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Category Archives: Dystopian

Cover Reveal: The Jade Talisman by Alanna Mackenzie

18 Thursday Feb 2021

Posted by ehmusings in Cover Reveal, Dystopian, Sci Fi

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The Jade Talisman
Alanna Mackenzie
(The Jade Chronicles, #2)
Publication date: March 2021
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy, Science Fiction

A talisman. A song. A story about time itself, as it moves through each winding branch in the tree of life.

It is the year 2762 in the Empire of Khalendar, and AI Masters rule the civilized world, striving to crush all dissent. But they have not yet managed to quell the Jade Rebellion or its leader, Walter Saltanetska. The Jade Queen, once a prison ship commandeered by the AI Masters, is now a rebel stronghold. Walter and his companions have sailed all the way to Vei’arash, a lush island reputedly home to exiled dissidents and evil shamans. Their mission is to fulfill a pact with their Mage allies—to find animal spirits exiled to Vei’arash long ago by the AI Masters.

As the rebels plunge deeper into the jungle, physical laws are upended. The plants and animals of the rainforest are inextricably linked to divine beings. The most powerful of these beings entrusts Walter with an enchanted gemstone, the Jade Talisman, that warps the basic rules of time and space.

The Talisman allows Walter to gaze into a mesmerizing labyrinth of future possibilities. But the visions it offers up are troublingly dark, giving Walter insight into the deepest recesses of the human soul. While he needs to remain emotionally distant from them, he cannot. The people in these visions are not strangers, but Walter and his loved ones. This gift proves to be a crushing burden, and Walter desperately longs for an ordinary life. But there is no going back…

The gripping sequel to The Jade Rebellion, The Jade Talisman is a tribute to the perseverance of spirituality in a world dominated by the cold logic of artificial intelligence.

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Author Bio:

Alanna Mackenzie lives in Vancouver, Canada. She holds degrees in History, French studies, and Law from the University of British Columbia. An environmentalist at heart, she believes in using the law as a tool for social and environmental change. When she is not pursuing that passion, she can be found brainstorming the next chapter in her novels, playing Irish fiddle tunes on the violin, and hiking West Coast trails.

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Cover Reveal: Code by Mary Ting

11 Thursday Feb 2021

Posted by ehmusings in Cover Reveal, Dystopian, Sci Fi, Young Adult

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Code
Mary Ting
(Isan, #4)
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Behind enemy lines, new soldiers will emerge, and unexpected heroes will rise.

Ava is a prisoner. And she is not the only rebel held hostage at ISAN’s secret compound. As she plans an escape, the lives of the rebel prisoners are in her hands, along with those she thought were dead.

Rhett and his team desperately search for Ava while one of the Remnant Council joins forces with another network looking for the creator of the Helix serum. And time is running out. Mr. Novak has been secretly creating an army called CODE, and what he plans for Ava will mean a permanent end to the rebels–and her.

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Author Bio:

International Bestselling, Award-Winning Author Mary Ting writes soulful, spellbinding stories that excite the imagination and captivate readers all over the world. Her books run a wide range of genres: science fiction, fantasy, and swoon worthy stories. Her storytelling talents have won her a devoted legion of fans and garnered critical praise.

Mary was born in Seoul Korea and resides in Southern California with her husband, two children, and two dogs—Mochi and Mocha. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Becoming an author was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother. After realizing she wanted to become a full-time author, she retired from teaching after twenty years.

Bookbub / News Update / Facebook Group / Facebook Page / Instagram / Twitter / Website


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Cover Reveal: Masters’ Escape by Jamie Schulz

19 Thursday Nov 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Cover Reveal, Dystopian, romance

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Masters’ Escape
Jamie Schulz
(The Angel Eyes #2)
Publication date: December 2020
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Romance

A night of red-hot passion.
A morning of soul-crushing rejection.

