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Showing posts with label science fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science fiction. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

INTERVIEW OF NINA CROFT AUTHOR OF BREAK OUT



 I want to welcome Nina Croft to Books R Us. Nina is the author of Break Out (Blood Hunter) a Paranormal/Sci-Fi romance. Thanks for stopping by.



Can you tell me who or what was the inspiration for the book?

Break out is a mixture of sci-fi and paranormal romance, and there were actually two things that inspired it.
The first was watching the sci-fi series Firefly for about the third time. I love the series and I decided I wanted to write a space opera, because they’re fun and absolutely anything can happen.
The second was a serious case of paranormal deprivation. A while back, my husband asked me—why didn’t I write a good book? By ‘good’ he actually meant without any romance, vampires, werewolves or aliens. So, I wrote him a thriller, which I loved doing (it’s called The Descartes Legacy and will be out early next year!) And while a little (okay, a lot) of romance sneaked into it and maybe just a little bitty alien, there were no vampires and no werewolves, and by the time I’d finished writing I was in desperate need of a paranormal fix. So when I started plotting Break Out, and the pilot of my space ship turned out to be a vampire, I wasn’t too upset and actually welcomed him with open arms.
So there I was – vampires in Space.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

I go through stages where I find it difficult to get the words down. When that happens, I tend to just force myself to work through it. Usually though, I’ll give myself a change of scenery and perhaps try a different method from typing into my laptop. I’ll maybe take a notebook into the garden or up the mountain or… and I’ll write longhand for a change. It usually gets me going again.

Can you tell me your experiences in finding a publisher for the book?

I always knew that Break Out would be hard to find a publisher for, because it’s such a mixture of genres: sci-fi, romance, paranormal. I’d had another book accepted by Entangled Publishing through a pitch competition on the Savvy Authors site (that book was Bittersweet Blood, a paranormal romance to be released this December). I’d loved my dealings with Entangled up to that point and so when I saw that they were actively seeking space opera submissions I thought why not—maybe they’d like my space opera with a vampire. My manuscript found its way to Liz at Entangled who got back to me within the day. She asked me if it was part of a series, and if it wasn’t could it be? It was one of the nicest days of my writing career!


How long did it take you to write the book and how long did it take to get the book released?

Break Out was first released last July as a novella. The first draft took me probably a month to write and then another to edit. It was accepted in April last year and released in July so things moved pretty fast.

Who is your favorite character in the book and why?

Definitely the hero of the book, Ricardo Sanchez or Rico. He’s probably my favourite of all my characters. Rico turned up almost fully formed. He just about wrote himself and in fact, has a tendency to take over every scene he’s in (which was okay for Break Out, as he’s the hero but a bit of a pain for the later books.)

What are your current / future projects? 

I tend to have a few things on the go at once. I’m contracted to write another three Blood Hunter books so I’m planning those, but right now I’m working on a paranormal romance, a sequel to my December release, Bittersweet Blood.

Do you have any tips for a young writer just starting out?

Write what you love, because that’s what will sustain you when the going gets tough—which it will.

If your book was to be made into a movie, Who would you like the main character to be played by and why?

This is so hard. I think as writers we get such strong images of how are characters look that it’s hard to accept a real person. But I think for Rico, maybe a young Antonio Banderas (Rico is Spanish) or maybe Ian Somerhalder (I’ve just started watching The Vampire Diaries!) he could pass for Spanish.

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?  Where do you like to vacation?  Can you tell us briefly about this?

I live on an almond farm in southern Spain with my husband and a whole load of animals. So when I’m not writing, I’m usually either walking the dogs, riding my horse, Gencianna, or lying under an almond tree reading.
We used to travel a lot before we moved to Spain, and we loved getting off the beaten track. We visited Africa, India and South East Asia. But we don’t really get to go on holiday anymore, it’s just not possible because of all the animals, so we spend holidays at home. But as we live in a spectacularly beautiful part of the world, that’s not really a hardship.

Can you tell me where we can purchase your book?

Buy Links


About the Book:
The year is 3048, Earth is no longer habitable, and man has fled to the stars where they’ve discovered the secret of immortality—Meridian. Unfortunately, the radioactive mineral is exorbitantly expensive and only available to a select few. A new class comprised of the super rich and immortal soon evolves. The Collective, as they’re called, rule the universe.
Two-thousand-year-old Ricardo Sanchez, vampire and rogue pilot of the space cruiser, El Cazador, can’t resist two things: gorgeous women and impossible jobs. When beautiful Skylar Rossaria approaches him to break a prisoner out of the Collective’s maximum security prison on Trakis One, Rico jumps at the chance. Being hunted by the Collective has never been so dangerous–or so fun!
 
 About the Author:

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia, which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.
Nina writes all types of romance often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.

Find me at:




Sunday, December 4, 2011

REVIEW OF CITY OF THE FALLING SKY BY JOSEPH EVANS

Release date: July 26, 2011.
Published by: Independently.
Reading level: Young Adult: Futuristic.




About the Book:

When Seckry Sevenstars is forced out of his village by the greedy Endrin Corporation and relocated to the daunting metropolis of Skyfall City, he harbours resentment for the company and vows to get them back one day for taking away his home, his school and his friends.

Fortunately, the marvels of the city do a good job in distracting Seckry from his anger and homesickness, and it isn’t long before he’s competing at Friction (the city’s most popular multiplayer video game), slurping awe-inspiring multicoloured milkshakes, and getting butterflies on his first date.

