Hedon - Spotlight and #Giveaway

Hedon

by Jason Werbeloff

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GENRE: Dystopian Science Fiction

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BLURB:

What if happiness were compulsory?

What if your thoughts were not your own?

Plunge into HEDON for soul-twisting sci-fi.

In 2051, the Bhutanese Empire rules post-apocalyptic Shangri with iron-fisted Buddhist compassion. Happiness is compulsory, but making everyone happy isn’t easy in an overpopulated world. Breeders are ghettoed, homosexuality is mandatory, and Shangrians’ happiness levels are strictly monitored by hedometers implanted in their heads. Become depressed, or feel too happy without helping others feel the same, and The Tax Man will get angry. Very angry.

Gemini and Cyan, winners of the pregnancy lottery, are on the run. Cyan can’t fall pregnant, and Gemini is addicted to the Experience Machine. Will they evade The Tax Man, and find a way to end the brutal pleasures of Shangri?

The lovechild of Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale, HEDON is gritty satire on a dystopia drunk with bigotry and positive thinking.

“A one of a kind dystopian novel.”

“As politically depraved as anyone could desire.”

“This is storytelling at its best”.

– ReadersFavorite.com 5 star review of HEDON

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Excerpt:

The day before his father died, Gemini had carried the old, old man to the summit of the district heap. Cardboard boxes, plastic packets, clothes hangers, rags, and a thousand other remnants of the past had sagged, crunched and scratched beneath Gemini’s bare feet. By the time he’d reached the top, he was out of breath. But it wasn’t the weight of his father in his arms, clinging to his neck. His father weighed less than a memory. No, it was the thought that this would be the last time they would share the view together.

The heap was higher than the ghetto Wall, higher than the Devas. From the top, they could see it all. Rows and rows, and rows, of tin shacks stretched behind them. And before them, a mile away, was the great Wall, brown as the earth. Beyond was the city, its brown-white spires shrouded in fog. Brown fog.

His father had looked at Gemini then. Really looked. Looked at him, his son, not as a war veteran. Not as someone from the past. “Boy,” his father’s voice was hollow, soaked up by the heap, “are you happy?”

The breath in Gemini had caught. Of course he was happy. Everyone was happy. It was Shangri. But his lips formed a different reply. “No,” he said, and stared out beyond the Wall. His cheeks burned.

“That’s okay, boy. They say they’re happy. But they’re not. Nobody is.”

Gemini swung his head to study his father’s eyes. The blasphemy. Sure, there was unrest here, in the ghetto. Sure, there was discontent. But few spoke such … such blatant heresy. Such negativity.

“Find a girl,” his father said, placing a veined hand on his son’s. “Be happy with her, but not too much. Never forget …” His head twitched. “Never forget that there is more.”

His father fell silent. Gemini scooped together a pillow of detritus so the dying man could lie comfortably as he stared out at the city. The city the old man had fought for, and lost.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Human. Male. From an obscure planet in the Milky Way Galaxy. Sci-fi novelist with a PhD in philosophy. Likes chocolates, Labradors, and zombies (not necessarily in that order). Werbeloff spends his days constructing thought experiments, while trying to muster enough guilt to go to the gym.

He's written two novels, Hedon and The Solace Pill, and the short story anthology, Obsidian Worlds. His books will make your brain hurt. And you'll come back for more.

Subscribe to his newsletter to receive a free novel, and a lifetime of free and discounted stories: http://smarturl.it/werbeloff

**Amazon Author Page: http://smarturl.it/AuthWerbeloff  – download all of Werbeloff's fiction from Amazon.

**Newsletter: http://smarturl.it/werbeloff – subscribe to get 'The Solace Pill' free, as well as VIP access to Werbeloff's latest fiction.

**Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7340789  – read and submit reviews of Werbeloff’s fiction.

**Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/solaceseries  and Twitter: https://twitter.com/JasonWerbeloff – follow Werbeloff for release date information on upcoming shorts and novels.

**Website: http://www.jasonwerbeloff.com/ - read about the author, and the philosophy behind his fiction.

Purchase link for Hedon: PLEASE NOTE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THIS FOR  F R E E today!

http://smarturl.it/hedon

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Jason will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

A Beginners Guide to invading Earth - Spotlight and #Giveaway

I'm so happy to welcome Science Fiction author Gerhard Gehrke

 to the Flight Deck today. Let's find out about his debut novel and his writing -


HL: When did you start writing?

