A new book spotlight today for What Remains by Corey Niles. Enjoy.
What Remains by Corey Niles
In a world on the brink of collapse, the White, an ominous force of undulating clouds, sweeps across the northern United States, leaving nothing in its wake. As food runs out and supplies become scarce, extremist religious groups seize control, plunging society into chaos and anarchy. In this devastating new reality, Alexander and Sebastian—ex-boyfriends fleeing from their painful past—embark on a perilous journey south, hoping to escape the White's deadly path. With their only hope of survival tied to reaching the equator, they are pushed to their limits, both physically and emotionally. As they battle against the encroaching end of the world, they must also contend with their fractured relationship. What is the true cost of survival when everything they’ve known is collapsing? With danger lurking at every turn, the pair faces a fight for their lives—against not only the White but the demons within themselves. What Remains is a gripping post-apocalyptic survival story, blending horror, heartache, and hope. In a world where society is on the brink of extinction, Alexander and Sebastian must decide what it truly means to survive.
Corey Niles was born and raised in the Rust Belt. A graduate of Seton Hill’s MFA program, he has published over thirty works of short fiction and poetry, appearing in Nightmare Magazine, Space and Time Magazine, and The Horror Zine.
He is the author of Blood & Dirt, a novel, and Death & Other Forms of Devotion, a poetry collection. He lives in North Carolina with his partner, Sean, and a sizable army of cats and dogs.
Today, I bring you another book spotlight, this time for science fiction with the novel, Chawlgirl Rising by Tim Young. Enjoy.
Chawlgirl Rising by Tim Young
Every time he shut off a city’s supply of food and water and doomed its citizens to starvation, Lucas Seraph thought he was doing the right thing. In the Indus Hegemony of 2118 AD few resources remain, and only the iron rule of the Hegemony’s sadistic leader Ju-Long Ng stands in the way of society’s collapse. But Lucas chafes at Ng’s cruelty and his wife’s devotion to the Hegemony, and when he clashes with Ginevra, the scarred but beautiful leader of a shadowy resistance against the Hegemony, his faith in Ng’s vision for humanity’s survival is shattered.
Ordered to eliminate the rebels, Lucas instead discovers Ng’s true goal: the forced modification of every Hegemony citizen’s body to adapt to the wasted planet, and the murder of all those who cannot survive the procedure. Horrified, he joins Ginevra in a desperate search for a poor girl from the slums named Shakti who escaped Ng’s experiments and holds the key to toppling the Hegemony somewhere in her damaged mind.
Yet Shakti has been hunting Lucas as well, and may be the avatar of a Hindu god who’s chosen him to aid her own inscrutable plan for humanity’s evolution. Caught between conflicting loyalties and despair at the suffering he’s helped cause, Lucas must choose who and what to believe in the race to stop Ng’s plan before starvation and thirst claim two billion lives.
T.K. Young’s work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Journal of Microliterature, Rosebud Magazine, and Hopewell Publications’ Best New Writing anthology. He’s the author of the flash fiction collection When We’re Afraid and once played a mean lead guitar in one of MTV’s Top 10 DC-area bands.
Today I have a dystopian sci-fi book spotlight for you, for The Gaia Solution, book 3 of The Gaia Collection series by author Claire Buss. Enjoy.
The Gaia Solution (Book 3: The Gaia Collection)
by Claire Buss
Kira, Jed and their friends have fled New Corporation and joined the Resistance, but their relief is short-lived as they discover how decimated the human race has become and learn of an environmental crisis that threatens to destroy their existence. Kira and Jed must travel up the mountain to the New Corporation stronghold, City 50, to bargain for sanctuary while Martha and Dina risk everything to return to City 42 and save those who are left. With the last of her reserves Gaia, the fading spirit of the Earth uses her remaining influence to guide Kira and her friends but ultimately, it’s up to humanity to make the right choice.
More about The Gaia Collection series
The Gaia Collection is Claire's hopeful dystopian trilogy set 200 years in the future after much of the planet and the human race have been decimated during The Event, when the world went to war with high-energy radiation weapons. In The Gaia Effect, Kira and Jed Jenkins – a young couple who were recently allocated a child – together with their closest friends, discover Corporation have been deliberately lying to them and forcing them to remain sterile. With help from Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, the group of friends begin to fight back against Corporation eventually winning and taking over the governance of City 42.