Bret Masters is ready to run. Living as a slave was humiliating enough. But to have his Mistress take him to her bed only to callously dismiss him at sunrise is too much for his wounded heart to bear. Somehow, he must escape her tender trap. Success meant freedom. Failure, a gruesome death. When guard patrols ruin his schemes, Masters is cruelly dragged back to the woman who enslaved him. Her reaction to his deceit, however, is far more damaging to his injured pride than the abuse of the guards. He accepts his assigned penalty as reasonable until unexpected developments force Bret to become his Mistress’ personal servant as well. He wants to deny his feelings for Angel, but can he? Will he be able to resist the overwhelming desire to hold her in his arms again? Or will he plow deeper into the painful abyss loving her might unearth?

Angel Aldridge cannot escape the haunting mistakes of her past. And, now, she’s doomed to repeat them. Bret is every bit the fantasy she dreamed of, but she cannot love him. She made a vow never to fall again. She made another to protect the people she brought to her ranch. If she allows herself to care for Masters, she could fail at both. As her autumn despondency drives her deeper into mental and emotional darkness, she is determined to keep her promises. But her heart has other ideas. When danger appears on her doorstep, will she be able to protect Bret from the enemies she fears? Or will a mysterious illness finally crack their protective walls and allow the seeds of love to find purchase in their damaged hearts…

*Masters’ Escape is the second book in an HEA sextology series. Angel and Bret’s story continues from book to book with the conclusion in the final installment.

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Author Bio:

Jamie Schulz lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her family, her husband, and their fur babies. Writing has always been a big a part of her life, and she hopes to one day reach the best sellers lists.

Cowboys, ice cream, and reading almost any kind of romance are among her (not so) secret loves. To her, every one of her stories, no matter how dark, must have a happy ending, and she strives to make them impossible to put down until you get there.

She balances her free time between reading her favorite romance authors–in genres ranging from erotica and dark romance to sweet historicals and contemporary romance–and spending time with her family.

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Book Tour: The Rose by PD Alleva

12 Thursday Nov 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Tour, Dystopian, Sci Fi, Thriller

≈ 7 Comments

–

The Rose

by PD Alleva

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Dystopian Science Fiction Thriller

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt :

“It’s in the blood, dear,” said Ellen, one of the women Sandy shared time and space with, her skin worn by age, hard labor, and days spent under the sun. Blotches, liver spots and creases led the observer to the eyes. One dark, the other a cataract milky white and she always wore a dark shawl draped over the head and shoulders. Sandy was afraid of Ellen, she reminded Sandy of a gypsy or witch from a fairy-tale.

“Come again?” said Sandy, her eyes shifting from soldier to Ellen to soldier then back to Ellen.

Ellen had cut herself transferring a wood bucket filled with rice to add to an already large trough of buckets. A thick wood splinter pinned in the bottom of her palm dripping with a thick stream of blood. She turned to Sandy raising the bloodied palm and caught a drop of blood in her unwounded hand.

“The blood dear,” said Ellen. “All magic comes from the blood.”

Sandy cringed at the sight; she’d always been squeamish. Her stomach bumped, blood curled. Magic, Sandy thought. If only magic was real. How wonderful would that be? Sandy understood she was naïve, the result of an isolated childhood and her parents’ death when she was ten years old. Not that they had taught the young Sandy about the world she lived in either. They’d kept her under lock and key, never so much as offering a glimpse or advice on the outside world. They were always so cryptic with their explanations, living in an abundant and overgrown mansion as if luxury were a childhood friend. Sure there were plenty of rooms for a child to explore but as time went by those rooms seemed more like a prison than a home.

Years of neglect, isolation and secrets were as torturous as physical suffering. And she was tired of secrets. She wanted to know truth. Truth was like a blanket that keeps you warm in the coldest winter.

“The blood, Sandy,” said Ellen who clenched her fist around those crimson droplets, shaking her hand in front of her face. “All is in the blood.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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 http://www.pdalleva.com

Facebook Page: @pdallevaauthor

Twitter: @PdallevaAuthor

Instagram: pdalleva_author

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

Buy links:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-rose-vol-1-a-dystopian-science-fiction-thriller-pd-alleva/1137496315

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

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Book Tour & Giveaway: Heresy by C.A. Campbell