 GG: I have a binder with partial stories from grade school. During math class two friends and I produced a regular series of Pac-Man comic books with dozens of reoccurring characters, convoluted plot lines, and questionable artwork. As my collaborators had input, I was forced to allow vampires and Shogun Warriors into the mix. My notebook stories ranged from a boy and his horse story reminiscent of Lassie to a dreary horror novel with a crowbar-wielding maniac with a breathing problem.


HL: If someone were to play one of your characters in a movie, which character and what actor would it be and why?

 

GG: I'd love to have a slightly younger Clancy Brown (The Kurgan in the original Highlander, etc.) play as my main character Jeff Abel. Such a great voice and the right build, as Jeff is also a big guy with a mop of hair and a slight case of exotropia. Clancy Brown brings a touch of class to some cheesy roles; thus he'd be a great fit.


HL: What have you learned about writing since you were published that surprised you the most?

GG: No matter how hard you try, your novel may never feel finished, as there's always a nip/tuck/edit you wish you had done before releasing your project to the world. I find myself critical of my approach of perspective in A Beginner's Guide to Invading Earth which I've tightened up on now that I have the sequel going through the editing process. The balance comes from knowing you've listened to your editor and you've given it your all. This allows you to tame your anxieties with the knowledge that you will improve as you progress as an author.

HL: What’s you’re writing process? Has it changed since writing your first book?

GG: I have a connect-the-dots strategy that is essentially a loose outline. I know where I want to land and have several plot points to hit along the way. This all proves malleable as I go. I have several notebooks where I will lay out bullet points of what happens next and what needs to happen after, but these notes are rarely more than a few key words and phrases. I don't use any software for this even though I've tried, and I'm intrigued by ones who manage to lay everything out via spreadsheets like Excel. When I write, the story rarely cooperates with tight scripting. My approach seems locked in for now, but I'm willing to change if I find another way to write that looks like it will fit my style.


HL: Do you listen to music when you write and if so, what kind of music – or do you find it distracts you?

 GG: How anyone can write while listening to music baffles me. I need silence and I'm easily distracted. Alt-tab is the enemy! But to be fair, I need to sit still when chewing gun, so there's that. Sometimes on a third+ read-through where I'm hunting for extraneous commas I'll put on some classical (Brahms, Beethoven, Chopin) or some Tool or Iron Maiden. I've got a selection of covers of Maiden's song “Fear of the Dark” if anyone's interested.

HL: What is your personal definition of success?

GG: Not to get too sappy, but when something I wrote made someone happy, that's a win. This is an inversion from the service business, where a quiet customer is a happy one. Happy readers will say something and sometimes leave a good review. Then again, angry readers leave feedback too. But at least I made them feel something. Nothing's worse than an audience that shrugs you off with a “meh.”

HL: Is there any advice, as a new writer, that you were either given, or wish you had been given?

 

GG: “Don't write if you don't have to.” A published author told me this once, and this is both good and bad advice. Writing can become an obsession, but it's also a rewarding pursuit. It reminds me of what the lawyer who taught my State Contractor's License class said concerning running your own business: “The highs are higher, the lows are lower.” This is true of writing as well, as there's nothing quite like having someone enjoy something you wrote, but rejection is part of the process too.

HL: Who is your most favorite character of all time from any book?

 

GG: Anyone who's read Allan Cole and Chris Bunch's Sten series knows Alex Kilgour. He's the heavy world sidekick who steals the show and has some of the series' best lines. One ongoing gag is his awful jokes which often take the entire novel to tell as he is continually interrupted or threatened to stop telling it. Of course, reading his parts were sometimes a challenge as the writers chose to render his Scottish brogue phonetically. In hindsight he's like The Simpsons' Groundskeeper Willie on steroids and with more firepower.

HL: Where can readers connect with you?

GG: I'm in the usual spots like Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/gerhardgehrkeauthor/) and Twitter (@gerhardgehrke). My blog is Capriciousnarrator.com where I talk about the world of science fiction and writing. My personal site ( http://www.gerhardgehrke.com ) has links to where you can find a copy of A Beginner's Guide to Invading Earth.