In The Gaia Project, Corporation fight back under a new, more terrifying organization called New Corp and Kira, Jed and their friends end up fleeing for their lives trying to find a safe place to live. They travel to City 36 and City 9 in vain and must go further afield.
In the final book, The Gaia Solution, the main characters have ended up with the Resistance and not only do they have to deal with surviving against New Corp but an extinction environmental event is looming on the horizon and they’re running out of time to save what’s left of the human race.
Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet based in the UK. She wanted to be Lois Lane when she grew up but work experience at her local paper was eye-opening. Instead, Claire went on to work in a variety of admin roles for over a decade but never felt quite at home. An avid reader, baker and Pinterest addict Claire won second place in the Barking and Dagenham Pen to Print writing competition in 2015 with her debut novel, The Gaia Effect, setting her writing career in motion. She continues to write passionately and is hopelessly addicted to cake.
Today I have an interview with author Paul Trinetti who chats about writing and his futuristic thriller trilogy, the Vexton Series. Enjoy!
Interview With Paul Trinetti
Why don’t you begin by sharing a little
about yourself.
I’m 48 years old.
I was born in Toronto, and have lived there my entire life. I’m single and have
never been married. I worked as the accountant for my family’s construction
company for twenty-five years. I’m an avid music and sports fan. I enjoy
spending quality time and sharing laughs with family and friends. I would
describe myself as someone who enjoys learning, but is also fascinated by the
mysteries of life.
Could you tell us a bit about your latest
book?
The Preservation Plan is the third
and final book in my Vexton Series. The series is a story of a near-future
America. An America so politically divided that it is in a battle to remain
independent and not be auctioned off like cattle. In this final segment, the
country reaches its breaking point and is hanging by a thread. Once so powerful
– Now powerless?? – it’s up to the
players involved, with the will of the people, to bridge the divide and come
together as one and save their cherished land.
How long have you been writing?
I began writing
poetry, lyrics, and short stories in my early teen years. It was in 2012 when I
developed an outline for the Vexton Series and began writing in earnest.
Of
all the books you've written, do you have a favourite?
Of the three books, the first book,
MANUFRACTURED holds an extra special place in my heart. It’s where I developed
the core characters and introduced the world my story is based on.
You write in
several genres. Do you have a favourite? And if so, why? And why did you want
to incorporate them all into your series?
Corporate and political corruption would lead the way. I’ve
always found it interesting trying to determine who, and who isn’t sincere,
which makes for fascinating stories.
The reason I incorporated all these genres is because they
are universal in nature, and my goal with the Vexton Series was to create a
story that would be epic in proportion and resonate with a wide audience.
Are there
particular challenges in writing for your core readership?
I wrote the story as a witness to the world around us,
therefore I had to make sure I captured universal themes, but made them not
only interesting, but also entertaining.
What did you
enjoy most about writing your books?
The challenge of threading all the elements together while
developing interesting characters.
Did anything
surprise you about the process of writing your books?
Book 1 – The word-building aspect was grueling at times.
But the creative process for books 2 and 3 flowed somewhat effortlessly.
What did you hope
to accomplish by publishing your books?
As far as the actual story is concerned my hope is to:
entertain, provoke thought, frighten and bring a chuckle to the reader by being
original as can be.
My long term goal is to have my story developed into a
motion picture or television series.
What advice would
you give beginning writers?
My belief is
that any form of art has to come from the heart in order for it to touch others
in a profound manner. As far as writing is concerned, my advice would be to use
your imagination and never be afraid to create your own little world.
Imagination is a powerful gift. From a technical standpoint, pay attention to
the amount of and placement of info dumps and action scenes in
order to establish quality pacing. Also, constantly revising and editing your
work might seem frustrating, but it will pay off in the end. Everybody has a
different style of writing, so I think it’s important for each individual to
find what works best for them.