11 Wednesday Nov 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Tour, Dystopian, giveaway, Young Adult

≈ 1 Comment

Heresy
The Heretics Saga Book 1
by C.A. Campbell
Genre: YA Dystopian
In Arcadia, being different is HERESY.
Heresy is DEATH.
To survive, citizens must live, dress, and even love according to the United Council’s will. Their power is absolute—until a rebel bomb ignites at a national ceremony and unites the lives of three unlikely people.
When the bombing goes wrong, Nicolette Howell, a young heretic, finds herself alone and on the run, bearing secrets that Arcadia would kill for. When she’s captured, she must escape, but how can she, when her best chance lies with the son of her sworn enemy?
Driven by the execution of an innocent, Jacob Osgood, a United Councilor’s son, hunts for the truth about the heretic movement that Arcadia has hidden. But truth could cost him the one thing he cannot stand to lose: the girl who saved his life at the bombing.
Shiloh Haven, the orphaned daughter of heretics, is forced to become Arcadia’s spy in a sinister plot to destroy the heretic army. She faces a terrible choice: survive or risk everything to save the boy she might just love and the rebels who are her only chance of being free.
As their fates entwine, the three must answer an impossible question.
WHAT WOULD YOU DIE FOR?
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C. A. Campbell hails from Kansas City (The Missouri side, if you please), where she shares her writing space with her husband and three ridiculous dogs. She splits her time between writing, saving tiny lives, and teaching students how not to kill people as a neonatal intensive care nurse and nurse educator. When she’s not working, she can be found (likely, in her pajamas) making things out of yarn, listening to a true crime podcast, or yelling at medical errors in television shows. Heresy is her debut novel.
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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
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Book Tour & Giveaway: The Seeking by Marlena Frank

14 Wednesday Oct 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Tour, Dystopian, giveaway, Horror, Young Adult

≈ 1 Comment

The Seeking
by Marlena Frank
Genre: YA Horror Dystopian
Beware the Gray People
Each Seeking, the magic that protects the town of Carra must be renewed, which means the children of the Exalted Family must go into hiding. Whether it be through disguise or bribe, through trusted friends or perfect hiding places, every child of the Priest family must avoid capture for the full day.
When things go wrong with the renewal, it’s up to seventeen-year-old Dahlia, the middle child of the Priest family, and her girlfriend, Bisa, to escape Carra and find the magical beings responsible for the protection. They must learn who would require such a cruel game to be played every year and if the protection of the Gray People is really worth such a deadly cost. What they will discover is far worse.
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Marlena Frank has always been fascinated with monsters, and now gets to write about them. She has been writing horror and fantasy short stories since 2010 and has had her work published in a number of anthologies, from Heroic Fantasy Quarterly to The Sirens Call.
Her YA Dark Fantasy novella, The She-Wolf of Kanta, was released in April 2018 from Aurelia Leo. Her debut novel, Stolen, came out January 2019 from The Parliament House Press, and on release day became an Amazon Bestseller in a YA category. When she isn’t thinking up strange tales, she’s an active member in the Atlanta cosplay community and the Atlanta chapter of the Horror Writers Association. Her novel Stolen hit Amazon’s bestseller status on release day, reaching #34 in the Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths for Children category on Amazon on release day.
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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$10 Amazon giftcard, The Seeking bookmark, The Seeking sticker
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Book Blitz: The Lemerons by Valerie Puri

01 Thursday Oct 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Book Blitz, Dystopian, Urban Fantasy

≈ 4 Comments

The Lemerons
Valerie Puri
(The Secret Archives Trilogy, #2)
Publication date: October 1st 2020
Genres: Dystopian, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

There is nowhere to hide when danger closes in from all sides.

Jennie left the security of her walled community to join Ethan in search of answers about his troubled past. Braving the threats lurking in the forest, their journey to Arborville leads to startling revelations… some that could prove fatal.

Back at the Commune, the delicate society Jennie’s people have built is crumbling. The number of flesh-eating lemerons attacking their wall continues to grow, and two factions are vying for control of the tattered hierarchy of the community.

With both the Commune and Arborville at risk of destruction, it will take Jennie and all her friends to stand together and protect their communities. Failure will bring a swift and certain death to all the residents hunkered inside.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Belle

The chairs in the grand chamber slowly filled. It seemed to take hours for everyone to arrive. Belle shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

When the doors slammed shut, she whipped her head around to see who closed them. She frowned.

