Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway: Immurement by Norma Hinkens

Welcome to my stop in IMMUREMENT by Norma Hinkens Blog Tour hosted by YA Bound Book Tours. Today on my stop we have an Excerpt + an awesome Tour-Wide Giveaway!!!

Immurement
by Norma Hinkens
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian/Sci-fi
Release Date: December 9th 2015
Dunecadia Publishing



The earth’s core overheats. The sovereign leader vanishes. A young girl is the survivors’ only hope …

What little land is habitable is patrolled by cutthroat gangs of escaped subversives, but that’s not the greatest threat facing sixteen-year-old Derry Connelly, her brother Owen, and a ragged band of Preppers holed up in a bunker in the Sawtooth Mountains. Mysterious hoverships operated by clones are targeting adolescents for extraction.

Owen, is one of the first to disappear. To save him, Derry must strike a deal with the murderous subversives, and risk a daring raid to infiltrate the heart of the extraction operation.

But will the rookie leader falter when forced to choose between her brother and a clone who ignites something inside her she didn’t know was possible?

BUY LINKS:

AMAZON



EXCEPT:

I trace the trigger housing on my gun and count the remaining clones congregated around the room. We’re grossly outnumbered. And Owen is weaponless. This can’t end well if we don’t comply.

"You have thirty seconds to accept my terms," Lyong says, a nettled edge to his voice.

I shiver, picturing his one-eyed tic appraising me in a monitor somewhere as he talks, his papery skin rippling with the effort of speech. I can’t see a way out of the situation that gives me any chance of saving Owen, other than to negotiate. Hesitantly, I raise my arms and step forward.

"My brother’s injured," I yell. "If you give us your word you’ll help him, we’ll turn over our weapons."

My heart strains in my chest. I’m counting on Mason and Sven to hold their fire. I wait for what seems like forever, steeling myself for Lyong’s response.

The intercom crackles to life, but Lyong’s words are drowned out in a barrage of gunfire. I pitch sideways beneath a conveyer belt and huddle in a ball, shaking. Debris pelts me from every angle; chunks of seat cushions, shredded medical tubing, shards of glass from exploding computer screens. A pungent chemical smell fills the air.

All over the room, disoriented Schutz Clones fly backward. I stare in disbelief as they writhe in death throes, ossifying before my eyes. Mason bolts across the floor and rolls under the belt beside me. His eyes gleam like cat’s eyes in the dim light. "It’s the Council," he yells, between breaths. "They’ve penetrated the Craniopolis!"

I blink as I digest what he’s saying, my ears roaring.

Mason slams a fresh cartridge into his gun, his knuckles bleeding profusely. "They must have triggered the explosion. They’ve been planning an attack for months."

My brain slowly wraps itself around the information. There’s still a chance of getting out of here alive. I unload my pack and roll over into sniper position. "Then let’s finish this." I lock eyes with Mason. "For Owen."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

For news and special offers join Norma's VIP Reader List at http://eepurl.com/bDGdIX.

Travel junkie, former professional globetrotter, legend lover, idea wrangler. Norma Hinkens has lived, worked and visited her way across continents, soaking up stories along the way. Her writing is influenced by the resilient characters she met along the way; everyone has a story!

Norma grew up among vibrant storytelling traditions in her native Ireland. She's a legend-loving author who takes a fiendish delight in pushing reluctant characters over cliffs to find out what they’re made of. Epic odds, seemingly impossible missions, pasts that haunt, intrigue and misadventure. She’s happiest when wrangling provocative big picture ideas that are never black and white when you turn them inside out. It’s all about the tension in the journey.

She currently resides in California with her husband, three children and Chihuahua extraordinaire. She is the author of the YA post-apocalyptic Undergrounders Series: Immurement, Embattlement and Adjudgement.

AUTHOR LINKS:

   

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway: The Black Lotus by Claire Warner

The Black Lotus
by Claire Warner
Release Date: June 29th 2014

 ....though I would dearly love to play court to you, I would hurt you more than any other.

It is 1752.

The year that will change the life of heiress Melissa De Vire. As she makes her first fumbling steps into society, she meets the handsome young cad Justin Lestrade and his world tears her perceptions apart. For Justin is more than he appears and his secrets and enemies are manifold. Drawn irresistibly to him, she finds herself sinking into a realm of feuds, magic and old curses and her life will never again be the same. 

EXCERPT:

"Justin?" He turned as she spoke, "I think you should pursue Melissa De Vire."

He dropped what he had been holding and walked towards her.

"What?" Utter shock permeated his tones and he stared down at her as though he could not believe what he had just heard. "You must be mad."

"No, just practical." Unconcerned by the anger on his face, Emily reached down and pulled the gold bracelet back onto her wrist. "You like her, that much is obvious and she seems to have some interest in you, despite her transparent denials."