Today, I bring you a book spotlight on Amanda Jay's debut science fiction/steampunk novel, The Other One. Enjoy!
The Other One by Amanda Jay
Ezra Orson never intended to be a murderer, but he's on the brink of discovering something that will destroy not just his family, but the world as they know it. Tom has spent his whole life barely surviving in the Underbelly of a city that runs on cogs and cables. Felix is forced to leave the safety of his home to find a twin he never knew existed. Kaelyn wants to save a child. Onyx, a nation.
But for Mliss, a clockwork city, there is very little time left. A world like a spinning coin. Two sides - never the twain shall meet. Except for when the balance is disrupted and the delicate thread, which holds everything together, starts unravelling.
The world is spinning out of control now. The Twin Faced Gods are not happy. And someone needs to stop it.
And the book will be free for its initial launch, so be sure to check it out!
Author Bio:
Amanda Jay left her hometown in Colombo, Sri Lanka when she was 18, keen to travel the world and never return. After living in the Californian Bay Area and the British countryside, she is now eating her words back at her beautiful, sunny island.
Amanda works as a corporate trainer, heads the communications department at her insurance startup, and spends an unfortunate amount of time daydreaming about when she can take a nap (there’s one scheduled for next summer, hopefully). The Other One is her first novel. She has no idea what her second novel will be about. But she intends to start working on it right after her nap.
Today I have another Brain to Books Cyber Convention author
feature. Remember, this great event for authors and readers alike is coming to
Goodreads this April, on the 8th, 9th and 10th.
Be sure to check out
all the details and pertinent links for the event here:
Now on with the main event, our Brain
to Books author feature.
Today I have a wonderful guest post from science fiction author Massimo Marino
Dystopian, Utopian, and Cacotopian
The word dystopian comes from the ancient greek with δυσ-, "bad", and τόπος, "place." Alternatively it can also be called cacotopia, or anti-utopia. The word dystopia represents a counterpart of utopia. Many dystopias described in fictional works present a utopian society, where good-life seems to have been achieved, but suffering by at least one fatal issue. Whereas utopian societies are founded on aspiring to the general well-being, a dystopian society’s dreams of improvement are overshadowed by a repression of any sort and origin, at times even one benevolent repression.
These kind of society appear particularly in stories staged on a speculative and visionary future. Dystopias are often characterized by dehumanization, totalitarian rules, ecological and environmental disasters—post-apocalypse scenery, like in my work “The Daimones Trilogy”—or other events associated with a cataclysmic decline in the society fabric.
A famous dystopian novel is Fahrenheit 451, in which the Authority burns all books out of fear of what they may incite in the individuals, and the more recent The Hunger Games, where a government holds control of its people by maintaining a constant state of fear through annual fight to the death competitions, the Hunger Games, where two young members of the various districts the world is divided in—after a global war that brought the planet on the bring of annihilation—are selected as ‘tribute’.
Dystopias have taken the form of a multitude kind of speculations and create very compelling stories that touch on issues of our own society: corruption, poverty, violence, pollution, political repressions. They offer their writers lots of freedom and inventive. Even if placed in the future, technology may, or may not be more advanced than in the present. In some cases, humanity has been brought to face a total collapse of the world as we know it and the fights for survival set in.
Some dystopian fictions emphasize the pressure to conform to a flattened society, as a requirement not to excel. In these fictions, the society is ruthlessly egalitarian, in which ability and accomplishment, or even competence, are suppressed or stigmatized as forms of inequality. Again, in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the dystopia represses the intellectuals with a particular brutality and subverts pillars of our society like the concept of family, a clear case of dehumanization dystopian organizations. Both the principles of utopian and dystopian societies can be idealistic, with the goal of attaining positive stability for its members, but on dystopian fictions the foundations have such defects that ultimately result in oppressive consequences for the inhabitants of the planet. The oppression and repression can be subtle and the perception of a utopian society lingers instead, at least for a certain duration of the story, until a Hero becomes aware of the flaws and decides, against all odds, to intervene. Some fine examples come from such films and stories as Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Brazil.
