Archive for June 30, 2021

The Wall by David Pereda ~ Excerpt and Giveaway

Posted: June 30, 2021 in giveaways, thriller
Tags: ,
13

 

Welcome to my stop on the book tour for The Wall organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

David Pereda will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Wall

by David Pereda

The Wall by [David Pereda]

Synopsis

THOMAS BERTRAM is an American living in San Salvador with his fiancée CECILIA. They own a popular neighborhood restaurant and plan to wed soon. Thomas’s dream is to obtain a resident visa for Cecilia and return to the United States.

DOMINGO JIMENEZ and his wife BLANCA own a small repair shop across the street. Domingo’s dream is to move to America as well so that his seven-year-old daughter NANCY can grow up speaking English and having a good education and a better life than he and Blanca had.

When armed gang members invade their neighborhood to demand “protection” money and threaten them with death if they don’t pay, Thomas and Domingo’s dreams for the future take on a new perspective. They decide to flee the country with their families through Guatemala and Mexico to seek asylum in the United States.

But their journey is more challenging than expected, and they face a myriad of difficulties and must overcome multiple obstacles that put not only their dreams but also their lives at risk.

Check out this peek inside:

Plodding in a caravan in the blistering sun with hundreds of other human beings was a new experience for Domingo—and for Blanca and Nancy, too.

Domingo guessed it was also a unique experience for most crowd members based on their looks and actions. There were people of all ages and types in the mob, including children a lot younger than Nancy. Young men and women wore shorts and T-shirts or tank tops, and many listened to music on headphones as they bounced on colorful tennis shoes. Older members were bundled in jackets and hid their faces from the harsh sun under outsized straw hats as they slogged forward with determination. A few of the people were so old they could hardly walk, hobbling along trying to keep up with the wandering procession. Some of the older children kicked an old soccer ball around or streaked through the crowd screaming and laughing, playing a game of tag, occasionally bumping into someone who invariably hurled angry epithets at them. Several of the younger children were crying and complaining about the heat and the confusion. Dozens of the women were pregnant or carrying recently born babies in their arms, some of them bawling because of hunger or a need for a diaper change. The grounds were littered with discarded items—empty bottles, dirty diapers, cereal boxes, even used toilet paper.

Domingo was amazed at the lack of prominent individuals leading the caravan and maintaining a modicum of order and hygiene. From the very beginning, the march had no leaders and no guides. They had all gathered at El Salvador del Mundo Plaza in central San Salvador at dawn and started moving at around 8 am, when someone sitting under a tree smoking a cigarette stood and yelled, “Vamos!”

And that was it. The caravan started moving, unhurriedly and inexorably, like a gigantic snake uncoiling itself to go in search of something to eat.

They had been on the road for a week now. Although their faces were baked red by the sun, they hadn’t advanced much. Domingo worried that all the food and water he brought along wasn’t going to last more than another week or two. The stress of the trip had already cracked the rosy shell of initial optimism, and reality had begun to seep in—disgruntled rumblings about the speed of the caravan started to surface, and two episodes of theft reported. Tempers flared a few times, usually only resulting in loud arguments and name-calling, but twice ending in fistfights that had to be broken up by others.

A young man named Octavio, traveling with two friends close to Domingo and his family, told him about two thousand people from different parts of El Salvador were in the caravan. They were strangers and suspicious of each other, which was the reason for all the problems.

About Author David Pereda:

David Pereda is the award-winning author of eleven thrillers and mainstream novels. His books have won the Lighthouse Book Awards twice, the Royal Palm Awards, the National Indie Excellence Awards, and the Readers Favorite Awards twice. He has traveled to more than thirty countries around the world and speaks four languages.

Before devoting his time solely to writing and teaching, Pereda had a successful international consulting career with global giant Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked with the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, and Qatar, among others.

A member of MENSA, Pereda earned his MBA from Pepperdine University in California. He earned BA degrees in English literature and mathematics at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He loves sports and has won many prizes competing in track and show-jumping equestrian events.