A man strode up the length of the central aisle. His face and eyes were battered with purplish-green bruises. There was something about him that looked familiar.

Where have I seen him before?

The Commune was small enough that most people knew each other, but this man wasn’t someone she knew. But she had seen him. And recently, too.

She shifted again. There was something wrong about him.

The man’s footsteps echoed as he climbed the platform at the front of the room.

“My fellow citizens, thank you for coming,” he said.

His voice was gruff but Belle didn’t recognize it. He scanned the room through his bruised eyes. One of them was swollen half shut.

“Some of you may know me, for those of you who don’t, I’m Isaac Fenske.”

Now Belle had a name to go with the face, but the name wasn’t familiar to her.

“We’ve been living together our entire lives, but recently the balance of our society was thrown into chaos. Marlene abandoned us, and Victor betrayed us.”

That’s not right. Belle frowned. Marlene went to get help. She didn’t abandon us.

“We are afraid of each other when we should be afraid of the lemerons at the wall. Our friends and neighbors aren’t a threat. Those monsters at our gates are. We must rise up together and fight for our survival.”

A few people in the crowd murmured their agreement. Belle wanted to agree too, but something about him was off.

“We don’t have anyone to lead us through this nightmare. This situation is unprecedented. That’s why I humbly ask your approval to let me stand in as an interim Elder until two new Elders are selected. If you consent, say ‘aye.’”

Two new Elders? Marlene was coming back. What was he playing at? Only Victor needed replacing.

The room was silent. Belle scanned the crowd, wondering if anyone would answer his plea for power. Nearby, a few people were conversing with each other. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they were both nodding.

One of them looked up and shouted, “aye.”

The other one echoed him with an “aye.”

Throughout the room, more people were adding their “ayes” to the chorus. The people in the room came alive with new hope.

That’s when it hit her. Belle’s eyes grew wide, and she felt the color drain from her face. She remembered where she saw him.

This man, Isaac Fenske, was lying unconscious and bloody on a table in Goggles’s lab. She remembered seeing him before the fight with Sash. She hadn’t been sure if he was alive or dead when they left him behind during their escape.

He was very much alive now. How did he manage to escape?

There was something about him, and this sudden grab for power which made Belle think of Victor. This was a move someone from the Order would make. But what could she do without proof? She only had her suspicions.

Jennie’s parting words echoed in her mind: do what you can to keep the Order out of power.

A smile tugged at the corners of Isaac’s mouth.

“Anyone opposed to my proposition, say ‘nay.’”

Belle whispered so only she could hear. “Nay.”

Author Bio:

Valerie Puri is an author of Paranormal, Fantasy, and Young Adult.

As an author of both short stories and novels, she enjoys the flexibility of writing tales of any length. Her favorite aspect of writing is the ability to create something out of nothing. She loves building worlds readers can visualize and filling those worlds with complex characters and storylines. Valerie believes that the experiences we have in life are just stories waiting to be written.

In 2016, she published her debut novel, The Crimson Tree, a thrilling paranormal tale inspired by true events. The main source of inspiration for this story was a number of experiences her sister encountered in her home. She went on to publish The Dociles, book one of The Secret Archives Trilogy, her young adult dystopian series. Valerie’s work can be found in anthologies such as Demonic Anthologies, Thrill of the Hunt, and We Know the Truth, Do You? Readers can look forward to future novels and short stories with paranormal and urban fantasy aspects in the near future, including a trilogy she is co-authoring in the Dark Projects world.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, or listening to audio books. She is a Florida transplant, but part of her will always call the Midwest home.

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Release Blitz and Giveaway: In the Shadow of A Valiant Moon by Stu Jones and Gareth Washington

25 Tuesday Aug 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Dystopian, giveaway, Release Event, Sci Fi

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Sci fi, Dystopian, Apocalyptic

Date Published: Aug 25 2020

Publisher: Vesuvian Books


photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

 

Four years have passed since the lillipads fell and Etyom slipped into darkness. The New Black Death has mutated again, spreading to near epidemic proportions. What little order existed in Earth’s last city has disintegrated into chaos.