HL: Is there a question you really, really wish someone would ask, but they never do? If so what would be your reply?

GG: With writing and blogging I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop where someone asks me “Who do you think you are in talking so much about yourself?” I guess dreading is the word I'm thinking of here, not wishing. But this question is so sweet! I just appreciate Hywela Lyn for having me today.

Thank you so much for visiting with us today - it's been a real pleasure to have you on the Flight Deck! Wishing you much success with your debut  novel!


A Beginner's Guide to Invading Earth

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GENRE: Science Fiction

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BLURB:

What would you do if you found a dead alien on a lonely highway?

Was it an accident, sabotage, or murder? And why is everyone blaming Jeff?

The extraterrestrials aren’t waiting for answers. They want revenge. And Jeff isn’t ready for company.

His only hope is an outcast mechanic from another world and a woman who might do anything to get off planet, including selling out her own kind. Jeff has to get to the bottom of why there are so many alien bodies piling up and who is really responsible.

A science fiction adventure novel, A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth tells the story of a reclusive ex-computer programmer who is the unwitting central figure of a plot to keep humanity from ever making first contact.

Excerpt

“Do you believe in aliens? Jordan asked.

Outside of town and with no moon, Jeff drove with care. The road ahead curved into black beyond the pickup truck’s headlights. Some of the turns had helpful signs with black arrows on reflective yellow, but most did not.

“Like little green men with designs on our world?” Jeff said.

“More like what’s been going on in the news,” she said. “The actual sightings of extraterrestrials. That alien body in Nevada.”

“I don’t watch T.V. Heard some crazy stuff on the radio. But I don’t listen to it much, either.”

“You really are cut off, you know. Like a hermit.”

Jeff smiled. Only a couple of cars passed them, both heading the opposite way. He thought of the gangly, hairy creature he had seen, working to fix his broken spaceship, panicking at the sight of a human, and somehow knowing Jeff’s name without so much as an introduction. Had that actually happened?

“It seems like pretty big news,” Jordan said. “If it’s real, that is. So do you like keeping yourself so isolated?”

“I like to think of myself as unplugged,” Jeff said. “Maybe more people should try it. As for the aliens, there’s this old theory about hysteria. It’s happened before. A commie in every closet. Fluoride in the drinking water lets the government control the population.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Gerhard Gehrke studied film at San Francisco State University. He wrote and produced
several shows for community television. His Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror short stories have appeared in several publications, including an Editor’s Choice-winning short story at AnotheRealm.com. A Beginner’s Guide to Invading Earth is his first novel.

You can connect with him at Gerhardgehrke.com.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gerhardgehrke

Facebook: www.facebook.com/gerhardgehrkeauthor   

Blog: www.capriciousnarrator.wordpress.com/   

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=a+beginner%27s+guide+to+invading+earth+

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-beginners-guide-to-invading-earth-gerhard-gehrke/1122581957

Also available on iBooks

Link to YouTube Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwExDzGD6Js

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Gerhard Gehrke will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Hunters Moon - Spotlight and Giveaway

It's always a pleasure to feature a fellow Wild Rose Press author, and I'm thrilled to welcome Beth Trissel here today. and to celebrate her new release:

The Hunter's Moon (Book 1--Secret Warrior Series)

by Beth Trissel

GENRE: YA Fantasy  Romance

BLURB:

Seventeen year old Morgan Daniel has been in the witness protection program most of her life. But The Panteras have caught up with her and her younger brother. Her car is totaled, she's hurt, and the street gang is closing in when wolves with glowing eyes appear out of nowhere and chase away the killers.

Then a very cute guy who handles a bow like Robin Hood emerges from the woods and takes them to safety at his fortress-like home. And that's just the first sign that Morgan and her brother have entered a hidden world filled with secrets.

PURCHASE LINKS:

http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=242_246_158&products_id=6539

http://www.amazon.com/Hunters-Moon-Secret-Warrior-ebook/dp/B017OCROM8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450079627&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hunter%27s+moon+beth+trissel 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hunters-moon-beth-trissel/1122902086?ean=2940151221542 

EXCERPT

Oh, no. Was the wolf hit? Morgan prayed not. She sensed him trying to protect them, and couldn’t imagine why, or why he seemed like ‘her wolf’.