Pereda lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where he teaches mathematics and English at the Asheville-Buncombe Community College.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon

Amazon Buy Link

~~~~~

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Hybrid Magic by Cristy L. Bowlin

Posted: June 30, 2021 in giveaways, Interview, YA Fantasy
Tags: , ,
11
.
.
Hybrid Magic
by Cristy L. Bowlin
Genre: YA Fantasy
Two nations joined peacefully as one, but a band of assassins lurks in the shadows.
Magic isn’t uncommon in the Deravine Commonwealth, where people can be gifted with the faculties of combat, healing, transformation, or sight. Yet as a hybrid mage, Aaron Ztrong’s abilities aren’t so easily categorized. He managed to save his parents during a dangerous confrontation when he was only a young boy, and now a decade later most people in his life expect him to do remarkable things with his powers. Then there are those who fear what Aaron and others like him can do. When Aaron’s life is threatened by a group calling themselves the Defenders, he takes refuge with two other hybrid mages and the teacher who is training them to enhance their abilities. As the Defenders continue to hunt down hybrid mages, Aaron and his new companions must find a way to survive.
.
.

What can we expect from you in the future?

Hybrid Magic is the start of a trilogy, so you can expect to see the rest of the books coming out over the next couple years! After that, I might venture into a different genre. Fantasy is my favorite, but I would love to try writing some sci-fi or dystopian stories too.

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?

Hybrid Magic is a spinoff that takes place ten years after the storyline of my first standalone novel, The Temple Dancer’s Diary. Some characters with smaller roles in The Temple Dancer’s Diary are now getting their chance in the spotlight with a story of their own.

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Hybrid Magic?

This book is told from three different character perspectives, so I’ll share a bit about each of them.

First, Aaron Ztrong is a fourteen-year-old hybrid mage who became famous when he was younger for defeating another powerful mage. His magic abilities include healing, transforming objects, and making things levitate and fly through the air. His parents see so much potential in him, but he would rather spend his time with his friends and enjoy relaxing hobbies like fishing. He is a prankster who will do anything to get out of his lessons until his life is threatened by a group known as the Defenders who hunt down hybrid mages.

Second, Elara Pratt is a sixteen-year-old hybrid mage who grew up in a small farming village with her three younger siblings. Her magic involves helping plants flourish and grow in any environment. She can even transform into a dryad-like creature herself. After leaving her family behind to learn more about her abilities, she moves to a forest haven that was established to train and protect hybrid mages from the ruthless Defenders. Elara is optimistic, caring, and always eager to make a new friend. But no one is allowed to mess with her garden or any of her plant babies!

Finally, Theo Darien is a seventeen-year-old hybrid mage who grew up idolizing his father, a celebrated constable. Theo dreamed of having combat magic like his dad so that he too could take down criminals. He was initially excited upon discovering his unique abilities to transform any object into a weapon. Then his older half brother joined the Defenders and attempted to kill him because of those abilities. After running away from home, Theo was taken in by a teacher who promised to train and protect him. Theo is quiet and studious, yet also racked with guilt over his final confrontation with his brother. Now he is determined not to hurt anyone with his magic and will only use his powers for good.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

After writing my first book from a single perspective in first-person diary entries, I enjoyed writing this book in third-person point of view with multiple different character perspectives.

Who designed your book covers?

My best friend Naomi Henry designed both of my book covers. She is an amazing artist, and I was overjoyed that she wanted to work with me.

Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?

There are some personality traits each of my characters have that I based off of real people, but for the most part they came from my imagination.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

My characters do hijack the story from time to time! I always create an outline before I start writing with major plot points that I want to include in each chapter, so I try to stick to that outline pretty closely for the plot and pacing. The characters develop more organically though. I start out with a few key personality traits in mind for each character, and then I see how they interact with one another. Sometimes their interactions and dialogue will surprise me by taking my story in cool new directions.

If your book had a candle, what scent would it be?

My book would have an autumn candle to match the cover art. It would be a burnt orange color with a woodsy scent containing a mixture of apple, pumpkin spice, and cloves.

Is there an writer which brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?

I would love to get writing advice from Tamora Pierce. Her young adult fantasy books set in the Tortall Universe were my favorites growing up. The characters were nuanced, and the stories were so empowering for teenaged girls.

I wrote the whole first draft of Hybrid Magic while I was pregnant with my daughter. I like to think that she was my muse, sparking inspiration whenever I experienced writer’s block.

.
Cristy L. Bowlin grew up in Ventura County, CA where she spent most of her free time ballet dancing and reading fantasy books. She got her BA in English with an emphasis in creative writing and a minor in dance from the California Polytechnic State University. She then received her MA in English with a minor in gender and women’s studies from the University of Kentucky. She currently lives with her husband, daughter, and cat in Southern California where she is a college English professor. Her debut YA fantasy novel The Temple Dancer’s Diary was published in July 2019, and her next book Hybrid Magic was just published in the summer of 2021.
.
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

.

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.