Effacement Blog Tour #SciFi #dystopian The Future?

 

Today I welcome Hieronymus Hawkes, author of Effacement. 

* For more details & the next stops on the Blog Tour, see the BookReviewCrew page.

About the Book:

A future where offline privacy is illegal. A lethal plot permanently deleting people in power. One determined genius caught in an assassin’s sights.

2037. Dr. Cole Westbay is proud of having helped eliminate crime. Groomed to take over the company that makes the surveillance chip everyone is required by law to have, he’s alarmed by a series of suspicious deaths the hardware caused. And after launching an investigation, the brilliant scientist panics when he awakes with his mandatory neural link ripped out and his recently recorded memories erased…

Arrested for the federal crime of failing to have his life fully documented, Cole struggles to get back online and clear his name. And as his paranoia grows while the bodies continue to pile up, he fears government enforcers, friends, and even his fiancée may be in on the scheme to set him up for a deadly fall. Can the embattled scientist crack the conspiracy before his enemies hit CTRL+ALT+DEL on his life?

Interview with  Author Hieronymus Hawkes:

What inspired the story?

I read the blog of Charlie Stross, a Scottish science fiction writer, and he talked about the keynote address he gave to the USENIX 2011 conference in Boston on what the future is going to look like up through the next 500 years. He talked about lifelogging and how it will be a disruptive technology within 20 years.

If you had to live in this setting, what would you choose and why?

It’s only 15 years from now, so most of us will be living in this setting potentially. The only real difference is the neurochip in my story, but similar technology is already being developed, so who knows. I would likely embrace the neurochip, since I’m usually an early adopter of technology.

What were the hardest and easiest parts of writing this book?

The hardest part was making the main character relatable/likeable, which are two different things. I wanted to write about a person that is dealing with anxiety disorder, but not make them come off as too whiny. I don’t think I accomplished that in the first iterations. I ended up doing a gender swap for most of the characters and it opened my eyes to how I was depicting a few of the characters and it really informed my rewrite.The easiest part? Probably writing Kasia, she has a real attitude, and she was really fun to write. I am playing with the idea of doing another novel centered around her. 

What do you want readers to know about your characters?

I tried to give them all depth. Nobody is one thing, all good or all bad. My antagonist is presented more one-sided, though. I had originally written him with a softer side, but I think him being more menacing works. He does have a mother, though, and he loved her. =)

How much of your own life inspired the story and how?

I used some of my own life experience to inform the characters life choices. Especially Cole, as he wanted to get married early. I did too. It didn’t end well for me.

I had written a book, quite badly, by the way, and had some friends be honest with me and let me know how bad it was, so I decided to go back to school and get and MFA in writing. This story was based off my thesis novel, although it barely resembles it now. I learned a great deal. Certainly, and MFA is not necessary for everyone, but I had been out of school for more than twenty years and hadn’t paid that close of attention in my English classes, so it really helped get me back to where I needed to be. I was lucky to get a really talented mentor as well.

What's next?

I’m working on a space opera trilogy…vampires in space. The first book is basically done, and I am writing the second book as we do this interview.

What do you hope readers take away from this book?

Effacement isn’t really designed to send a message per se. the idea is to entertain. But, hopefully we learn to take personal privacy seriously going forward into the future. Social media is a very important part of so many people’s lives now, especially among our youth, and I can see where we can go off the rails if we don’t pay attention.

 

* Check out stops on Instagram:

New Release! The Rose: Alien #Vampires #SciFi #Dystopian

 New Release!

The Rose, PD Alleva - (99 cents, limited time sale!) A masterful, dystopian science fiction thriller of telepathic evil greys, mysterious rebellion, martial arts, and Alien Vampires.

Sandy Cox believed WW3 was over. But for those Alien Vampires, war has just begun.Forty-eight hours after a World War 3 treaty is signed Sandy Cox awakens in an underground compound unable to move. Tied to machines, she screams for help but no one answers. At least no one human. And they’ve taken her unborn child.

Phil is a rebel freedom fighter who has had more than his share of Alien Vampires. Armed with The Blades, a sacred alien martial arts weapon, he enters the compound on a mission to find Sandy. But as he battles through the compound, Phil discovers Sandy has her own agenda. Finding her stolen child is all that matters. But the Vampires have their own plan and Sandy’s baby is at the heart of their diabolical plot. 

Joined by a crew of rogue soldiers, they must navigate the underground compound, combating genetically mutated humans, aliens, and monsters. When battling Alien Vampires, one thing is certain…Get Ready To Bleed!