Rippers roam the Vapid, robbing and leaving their victims butchered. The Robusts have spilled out of their broken enclaves and hide in any dark corner that will conceal them. Meanwhile, the elite Graciles, fallen from their pristine towers in the sky, have all mysteriously disappeared.

Demitri is a prisoner in his own mind. His demon, Vedmak—now known as the Vardøger—is manipulating Demitri’s body to execute a secret plan far more disastrous than even the Gracile Leader dared.

Mila, her status among the fractured resistance elevated to that of Paladyn—a protector of the people—leads the fight against zealots intent on destroying what little remains of Etyom. It is a responsibility she never wanted, a calling that prevents her from doing what she truly desires.

Yet, Mila should be careful of what she longs. Caught between annihilation and loyalties that refuse to die, she must reconcile a single immutable truth: following your heart comes at a price.

 

 

Previous Book in the Series

 

Sci fi, dystopian, apocalyptic

Date Published: May 22 2018

Publisher: Vesuvian Books

 

The world you know is dead. We did this to ourselves.

The epidemic struck at the end of the Third World War. Fighting over oil, power, and religion, governments ignored the rise of an antibacterial-resistant plague. In just five years, the Earth was annihilated. Only one city survived—Etyom—a frozen hellhole in northern Siberia, engulfed in endless conflict.

The year is 2251.

Two groups emerged from the ashes of the old world. Within the walled city of Lower Etyom dwell the Robusts—descendants of the poor who were immune to the New Black Death. Above them, in a metropolis of pristine platforms called lillipads, live the Graciles—the progeny of the superrich, bio-engineered to resist the plague.

Mila Solokoff is a Robust who trades information in a world where knowing too much can get you killed. Caught in a deal gone bad, she’s forced to take a high-risk job for a clandestine organization hell-bent on revolution.

Demitri Stasevich is a Gracile with a dark secret—a sickness that, if discovered, will get him Ax’d. His only relief is an illegal narcotic produced by the Robusts, and his only means of obtaining it is a journey to the arctic hell far below New Etyom.

Thrust together in the midst of a sinister plot that threatens all life above and below the cloud line, Mila and Demitri must master their demons and make a choice—one that will either salvage what’s left of the human race or doom it to extinction …

 

        Bronze Medal Winner — 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards — Science Fiction

·         Gold (1st Place) Winner — 2019 Feathered Quill Book Awards — Science Fiction/Fantasy

·         Finalist — 2018 Dragon Awards — Science Fiction

·         Winner — 2018 New York Book Festival — Science Fiction

·         First Place Ribbon — 2018 Chanticleer International Book Awards — Science Fiction

  

 

Universal link 

 

 


 

EXCERPT from Book 2

 

MILA


The young man in the brown jacket spins, arms raised high, a blood-curdling scream issuing from his lips. A few awkward steps and he falls, sprawling headlong across a pile of slush and rubble. A crimson fan spreads out under his corpse, staining the snow red. Another death, another friend of the cause, gone.

He was seventeen.

All around the pop-whizz of gunfire followed by deafening explosions from detonating grenades reminds us all the Kahangan stronghold of Nazal will not fall easily. I slide farther into the frozen mud of the ditch and scrunch into a ball.

“Mos.” Where the hell is he? “Mos, you with me?”

“I’m here, Mila.” The barrel chested Kahangan with midnight skin crawls up next to me, careful to keep his bulk below the rise.

“Who’s hit?”

“Mauricio.”

“Is he dead?”

“He’s not moving.”

“Sniper?” Mos jerks his head in the direction of the building before us. Politsiya in faded Cyrillic letters adorns the ruined facade.

“Knows what they’re doing too.” I pull a small mirror from the arm pouch on my leather jacket and slowly raise it to get a better view.

In the reflection is the form of a person, prone on the roof of the palace—if you can call it that.

A glint of light bounces off the glass.

I snatch my hand down and pinch my eyes shut as a chunk of earth explodes from the rim of the ditch, showering us with wet clods of cold mud. The lingering crack of a rifle follows. He’s got a sarding scope and a good, stable position. Guy definitely knows what he’s doing.