In dystopia, characters are at the mercy of the controlled society even if, at epidermic level, they might have the impression to live the good life; people enjoy much higher material living-standards in exchange for the loss of other qualities in their lives, such as independent thought and emotional depth. Humanity lives in a glorious state of comfort, but has given up what gives life its meaning.
The fictional society construction often has a backstory of a disaster, a war, a critical global climatic change, or an encounter of the third type, introduced early in the narrative and that create the stage for the story evolution. The historic events triggered the shift from previous systems of society organization and social norms to a changed society and new, often disturbing, social norms.
Unlike other fictions where an improbable, outcast main character evolves through the typical Arc of the Hero, often dystopias feature a prominent personality of the new society as the protagonist who senses, sometimes intuitively, that something terribly wrong is going on, despite the ‘utopian’ outlook. The hero's point of view clashes with the others' perception, and reveals to the readers that concepts of utopia and dystopia are tied to each other and the only difference between them lies on a matter of opinion. The hero attempts to either change the system or bring it down.
The story is often—but not always—unresolved even if the hero manages to escape or destroy the dystopia. That is the individual who are unsatisfied, and rebel, ultimately fail to change anything. Dystopian works may convey a sense of hopelessness in contrasts with much fiction of the future, in which a hero succeeds in resolving conflicts or otherwise changes things for the better.
All we said about dystopian, and its duality with utopian fictions and visioned societies, can also be told about my work in progress, “The Daimones Trilogy”. Book one, “Daimones (Daimones Trilogy)”, is released in both ebook and paperback, and the volume 2, “Once Humans (Daimones Trilogy)” has hit the virtual and real shelves in July 2013. The Trilogy ends with The Rise of the Phoenix, where a new order, and a new power rises and controls the galaxy.The trilogy describes a post-apocalypse world whose dystopian roots are million years old. Ancient aliens, a galactic struggle, the control of unique resources, meld to dictate the fate of the humankind. “Daimones (Daimones Trilogy)” places a few survivors in a world having experienced a planetary culling of humankind, one with no immediate or apparent cause. The Apocalypse has arrived yet the 'why' and 'how' remain unknown in a frustrating and fearful reality for Dan Amenta and his family.Dan and his family awake one day in a world where everyone is dead but no evidence points to a cause. Initial searches for survivors yield nothing and, in panic, the family turns their house into a stronghold. Eventually, they find Laura, a survivor who manages to win their hearts...and leads Dan to temptation. Laura reveals her panicking encounter with strange entities which Dan recognizes in his childhood hallucinations. He forces himself to find and confront them: An older power controls the fate of men.
The story, on purpose, starts with the confusing life--and manifest lack of information--of characters that, as with the vast majority of us, live their life focusing on a very little world around themselves. Then something happens, and the "heros" arch starts :)
The novel describes what our world is: we focus on money, we are not looking at what happens around us, we already live in a spiritual apocalypse.
The trilogy will explore the apocalypse from the physical death of humankind, the rebirth of the society, dystopian or utopian, and a larger conflict tensions with the second and third volumes.
Our real life world though tells us we have a spiritual death apocalypse already in place.
Massimo Marino is a scientist envisioning science fiction. He spent years at CERN and The Lawrence Berkeley Lab followed by lead positions with Apple, Inc. and the World Economic Forum. He is also co-founder of "Squares on Blue", a Big Data Analytics service company, and of BookGarage, a publishing service brokerage company. Massimo currently lives in France and crosses the border with Switzerland multiple times daily, although he is no smuggler.
As a scientist writing science fiction, he went from smashing particles at accelerators at SLAC and CERN to smashing words on a computer screen. Is is now an author with Booktrope Publishing, LCC, and Active Member of SFWA - Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.
He's the author of multi-awarded Daimones Trilogy.
His novels have received the Seal of Excellency from both AwesomeIndies.net and IndiePENdents.org
• 2012 PRG Reviewer's Choice Award Winner in Science Fiction
• 2013 Hall of Fame - Best in Science Fiction, Quality Reads UK Book Club
• 2013 PRG Reviewer’s Choice Award Winner in Science Fiction Series
Today I present another book spotlight, this time for the Young Adult time travel novel, Timesnatched: Pole Star by B.D. Boyle. Pole Star is book one, in the Timesnatched series, soon to be followed by book two, Southern Cross. Enjoy this look at the first book in the series...
