couple of the characters I thought would just be minor players.
The first is Javier Gutierrez, one of Dara’s rivals for the position of Assistant to the Head of Engineering...
WHAT TOMORROW MAY BRING, the YA Dystopian boxed set, is a collection of dark yet hopeful stories from eleven different authors. Each wrote a short essay on dystopian fiction calledMy Thoughts On Tomorrow, to introduce their novels. Here are excerpts from six of those essays, the full versions can be found at The Hunt For Tomorrow.
Meet The Dystoptomists: Shining Light on a Dark Future...
Goodreads - Amazon Follow 11 authors into 11 dystopian tomorrows, where the dark portions of our humanity have taken hold of today, where the fabric of society is torn and greed consumes us all. Follow us down a dark path.
Q: What was your inspiration for Among the Joyful? A: I happened to see an article about smile surgery, which is a real thing. Some young women in South Korea have a procedure done so that their default facial expression is a smile, no matter what they’re feeling. It made me think about the pressure we all feel at times to act like things are fine when they’re not, to present a happy appearance to the world no matter what’s going on inside. That was what prompted the idea for the world of Among the Joyful, where negative emotion has to be hidden if you want to be a functioning member of society.
Q: What makes Among the Joyful different from all the other YA dystopias out there? A: I wanted to create a dystopian society that could just as easily be described as utopian. The original founders weren’t setting out to oppress people—they wanted to make life better, and in many ways they succeeded. They created a culture where service to others is valued, where citizens contribute to the public good and take care not to have a negative impact on their community. Of course, there’s a price, and that’s where it gets interesting.
Everyone knows that it’s a citizen’s duty to smile; negative emotion is a social contagion, an aggressive act against society. For Alaire Larkin, staying positive has never been a problem.
June 4: The Annihilation of Foreverland & Foreverland is Dead by Tony Bertauski
Have you written in any other genres besides ya dystopian? What drew you to you this genre?
I’ve been fascinated by consciousness, identity and what this all means since I was young. I would read my grandfather’s science fiction books with elements of artificial intelligence and wonder what happened when they died? I suppose that’s why all of my writing deals with the big mysteries of life in one way or another. In a way, I write for my own exploration, in a sort of thought experiment approach, pulling apart our identities, exploring what makes us who we are. If I lost my memories, would I still be me? If I had my body parts replaced with synthetic replications, at what point would I not be me? Do I even need a body? What am I?
A few years ago, I figured I’d write a romance novel. Since all of my books have a romantic element, I thought it would be fun. Halfway through the novel, I found myself thinking more and more about the next project—a dystopian idea. So 40,000 words in, I scrapped the romance novel and got back to what I love.
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes and Noble - Google Play - Kobo - iTunes When kids awake on an island, they’re told there was an accident. Before they can go home, they will visit Foreverland, an alternate reality that will heal their minds.
June 5: The Breeders & The Believers by Katie French
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I’ve always wanted to be a back-up singer for some awesome artist. You’d get all the joy of meeting fun people and performing, but do not have to lose your freedom or worry about tabloids and paparazzi.
Who would play you in a film of your life?
Brad Pitt. It would be a really weird, concept movie.
Have you ever read or seen yourself as a character in a book or a movie?
All the time. Right now I’m pretty sure I’m Jessica Day from TV show The New Girl. But without the cute bangs. Man, I should really get some bangs.
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes and Noble Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race.
Meet The Dystoptomists: Shining Light on a Dark Future.
WHAT TOMORROW MAY BRING, the YA Dystopian boxed set, is a collection of dark yet hopeful stories from eleven different authors. Each wrote a short essay on dystopian fiction called My Thoughts On Tomorrow, to introduce their novels.
Part 1 featured excerpts from six of those authors.
Here, with Part 2, are excerpts from the remaining five. The full versions can be found at The Hunt For Tomorrow.
Join the mailing list for news on our upcoming dystopian scavenger hunt...
Goodreads - Amazon Follow 11 authors into 11 dystopian tomorrows, where the dark portions of our humanity have taken hold of today, where the fabric of society is torn and greed consumes us all. Follow us down a dark path.
Tour-Wide Giveaway
Ends June 15th.
US Only Giveaway
Print copy of Terra + bookmarks
Print copies of Stitch & Shudder + bookmarks
Print copy of Among the Joyful
Internationally Open Giveaway
Amazon GC $15 (Megan) + $10 (Erin) + $10 (Samantha)
11 ecopies of What Tomorrow May Bring
Ebook of Terra
Ebooks of Stitch & Shudder
10 e-book copies of the complete Contributor trilogy, including book 3 (Kindle only)
Ebook of Among the Joyful
Ebooks of The Annihilation of Foreverland & Foreverland is Dead
Ebook of A Taste of Tomorrow Boxed Set
5 ebooks of The Breeders & The Believers