For a long moment, Justin said nothing, stunned by the words that were coming out of Emily’s mouth. "Haven’t you just convinced me that this existence is so much hell, that you would lie with someone you don’t care for just to rid yourself of it? Why would you ask me to pursue someone I couldn’t be with? Do you hate me that much?"

Emily turned away and sat down in one of the chairs. "I don’t hate you Justin, but if you don’t take her and make her yours you will regret it." She picked up her bonnet and began pulling at the flowers set into it. "Alistair already knows about her, give it a little time and she will be linked with us. I’d much rather you drag her along rather than leave her to be fodder for John."

"So how does my brother know about Melissa?" Justin’s voice was dangerously quiet as he stood opposite her. "Have you stirred the pot again?" He turned and slammed his fist into the wall. "I thought you were past these petty games. Real people are at stake."

"Yes." She stood and faced him. "Real people are at stake and if you do not act this time, John will merely take her from you in the same way he took Anna." She grabbed his fist and brushed the drops of blood from the knuckles. "Do you not realise yet that there is nothing that you can do to hide her from him."

"I’ve spoken to her once." He hoped that she did not see through the lie, "And that has been all. God curse it Emily, she may only be intrigued, do not turn this into a grand love affair on the basis of one conversation." He pulled his hand free and seized the back of her neck. "If you start this, you’d better be prepared to face the consequences."

Emily laughed in his face. "Don’t threaten me darling, I won’t take it." Her hand snaked around his wrist and she pressed hard on the joints, causing him to gasp in pain. "I will not spend the next few decades suffering from your ill temper. Don’t forget love, that I know you almost as well as you know yourself."

Justin allowed his hand to drop from her skin and whispered. "Then why would push this? I am interested yes, but I know that I can’t have her. John need only know that I flirted with her, as I do with many women."

"I push because John will know regardless. He has his spies and he will find out."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

When I was a child, I made up games and characters when my sister and I played with dolls. As I grew older, I would make up scenarios and scenes, fully intending to write them down but never finding the time. In my late teens, I discovered the world of role playing and settled into an avid ‘geeky’ life of D&D, comics, sci-fi and fantasy fiction. Years passed and I finally gave voice to the stories in my head. I write romance, fantasy, action and adventure. I love tales of steampunk and history, tales of magical powers and dark curses lurking in the shadows. Though The Black Lotus is not my first attempt at a novel, it is the first I have finished.

And some fun facts about me:

I sew.
My favourite Disney film is Atlantis.
I’ve been a film extra and stood 5 feet away from Sam Rockwell.
Babylon 5 is my fave sci-fi show.
I cried at the end of Toy Story 3.
AUTHOR LINKS:

    

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway: Temper by Beck Nicholas Blog Tour

`

Temper

(Lifer #2)

by Beck Nicholas

Publication Date: Feb. 23, 2016

Publisher: Month9Books

FREEDOM COMES WITH A PRICE.

Free from the spaceship and reunited with Samuai, Asher should be happy. But thoughts of her dead family weigh heavily on her mind.

Things worsen when temper problems in camp lead to a murder. When Asher volunteers to get the drug need to calm people down, tension ignites.

Loyalties are questioned.

Jealousy rears its head. Sparks fly.

And when rumor of a second ship hits close to home, all bets are off.

Have the aliens returned? Is this the end of everything Asher has ever known?

BUY THE BOOK:

Lifer (Book 1):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Chapters | IndieBound | Google Play | BAM | iBooks 

Temper (Book 2):

Amazon | Kobo | Chapters |Google Play | iBooks | TBD

GUEST POST:

The path at becoming an author.

Hi, thanks for having me here to talk about Temper and the path to becoming an author. It wasn’t a fast journey at the time but hindsight is a wonderful thing. I’ve always written, for as long as I can remember and I would write stories even if no one read them.

It’s important for me to be doing this at first for myself. I write the stories I’d like to read and that keeps me going. I suffered many rejections on my path to publication but all of them taught me something. None of them made me stop writing.

That’s pretty important – it’s hard to publish a story if you aren’t writing any. Lots of things go into that. You need the right people around you for support/feedback and encouragement and you need to step away at time. You need to be healthy enough to be able to create. Look after yourself!

Remember there will always be doubts. There will be times where it seems all too hard – don’t give up. Also remember that not everyone is your reader. Some of my friends don’t read sci-fi and never will and it has nothing to do with my story.

Editing is so important. Don’t skip this step – please.

Read widely and as often as you can. It helps to know what is happening but also to refill the well. It teaches and heals. Reading is awesome.

Lastly, and most importantly – love it. If you don’t, who will?

Thanks again for letting me visit.