Then, when a mysterious email asks Seckry to break into the headquarters of the Endrin Corporation and steal a container full of worms for a hefty sum of money, his anger resurfaces, and he can’t resist the revenge he promised himself.

Alone at night, Seckry creeps through the sewers whilst wondering what experiments Endrin might be doing on the worms, and emerges into the silent complex. But the worms aren’t the only thing that he finds. Staring at him through the darkness, with wide, innocent eyes, is something that makes Seckry’s heart almost stop.

A girl.

She’s shaking, petrified, and has no recollection of who she is or what she’s doing there.

Floodlights bleach the area and Seckry has no choice but to grab a hold of the girl and escape with her.

Suddenly the question of what Endrin were doing with a few worms becomes the last thing on Seckry’s mind. What were Endrin doing with a human?

Watch the Trailer: 

 


My Thoughts:

I have to sum the book up in one word "WOW!" but let me tell you why. The book grabbed me from the first page with vivid scenes, great characters and a little bit of Harry Potter in a futuristic way. I really liked Seckry, he was your typical 16-year-old boy who lived in a world where you had to fend for yourself to get by. The novel had multiple story-lines that was intermingled in a way that was not confusing.The author was able to make the characters real and believable with twists and turns that kept me engaged and interested.
Although, I did find a couple grammatical errors throughout the book, they did not hinder my enjoyment of the book. If you are a gamer, you will enjoy the book. The author has a vivid imagination and the way he described the virtual world of Friction intrigued me. I wish I could enter the world and play the game. This is a great YA novel and I look forward to book two in the series.





Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review in any way.

Monday, January 3, 2011

REVIEW OF HUMAN BLEND BY L. PESCATORE

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Human BlendIn Human Blend, Laney is not like other girls... she has special abilities that sets her apart from others. She escaped from a difficult life and she wants to keep hidden. She was held captive because of these special abilities. She is haunted by memories and flashbacks of the suffering that she had to endure. She decides to change her appearance and her name to Julie. She decides hideout in a small town.
Ignoring her own warnings, she begins a relationship with a local boy. The relationship turns dangerous when the boy begins developing similar abilities. This development does not fall under the radar of the men who are trying to recapture her. A young doctor's interest is piqued when he witnesses her mysteriously curing a young child's illness. He befriends her due to his growing fascination with uncovering the true nature of her abilities, but not without harboring secrets of his own. Laney's new life falls apart when she meets a young intern that seems to have all the answers to her questions. The information sends her into a tail spin. Thoughts of going on the run once again are thwarted as those whom she was running from find her.

About the Author-

Lori Pescatore is currently teaching preschool in Bucks County, PA. She is a married mom of two boys and has been actively writing her whole life. Human Blend is her first in a trilogy of books in this series. Multiple Sclerosis became part of her life seven years ago, a battle she continues today. Visit her Facebook page.




My Thoughts-

This is a fantastic paranormal story. I was drawn into the storyline from page one. All of the characters were exciting and well developed. When I found out Julie's special ability, I wanted to find out more. The book was fast paced, with twists and turns throughout the book. All of the male characters were intriguing and each of them had their own special ability that was discovered throughout the book. The information about the Human Blends were very interesting and each one had different abilities. I have never read any book like this one and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.





Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of the book for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review.

Friday, December 17, 2010

BLOG TOUR AND REVIEW OF THE 19TH ELEMENT BY J.L. BETCHER



The 19th Element: A James Becker Nuclear ThrillerIn The 19th Element: A James Becker Nuclear Thriller, Al Qaeda plans to attack Minnesota’s Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant as a means to return the down-trodden terrorist organization to international prominence.
In addition to their own devoted forces, the terrorists enlist some homegrown anarchists, and a Three Mile Island survivor with a pathological vendetta against the nuclear establishment, to assist in the assault.
James “Beck” Becker is a former elite U.S. government intelligence operative who has retired to his childhood hometown of Red Wing, Minnesota – just six miles down the Mississippi from the Prairie River nuclear facility.
Possessing wisdom born of experience, Beck suspects the terrorists’ intentions as soon as the body of a university professor turns up on the Mississippi shore – the clear victim of foul play.
He recognizes connections between seemingly unrelated incidents – the murdered agronomy professor, a missing lab assistant, an international cell call, a stolen fertilizer truck – but can’t piece it together in enough detail to convince government authorities that a larger threat exists.  Only his American Indian friend, “Bull,” will help Beck defuse the threat.
So it’s Beck and Bull versus international terror.


My Thoughts-

The book started out slowly and then picked up speed rather quickly. There were some chapters that provided me too much technical information and I felt that I was reading a chemistry textbook. This is a great psychological thriller and I was able to finish the book in one afternoon. It was scary and I felt like I was right there with Beck stopping the terrorists. The characters were well developed and believable. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and his newest book A Higher Court, One Man's Search for the Truth of God's Existence.


About the Author-

The author holds a Bachelor's Degree, cum laude, in English from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis. He has practiced law for more than twenty-five years in the Mississippi River community of Red Wing, Minnesota. He has also been a long-time supporter and coach of youth volleyball there. Mr. Betcher has published three feature articles in COACHING VOLLEYBALL, the Journal of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. His most recent article was the cover story for the April/May, 2009 Issue. 



Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest review and I was not compensated for this review.