Learn more at:  Amazon - Goodreads - Bookbub - Website

Excerpt:

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

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

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

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

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

“The blood, Sandy,” said Ellen who clenched her fist around those crimson droplets, shaking her hand in front of her face. “All is in the blood.” Excerpt 2: Dr. Blum escorted an alien vampire, a Drac, down the pristine hallway. 

* Contest: Enter the Rafflecopter here for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. 

#A to Z Blogging: E for End of World, #Dystopian Reads

E for End of World 

* Go to Day 1

Fittingly, I'm writing this in March just as everyone is buying supplies and getting ready to stay inside for two weeks with the spread of the coronavirus Covid-19. Hopefully, things don't progress much worse by the time this runs.

But the fun of compiling this list is I've found some really interesting sounding books I didn't know about!

 

After the Bubbles: (Book 1 of The Touchers), Susan Berliner -  Strange "bubbles" drop from the sky transforming those who encounter them into monsters who kill with a touch. Now Erin and her family fight to survive while trapped inside, with a neighbor now toucher outside. (Interesting concept and the preview sounds good!)

Cyberstorm: A Novel, Matthew Mather -  (I don't think I've seen a book before with over 9,000 reviews!)  One family's struggle to survive the destruction of New York in a terror attack. Million-copy bestseller, coming out soon as a movie. (He has a whole string of books and series, see next book.)

Nomad  (New Earth Series Book 1), Matthew Mather -  Science Fiction Book of the Year. Humanity has days to prepare as something massive heads for earth - and somehow its approach was missed. The key to humanity's - and the earth's - survival lies in the answers astronomer Ben Rollins pieces together from his Cold War research. (Intriguing, I'm going to put this on my reading list though it has very mixed reviews.)

  

Recruitment, A Dystopian Novel (Resistance Trilogy, Book 1), K.A. Riley - The day you turn 17 the Recruiters take you. No one knows what happens after that but Kress and her friends are about to find out. And it's not like what any of them expected. 

Storyland Chronicles, Dawn Napier - Fairytale creatures and mythical monsters have crept out of the dark corners of humanity’s imagination, and the mankind is now an endangered species. Civilization has become a bedtime story to entertain children while they hide from things that move around in the darkness beyond their candles.

The Dystopian States of America: A Charity Anthology Benefiting the ACLU - Many of us have publicly stated that the reality we’re currently living within is scarier and more surreal than anything any of us have ever dreamt up, so this anthology provided the chance to take that ball and run with it.
     TABLE OF CONTENTS:• An Introduction by Christopher Golden• Passage of Life: Stage 1 — Underground by Abby Bechtel• No One Who Runs is Innocent by Bracken MacLeod• Artificial Unintelligence by Linda D. Addison• Fake News by Tony Tremblay• Frontrunners by John M. McIlveen• Carving Out the Other by William D. Carl• The New Corbridge Free State by Dana Cameron• What You Need by Hillary Monahan• Abbatoir Blues by James A. Moore• Pigs by GD Dearborn• Divided We Fell by Hildy Silverman• Before I Formed You In The Womb I Knew You by Michael Rowe• For Want of Blue Eyes by Stephen Lomer• Antibodies by Justine Graykin• Blue & Red by Wrath James White• The Rules Are Different Here by Nadia Bulkin• Abandonment Option by Lucy A. Snyder• Close Your Eyes in Peace Tonight by Craig Wolf• Passage of Life: Stage 2 — Exiting by Abby Bechtel• Deep, Dark by Jonathan Maberry• the revolution will be in color by doungjai gam• Heart of ICE by Jeff Deck• African Twilight by Michelle Renee Lane• Xenophobia by Billy Martin• How All This Ends by Brad J. Boucher• The Twenty-Second by C.M. Franklyn• On a Dusty Trail by Cat Scully• Six Plus Four by Matt Bechtel• Scarves by Elizabeth Massie• The Sick House by Josh Waterman• Enemy of the People by Dan Foley• Abortion Diary by KL Pereira• Drive by Tim Lebbon• The Night Listener by Chet Williamson• We All Live Under the Sun by Errick A. Nunnally• Revolt by Sheri Sebastian-Gabriel•Passage of Life: Stage 3 — Molting by Abby Bechtel

The Price of Time, Tim Tigner - I included this in a previous list, but it sounds worth including again. What would happen if you found the fountain of youth? Would it be a blessing or a curse? Strange disappearances, secret murders and more...

