Character Interview with Maggie + Giveaway: $10 Amazon Gift card + Persistence of Vision

Hi everyone! Today, I have a character from a New Adult dystopian fantasy (still reads like YA) that will be released on January 29, 2013. Stick around for the giveaway!

Can you tell us about yourself?

My name is Maggie Harper. I was born near the end of the twentieth century, but travelled forward in time to help liberate the human race from the bondage of collective entities. In the future, ninety percent of the world’s population is enslaved in collective minds. Individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, and only a handful of us remain to save the spark of individuality in the human race.

I had a strange experience in Vegas. My brother and I lost twelve hours of our lives and woke up in a strange hotel room. It was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me. A year later, a strange man named Marcus showed up to tell me that I had been in the future, part of the team trying to bring down the collectives. Something happened and I lost my memories of the future, so they decided to put me back in my own time. That’s what the whole Vegas thing was about. Apparently, I was in the future with this team for about a year, and had a romantic relationship with Marcus. I don’t remember him at all now, but he remembers me. Can everyone say awkward?

What do you think of the present world?

When I was growing up and living here, I took it for granted. You people have no idea how good you have it. Governments still exist in your time. Sure, there’s crime and you have exercise caution and common sense, but for the most part you still live safe, worry-free lives. Or at least you do in the first world countries.

What was the first thing you did when you got here?

Treated myself to some fast food. In the future, mass-production is non-existent. There isn’t food and entertainment to be had on every corner. We have to fight hard to survive. Nothing comes easy. When I got here, I went and got a cheeseburger from a local chain and cried while eating it. I’m sure that sounds pathetic to you, but I couldn’t help it.

If you lived in our time, who would you be? What would you do?

I did live in your time until I was in my twenties. I owned my own catering business, had a brother I was close to, dated a bit, and lived a pretty normal, single life. I think if I came back now I might dedicate my life to helping people embrace their individuality somehow. It’s the only way I can think of to prevent our world’s future.

What is your favorite thing about 2012? Why?

The freedom that exists; how many wealthy people there are who are free and forward thinking and willing to lift others to their higher level. That may describe only a small percent of the population, but such things simply don’t exist in the future.

If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for? Why?

1)      That I could regain my memories of what happened to me before. I need to be able to remember what happened, why I chose the things that I did, and what I lost when my memories were erased.

2)      That things with Marcus wouldn’t be so awkward and confusing. This sort of goes along with regaining my memories. Things would be much easier if I could remember my relationship with Marcus.

3)      That I could find some way to overthrow the collectives. I don’t know if I’m up to the task. I live in terror that I might not be strong enough or smart enough to bring down the collectives. I wish for this with every part of myself.

About the Author:

Liesel K. Hill writes across three genres including scifi/fantasy, historical fiction, and crime drama. She is a graduate of Weber State University and lives in Northern Utah. She is a prolific blogger  and enjoys spending time with her large, close-knit family. 
 

Persistence of Vision is her first novel. It will be published on January 29, 2013 by Tate Publishing.

Follow Liesel: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Giveaway: $10 Amazon Gift card + Persistence of Vision by Liesel K. Hill

In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories.

After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can't explain. When she's attacked by a creep with a spider's web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she's never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives.

In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way.

If Maggie can't fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away...



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Waiting on Wednesday: September Girls + Catherine

Good morning lovelies! Today, I have two oh-my-god-I-need-to-read-these-asap books for Waiting on Wednesday.

First up is water-related. Paranormal. Scales. Tails. Mermaids!

September Girls by Bennett Madison

Publication Date: May 2013

Publisher: Harper Collins

There’s no blurb yet but the author revealed this juicy tidbit on his site:

The book is about mermaids who are also regular maids; who can only wear flats because heels make their feet bleed; who smoke Gauloises but can never quite pronounce them and who are really into Valerie Solanas. The book features annoying moms with Sharon Olds quotes tattooed across their bodies and sad dads who wander up and down the beach with metal detectors searching for buried treasure. There’s karaoke and a hurricane. An enchanted mirror seems important. Perhaps someone dies. Or perhaps not?! It’s about being a teenager at the beach and in that respect is semi-autobiographical. The most important thing is that it’s a love story. It might be a semi-spoiler to reveal the mermaid thing but who cares.

Why I Chose this:

Mermaids! <3 I’ve been deprived of my mermaid dose when I couldn’t find a copy of a certain recent-ish mermaid release from Sourcebooks. And ze cover! Look at that and tell me it’s not beautiful and hot and perfect!

Second is all about retellings. Romance. Wuthering Heights!

Catherine by April Lindner

Publication Date: January 2, 2013

Published by: Poppy

A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you've never seen it before.

Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad's famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?

Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years -- a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn't die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her -- starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.

Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.

Why I Chose This:

The author’s first YA book, Jane, blew me away. It was deliciously well-written. It’s probably one of the first YA contemporaries and YA retellings that I loved. April Lindner’s writing is made of awesome. So you better not miss this! Especially if you liked Wuthering Heights (though I haven’t read it yet.)

What are you looking forward to this Wednesday? Leave your links so I can visit yours too!

I'm writing again: NaNoWriMo Madness

O-kay, it’s that time of the year again when authors and aspiring writers stock up on coffee, papers, pens and other stimulants, and intend to write a novel in 50k or more words. This is literary abandon is called NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month.

Last year, I joined and won Nano with my barely 51k YA dystopian WIP entitled Defying Gravity. If you’re interested, here’s the synopsis (which is um…not so good)”

 

Amber dreams of chaos in Paradise, her beautiful heaven, and of a very familiar-looking guy that makes her heart jump. But the thing she doesn't understand is this: How can he be familiar if she hasn't met him?

Amber suffers from memory repression, an effect of the forgetting pill administered to her by the Guardians. As a naturally curious girl, she will stop at nothing to get her memories back. As the dreams keep coming night after night, she realizes that with a part of herself gone, she can't live life, taste life to the fullest. She's also seized by fear because if the Guardians can take her memory away, a bit of herself away, what else have they taken?

I had long, detailed outlines for this project. It was too…controlled, too stressful to finish in one month. Whew.

So this time around I’m taking a break. I’m going crazy with my YA paranormal mystery. I only know the basics:

Rain’s only memory is darkness and muffled voices-

You can see a pattern, yes? I think I like stories that have to do with MEMORY.

Rain’s only memory is darkness and muffled voices. She was aborted. Never had the chance to live, to know her parents, to be human.

With overpopulation going crazy across the globe, the angels have their plates full. They have turned to souls in heaven for help. As an unborn soul, Rain was pure because she never had the chance to sin. She works as a guardian, watching over Hana, a 16 year-old girl who was a magnet for boys and trouble. After an accident, Hana’s soul was snatched away by a reaper and Rain’s soul was sucked into her Hana’s body. Things even get more complicated when the person who killed Hana sought out Rain.

Hmm…anything can change since I’m going crazy/impulsive this time.

If you’re up for the challenge, sign up here.

Review: The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse

Book Description via Goodreads:

Paperback, 432 pages

August 2, 2012, Orchard Books

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up.

The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway.

Source: Vicky + Orchard Books (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

Island Alpha, also known as the Wheel to its inhabitants, was divided into sectors. There were two groups: the Drones led by the Monk and the villagers. The drones wore robes and scary masks. They were loud, violent and determined to please the Monk. On the other hand, the villagers were as peaceful as they could be but they also fought back whenever the drones attacked. They were the normal ones. The on-going conflict between the drones and the villagers was bad. The villagers were losing their lives and their space. With their numbers dwindling, they needed to find a solution and possibly, a way to escape the Wheel. Their journey to the Gray sector aka the abandoned sector was very dangerous. Alenna and the other hunters needed to be careful not only with the forces of nature but also with their companions, the drones. Could they reach their destination and find the answers to their questions before something deadly happens?

Alenna was a character straight out of a tragedy. First, her parents were ripped out of her life. Second, she failed her GGPT test – the test that determines whether she was okay to stay in UNA or she was destined to be a criminal and then sent to Island Alpha. Alenna was a relatable. She seemed real to me. She doubted and questioned the things around her but she also had an open mind. She was flawed but she struggled to make herself better. Although she might be weak in the eyes of the villagers of the Wheel, eventually her inner Katniss broke through to the surface. She adapted and she survived. She became one of the hunters of her village.

From the beginning Alenna was attracted to Liam. Despite her friend’s warning, she fell for him. I couldn’t blame her though. Liam was badass, charming and handsome. He also exuded confidence. I enjoyed reading about their first encounters but I wish that there had been more time for them. At the end, I would say that the two have become even closer because of all the trials and danger that they went through together.

I had high expectations for The Forsaken. It lived up to my expectations but not fully. There was action, a lot of suspense and a little bit of romance. But what I liked the most was the ways of the inhabitants of the Wheel – how they lived and survived – and the unpredictability of the story. I was intrigued throughout the novel. There were a lot of questions to be answered and I trudged along with the characters as they searched for the answers. It was mysterious and even creepy to some extent. There were times when I sat at the edge of my seat but there were also times when I felt that the action plummeted and the story dragged. But don’t let that discourage you from reading The Forsaken because it is worth reading.

Take Survivor, add a cup of Struck (by Jennifer Bosworth) and a dose of mad science, you’ll get The Forsaken. This is the perfect read if you’re looking for thrill and unpredictability. I recommend this to readers of dystopian and post-apocalyptic!

Rating:

4 Cupids = Strong book love. 

I really enjoyed this. I recommend this!