Cries, like the shrieks of a panther, carried through the trees. A chill crawled down her spine. Were the woods filled with creatures she thought long gone from these mountains?

More wolfish snarls erupted and snapping, tearing. Good. He lived. She nudged Jimmy. “Can you see anything?”

He craned his head around the rocks. “Not through the smoke and fog.”

Eerie howls rose from the surrounding woodland on every side. A whole pack must be gathering. Morgan wasn’t certain whether to be frightened, fascinated, or hopeful of rescue. Still light-headed, not sure she even saw clearly, she watched the black wolf reappear; with him, a great white wolf whose green eyes shone like starlight. The most extraordinary yet. Together, the two loped after the brown and gray one. Judging by the high-pitched calls, there were more wolves out there. And panthers, or were they mountain lions?

Snarls, growls, and the shrieks of enraged felines ripped through the smoky shroud. The pack wasn’t after her and Jimmy. Not now, anyway.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Married to her high school sweetheart, Beth Trissel lives on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia surrounded by her human family and furbabies. An avid gardener, her love of herbs and heirloom plants figures into her work. The rich history of Virginia, the Native Americans, and the people who journeyed here from far beyond her borders are at the heart of her inspiration. She's especially drawn to colonial America and the drama of the American Revolution. In addition to YA fantasy romance, she also writes historical, time travel, and paranormal romance, plus nonfiction.

For more on Beth visit her blog, One Writer’s Way, at: https://bethtrissel.wordpress.com

Connect with Beth on Facebook: Author Beth Trissel:

https://www.facebook.com/bctrissel?fref=ts

At Twitter: https://twitter.com/BethTrissel

Visit Beth’s Amazon Author Page where all her books reside: Amazon Author Page

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Future Winds Book Blast and Giveaway

Future Winds

by Kevin Laymon

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GENRE: Science-Fiction

BLURB:

Set in a science fiction setting with elements of twisted horror, Future Winds is a strange yet wondrous tale of species self preservation and the all out moral cost of survival. Forced to leave earth, humanity discovers a planet capable of supporting life and hatches an audacious plan that will warp them across the universe to settle and begin anew. There is a darkness that resides below the planet's surface, but with no option to turn back, humanity must find a way forward.

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Excerpt

Chapter 12 excerpt:

Though humanities new planet is mostly desert, there is an abundance of lush and complex alien life that dwell below the hot surface.

The channel was lit up by neon flora of green and blue, beautiful little plants that swayed back and forth despite the lack of a breeze or draft to give them a push. Reaching out to touch one with his glove, the little blossom reacted by illuminating brighter, so much so that the exterior became transparent, and Tyler could see the thousands of cells within, that made up life for the spectacular flower.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

My name is Kevin Laymon. My passions are space exploration, music, sailing, snowboarding, wildlife, and of course writing. I have been writing for some time but the focus has been primarily on short stories and dark poems strictly for personal use. Future Winds is the first of a handful of novels I am working on for publication. I grew up in upstate New York and have lived up and down the east coast. New York is a location that holds a very special place in my heart. After working a wide range of jobs that I hated for far too long, Sara my significant other, and I decided earlier in 2015 to make some dramatic changes and travel. We scraped together some cash, I quit my job, and we moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where we live a libertarian life as vegetarians. We share our desertscape living quarters with an aquatic turtle named Taz and a rabbit named BunBear. On October 9th 2015 Sara & I got married in Las Vegas, Nevada. The sunshine in New Mexico has helped immensely in illuminating a greater perspective as to who I am and what I was placed on this planet to do; that is to teach and inspire. I have a hunger to awaken humanity so that we may break away from our programed way of thinking. Our minds are powerful and I encourage everyone to open them up, exercise them, and tap into the potential I know every living man woman and child has. Though my stories at times can be very dark there is a reason for everything I do. Perspective, perception, and relativity are everything in the world of literature.

Website:

AuthorKevinLaymon.com

Kevin will be awarding a $20 gift card to Thinkgeek.com (international) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Tangled Web Super Book Blast

 

Tangled Web

by Angela Whisenhant

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GENRE: Romantic Suspense/Christian

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BLURB:

One bad decision can change your life forever. Alyson Carter has always put her family first, so the small town of Sage Grove is shocked to learn she’s abandoned them for a man she met online. Seeking a more exciting life, she moves to his horse ranch in Colorado.

Attempting to adjust to life without her, her husband, Kurt, accepts an opportunity to train with the FBI, reluctantly allowing their daughter, Lacy, to move in with a family friend. When the friend is kidnapped, it’s discovered Lacy was the intended target. Pursued by unknown assailants who will stop at nothing to catch her, Lacy finds herself scared and alone. She turns to her mother for protection, unaware that her mother’s secluded mountain sanctuary has become a prison. Alyson discovers she’s merely a pawn in the deadly game of a man she thought she knew. Secrets and lies draw her family onto a collision course with cold-blooded killers.

Her ill-fated decision has placed them all in danger, and she is forced to confront her enemy head-on to protect herself and her daughter. Now she must depend on a God she turned her back on and the husband she left behind to save them both.

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Excerpt

As she was thinking, she scanned the books titles on Mr. Stewart’s shelves. He had everything from classics to textbooks. She started randomly pulling books out. This wasn’t a movie, but there was always the chance that something was hidden among the books. It was about as likely as finding a hidden compartment in one of his drawers. A loud creak shattered the silence. Lacy had heard that same creak every time the back door was opened or closed. Finally, one of the Stewarts must be home. She started to walk to the door and stopped. Maybe it was intuition or maybe she was just paranoid after last night, but something wasn’t right. 

Lacy walked to the window and peered through the blind. She didn’t see any cars parked in the drive, and she hadn’t heard the garage door open. The house was as silent as it had been when she arrived—so quiet she could hear the large antique clock ticking on the credenza.  She listened at the office door and heard numerous footsteps throughout the house. There were no voices, which meant they didn’t want anyone to know they were there. She quietly closed and locked the door, hoping to buy herself some time while she figured out what to do. She could go out the window, and try to make a break for her car. She looked through the blind again and scanned the street in front of the house. On the opposite side of the road, she saw a black SUV that looked very familiar. The car from last night! Suddenly, her heart was pounding in her chest. This could not be happening again. 

 Pushing the shade to the side, she reached for the lock on the window. Nothing—the windows didn’t open! Then she walked to Mr. Stewart’s desk and reached for the clock on the credenza. If she had to protect herself, it was the only thing in the office that looked like it could do any damage. She wrapped her fingers around it, and started to lift it, but wouldn’t budge. It must be heavier than she thought, so she grabbed it with both hands. She still  couldn’t lift it. It was impossible for that clock to be too heavy to lift. 

She inspected the clock and discovered it was bolted to the desk. This was not merely a decorative antique clock. The time was wrong, and she noticed that although the clock was ticking, the second hand wasn’t moving. Expecting the door to fly open at any time, her hands trembled as she unlatched the round glass door covering the face of the clock. A bolted-down clock that ticked but never changed the time had to be significant. She took her finger and slowly moved the minute hand around the face of the clock. When the clock reached twelve o’clock, she heard a soft click. She ran both hands over the clock, trying to discover what secrets it was hiding. Through the wall she heard someone in the room next door. Her time was running out. She was trapped in the office with windows that didn’t open. It was over…

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Angela has been a passionate reader her whole life and that love of reading developed into a love of writing. She is excitedly awaiting the publication of her first novel, Tangled Web. She wants to tell the stories of real people who make real mistakes and, yet find real redemption. People who are leading normal lives and suddenly find themselves thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Sometimes they make good decisions and sometimes bad decisions. But either way they must live with the consequences.

Much of her inspiration comes from her life in a small town and her love of all things suspense. Her perfect storm is when the two collide. Crime in a small town impacts everyone because of the close ties.

Angela lives in Texas with the three loves of her life; her husband Leslie and sons, Kyle and Chase. Other than writing, she loves coffee, 80’s music, hiking in Colorado and HGTV. She aspires to live a joyful life, always chase her dreams and never settle for mediocrity.

Find her here:

Website | www.angelawhisenhant.wordpress.com/

Facebook |www.AngelaWhisenhantAuthor

Twitter | @angela_whiz

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GIVEAWAY

Angela will be awarding a $5 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2015/10/book-blast-tangled-web-by-angela.html


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