Wanderers, Chuck Wendig  - Bram Stoker nominated. Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking. She cannot talk and cannot be woken up. And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. But Shana and her sister are not alone. Soon they are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America, on the same mysterious journey. And like Shana, there are other “shepherds” who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead. (I'm reading this now as the concept got my attention. Some of my impressions are listed in the 4/2 B post)

#A to Z Blogging - D for Dogs, #Apocalypse & #Zombies

Dogs, zombies and the end...

(dog-reaper dz, pixabay.com)

What's life without a dog, right? Well, when it comes to apocalypses and zombies, a dog can complicate things. Not surprisingly, though, there are quite a few books that bring these three things together. Here are a few examples:

  

Cadaver Dog (Zombie Dog Series Book 1) Doug Goodman - Training a dog to track a zombie is like training any other dog. It takes patience, trust, and the right dog-and-handler team. And to not be afraid of zombies.

Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter 2: The Axe Will Fall, C. A. Verstraete - In real life, Lizzie Borden tried to resume her life after the "trial of the century" ended, with her being acquitted of the gruesome axe murders of her father and stepmother in 1892. She was snubbed often, however, especially when she and her sister moved into a fancier, larger home in a better side of town. She also was a dog lover in real life, so the book contains one (of her three) Boston Terriers. 
    In the fictional version, Lizzie tries to forge a new life--and maybe even romance?-- even as a new zombie outbreak threatens the town. NOTE: There may be spoilers if you haven't read book 1, Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter, which centers around the trial and events after.  

Rise of the Dead (ROTD Book 1), Jeremy Dyson - Blake was never one for taking chances. He lived in a world of formulas and equations. A statistician in a controlled society where everything had become predictably mundane. That world disappeared the day the dead got up and began attacking the living. Now, the end is here. Blake finds himself fighting for his life in a world that is rapidly spiraling out of control.

    

The Call of the Wild, Jack London -  This classic book (and new movie) does have an end-of-the-world feel as man and dog tackle the elements alone in the wild.  (Even with a fake dog in the movie, I still want to see it.)

The Hound of Endtown, Ben Longoria - When the world comes to a mysterious end Scout finds himself alone and trapped in the absence of his masters. As hunger and thirst narrowly claim his small young life a chance event opens the doors to freedom. Outside Scout finds a world consumed by horror and death. During his perilous journey across the ruins of civilization Scout encounters cannibals, ravenous animals, the ghosts of the dead, and many other dangers. Through his eyes we witness the thin line between man and beast.

The Last Dog on Earth, Adrian J. Walker - Lineker, a happy go lucky mongrel from London, the day his city falls is finally a chance for adventure. Too bad his master Reg plans to hide himself away from the riots outside... But when an abandoned child shows up  looking for help, Reg and his trusty hound must brave the chaos in a journey that will prove not just the importance of bravery, but of loyalty, trust, and finding family in the unlikeliest of places.  

  

The Taking, Dean Koontz - No dogs, but there is a scene with coyotes swarming a porch. A community cut off from a world under siege, and the terrifying battle for survival waged by a young couple and their neighbors as familiar streets become fog-shrouded death traps.

War Dogs Heading Home: Wounded Warriors of the Apocalypse, .J. Newman - After suffering severe wounds during an IED blast in London, Staff Sergeant Jason Walker and his Military Service Dog and best friend, MMax, are being shipped home. An EMP blast causes their plane to crash in the middle of nowhere. Having survived two disasters, they face the struggle to get home.In a world gone mad, where life clings on by a thread and people will kill for a few scraps of food, can they make it home alive? And if they can, will there be anything left to return to?

Zombie Fallout 12: Dog Dayz, Mark Tufo - The Talbot clan has settled in to life at Etna Station. Mike has earned the rank of Lieutenant, but there’s no time to rest. Colonel Bennington has ordered Mike and his squad of misfits on a secretive mission to New York City to complete a complicated rescue that rapidly becomes nearly impossible to accomplish. As their mission becomes more covert and questionable than they had originally been told, Mike, BT, Gambo and their team are forced to choose between the security of their families and what’s best for Humanity. Will they succeed in what must be done? Or will they fall along the way as their ever-adapting, quickly evolving zombie enemies press the attack?

#Halloween is Coming! Reading List #dystopian #plague #horror

The nights are getting cooler, leaves will be dropping soon and ... Halloween is Coming!

Like the stores, I'll be starting some Halloween - October Reading Lists early. Stay tuned all through September & October for some great books to add to that TBR list!!

This week: fiction and real life horrors.

Anthologies - Horror

 

100 Word Horrors Book 3: Anthology of Horror Drabbles - Assorted authors.  Over 100 short horror drabbles - Includes my story, A Mother's Love by C.A. Verstraete. (Right at beginning, too! )

T.O.C.