Timesnatched: Pole Star by B.D. Boyle
Three teens are flung twenty years into the future where time coins and bohrium bracelets can mean the difference between life and death. Thrown together in a dystopian New York City, an American farm boy, English school girl and teen scientist will have to quickly unite and join the Coalition of Liberty. The girl’s quiet life along Wigan’s Pier is behind her and she is now faced with trusting the daring young American and the geek kid who can almost invent something from nothing. The boys will either save them all from this strange turn of events or they’ll plunge them even deeper into a frightening world of oppressive dictators, rebel forces and teenagers who are kidnapped for their future talents.
Excerpt:
Why is Grandpa doing this? Why is he meddling with things he knows nothing about? Questions bombarded Nicolas Wycliffe as he stared at the gold coin in the palm of his hand.
Nicolas lifted his eyes to the golden red glare of the London night sky. In the minutes he had been standing there, the shrill scream of bombs hurling toward the earth had overpowered the drone of the Nazi bombers. The ground under his feet shuddered and he quickly slipped the coin into the safety of his coat pocket. He saw a sign on the street corner and sprinted for the stairway of the London Underground. His long legs took him to the subterranean tube that wound under London proper. Vast numbers of people crouched in the semi-darkness, seeking shelter from the Blitz that was showering London with fire and exploding bombs. The firestorm above was sucking the city of its precious oxygen; but down there, in the depths of the Underground, Nicolas Wycliffe found relative safety—at least for now.
After raking his fingers through his unruly cowlick, Nicolas attempted to wipe from his thick glasses the black soot of the war zone above. He glanced around at the poor souls who cowered nearby and then sank to the floor, his back to the stone wall. This was the night he had read about in history books, the night his grandfather had told him about so often that Nicolas could have recited the tales by heart. “It was a scene from the bowels of hell, to be sure.” His grandfather described the fateful night of December 29, 1940. “I was with my cousin and childhood friend, Molly McGruder. We were running through the streets of London, half expecting a bomb to land on us at any moment.” The old man often paused and reflected at that point in the story. His eyes looked up as if watching the scene on a giant screen. “Molly stumbled and fell; I reached out to help her when the brick wall of a building fell on her, throwing me ten yards away into a pile of rubble. I ran to her, but I knew it was too late. My dear friend and cousin was gone from my life.”
Nicolas sighed. Here he was in London on that horrific night in 1940, trying to find his grandfather who had taken one of two prototypes of the time coin he had invented just two months before. Nicolas himself had not even had a chance to test the little machine properly before he discovered the missing coin. From journal entries he knew exactly where his grandfather was headed. And, thanks to the history books, he knew when. A quick Internet search revealed the GPS coordinates of the warehouse that had fallen and he drove to the location for the time jump.
There was a momentary hush in the Underground. All eyes turned to the ceiling. Nothing. Nicolas jumped up to take advantage of the lull. When he emerged on the surface once again, he glanced at the map he had saved on his cellphone and took off running. In minutes, he was on Shoe Lane. Firemen were training a fire hose on a burning book factory amidst the penetrating heat. People were shouting and the ever-present pungent odor of smoke billowed high into the sky. Nicolas searched the alleyways and down every sidewalk. Coughing, he ran until his lungs were bursting. He leaned over, hands on his knees, to take a rest and then he saw them—two young teenagers walking rapidly hand-in-hand. One was unmistakably the teen version of Nicolas’ grandfather, for he had seen his boyhood pictures many times. The other was a girl in school uniform with curly, red hair. Her pretty freckled face was etched with fear. She must be Molly McGruder, Grandpa’s cousin, thought Nicolas. He stood in the smoky shadows observing the pair when from around the corner a tall, lanky older gentleman rapidly approached the couple.
“Grandpa, no!” shouted Nicolas.