“There’s a way up to the roof on the back side,” Mos says. “I can flank his position and approach from behind if you can keep his attention.” He cocks his head. “That’s probably stupid, huh?”

“It’s only stupid if it doesn’t work.”

Mos, already shuffling away, motions to a few others hiding in another ditch to follow.

“What are you going to do?” I ask.

“Wait for my call.” Mos grins, revealing large, square, white teeth, then creeps away and seems to vanish into thin air.

The cold seeps through my clothing, stealing the fading warmth of the sun. My scarred Kalashnikov rifle feels like a cold, lead weight. I exchanged my bean-bag propelling weapon for a death-dealing one some time ago. I don’t even remember when that happened. Like everything else in this forsaken city, it just sort of did. Yeos forgive me. I loose my canteen from my satchel and take a shaky swallow of the nearly frozen water.

A bark, much like a wild dog.

The signal. “Now!”

I drop the canteen, roll to the left, and rise to one knee. Three more of my fighters appear and the air ignites with the sounds of war. Dust and stone billow around the sniper’s nest. Our suppressive fire has the desired effect: he’s blinded by debris.

“Ceasefire!” I kneel again, the Kalashnikov pressed into my shoulder, watching as the dust clears. “Stand ready.”

We wait in silence, a bitter wind snapping at our scarf-covered faces.

Another flash of light from the roof.

“Get down!” I flop into the muck.

This time there is no report. No exploding clump of earth. A cry of terror fills the air, followed by the sounds of a struggle. I chance a glance. Mos is standing tall and proud on the roof.

“Hold your fire!” I yell.

My comrades lower their weapons. Mos reaches down and plucks up a skinny Kahangan who drops a long-barreled rifle. The little man screams, flailing madly against my friend’s superior strength.

“Traitor.” Mos bellows loud enough to be heard, even from down here. With a single heave, the large Kahangan hurls the sniper over the edge. The man’s hollow scream is cut short as he strikes the frozen ground some ten stories below.

I force myself to peer down at his mangled corpse, twisted like a broken doll in the ice and mud below. The Kalashnikov drops to hang from its canvas strap across my chest. My people follow suit, relaxing their guard, their eyes glazed over in a mixture of relief and stress. They’re all good soldiers. Committed to the cause—peace in Etyom, the last city. The Kahangan civil war has been going on for too long. Kapka—who somehow managed to survive the RPG blast on the platform four years ago—continues his campaign against the followers of Yeos with renewed vigor, but has so far not managed to take this Musul faction. Instead, in this desolate place, power-hungry warlords fight over resources while the people suffer. Here, it’s not Kapka who reigns, but Nazal.

Little is known of the origins of this despot. Some say, like all warlords, he simply rode to power on the broken backs of the Kahangan people. That there was nothing he wasn’t willing to do and no one he wasn’t willing to betray to claim the power he felt was owed to him. Others seem to whisper of his evil deeds like he’s some sort of phantom—a terrible consequence of our own divisiveness. Whatever the case, Nazal is a plague. He’s no Kapka, but the piles of corpses he’s left in his wake can no longer be overlooked. The resistance will stop him because someone must.

 

 About Stu Jones


A veteran law enforcement officer, Stu Jones has worked as a beat cop, an investigator, an instructor of firearms and police defensive tactics and as a member and team leader of a multi-jurisdictional SWAT team.

 



About Gareth Worthington 


Gareth Worthington BSc PhD EMBA is a trained marine biologist and holds a doctorate in comparative endocrinology. Gareth works in the pharmaceutical industry helping to educate the world’s doctors on new cancer therapies.

 

 

IT TAKES DEATH TO REACH A STAR: TRAILER #1 

IT TAKES DEATH TO REACH A STAR: TRAILER #2 

IN THE SHADOW OF A VALIANT MOON: TRAILER #1 

IN THE SHADOW OF A VALIANT MOON: TRAILER #2 

 

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Gareth Worthington Goodreads

Stu Jones Goodreads

Instagram: @garethworthington @stujonesfiction

 


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Release Blitz: The Slums by D.K. Dailey

02 Thursday Jul 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Dystopian, Release Event, Sci Fi, Young Adult

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Golden Dreg Boy, Book 1: The Slums

YA Dystopian Sci-fi

Release Date: July 2, 2020

Publisher: Tillable Ground Dreams

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Finding out who you are has never been so deadly.