Andrew Lennon - Enter Night

P. Mattern - The Fungus Among Us

RJ Meldrum - Invasion

RJ Meldrum - One Night Stand

C.A. Verstraete - A Mother's Love

Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories, Ellen Datlow, Editor - Beloved ghost stories from the traditional to eclectic, bizarre and more. Contributors include: Joyce Carol Oates, Alice Hoffman, Vincent J. Masterson, A.C. Wise, M. Rickert, Seanan McGuire, Lee Thomas, Alison Littlewood, M.L. Siemienowicz, Richard Kadrey, Indrapramit Das, Richard Bowes, Nick Mamatas, Terry Dowling, Aliette de Bodard, Carole Johnstone, Dale Bailey, Stephen Graham Jones, Bracken MacLeod, Garth Nix, Brian Evenson, Jeffrey Ford, Gemma Files, Paul Tremblay, Nathan Ballingrud, Pat Cadigan, John Langan.

New Fears 2: Brand New Horror from Masters of the Macabre - Twenty-one brand-new stories of the ominous and terrifying. Includes 'The Dead Thing' Paul Tremblay draws us into the world of a neglected teenage girl and her younger brother and the evil that lurks at the heart of their family. In Gemma Files' 'Bulb' a woman calls in to a podcast to tell the terrifying story of why she has escaped off-grid. 

Tales from the Crust: An Anthology of Pizza Horror - Chicago-style deep dish darkness to New York thin crust carnage.  Bring your most monstrous of appetites, because we're serving suspense and horrors both chillingly cosmic and morbidly mundane from acclaimed horror authors such as Brian Evenson, Jessica McHugh, and Cody Goodfellow, as well as up-and-coming literary threats like Craig Wallwork, Sheri White, and Tony McMillen. (Never knew this was a genre. ha!) 

👻 A great selection at the Countdown to Halloween Book Fair - Ends Sept. 30
https://storyoriginapp.com/to/5ftSnGq

Dystopian

 

Doubt: A Truth-Seekers End of World Trilogy series (Among Us Trilogy Book 1), Anne-Rae Vasquez - Harry Doubt, a genius programmer and creator of the popular online game Truth Seekers, has a personal mission of his own; to find his mother who went mysteriously missing while volunteering on a peacekeeping mission in Palestine. His gaming friends and followers inadvertently join in helping him find her; believing that they are on missions to find out what has happened to their own missing loved ones. During Harry's missions, Cristal and the team of 'Truth Seekers' stumble upon things that make them doubt the reality of their own lives. As they get closer to the truth, they realize that there are spiritual forces among them both good and evil, but in learning this, they activate a chain of events that start the beginning of the end of the world. 

Pandemic (The Extinction Files Book 1), A.G. Riddle - A worldwide pandemic... A scientific experiment that could change humanity forever... A race to find a cure--and unravel humanity’s darkest secrets. As the virus spreads around the world, Peyton uncovers clues that lead to a dark secret in her past. With only hours left to stop the plague, she faces a choice that will change her life forever. Can Peyton stop the outbreak in time? And what’s the truth behind the virus? Is humanity being engineered for some purpose? Is this the end of life as we know it?

The Distance, Jeremy & Hilaree Robinson - The human race has turned to dust. It wasn't natural - and the architects are looking for survivors. There are two across the country from each other. Make that three - one is pregnant.

 

The Power, Naomi Alderman - What happens when women possess a fierce new power? The world is a recognizable place: there's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power--they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.

VOX, Christina Dalcher -  What happens when the government decrees women can speak no more than 100 words a day? Or work? Or do anything beyond stay home as "obedient wives and mothers?" Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial - then she'll do whatever she can to reclaim her voice, her daughter's and that of every woman silenced.  (Including this again as I 'm reading it. Astounding. Scary parallels to real life and what if's...) 

Wanderers: A Novel, Chuck Wendig - Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking. She cannot talk and cannot be woken up. And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. But Shana and her sister are not alone. For as the sleepwalking phenomenon awakens terror and violence in America, the real danger may not be the epidemic but the fear of it

MONSTERS

I Know What I Saw: Modern-Day Encounters With Monsters of New Urban Legend and Ancient Lore, Linda S. Godfrey -  Monster or myth? Journalist Godfrey investigates present-day encounters with mysterious creatures of old. Werewolves, goatmen, Bigfoot and more. Real or ?

