Monday, November 30, 2015

#Excerpt: MORE THAN ONCE by Elizabeth Briggs


Excerpt:
“Look Andrew, you’re a ni—”
“Wait.” He held up his other hand. “Just stop right there.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You’re about to say I’m a nice guy, but you think we should just be friends, right? Believe me, I’ve heard that line more times than I can count.”
Shit, that was exactly what I was going to say. “Um…”
Without hesitation, he pressed me against the side of my car, his fingers sliding to the back of my neck and into my short hair. I gasped and heat flared between us, so hot I was sure it was melting every inch of snow in the entire parking lot.
“You didn’t think I was ‘nice’ that night, did you?” he asked, his voice low, his eyes locked on mine.
“No,” I whispered. Memories of that night still haunted me in the best way. I’d lie in bed when I couldn’t sleep and slide my hand between my legs, remembering the way he’d pounded into me, the way he’d held me down, the way he’d been rough and demanding and completely in control. We’d given each other exactly what we’d both needed, but I never imagined he would want anything to do with me after that. Because in the morning, we’d both gone back to who we were: the good guy and the bad girl.
But now Andy, the vulnerable, broken-hearted nice guy I’d met before, had vanished, and in his place was Andrew, who was bold, assertive, and really fucking sexy.
“One date,” he said, his mouth so close to mine I could feel the words against my lips. “One date and then you can tell me to get lost. But give me a chance first.”
I was painfully aware of every inch of Andrew’s hard body pressed against mine. He seemed…bigger than I remembered. More muscular. I could tell from the way his collared shirt hung from his frame, and I was tempted to rip it open and see exactly how much he’d changed underneath. Not that I’d had any problem with his body before—but now he had a confidence to him that was all new, and he wore it damn well.
The Becca of a few months ago would have grabbed him and kissed him senseless, then suggested they go back to his place. Actually, the Becca of a few months ago had done exactly that. But now I was trying to be good and that meant not making out with guys I barely knew in the middle of parking lots.
Ugh. Being good was no fun at all.
“One date,” I said. “But don’t expect anything more.”



Book & Author Details:
More Than Once by Elizabeth Briggs
(Chasing the Dream #4)
Publication date: December 1st 2015
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis:
Special release week price of $0.99! Get this stand-alone holiday romance now before it goes up to full price!

She’s trying to be good. He loves it when she’s bad. 


Andrew West is done being the nice guy. After a marriage proposal gone wrong, he's started over in a new city and he's never risking his heart again.

Becca Collins is done being the bad girl. After quitting the band she played bass for, she's going to prove to her family that she's really changed.

When Becca's dumped by her boyfriend and fired from her job on Christmas Eve, all seems lost, until she runs into a former one night stand--Andrew. To impress her parents, Becca convinces him to pretend to be her perfect boyfriend for their holiday dinner.

After Andrew shows Becca he's all bad boy in the bedroom, neither wants to pretend anymore. But when Becca's invited to rejoin her band for a show and Andrew's forced to face his ex, they both wonder if they're ready to take a leap again--or if they're doomed to fail in life and love a second time. 


Purchase:

The Chasing The Dream series: 
#0.5 More Than Exes: get it FREE by signing up for Elizabeth’s newsletter - http://smarturl.it/ebnewsletter?IQid=web.side
#1 More Than Music: http://www.elizabethbriggs.net/p/more-than-music.html
#2 More Than Comics:  http://www.elizabethbriggs.net/p/more-than-comics.html
#3 More Than Fashion: http://www.elizabethbriggs.net/p/more-than-fashion.html
#4 More Than Once: http://www.elizabethbriggs.net/p/more-than-once.html
#5 More Than Distance (coming in 2016!): http://www.elizabethbriggs.net/p/more-than-distance.html
Get the Chasing The Dream box set! http://www.elizabethbriggs.net/2015/11/the-chasing-dream-box-set.html


AUTHOR BIO:
Elizabeth Briggs is a full-time geek who writes books for teens and adults. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in Sociology, currently mentors teens in writing, and volunteers with a dog rescue group. She's the author of the Chasing The Dream romance series and the upcoming young adult novel Future Shock. Elizabeth lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a pack of fluffy dogs.

Author Links:
Website: http://www.elizabethbriggs.net
Newsletter (+ Free Book!): http://smarturl.it/ebnewsletter?IQid=xpresso
Facebook Group: http://smarturl.it/ebfans?IQid=xpresso
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethBriggsAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizwrites

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#Excerpt: OBSIDIAN WORLDS by Jason Werbeloff


Excerpt:

(from The Cryo Killer):

“Inesa and Paul, good to meet you. Who referred you?”

“Mr. Camfrey’s wife.”

Paul’s hands are working. Picking at each other. At the cuticles.

“Ah yes, I was sorry to hear about his passing.”

“I think,” she lowers her voice, “that it was professionally done. Heart attack, I hear.”

I lean forward. “You’d like a similar package, ma’am?”

Paul speaks up for the first time. “Is it quick?”

If I had a penny for every time a client asked me that question. “Painless,” I say, “or your money back.”

Paul harrumphs.

“Excellent,” says Inesa, beaming. “You’ve been doing this a while?”

“Best in the business,” says Janet, striding over to us. She places a hand on my shoulder. “You’re safe with Barker.”

“So, you’re wanting the double package?”

Inesa squeezes her husband’s arm. Every carat on her ring finger catches the sunlight. His nod is miniscule.

“Yes,” she replies after a moment.

“Those are difficult.” I lean back in my chair, weighing the ring out of the corner of my eye. “Coroner looks closely at doubles. Need a plausible cause of death. Right now all I have in stock are gas leaks and home invasions. Invasions can get messy – brings down the property value. I suggest the gas leak. Although …” I glance at Paul. “Home invasions are on the rise.”

Paul scratches the skin over his knuckles. His lips have taken on a bluish tinge. I’ve seen all manner of manners displayed in the chairs on the other side of my desk. Clients respond to their impending deaths in all sorts of ways. Paul’s reaction isn’t unique.

“Gas leak,” says Inesa definitively.

Paul nods, a quick jerk up and down. “When’ll it happen?” He can’t meet my gaze.

“I could probably fit you in next week. Any preferences?”

“I’m writing an exam on Tuesday,” says Inesa. She looks to Paul, “And I’m sure you’d like to finalize that merger?”

He groans.

“Late next week?” she asks.

“Let’s see … Janet, check my availability, please.”

“Could do Friday next.”

“Excellent,” says Inesa.

“But …” Paul is fading to a paler blue by the minute. Droplets dot his forehead. “I just can’t live with the thought of this hanging over me for the next ten days. I just …” He swallows. “I just can’t.”

I reach out a hand and touch the man’s shoulder. His golf shirt is saturated. “Not to worry, sir. A memory wipe is included. You’ll never know you were here.” I offer him my warmest smile. Janet calls it the Big Daddy. “In fact, you may’ve been here before, and you wouldn’t know.”

Paul eyeballs me. “Have we been here before?”

“I couldn’t tell you.” I wink.


BLURB:
Jason Werbeloff’s short stories have been downloaded over 20,000 times. Obsidian Worlds brings together his 11 best-selling sci-fi shorts into a mind-bending philosophical anthology.

In Your Averaged Joe, a man’s headache is large enough to hold the multiverse. Q46F is an obsessive-compulsive android who finds love in a zombie-embroiled apocalypse. The end of the world isn’t all that bad – The Experience Machine will fulfil your every desire (and some you hadn’t considered). A sex bot dares to dream of freedom in Dinner with Flexi. But mind what you eat, because The Photons in the Cheese Are Lost. Don’t fret though: The Cryo Killer guarantees that your death will be painless, or your money back when you’re thawed. Unless, that is, you’re The Man with Two Legs.

Plug into Obsidian Worlds for these and other immersive stories, including the hilarious Time-Traveling Chicken Sexer. Your brain will never be the same again.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jason Werbeloff is a novelist and philosopher. He loves chocolate and his Labrador, Sunny.
He's interested in the nature of social groups, personal identity, freedom, and the nature of the mind. His passion is translating philosophical debate around these topics into works of science fiction, while gorging himself on chocolate.

Amazon Author Page – download all of Werbeloff's fiction from Amazon.

Newsletter – subscribe to get 'The Solace Pill' free, as well as VIP access to Werbeloff's latest fiction.

Goodreads – read reviews of Werbeloff’s fiction.


Facebook and Twitter – follow Werbeloff for release date information on upcoming shorts and novels.


Website - read about the author, and the philosophy behind his fiction.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 


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Friday, November 27, 2015

Fantastic #SALE: OPERATION ALPHA DOG by James Moushon



A 6-pack of Mysteries for the Holidays

The collection includes a 6-pack of Jonathon Stone’s latest adventures. As always, Jonathon’s ops include a lot of mystery, lots of espionage, some thrilling events and suspense. Being a CIA agent working domestically has its unique situations and Stone seems to take advantage of them.

Prologue


My name is Jonathon Stone. Like a lot of single, All-American men I enjoy gambling and drinking and the ladies.
I am a writer for the Real Sportsman Magazine. At one time our offices were located in downtown Long Beach, CA. On the main floor was a complete magazine group with secretaries and a writing staff that produced a monthly magazine.
Being a writer is a realistic, workable cover because I am, in reality, a Special Agent for the CIA. I am assigned to the west coast based – Far East Operation Center located in San Francisco.
In the basement of that office building was a full blown CIA operation with a security setup and computer center.
About a year ago, our cover was blown and the staff was scattered to the wind. My boss, Russ Evans, changed my status to At Large and kept me in the Long Beach, CA area. Actually, Belmont Shore, if you want to be more specific.
I am what my fellow agents call an Asset On Call. I may show up anywhere in the world.
As a footnote, we also handle the Domestic Operation - Terrorism (DOT) division. It was formed to handle terrorist threats inside the U.S. after DHS took control of intelligence.
This group is not on the Company’s organization chart.
Jonathon Stone

 

 

Blurb/Description

Operation Hidden Truth
A plea bargain turns deadly and a known gun runner is the primary suspect. Jonathon Stone becomes involved with the FBI to try to catch the elusive terrorist. With espionage and government secrets in play, the DHS suddenly becomes a problem. Jonathon needs to be on top of his game for this op.

Operation Misdirection
A female CIA agent is found dead in a motel in Long Beach and her husband, a Long Beach detective, quickly becomes the prime suspect. Jonathon Stone is given the task of investigating the murder of one of his own. His findings reveal the dead agent’s unscheduled trips to the Middle East, a cover up by the FBI and espionage.

Operation Adrift
An empty cargo ship suddenly appears in the LA Harbor. Problem: apparently there are no passengers or crew. Jonathon Stone finds out that the ship was abandoned at sea and the CIA had been tracking the vessel from the Far East. The op seems to be stalled until Jonathon gets information from an unexpected source which leads him to a terrorist plot on American soil.

Operation Red Dragon
Jonathon Stone’s plans for a quiet gambling experience is interrupted by the sighting of a known gun for hire from Mexico. A casual weekend in the desert for Jonathon changes into an apparent assassination plot. With the FBI and the Secret Service involved, Jonathon tries to apprehend the elusive hit man before he can do damage.

Operation Runaway
NSA information leaked by a spy sends Jonathon Stone and his fellow agent, Chuck Chun to Hawaii to stop the flow of information. Is our suspect a whistleblower or is it espionage? Their assignment: neutralize and stop the flow of information. At a luau in Paradise, they get help from an unlikely source before Jonathon and Chuck can complete their mission.

Operation Deadline
A hit and run death of a man on the CIA’s watch list sends Jonathon Stone on another op. This time he teams with FBI Agent Jodi Shannon. They quickly find out it was a planned murder and the victim was part of an investigative reporter’s study of a Middle Eastern student group. Then, a second murder with a similar MO occurs and Jonathon is sent in a different direction. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Author Bio
James Moushon is a Mystery writer and a published writer in the electronic document field.

Starting over 15 years ago, he helped lead the startup of the electronic forms industry in the creation, conversion and usage of electronic forms by supplying that industry with a continuing source of published literature, software products and training seminars.

In 2003, Moushon changed his focus to ebooks and their development.

He is the author of the Jonathon Stone Mystery Novels. He has published two books: 'Black Mountain Secrets', 'Game of Fire' and 'Operation Alpha Dog', a collection of short stories featuring Jonathon Stone.

He is currently wearing two Hats. He is a mystery writer and a book publishing blogger. You can find his blogs at:

HBS Author's Spotlight http://bit.ly/QVEMix
The blog's purpose is to help authors get exposure in the book publishing industry. He has interviewed and showcased over 450 authors to date.

HBS Mystery Reader's Circle http://bit.ly/19Nfrx8
The HBS Mystery Reader's Circle provides information about the latest novels and what is coming next from a collection of Bestselling and Outstanding Authors in the Mystery, Thrillers, Historical Fiction and Crime genre.

eBook Author's Corner http://bit.ly/TauYkJ
The Corner is a collection of Author advice and studies including Marketing, Social Media and other major topics created to help writers in today's ever changing world of book publishing.

He has spent the majority of his adult life developing computer systems and thinking about writing mysteries.

Website is: www.jamesmoushon.com
To contact him, e-mail: james.moushon@gmail.com



Thursday, November 26, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. Take time to be with your family and friends and let them know they are loved. 

For all the service men and women who won't be home this year, I thank you all for your service. You serve so we can be protected and enjoy freedom. There is no greater sacrifice in my book. So, an extra big 'THANK YOU' to you.


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

#Excerpt: ATHENA'S SECRETS by Donna Del Oro


Excerpt:

“So I hear. We—my father, Alex and I--protect my mother from people who’d try to exploit her. Is there anyone protecting you and your mother?”

More than a little surprised, Athena halted. “Not really. Father pretends we’re normal and I supposed Chris does, too. Mum and I—we keep our clairvoyance a secret from everyone. Everyone except the police, that is.”

They’d come to a fork in the path. Ahead of them, through a thicket of oaks and pines, Athena could see the lake glimmering in the sunlight. Kas took the path to the right. “Follow me.” He headed for the boathouse that she could now see about fifty yards away. “We’ll have to wear wet suits. The air’s warm, but the water’s snow melt.”

“I live in D.C. so I can handle it. I can read minds, but can’t do weather forecasting. Go figure.”

Kas harrumphed. “I hear you work part-time at a coffeehouse. Seems like you could make more money doing psychic readings. But then, you’d have to expose yourself and your secret.”

“Yes, that won’t do. I guess it’s safer this way.”

“I know, my mother feels the same way. There’s a history of the bloodline having problems when people find out the truth. There’s always a group in society that doesn’t understand, people who take advantage or exploit them, or use them as scapegoats. I guess that means there’s been some witch-hunting in the past, burning at the stake, that kind of thing. The Romans would kidnap soothsayers and hold them as slaves. I’ve heard only the Temple seers in Greece were off-limits. Even so, the Temple priestesses had Guardians assigned to them day and night.”

She looked at him. He wasn’t joking. The protective side of him was rearing up. “I’ve heard that, too. I thought it was just nonsense, Mum trying to scare me into keeping it secret.”

“Can’t be any harm nowadays.” He glanced back and grinned. “Now, if your secret came out, you’d get celebrity status and your own reality TV show.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Not interested.”

“Well, whenever you want to read me, go ahead. No skin off my nose. I’m sure that what you see will either turn you off or bore you to death.”

“Then I guess you’re different from all the other men I’ve known,” she tossed back. “Even my father doesn’t like it. Men like their secrets.”

“All the other men?”

“Figuratively speaking,” she said wryly.

He frowned and ran his gaze over her. “Chris filled me in about you. You’re nineteen. An art student. Single. He says you had a hard time when you were younger. With your clairvoyance, I mean. Trusting people, making friends. Sorry for my blunt speaking, but this is who I am.”

“It’s okay. When it first came on, yes, I had some hard times. Now I manage it. I keep it under control.” She shrugged and added, “I’ll be twenty, December first.” Now she wondered what else Chris had told him. Probably how she couldn’t get a boyfriend if her life depended on it. That she was a virgin desperate for love. God, no wonder Kas was put off.

“Don’t believe everything my brother tells you about me,” was all she could think of to say.



BLURB:

What if you could read minds with just a touch? Would you be able to trust anyone?

Athena Butler, the twenty-year-old descendant of an ancient bloodline of psychics, yearns to lead a normal life. She wants a career, a boyfriend, independence. Her clairvoyant gift, however, has taught her that people can be false and dangerous. Although warned to keep her powers a secret, she's recruited by law enforcement to help search for a serial killer and uncover a terrorist cell.

She bonds with an intriguing, handsome man, Kas Skoros, who knows her secret and accepts it. Of the same bloodline, his mother is precognitive and predicts that they are meant to be together…some day. Kas, military veteran and Search and Rescue deputy, is skeptical and cynical-- life is too uncertain--but can't resist exploring his passion for Athena. Yet there are obstacles beyond their control.

Can Kas overcome these obstacles? Can Athena stay alive long enough to fulfill her dream?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Donna Del Oro lives in Northern California with her husband and three cats. She taught high school and community college English classes for 30+ years and is now happily retired. When not writing novels or reading voraciously, she travels and sings with the medal winning Sacramento Valley Chorus.

Donna is a member of Capitol Crimes, the Sacramento chapter of Sisters in Crime in addition to the Valleyrose chapter of the RWA. She has judged RITA entries and does developmental editing on the side. Two of her novels, Operation Familia and Born To Sing, have won national and international awards.
Follow clairvoyant artist Athena Butler in the next book in The Delphi Bloodline series: ATHENA’S QUEST.


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Monday, November 23, 2015

Interview with Shona Husk, OUT OF CHANCES


Do you plot or just follow your muse?
A little of both. I like to know my characters and the main plot points before I start writing, but how I get to those main points is a mystery and there is often a bit of scene shuffling in the middle to get it all together.

Where did the idea for this story come from?
Out of Chances is book 4 in the series. When I wrote book 1 (Out of Rhythm) I know all the characters really well, but I hadn’t planned on writing their stories (of course when Escape Publishing asked for them I said yes). Dan was in a difficult situation. And I could’ve forced the story to take another route, but I haven’t shied away from writing real issues in this series (it’s NA and people are finding their adult feet, mistakes are made and people have to move on, that’s life). Dan was a complex hero, although some people may not see him as heroic at all, he does grow and change and realize his mistake which shows a strength of character.

Where is Fremantle, WA and why there not somewhere more well-known?
Fremantle is near Perth Western Australia. I chose to set the books there instead of Sydney or Melbourne because I love Freo (as the locals call it) and it has a great live and local scene. Lots of great bands got their start there, so it seemed like a good starting point for my fictional band Selling the Sun.

You seem to like heroes that are a little broken…why?
I don’t like my heroes or heroines to be too perfect. Flawed people are always more interesting—and we are all flawed in our own way. Even though I might write paranormal or sci-fi I want the characters to be relatable. When writing contemporary romance I want the reader to feel as though the character could be a friend or their neighbour or someone they went to school with.

Rock stars are hot…but yours aren’t rich and famous (yet) what was the appeal?
There are heaps of rich and famous rock star books out there so I wanted to write something different, but I also wanted to explore what it was like before the band makes it big. I found that struggle interesting.

You skip genres quite a bit (paranormal, sci fi and contemporary) is there any commonality between them or does your voice change?
I didn’t see any point in limiting myself to writing in just one genre when I love different aspects about all of them. Plus variety is a good thing (as a reader and a writer). I tend to writer darker, more flawed characters no matter the genre but there is always a happily ever after :)

How to you write pen and paper or computer?
I plot with pen and paper, but write using my laptop. Sometimes I’ll take notes about a scene on paper if I get a sudden burst of inspiration. When the kids were little I used to write the first drafts longhand because it was easier to have a note book open and scribble a few lines down. That first type up became the first edit. These I plot better and I type faster.

Do you have a favorite treat?
Dark chocolate with a hot chocolate.

Coffee, tea or wine?
Hot chocolate. I don’t like coffee or teas (except peppermint tea) and I don’t drink very often—I don’t mind a good chocolate martini, I have had bad ones L

What’s next?
I’m working on Ripley’s story (he is one of Dan’s friends). I’m also working on the sequel to Desire to Fall (science fiction romance), which is getting quite dark.



Book & Author Details:
Out of Chances by Shona Husk
(Face the Music #4)
Publication date: November 22nd 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:
Shona Husk’s sexy new adult series about emerging rock band Selling the Sun concludes this month with a story about a woman who doesn’t want to connect, a man who’s forgotten how and the friendships that save our lives.

Dan Clarke knows he doesn’t have a problem, regardless of whatever his band members, his friends, his family and everyone else thinks. Drinking isn’t keeping him from doing what needs to be done, and it helps keep the anger and pain of his ex-girlfriend’s betrayal at bay. If only she would stay away as well, but, since the band’s return to Fremantle, she’s everywhere-on the phone, in his apartment, at his parents’ house-begging for another chance, reminding him of how good they had been together, holding him hostage to the past. It’s no wonder he needs a beer now and again.

Indigo Matthews is all about control: she trains hard, she works hard and she plays hard. Men are for fun, not forever, and she will never end up like her mother, trapped and miserable.  A huge Selling the Sun fan, Indigo knows when Dan wanders into her bar that he is a conquest that she has to make. But their connection is stronger than just sex, and regardless of her credo Indigo finds herself going back for more. Then truths about Dan’s life start to emerge, and Indigo finds herself in the one position she swore she’d never find herself.

A DUI, a drunk one night stand and an ultimatum from the band bring Dan’s life to a halt. Picking up the pieces is something he can’t do alone, and there’s only one person that he trusts to give a damn. The one person that he hurt the most. Indigo.


Purchase:


AUTHOR BIO:
Join my new releases newsletter to keep up to date: http://mad.ly/signups/119074/join

SHONA HUSK is the author of the Shadowlands, Court of Annwyn and the Face the Music series. You can find out more information about Shona at www.shonahusk.com or follow her on Twitter @ShonaHusk, or Facebook www.facebook.com/shonahusk

Face the Music, a contemporary romance series, finishes in November 2015 with Out of Chances.

New SFR series coming soon with Desire to Fall.

Author links:

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Friday, November 20, 2015

Q&A with Lindsey Fairleigh and Lindsey Pogue, BEFORE THE DAWN


1. What inspired The Ending series?
 
LP (Lindsey Pogue): We were both working at a bookstore a few years ago, and we were on our way home from a tradeshow in Oakland. I think we were high from the smell of new books or something because we were giddy and started chatting about writing and stories and it bloomed from there. We started brainstorming characters and story arcs, and before we knew it, we had Zoe and Dani outlined and a title for our project.
 
LF (Lindsey Fairleigh): Yeah, we had the entire premise set up by the time we parted ways that evening.
 
2. What motivated you to write a post-apocalyptic romance series? Have you always been science fiction fans?
 
LP: Romance fan, yes! Science fiction…not so much. My dad was a sci-fi reader when I was growing up, so I was surrounded by books with spaceships and laser guns on the cover. I assumed that was all the science fiction genre consisted of. Clearly, I was wrong. When LF and I first started The Ending project, I wanted to write and
embrace my creativity. Our collaboration was going to be that outlet for me so I committed myself, not caring what the genre was. Since then, I’ve started to read more dystopian novels and am fascinated with the intricacy of some of the more epic science fiction storylines.
 
LF: I, on the other hand, have always been a fantasy and science fiction fan. My love of romantic themes didn’t develop until later, but now I find myself losing interest in a book if it doesn’t include at least a little romance or sexual tension. As for our motivation to write a new adult post-apocalyptic romance series—we both love YA books like Divergent, Shatter Me, and Hunger Games, and wanted to create something similar, just with more adult themes.
 
3. How much of the series is realistic?
 
LP: Although our book is fiction, we tried to make it as realistic as possible. We did as much research as we could before taking our own creative licenses and adding things into our post-apocalyptic world that might not have been there otherwise. Overall, we try to keep the reader engaged and constantly thinking “what if”.
 
LF: There were a few “real world” things that we tweaked for the sake of the storyline, possibly the most obvious being that the internet stays up for a few weeks after almost everyone is dead, but we stuck with it because of the way the project originated. In the beginning, the entire thing was epistolary--it was all written in the form of emails between Dani and Zoe. We changed that, thankfully, but felt the need to retain the email communications because they were the original heart of the story--everything else formed around them.
 
4. How would you describe Dani?
 
LF: Dani is definitely someone who proves that first impressions can be misleading. She’s a tiny redhead with a feisty personality to match her fiery hair, and if you don’t spend much time getting to know her, she seems silly and a little flighty. But, as we learn throughout After The Ending and Into The Fire, this is simply a disguise she’s been wearing since childhood. She fears that if people get to know the real her—the intelligent, thoughtful, independent, and deeply caring person she really is—they’ll reject her. Of course, she doesn’t wear this
emotional mask around her best bud, Zoe…and therefore not around Zoe’s older brother, Jason, either…making them some of the few people who know the real Dani.
 
5. How would you describe Zoe?
 
LP: Zoe is…complicated. She’s in her own head a lot, stands in her own way, and is loyal to a fault when it comes to Dani—the one consistent person she’s ever had in her life—so she clings to their friendship above all else. But on the flipside, she’s also extremely passionate and determined, which in the end, will help her rediscover herself in the new world of The Ending. We see her growing a bit stronger in book two, Into The Fire, but it’s book three where the readers will really get to know Zoe Cartwright.
 
6. Do you have any advice for writers?
 
LP: Go with your gut and keep in mind that you will NEVER please everyone—the latter is something I’m coming to terms with during this process.
 
LF: Put your manuscript aside for a month or two—like lock it away in a safe and don’t peek at it even once—and then when you look at it again, you’ll have all these new ideas for improving it. I know a ton of people have already said it, like Steven King, but there’s a reason--they’re right!
 
7. What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?
 
LP: Not everyone writes the same, has the same imagination, or shares the same work habits. Find what works for you and embrace it. Try not to compare yourself to other authors because it's exhausting and your quirks are what make you unique.
 
LF: Write for you...the only way you’ll know if other people like (or hate) your words is if you write them down. And yes, no matter what, some people will hate them.
 
8. What made you first decide to become a writer?
 
LP: It has always been easier for me to write down how I feel as opposed to communicating it to someone aloud. I started writing in journals at a very young age and inevitably my ideas, dreams, and life experiences starting turning into more than that. Little bits and pieces of my observations and of my life turned into story lines, and soon fictional characters and plots began to develop until I had so many story ideas that I had to invest in cases of floppy disks (yes, real plastic floppy disks) to save all my stories onto. I’ve been writing so long that as I go back now and read through some of my stories from ten years ago, I can’t help but laugh because they are so horrible.
 
LF: I think it goes back to the fact that I tend to spend half of my life in some other, completely fictitious world. I loved the worlds and characters that other people created so much that they almost seemed real to me. And, without meaning to, I started to create my own imaginary worlds and my own imaginary people...but they only lived in my mind. To make them more “real” I needed to write their stories, to describe their worlds on paper. Once I started, it was like everything slipped into place. Writing just feels...right.
 
9. What is one thing you hope readers will take away from this series?
 
LP: I’d like the readers to consider this our interpretation of the humanistic side of things. I think we provide a pretty realistic picture of what life would be like after The Ending (maybe minus all the hot guys running around). Yes, Zoe and Dani are in their twenties, but that’s young and they’re alone, and the world as they know it is ripped out from under them. There is so much for them to process, and they are scared and grasping for any sense of normalcy they can find. For them, sometimes that means crying too much, distracting themselves
with men, and making poor or rash decisions. Are they acting immature? Maybe, but unrealistic would be having them pick up a rifle and start blasting people without a second thought. Our heroines have a lot of maturing to do throughout the series, so partially I think we wanted to show Dani and Zoe as they were prior to The Ending, and as the series progresses, how they grow.
 
LF: Hmmm...maybe that the apocalypse doesn’t have to be entirely about death and sadness. That’s not to say that those things aren’t present throughout the books--I think Dani and Zoe have emotional and mental breakdowns nearly every other chapter--but we really wanted to highlight the undeniable power of hope, love,
and friendship. For Dani and Zoe, a life without those things would have been only a half-life.
 
10. When will The Ending Series be made into a movie?
 
LP: I think I speak on behalf of both of us when I say that as much as we would LOVE to have The Ending Series turned into a movie or show, it's not something that's necessarily up to us. It's been our experience that producers approach authors, not the other way around. And we aren't out there pitching a screenplay to anyone at this point in time. Plus there's always the fear that once the rights to your work are sold to someone, you have no control over what they will do with those rights. Many books get picked up by movie studios but nothing ever comes of it, so you've sold the rights to your book that you can't get back for years, if you can ever get them back again. BUT, even with all of that being said, we would love the see the world of The Ending on the screen, to see it more developed and explored and our characters in action. The idea of having the series turned into an AMC or HBO series would be our dream come true. We wouldn't scoff at a movie, either, but there's just so much that can be done with the story, a TV or mini series would be able to dive in more and would be our ideal choice. We shall see what happens...

LF: What she said! All of it is dead on, which makes sense because this is something we talk about with each other A LOT. I mean, how could we not? What author wouldn't love to see their creation come to life? I'd be ecstatic to have the chance to see how someone else interprets our world and characters, but...I'd also be scared. Because, you know, what if it's all wrong?! That being said, I'd be way more ecstatic and excited than I would be scared, so, yeah. :)
 
11. What projects, if any, are you both going to work on together? Will they be in the world of The Ending?
 
LF: LP and I have three Ending projects planned down the pipeline - two that are much more immediate and one that's definitely a several years out project, as we'd like to develop our other, separate projects and grow individually as writers and creators. The two more immediate projects are titled The Ending Series: World Before and The Ending Series: World After, and both are story collections featuring our favorite Ending Series characters, but not focused solely on Dani and Zoe.
 
LP: The stories in World Before will take place prior to the Virus outbreak--five, ten, maybe even twenty years before in some cases. The stories in World After will be continuation stories that take place after The Ending Series book four. Depending on the characters we choose to write about, their stories could take place months or maybe even years after Before The Dawn. As for the third project, that will be a ways out, as LF mentioned, but we've left the world of The Ending open for many possibilies. :)

12. What made you both choose this type of story?

LP: If my memory serves correctly, the type of story was LF’s idea. She’d been playing around with a dystopian, post-apocalypse idea for a while. Maybe not for an actual book, but a project around two friends and their communication during such a cataclysmic event. Clearly, it turned into much more, but that’s the spark that lit the fire, so to speak.

LF: Yep, that’s pretty much right. I’m not sure where I got the idea, but it had definitely been rolling around in my head for a little while. Maybe it was because I’d been away from my own hometown for several years at that point, and I was feeling the distance that can develop between friends even in our uber-connected age. What might it be like if we didn’t have cell phones, etc? I was curious, so LP and I explored the idea together...and voila! Dani and Zoe sprang to life. :)

13. Have you both enjoyed writing them?

 LP: I can easily say that without LF I probably would never have dove head first into the writing world, or I should say publishing world. Writing is one thing, but turning it into something that hundreds--maybe thousands--of people have the potential to see is taking a passion for writing to a whole other level. It was amazing embarking on this journey with someone, and I know I will never regret it, as long as I live.

LP: Yes! Word! Precisely! Writing is hard and painful at times, and putting our story out there was terrifying...and sometimes VERY painful. But the hard times were minimized by sharing this journey together, that’s for sure. Aaaaand, the good times, the joys and successes and holy-sh!ts, felt so much bigger because there was always someone else who was just as invested, just as excited. Writing the Ending Series has been highly enjoyable...writing it together has only made it more so.

14. Your characters feel like real people to me, are any of them based on people you know?

LP: Ha! Not really, though there are aspects of people I know that are sprinkled throughout Zoe and “her” characters. There are some aspects of my fiance in Jake, mostly because his characteristics felt natural to write having known him for over 10 years, and Harper is the best guy friend I always wanted--Morgan from Criminal Minds. I can’t think of any others....

LF: Nope! Just people I know in my head...

15. Did you start writing from an early age? What are your inspirations?

LF: I didn’t, but I know LP did. I was more of a voracious bookworm.

LP: I did start writing at an early age, and I think it was a coping mechanism for me. Life and puberty was difficult for me, especially in high school so it helped to have an outlet, so to speak. My life is pretty much normal now, but writing is a way I can experience living through someone else’s eyes--in another world with people I find fascinating and going on adventures I wouldn’t otherwise have. I can research things I would never learn about otherwise, and just have fun. Although writers say this a lot, it’s true: being out in the world, living everyday life in the presence of others is where I get my inspiration. People’s losses, their conflicts, the things that make them smile...there’s nothing like going to a funeral or witnessing a couple making up in a public place to bring you back to humanity and the way people interact.

16. Where did you come up with the idea for each "disease"?

LP: I’ll let LF take this one. She was the brains behind this. There was a day-long note and study session at the library that helped us move things along, but the Virus lives inside her head. I’m still fact-checking with her to make sure certain things work and make sense.

LF: Oh my gosh, this part was hard! I guess you could say we reverse engineered the virus. We decided on the “rules” - that some people would be affected differently than others (Abilities vs “Crazies”). I created some psuedo-science and mixed it together with modern genetics and came up with a type of gene therapy delivered to the patient/victim via a flu virus. It makes sense, you see. Because science. Sort of...


Book & Author Details:

Before the Dawn by Lindsey Fairleigh & Lindsey Pogue
(The Ending #4)
Publication date: November 20th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance

Synopsis:
A year ago, the Virus killed off most people in the world.

A year ago, strange things started happening to those who survived. Some of them transformed into something dark and sinister, while others evolved, becoming something more, something beyond human.

A year ago, Dani and Zoe were lost. They traversed the country to find one another, losing some of the people dearest to them along the way. They fought for their right to simply live, uncovered long-buried secrets, and discovered irreversible truths. And after everything Dani and Zoe have been through—even with the battle wounds that they bear—they’re still not safe.

It’s time for the struggling to end, for survivors to take back their lives, their families, their safety. It’s time to really begin to live, and to do that, they must wait for the first rays of dawn.


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AUTHOR BIOS:
Lindsey Fairleigh lives her life with one foot in a book—as long as that book transports her to a magical world or bends the rules of science. Her novels, from post-apocalyptic to time travel and historical fantasy, always offer up a hearty dose of unreality, along with plenty of adventure and romance. When she’s not working on her next novel, Lindsey spends her time reading and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her two very confused cats.

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Lindsey Pogue has always been a little creative. As a child she established a bug hospital on her elementary school soccer field, wrote her first YA manuscript in high school, and as an adult, expresses herself through writing. Her novels are inspired by her observations of the world
around her—whether she’s traveling, people watching, or hiking. When not plotting her next storyline or dreaming up new, brooding characters, Lindsey’s wrapped in blankets watching her favorite action flicks or going on road trips with her own leading man.

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