In the ruins of San Francisco California, survivors of an epidemic that swept the nation have pooled inside the cities, restructuring life as we know it. Now it’s the strong against the weak; the rich Golden against the poor Dreg.

The Golden govern everything. Living above the city in four sectors, they look down on the Dreg slums. Against all odds, the Dreg have become survivors. Unable to afford proper care, their immune systems have adapted to protect them against the diseases now infecting the Golden.

Seventeen-year-old Kade Shaw is a privileged Golden. Kade and his family have the best money can buy, living in the wealthiest area of Sector One. A bored rich kid, Kade’s tired of his mundane life, and regularly sneaks out to the skate park and the slums to take risks and feel alive—maybe even kiss a Dreg girl or two. Until one night at an illegal party, everything goes horribly wrong.

When the cops accuse Kade of falsifying his Golden status, an offense that carries a death sentence, he is forced to question his true heritage after his powerful parents won’t save him. Then, on the eve of his execution, he’s rescued by a guerilla Dreg group—but why? What do they want from him? As he lives with them in squalor, trained in raiding for food, fighting, and how to survive, he slowly gains respect for the Dreg people, seeing them as more than “other”, confusing the age-old lines of good and bad. But despite his infatuation with Saya, a beautiful Dreg girl, Kade still wants his old life back.

In the brewing deadly war between rich and the poor, Kade must make a choice between fighting for his Golden status or helping the Dregs who saved his life. Golden or Dreg?

 

Other Books in the Golden Dreg Boy Series:

 

Golden Dreg Boy, Prequel Book 0.5: The Skate Park

Release Date: July 2, 2020

Publisher: Tillable Ground Dreams

 

Having fun means breaking the rules. But the risks are greater when you’re Golden.

In the ruins of San Francisco California, survivors of an epidemic that swept the nation have pooled inside the cities, restructuring life as we know it, pitting the rich Golden against the poor Dreg.

Kade Shaw and his best friend Marcus are two very rich, very bored Golden teenage boys looking to break away from their predetermined lives, if only for a little while. Building a skate park seems the perfect way to have a place of their own, somewhere they can have fun and break some rules.

When fellow students begin to fall sick and school is forced to close, Kade begins to question what he knows as normal. After their Dreg contact makes a strange request in exchange for the fiberglass they need for the park, Kade’s unsure if a chance at freedom is worth the risks they are taking. He knows the risks shouldn’t excite him and he should be thrilled being a Golden—but something is missing.

Will he ever be satisfied with his life? And how can he take his rightful place as an elite Golden when all he wants to do is break free?

 

Purchase on Amazon


Golden Dreg Boy©, Book 1.5, Under the Bridge (Says Prequel – do not recommend reading before Book 1, it has spoliers.)

Coming July 23, 2020

Pre-Order on Amazon

 

Golden Dreg Boy©, Book 2, The Underground

Coming July 30, 2020

Pre-Order on Amazon

 

Golden Dreg Boy©, Book 3, The Hills

Coming August 20, 2020

Pre-Order on Amazon

 

Golden Dreg Boy©, Book 4, The Premier

Coming September 24, 2020

Pre-Order on Amazon

 

Golden Dreg Boy©, Divided (This is a volume with 2 Prequels-not an additional book)

Coming August 20, 2020

Pre-Order on Amazon


 About the Author 

D.K. Dailey has a problem: kind of like I see dead people but for writers. Good thing she fuels that creativity to build worlds and create people who do what she says-well, most of the time. She often says, if she wasn’t a writer, she’d be certifiably crazy.

Dailey’s writing journey started as a child when she began writing sci-fi short stories, a result of watching countless hours of Star Trek on a shared TV with her parents. With an inborn passion for telling stories, writing songs and poems, her hobbies erupted into a career path after she penned a play in college and then her first novel. As a writer of color living in Northern California being immersed in a tapestry of culture and history has consistently inspired and helped D.K. Dailey pen numerous books.