👹 List of free Kindle Unlimited Sci-Fi & Fantasy Titles (Ends Sept. 30)

https://storyoriginapp.com/to/lrvFq2c

Plague and Disease

What says end of the world more than the plague? 

A Journal of the Plague Year, Daniel Dafoe - Written by a survivor of the London Plague of 1666. Free version. Fiction but factual report. 

The Weight of Ink, Rachel Kadish - London 1660s and early 21st century - Interwoven tales of two women, an emigrant from the Netherlands who scribes for a blind rabbi before the plague hits the city, and an ailing modern historian. who tries to decipher the identity of the mysterious cipher of some newly found 17th century manuscripts. (I really like historical tales set in past and present.)

... And the Real-Life Horrors 

Crisis in the Red Zone: Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History and the Outbreaks to Come, Richard Preston - Author of The Hot Zone (Origins of the Ebola virus)  gives accounts of the scientists and doctors on the front lines of protection, and an urgent wake-up call about emerging viruses.

Polio: An American Story - David M. Oshinsky - The story of the polio terror and efforts to find a cure.

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic & How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World, Steven Johnson - London in 1854 is emerging as a modern city. But without infrastructure - garbage removal, clean water, sewers - it's the perfect breeding ground for a disease no one knows how to cure - cholera. The story of historical hero Dr. John Snow and a local curate battle and solve one of the most pressing riddles of their day.  (Sounds interesting!)

The Great Influenza: Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, John M. Barry - The great flu epidemic of 1918 killed as many as 100 million worldwide. It killed more people in 24 months than AIDS did in 24 years.  The tale of the first collision of epidemics and science. Contains new afterword and updates on avian flu.

💀 Kindle Unlimited Fantasy & Sci-Fi  (Ends 10/2)

May Reading List: #Apocalypse, #Horror & #Mystery!

Where has May gone already? I'm sharing a short Reading List this month, 
but with LOTS of great deals!

Apocalyptic - Dystopian - Zombie

Armageddon Book Bonanza! Get a wealth of books for 99 cents, special priced box sets, books in KU/Kindle Unlimited and more! Sale from May 14 to June 4. 
  ** Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter is on sale for 99 cents! See Promo here &  99 cents Book Bonanza.

Dystopian:

End of the World OWSCyCon Blog Tour: Begins May 17. See posts here. (See blog post of Sci Fi Author SE Zbasnik here.)

Horror-Thriller

Just for fun! Find some new authors! Pick your favorite cover in the OWSCyCon Horror/Thriller Cover Wars - Begins May 16 (9:30 a.m. Central/10:30 a.m. Eastern), ends May 19! (Voting goes live on Friday, May 17.)

And.... please vote for my book, Lizzie Borden, Zombie Hunter! 

Mystery

Summer Snoops Unleashed - Assorted Authors. 
Love dogs? Help support several animal charities. Stories from 14 award-winning authors. Now on Amazon (and a #1 New Release!) Pre-order 99 cents, also on Apple, Nook, Kobo; Releases July 23

Freebies - Horror & Other

Author Robert W. Walker is on a Kindle giveaway bonanza during May! Check all his books and links on his website. 

Here are a few that may interest you and the free dates:

   

May 12-16  - Party of 8 - Short stories based on Walker's eight series characters.

11-15 Dead On: A Noir Mystery Private Eye Novel - Just when disgraced Atlanta cop-turned-private eye Marcus Rydell prepares to eat his gun, a kid in trouble, a call to duty, and a dirty blonde named Kat Holley stop him cold. They seek to destroy a local legend, a cave-dwelling ex-marine and murderer, a monster whose instincts and military training have allowed him to survive in the wilderness for four years, eluding the Feds as well as Atlanta PD. When the hunters become the hunted, they must duel with this psychotic deviant.

12-16 Vampire Dreams - Archaeology vs. Supernatural (Bloodscreams Book 1.) - Bones of the dead are taken from their graves ... and then the residents begin to disappear.

 

12-16 Darkness Chasing Light, Tales of Science Fiction, Horror, Suspense & Beyond - Ten stories with incubi to hit men, assorted monsters and more. 

13-17 Killer Instinct, (Instinct Series, Dr. Jessica Moran, ME, FBI Book 1) - Dr. Jessica Moran thought she could face anything. That was before Wisconsin; before she saw one of his victims. 

Other horror titles coming up free include: (See his website link above for all titles)
May 16-20 Floaters
17-21 Flesh Wars 
22-26 Brain Stem
22-26 Front Burners
25-29 Dying Breath26-30 The Serpentine Fire
26-30 Satan’s Edge
27-31 Final Edge