The grandfather ignored the warning and in an instant embraced the two teens. They struggled to get out of the old man’s grasp when suddenly a large portion of the tall, brick building broke free from the roof structure. Nicolas watched in horror as the massive wall descended toward the helpless trio below. At that instant, a firebomb lit up the street like a giant flare and there was no mistaking what happened next—the three victims disappeared into thin air just as the bricks landed in a massive pile on the street. Nicolas pursed his lips, reached into his pocket for the gold coin, and whispered, “Oh, Grandpa, what in the world have you done?”
Searching for fast-paced adventure stories with uplifting plots and wholesome characters left B.D. Boyle frustrated and ready to try her hand at it. That’s how “Timesnatched” came to be.” Writing clean, teen fiction has become a passion for Barbara Dillree Boyle who traveled all over the world for twenty years with her husband in the U.S. Air Force. “Raising eight children in four different countries was a fast-paced adventure in and of itself,” says Boyle. She and her husband reside in a high mountain valley in the Idaho Rockies.
Today, dear readers, I bring you the dark dystopian future courtesy of J. M. Salyards and his book, Shadow of the Last Men. Xchyler Publishing is relaunching this excellent book with a new cover, and all the deserving pomp and fanfare. So take a look at the book, read the mini-interview with the author, enjoy the excerpt, enter the contest, and check out the fabulous book trailer...
Mini-Interview with J. M. Salyards
1- Welcome Jason, why don’t we start with an introduction.
Thank you for having me. I write as J.M. Salyards, and my current series, The Next Man Saga, is published by Xchyler Publishing. I live in Maryland with my wife and daughter. We're a very literary family of readers and writers. The unique and fascinating thing about authors is that the good ones write from their hearts and do so with passion. The best way to get to know me is by knowing my work.
2-Your book, Shadow of the Last Men, depicts an apocalyptic and dystopian future. That particular fantasy/sci-fi sub-genre is a favourite of mine, what attracted you to write your series in this setting?
In some ways, we live in a dystopian present. That made Shadow of the Last Men somewhat easier to extrapolate. The work ended up as this hybrid creature of so many different genres out of necessity, rather than any desire on my part. There is wild fusion of high technology and old-fashioned human willpower and grit that has always attracted me about an apocalyptic setting, and the availability of so many moral and philosophical contrasts made a dystopian framework a natural fit for the kind of story I wanted to tell. With traditional fantasy there are handcuffs, and an author might be stifled a bit by the hidebound ways of approaching magic or characterization, racial issues, or class conflicts. I wanted a different kind of magic for Shadow of the Last Men, and as Arthur C. Clarke put it: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." I considered that my license to write the story. He also wrote that "... one cannot have superior science and inferior morals. The combination is unstable and self-destroying." That cuts to the heart of the book.
3- Do you have a favourite character from the book, and if so why?
There are four main characters in my first novel, and it's difficult to pick a favorite. They're all so different from one another, with animating, informing archetypes that often come into opposition. I don't like to play favorites. When I read a novel, I want my favorite character to be the one I'm reading about at that moment, because it means that the author has managed to inject the right amount of humanity and sufficient conflict into each mind present in the story. That said, Harrow, Quintain and Alouine all have traits I admire and, in some cases, wish that I had. The same can't be said for their antagonist, Carver Delano. Readers and reviewers have universally come to revile that character, so I consider him a smashing success in his own right.
4- What was the hardest scene in the book to write? And the easiest?
Action scenes are fun to write, and when one writes for fun, it's easy. What ends up being difficult is describing horrible things as they happen to good or innocent people. It was necessary, I think, because in a good vs. evil story, the reader can't know just how desperate the battle is unless there is a taste of darkness. There's genuine good, and genuine evil, in the story. On occasion, the line blurs. While Harrow can be considered a good man, he's better at merely being a man. He's good, but very rarely is he nice. To the contrary, Carver is never nice and doesn't care to be. Scenes of cowardice or bullying are hard to write and especially when a character is smashing or degrading something pure out of spite.
5- As Shadow of the Last Men is the first in a series, can you share any teasing tidbits about upcoming books?
What Shadow of the Last Men began, I hope to continue in Volume 2 of the Next Man Saga, Black Sunrise. We'll see some of the focus shift to some characters that there was no room for in the spotlight of the first novel, while ratcheting up the intensity. With the majority of the world-building complete, I can concentrate even more on a brisk and exciting pace. Story wise, it may remind some of an Empire Strikes Back feel. I'll endeavor to keep the stakes high and everything is in place to have a showdown type of climax. Look for Black Sunrise in the first half of 2015.
And if you enjoyed this interview be certain to check out
Today, I'm playing host again, this time to author Monica Leonelle as she makes her way around the internet on a blog tour for her book Socialpunk (the first novel in the series). There are also prizes to won; to enter just use the Rafflecopter widget located on the bottom of this post.
So here you go, an introduction to Socialpunk:
Socialpunk by Monica Leonelle
Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.
Excerpt from Socialpunk
Prologue:
After playing God for six years with the world he created, he couldn’t control any of his subjects, none at all. Over the years, he had watched them evolve and become the sum of their own choices rather than the sum of his; and for that, he regretted ever giving them life.
A small, blinking red light from just inside his eyelid reminded him of the news they sent him earlier that morning. The company had cancelled his funding and would shut down his project within three months. According to them, the project cost too much and took up too much space, and the inconclusive results couldn’t be published reputably, now or in the future.
Six years of his work, tens of thousands of lives at stake—and he could do nothing to save any of it. He bowed his head, letting his chin rest on the rim of his breakfast smoothie. The smoothie reeked of powder—crushed pills—but he supposed he had better get used to it. He wouldn’t be able to afford the luxury of real food after they canned him.
He closed his eyes and called up the camera view of one of his favorites, number 3281. She fascinated him; he couldn’t deny it. When he had designed her, her pre-teen rebelliousness lit fire in her eyes. A survivor, he’d thought. He’d meant for her to have it all—to grow up, to get married to the love of her life, and to have a beautiful family of her own someday.
But he had only given her sadness so far. Instead of creating a strict father, he had given her an abusive one. Instead of creating a loving boyfriend, he had given her a friend who could never love her. And instead of creating a strong, proud mother, he had given her a meek one, who watched the whole thing unfold and did nothing about it.
He looked at his last and final creation sitting in the chair across from him—his own son, not awakened yet. The law forbade him to have any children of his own, so this boy would substitute.
But he had done the unthinkable with this creation—he had bestowed on it his own thoughts, emotions, and decision-making processes. He’d given the boy his own mind, his own physical characteristics, his own wants and desires.
He had never done so with any of the others because of the dangers of investing too heavily in any one of his subjects. But who could he kid? He had not stayed objective thus far, watching some of his subjects more closely than others, wishing for the happiness of some at the expense of others. He had become an abomination, a monster of his own doing, who had created subjects only to watch them suffer.
He couldn’t forgive himself; not now, not ever. His eyes lingered on the vial that sat next to his breakfast smoothie, that he’d stowed away for the day when they destroyed all his work, his entire world. He would save it, tuck it away for now, for as long as he could protect them. When things spun out of his control, he would drink it and end himself the way he had ended them.
In the ancient stories, gods frequently gave their sons as gifts. Now, he would give his son as a gift to her, number 3281. So she could be happy in her last months on earth, before they destroyed her with the rest of them.
Author Bio:
Monica Leonelle is a well-known digital media strategist and the author of three novels. She blogs at Prose on Fire (http://proseonfire.com) and shares her writing and social media knowledge with other bloggers and authors through her Free Writer Toolkit (http://proseonfire.com/free-writer-toolkit).
In a world on the brink of collapse, the White, an ominous force of undulating clouds, sweeps across the northern United States, leaving nothing in its wake. As food runs out and supplies become scarce, extremist religious groups seize control, plunging society into chaos and anarchy.
”, is released in both ebook and paperback, and the volume 2, “
” has hit the virtual and real shelves in July 2013. The Trilogy ends with 
, where a new order, and a new power rises and controls the galaxy.
The trilogy describes a post-apocalypse world whose dystopian roots are million years old. Ancient aliens, a galactic struggle, the control of unique resources, meld to dictate the fate of the humankind. “