 

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Book Tour & Giveaway: Crossing in Time by DL Orton

20 Monday Apr 2020

Posted by ehmusings in Adventure, Book Tour, Dystopian, giveaway, time travel

≈ 1 Comment

Crossing in Time
Between Two Evils Book 1
by D.L. Orton
Genre: Action-Adventure, Dystopian, Time Travel, Love Story
The past isn’t over, it’s an opening. The future isn’t hidden, it’s a trap.
If she ever wants to see him again, she’ll have to take the risk…
Publishers Weekly Starred Review: “Funny, Romantic & Harrowing!”
When offered a one-way trip to the past, Iz sacrifices everything for a chance to change her dystopian future—and see her murdered lover one last time.
After a perilous journey through a black hole, she wakes up on a tropical beach, buck naked and mortally wounded—but twenty years younger! With only hours to live, she must convince an enraptured but skeptical twenty-something guy to fix their future relationship and thereby save the planet (no one is quite sure why.)
But it’s easier said than done, as success means losing him to a brainy, smart-mouthed bombshell (her younger self), and that’s a heartbreaker, save the world or not.
Across the infinite expanse of space and time, love endures…
(Unfortunately, it’s not going to be enough.)
FALL INTO THIS EDGY, action-packed, darkly comedic, dystopian love story, and be prepared to encounter a finicky time machine, a mysterious seashell, and a very clever dog (some sex, some swearing, some violence, but no vampires and absolutely no ditzes.)
Content Warning!
This book contains material that may be disturbing to some, and in movie form, would be rated NC-17 for strong language, nudity, sexual situations, and violence (including attempted sexual assault, abduction, intense danger, miscarriage, confinement, a pandemic, religious fanaticism (Christian), government malevolence, and death).
Reader discretion is advised.
**Get it FREE!! **
Add to Goodreads
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo
Book Trailer
https://youtu.be/Tl9Os5mokhY
Lost Time
Between Two Evils Book 2
From the award-winning author D. L. ORTON comes book two in the Between Two Evils Series…
If someone took everything you live for, how far would you go to get it back?
When a faulty time machine deposits Diego at the top of a towering evergreen, he knows he’s in the wrong place—but has no idea he’s also in the wrong time. Naked and shivering in the primeval forest, he attempts to climb down—but slips, whacks his head on a branch, and tumbles into oblivion.
He awakens inside a darkened room, crippled and disheartened, and must come to grips with the realization that he is marooned in a bleak alternate future. In this universe, what remains of the human race is trapped inside a handful of aging biodomes. With his mission failed, his world destroyed, and the one woman he loves dead, he can find no reason to go on living.
Except Lani, the emotionally scarred doctor who must put Diego’s broken body back together, refuses to let him die, and as Diego heals, their relationship becomes… complicated. He struggles to let go of the past but is unable to get Isabel out of his head—or his heart. Just when it seems he may be able to find some measure of happiness in a world teetering on the edge of extinction…
Another note arrives from his past: Isabel is alive—but not for long. Find the time machine, and go home before it’s too late…
~ Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize shortlist
~ Colorado Book Award finalist
Goodreads * Amazon
Dead Time
Between Two Evils Book 3
If someone took everything you live for, how far would you go to get it back?
From award-winning author D. L. ORTON comes book three in the Between Two Evils series…
Shannon fights to stay alive inside a rogue biodome and discovers something totally unexpected… Peter. Lani is forced into the role of the reluctant heroine but rediscovers her street-kid mojo and sets out to find everything she’s lost. Diego receives another dirty sock (and a note) from the poorly aimed fireball express: “The window between universes is closing.” If Diego has any hope of getting back to Iz, he must get to the Magic Kingdom and power up the time machine before it’s too late.
What could possibly go wrong?
Goodreads * Amazon
DL ORTON, THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR of the BETWEEN TWO EVILS series, lives in the foothills of the Rockies where she and her husband are raising three boys, a golden retriever, two Siberian cats, and an extremely long-lived Triops. ?￰゚マᄑ♂️
In her spare time, she’s building a time machine so that someone can go back and do the laundry.
Website * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
$50 Amazon or Paypal
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