Happy reading!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I always wanted to write. I’ve worked as a lab assistant, a pizza delivery driver and a high school teacher but I always pursued my first dream of creating stories. Now, I live with my family near Adelaide, halfway between the city and the sea, and am lucky to spend my days (and nights) writing young adult fiction.

FIND THE AUTHOR HERE:

Website | Twitter  | Facebook | Pinterest | Tumblr | Instagram

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Event Organized By:

Blog Tour + Giveway: The Shardheld Saga by Paul E. Horsman

The Shardheld Saga:

The Complete Trilogy
by Paul E. Horsman

Red Rune Books
 Published: March 2nd 2105

When the young slave Muus picked up the blue shard, he couldn’t know it would change his life. Becoming the Shardheld finally freed him from his hated serfdom, but it bound him to a goal as awesome as it was dire.

Hunted by false Jarl Rannar’s murderous soldiers, he started on a perilous journey through the snowy forests of the Norden to far away Falrom, the lost Burning Lands, where the mighty Kalmanir stone waited for him and the magic of the shard.

Not only Muus was affected by the shard’s implacable will. His former master Kjelle, youthful heir to a rich mining estate; Birthe, teen widow, wisewoman and mighty huntress; little Hraab with his strange, unworldly wisdom; deposed boy prince Ottil, and many others followed him south.

Afraid for the lives of his friends, Muus escaped all but the girl who loved him, and together the two traveled to fiery Falrom, seeking the Kalmanir before the enemy found them. Should Jarl Rannar gain possession of the shard, it would mean the return of the cruelly insane Gods Before and their world of primordial horror, and Muus was resigned to die to prevent that from happening.

Meanwhile, his friends weren’t prepared to give up, either, and so the race was on. To Falrom!









ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Paul E. Horsman (1952) is a Dutch and International Fantasy Author. Born in the sleepy garden village of Bussum, The Netherlands, he now lives in Roosendaal, a town on the Dutch border with Belgium.

He has been a soldier, salesman, scoutmaster and from 1995 teacher of Dutch as a Second Language to refugees from all over the globe.

Since 2012, he is a full-time writer of epic light fantasy adventures for Y.A. and older. His works have been both trade published in The Netherlands, and self-published internationally.

AUTHOR LINKS:

   

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz + Giveaway: Earth's End by Elise Kova

 Earth's End

Elise Kova

(Air Awakens #3)

Published: February 11th, 2016

A woman awoken in air, a soldier forged by fire, a weapon risen from blood.

Vhalla Yarl has made it to the warfront in the North. Forged by blood and fire, she hassteeled her heart for the final battle of the Solaris Empire’s conquest. The choices before Vhalla are no longer servitude or freedom, they are servitude or death. The stakes have never been higher as the Emperor maintains his iron grip on her fate, holding everything Vhalla still has left to lose in the balance.

Book Three of the Air Awakens Series

BUY LINKS:

Previous books in the series

(click on images for Goodreads links):

EXCERPT:

Vhalla snapped the reins and dug her heels into Baston’s sides, forcing him into an all-out run. From above, she heard the shouts of her waking enemy.

Thick and melodic calls erupted in the night, a language completely foreign to Vhalla’s ears. She didn’t have to know the words to know they weren’t friendly, so Vhalla pushed harder, pressing herself to Baston. Vhalla took a breath as she heard arrows being knocked overhead.

The sound of bowstrings being drawn in mass made gooseflesh dot her arms. Another shout, a single word and arrows cut through the air, determined to rain death around her. Even if Vhalla was certain her chainmail would shield her, the horse was completely unarmored; if Baston died, she was as good as dead. Vhalla twisted in her saddle, sweeping a hand through the air. The curtain of wind sent the arrows scattering harmlessly.

They shouted in protest, angst-ridden that she continued on unscathed.

The second assault came faster and hastened Vhalla’s mounting frustration. She had to be out of their range soon. More lights began to blaze above and behind her, casting the ground below in a faint glow. The light illuminated the　edge of the city, and Vhalla was forced to stake her life on the hope that once she was out they wouldn’t catch her.

The arrows soared through the air once more and Vhalla twisted, knocking them away in mass. She expected to hear a cry for a third assault, but instead what she heard was even more disheartening. Two words that someone said in a thick Southern Common.

"Wind Demon!"

She became their prey. The sound of thundering hooves came from the direction of where the city first began.

Vhalla crossed under the edge of the city, plunging into the welcoming darkness. Had it been a day ago, Vhalla would not have given those riders a moment’s worry. Baston would outrun any normal horse, plus with her wind he was faster than thunder across the sky. But Baston had been ridden hard with only a brief rest.

Vhalla shifted her vision and peered over her shoulder. In the distance she saw them, riding relentlessly after her.

Sweating, panting, clutching the reins with white knuckles, Vhalla pushed all her energy into the wind at Baston’s and her back. More—they both had to give more. In her blind determination she almost missed the whiz of an arrow through the air.

Vhalla thrust out her arm and stopped the arrow midflight. She closed her fist and threw her arm backwards. The arrow turned and sped back at its original owner.　Vhalla watched it soar straight into the Northerner’s eye, the one she pointed a finger at. The man slumped, and then fell off his saddle. She swallowed hard, looking away as the others’ cries grew louder.

Eyes, she would always go for the eyes. Whether someone was or wasn’t a Groundbreaker with stone-like skin was a risk she couldn’t take; she wouldn’t have many shots. Another archer held his bow, waiting for a different opportunity to take his chance.

Baston was already breathing heavy, and Vhalla knew she had to get them off her tail. The four riders behind her rode on fresh mounts and had the advantage of their night’s worth of sleep. Vhalla turned and pointed a finger. Sweeping her hand upward, an arrow freed itself from the other archer’s quiver. With a twist of her wrist, and the keen focus of a killer, Vhalla sent it into the unsuspecting Northerner’s eye.

One of the remaining two riders fell away as they swerved through the trees, his companion pushing forward. As the man swung wide, Vhalla realized they were trying to flank her. Vhalla grabbed for the dagger strapped to her wrist, sending it straight for his eye.

In the process, the woman rider had caught up with Baston, raising a wickedly curved blade toward his haunches. Vhalla threw out her other arm, sending the rider toppling head over heels. It wasn’t chance that the assailant’s blade slit her wielder’s throat in the fall.

Vhalla held out an expectant palm, her own dagger returning to it after a moment.

Wiping the blood on her thigh, she quickly sheathed it against her wrist before grabbing the reins once more. Vhalla swallowed a cry for speed; shouting at the horse would not make it go faster. It would only further compromise her position.

Vhalla pressed her lips together, forcing herself to keep her composure. It was not the first person she had killed. She had killed on the Night of Fire and Wind, she had killed the man who had murdered Larel, and she had killed with her bare hands at the Pass.
What had sunk deep into her bones was the acceptance of what she must do. It was knowing she had become a killer. It was how easy it was for her to slay her foes without even thinking of each of them as a whole person that showed Vhalla she’d gone far down a path she’d never wanted. They were entities, enemies, barriers,　but they weren’t human.

Distracted by her inner conflict, Vhalla was caught completely off-guard by the first assault coming from the trees. A Groundbreaker swung down from the air, bringing his sword against the back of her head. Vhalla attempted to　dodge at the last second, but it was too late. The blade slipped off her chainmail but it left her vision blurred and her ears ringing.

She blinked, trying to sort her senses as she pushed Baston onward, putting the assailant behind them. Groundbreakers jumped from limb to limb in the trees above her—free and fearless. Vines came to life to meet their extended hands, allowing them to soar through the air. With a twist or a tug, their lifeline shrunk back, curling around branches to pull them upward.

She wanted to feel amazed; perhaps she would have, if these people weren’t out to kill her. Another swung low, and Vhalla dropped off to the side of the saddle to dodge. Righting herself, Vhalla redrew her dagger in one quick motion as a third swung forward to attack. She sent the blade soaring through the vine the Groundbreaker held.

The man fell through the sky; Vhalla’s mind betrayed her, showing a different body plummeting through the air.

With a growl, she turned her blade to the next Northerner she saw, relying on the same tactic. She would show them why one did not hang above the head of the Windwalker. The other body fell with a sickening thud, and Vhalla left them behind her. With a twitch of her wrist, her blade returned to her hand.

Baston’s pace had slowed, and Vhalla snapped his reins again. This was the first time the beast did not heed her command, and she felt uneasiness settle across her.

Five Northerners still jumped from tree to tree overhead as dawn began to fade into early morning. Vhalla wondered if they were biding their time for rider and mount to tire. If she were they, she’d do the same thing. Baston’s sides heaved with exhaustion.

Their presence began to wear on Vhalla, and she watched them with bated breath, waiting for the next assault. Another hour passed and Baston slowed to a trot; she expected this to be the moment they attacked. But the Northerners held fast, following from welcoming branch to welcoming branch, each bent to meet their feet and hands.

They were toying with her, like cats with a mouse.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elise Kova has always had a passion for storytelling. She wrote her first novella, a high-fantasy, in sixth grade. Over the years she's honed her love of literature with everything from fantasy to romance, science fiction to mystery, and whatever else catches her eye.

Elise lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, where she's currently working on the next installment in her debut YA fantasy series: Air Awakens. She enjoys video games, anime, table-top role playing games, and many other forms of "geekdom." She loves talking with fans on Twitter (@EliseKova) and Facebook (/AuthorEliseKova). Visit her website, EliseKova.com/, for news and extras about her books!

AUTHOR LINKS:




GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway